SpyStyle's featherweight arcade machine

[spystyle]

Hello from Maine,

Hey! I've been a member for years and have never announced any of my projects. So here goes:



I have built a 4 player Konami cabinet out of 1/2" plywood. Because that material is half the weight of 3/4" MDF I call it "The featherweight arcade machine"

It weighs an estimated 175 lbs. The same cabinet made from 3/4" MDF would weigh an estimated 300 lbs. (both estimates assume the TV weighs 50 lbs and that 2.5 sheets of material are used)

I illustrate how I built it, with 200 pictures, here:
http://spystyle.arcadecontrols.com/01/index72-4.htm
(please do not link to any part of that)

Tell me what you think

Cheers,
Craig





There are no screws visible from the outside, I used dowels.






It has a TMNT control panel layout




it is reinforced with a "partial frame".

(ignore the TV in this pic)

Brackets


and "strips" that are glued and brad nailed.


Despite it's light weight and thin material it was shipped 900 miles without breaking, it's solid.

[BobA]

I like using plywood just because it smells like wood not chemical abrasive  MDF.  Good choice to lighten the cab. It must have been strong to stand the shipping.

Looks like alot of work stiffening the 1/2 inch ply and providing backing for screws and nails.   Do you think 3/4 would have reduced the amount of work with a weight penalty?

[danny_galaga]

i like the snowcade venue (",)

i never thought the uprights would weigh so much. im pretty sure my space invaders cab (once its finished) will be lighter again but theres a reason...

[spystyle]

I like using plywood just because it smells like wood not chemical abrasive  MDF.  Good choice to lighten the cab. It must have been strong to stand the shipping.

 Do you think 3/4 would have reduced the amount of work with a weight penalty?

1. Weight of building material

STANDARD

4'x8' sheet of MDF, 3/4" thick, weighs 102 lbs

4'x8' sheet of particle board, 3/4" thick, weighs 96 lbs

4'x8' sheet of particle board, 5/8" thick, weighs 76 lbs

4'x8' sheet of plywood, 3/4" thick, weighs 65 lbs (5 or 7 ply) 55-60 lbs (11-13 ply)

4'x8' sheet of plywood 1/2" thick, weighs 50 lbs (5 ply)

METRIC

122cm x 244cm sheet of MDF, 19mm thick, weighs 46.36 kg

122cm x 244cm sheet of particle board, 19mm thick, weighs 43.64 kg

122cm x 244cm sheet of particle board, 15.8mm thick, weighs 34.55 kg

122cm x 244cm sheet of plywood, 19mm thick, weighs 29.55 kg (5 or 7 ply) 25-27.27 kg (11-13 ply)

122cm x 244cm sheet of plywood, 12.7mm thick, weighs 22.73 kg (5 ply)

Looks like alot of work stiffening the 1/2 inch ply and providing backing for screws and nails.

Because I used a pneumatic brad nailer it was not as slow going as you might assume. In the time it takes to drill a pilot hole, drill a countersink, then drive a screw, you could probably fire 50 brad nails.

The motion of firing a brad nail is as fast as changing a channel on a remote control. 

So, yes it takes allot to reinforce the material, but firing the nails is very fast which helps....(it's also fun!)... but you do have to cut all the extra material.... So I suppose this building method takes 15% more time but costs significantly less. The price of two B-grade sheets of 1/2" plywood and a single sheet of 1/2" OSB (that can be used out of sight, like floor and monitor shelf) would only be $38.21 + tax. (the plywood is from Lowes and the OSB is from Home Depot)

Cheers,
Craig

[BobA]

Good point re cost.  I paid  about $65 Cdn per sheet of good 2 side 3/4 birch ply.   About $56 in US Dollars.   Sounds like brads and glue are quite fast.

[Kaytrim]

And a single sheet of 3/4 MDF costs around $25 US.  The average cab uses 3 sheets so after you add the cost of glue and screws you are talking about $100 in building materials alone.  Not only did you save on weight you saved on cost as well.   

