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Routed CP components. Need feedback!

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Nataq:
Good ill do the same. Ive noticed you removed the microswitches from the supers to put it in too. I just hope my mate will have the routing skills you do :)

NoOne=NBA=:
I always rout underneath, and then use T-nuts.
That's how the majority of the orginal arcade CP's were done.

Then came the conversions, and crappy workmanship.
And suddenly everyone mistakenly thinks dustwashers are SUPPOSED to be on the top--when they should really be trapped in the middle.

If you rout the bottom, it doesn't matter what your routing skills are.

I just spent an entire weekend (on and off) building a curved wood CP from scratch, similar to the Williams Robotron CP, but to fit my Crazy Climber exactly.
It ended up as a 3-layer laminate (3/4" poplar w/routing underneath - 1/4" poplar w/a dustwasher track routed out and T-nuts - 1/4" poplar with just the joystick hole.

Nataq:
I know the dust washer SHOULD be squeezed between but should be as good. Its purpose is to block dust so even on top it should be doing that as good... just my tought. Routing above does bring the shaft of the joystick a little bit longer. Again its about everyones taste. I would like a little bit more lenght shaft in my opinion (for supers that is). And doesnt you need to still route a little on top if you dont want screw/bolt from top of panel ?

RaggedEdge:
Nataq,

Yes, I had to remove the microswitches on my Super to get it to fit through the square hole.  There is a little raised guide on the bottom of the super to keep the microswitch in the proper place when I put it back on.  Also, for the routing, I actually made 2 different square patterns that I used to route with.  The smaller one was used for the inner hole (that goes all the way through the CP) and the larger one that was used to route down 5/16" for the joystick lip.  From the outside of my router mortising bit to the outside of the router plate (guide) was 2 3/4"  I just added that amount to the dimensions of the square that I needed to cut out for the joystick.  I used a jig saw to cut out the square patterns, then I just clamped them down (after positioning them) on the control panel and then let the pattern keep my movements confined to the square.  I tested it on a scrap piece of MDF first to make sure it would work.  It takes the guess work out of routing once you get a pattern that fits with your joystick.  Sure, I am not a professional wood craftsman and my "workmanship" is only adequate, but I am learning and getting better all the time, and that is what matters to me.

NoOne=NBA=:
You can't fully top mount without having exposed bolt heads.
You also can't top mount it, and then put graphics over it, without routing deeper for the joystick, and then routing a coverplate for the joysticks, or entire CP, anyway.

If you bottom mount them, you will need to fill over the T-nuts with something, but don't really have to rout them.
You can just counter sink them slightly with a forstner bit, so that they sit just slightly below the level of the CP.
Put temporary bolts into the T-nuts from the bottom, to keep the threads open, suck them down tight, and then putty the top, over them.
That will give you a smooth top to put the graphics on, but not let the hardware show.
You can still run your dustwashers on top, if you want to.

Oscar has good pictures HERE of how everything will come together nicely with a true Williams bottom mount.
That's basically exactly how I did my Crazy Climber CP, except that I glued an extra piece of 1/4" wood over the top, rather than messing around routing a piece of plexi in to cover everything.

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