Shadowrun Arcade - build started (pics)

[oldsage]

Shadowrun Arcade
I have just started work on a showcase cab themed around the shadowrun role-playing game... The cab will be slightly modular, as the CP stand could be detached and replaced with another module (racing game module with racing seats and steering wheels, for example...), and the CP itself, can also be changed with another... The cab has a 32" SHARP TV, and will have a P4 2.6ghz, 1gig ram, 80gig HD, and nVidia GeForce FX 5500 (i think that's the one...)...
I am planing on painting the cab dark red or dark orange, and painting a 1" black strip near the edges... I will probably use chrome t-molding, and am planning on getting a custom cut rectangle piece of diamond plate aluminum on each side and on the front panel... (am currently wandering how to bolt it...) The art is not yet finished, but i plan on having a collage of shadowrun drawings for sideart (kinda like what Heavy Metal arcade did, but less "cartoony"), And the CPO will simply be the shadowrun logo... The marquee will be the same logo, with ARCADE written below it, and two speakers on it's side (they have a cool chrome-color grill, so it'll be cool)... Most removable parts will be joined by "chest latches", which i hope will only add to the theme (along with the visible screw heads)...
I will update this post whenever progress is made...
All questions, notes, and the like are welcome, wanted, and appreciated...

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04.11.05 5:45PM - Started building... No feedback, so i just started... I've had some trouble with the monitors upper curve and back, but that was mostly do to poor carpentry... So as soon as i damaged both side panels with my jigsaw, i gave up and let my old man a go... Excluding some bad curves he did trying to fix what i ruined, he did some nice cuts...
So we're probably gonna do the front and back panels in an hours time or so... Then comes the hard part though... My dad never used a router, and it took me some time to even explain to him what it is... Any advice for the routing? Also, a question that came to my mind as i was thinking of the routing - how do i fix the t-molding? Do i go all around the sides? If so, how? Do i just hope no one will notice there's a cut between two pieces and yank 'em out?
I've updated this post to have a "header" explaining about the cab... Please give any feedback you can!
Here are the two side panels:

And here are the plans i used for cutting them:
(The thumbnail is screwed... Click for the pic...)

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04.10.05
Okay, so, I'm really tired and want to go to sleep, so I'll edit this tomorrow with some more detail about my cab, but for now, here's the deal... I'm starting a new showcase cab tomorrow which I'll detail more later, thing is, tomorrow is my last chance for quite a few days to start working the wood with my dad, so i want to get as many feedbacks as i can about my "blueprints" till tomorrow morning...
(take a long breath...)

Here's the sideview, i know this is an annoying post, but please give me the most feedback you can...
If you can think of anything, even the tiniest thing wrong with this, tell me!
I'll post more tomorrow... (BTW, did this with flash, based roughly on jakobuds dynamo plans...)

[oldsage]

Edited OP...

[rgecko]

oldsage, looks like you're off to a good start, probably at about the same point I'm at, just routed everything today.  The routing was pretty easy, I just did it today.  My advice, make sure you have the T-molding in your hands before you start routing, then with a scrap piece of wood do an edge, put in a bit of the T-molding to make sure it fits nice, and then take it out.  Make sure your router is locked, and then do all the pieces you

[oldsage]

oldsage, looks like you're off to a good start, probably at about the same point I'm at, just routed everything today.

[rgecko]

That

[dphirschler]

One thing stupid i did, is not order the t-molding ahead of time (sure, i ordered the encoders, and controls, and all, but no t-mold!)

You can get free samples of t-molding at t-molding.com.  Use that on your scrap for testing your slot-cutting skills.  It's about a 6 inch sample.


Darryl

[oldsage]

For your art I think I know what you

[oldsage]

Bummer... My dad's a busy man = we only did the sides...
I have a vacation of two weeks = project on at least 2-3 weeks hold...

Da*n! This thing will never get done in this rate... I'm considering trying to do everything by myself in the few days before i leave, but I'm afraid to ruin the damn thing... I'm no carpenter...
Oh well... We'll see...

[rgecko]

Say it ain't so!
I had a problem like this. Recently.  My buddy who's been helping me on this, had to spend some time with his fianc

[oldsage]

Say it ain't so!
I had a problem like this. Recently.

[oldsage]

Okay! Probably second last update before i leave...
Me and my dad finished the base a few hours ago, and dry-fitted everything that's allready cut... We've also cut the top of the monitor (not the top of the cab!), and the bottom back pieces, and also cut the angles...
The base is basically assembled, and tomorrow we might get a few more things done... I'll be leaving home tomorrow afternoon, so i dunno if I'll post pics tomorrow, or in a few days from the hotel room...

BTW, helpful tip for everybody that's building a cab! Charge your drills spare battery while working with the main one!!! Me and my dad had to drive in all the bottom screws manually, the battery died right after we finished countersinking...
Hopefully, as soon as i return, everything will work a little faster... And I'll be starting on the DigDug when I'm not working on the SR cab - i have lots of free time, but the guy with the tools doesn't...

Well, hopefully, we'll get this finished in less then a month!

Also, please help me out with the sideart... I'm really stuck here!!!

Thanks, wish me luck...
  OldSage