[SavannahLion]

The link on the first page to the oil-free vs oil compressors is probably worth a linking to here in and of itself. I bought my dad an oil-less compressor w/ nail gun at THD. He never used it, so I inherited it. The first day I used it, the motor kept running and the tank refused to pressurize to anything more than half its expected capacity. I just thought it was an altitude issue (7000+ feet) because I discovered my neighbor also has an oil-less compressor and it was exhibiting the same symptoms. So brought the compressor back down home. Haven't had a chance to look at it yet. Now I'm kind of wondering.

The wood weights deserve a sticky. I worked at THD for almost three years and I could never remember the weights off hand. Of course... THD teaches you crap, but that's besides the point.

[spystyle]

Here is that discussion:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9673

There is nothing special about it though, a google search on the topic will yield 99% of people claiming "oil less" are not good.

General conseus says they are loud, overheat, and die soon.

The cool thing about Home Depot, Lowes, and Wal-Mart is you can buy a tool and use it for 29 days then return it.

So, the day you start your next project buy an oil-less nailer combo and use the h3ll out of it, then tell us how it did and return it. As far as I know you can get a "Huskey" compressor and nailer combo for $70 when it's on sale at HD. Ofcourse it's only got a tiny tank and it is oil-less, probably noisey too, but they have a great return policy. So if you mark the 29th day on the calander you can't lose.

Buy a pair of these too:

[patrickl]

i like the snowcade venue (",)

i never thought the uprights would weigh so much. im pretty sure my space invaders cab (once its finished) will be lighter again but theres a reason...

My Galaga "cab" is a lot lighter too   Perhaps it's because of the birch ply I used.

Those nail guns are awesome. I don't own one, but it looks seriously cool when you see someone use them.

BTW why not just rent a nail gun instead of buying one?

[spystyle]

"Buying and returning" would cost less than renting.

But it's a good point - if you are only going to build one cab you might as well borrow, rent, or "buy and return" the expensive tools; like the router, compressor, air nailer.

But which one of us wants only one cab?

Even the guy that wants only one cab has a friend who wants one, and a relative that wants one, and a neighbor.... Before you know it you're planning a build party.

Arcade machines are like potato chips, you can't get away with just one!

:)

...Those nail guns are awesome. I don't own one, but it looks seriously cool when you see someone use them.BTW why not just rent a nail gun instead of buying one?

That statement kinda makes it sound as if they are extreamly expensive, they are not too bad - especially if you calculate the savings on material and the ability to use inexpensive air tools - in a way it pays for itself over time.

As we calculated above - using 1/2" material you can buy the 3 sheets for less than $40. So that's an immediate savings on material.

Having a compressor also allows you to do other things you couldn't before - like airbrush or HVLP spray paint gun, filling your tires with air, and the availability of inexpensive air tools. Air tools are cheap because they have no motor.

Also how much value can you place on fun? They are fun to use :)

Attached is the price for the nailer combo I settled on from Harbor Frieght. As you can see the price is substancial at $140, but not completely out of reach.

You can also quit some recreational activites for a month or two to make purchases like that. Cigarettes, beer, theatre, or dining out can quickly add up to $140. Temporarily switching to a "free recreation" (for example, mountain hiking*) can help allot.

Cheers,
Craig

*
http://tinyurl.com/hg9vk

[patrickl]

I don't think I'd feel comfortable to return a perfectly functioning product just to save some money 

In my case they wouldn't accept an opened and used product back (if it doesn't have a defect) either (no store here with that kinde of return policy)

[spystyle]

I don't think I'd feel comfortable to return a perfectly functioning product just to save some money 

In my case they wouldn't accept an opened and used product back (if it doesn't have a defect) either (no store here with that kinda of return policy)

Around here (Maine) they just accept it back if you don't like it. It is their "satisfaction guarantee", it's 100% legal - not like thievery or anything. But I can understand if that doesn't appeal to you.

Cheers,
Craig