Author Topic: The Arcade Even A Wife Can Love (Back From The Dead!) (Read 33166 times)

javeryh · « **Reply #40 on:** February 10, 2008, 11:50:47 am »

Heh - that's my biscuit joiner! What size do you recommend? I have #20s but if I need to go smaller I have to hit Home Depot. Everything does feel comfortable so far. I'm excited about this one...

Also, do you have any plans for the CP top? I'm making mine a slight variation (different button layout and no 4-way at the top) but I'm not exactly sure where to place everything relative to the edges. Also, do you happen to remember the dimensions of the front? From the pictures it looks like you divided the panel into quarters and the two front corners in the middle are 1/4 and 3/4 of the way in from the left. Is that right? Finally, what are the lengths of each side? The overall dimensions I know are 14"x34" - is the side 12-1/2"? I'm trying to recreate the angled front...

THANKS!

Knievel · « **Reply #41 on:** February 10, 2008, 12:36:58 pm »

I use #10 biscuits for everything. One in each corner of the CP box is plenty, and then a bunch (10?) to secure to the bottom.

Don't have plans for the CP but I have photoshop template of my original CP, which has the exact same layout.
I will e-mail it to you..

The sides of the top are 12" long and the front part is 25 1/2" long, centered. So 12 3/4" either way from the center point.
Draw those parts then attach them to get the angles.

javeryh · « **Reply #42 on:** February 10, 2008, 02:06:47 pm »

Thanks a lot! I cut all of the slots for the biscuits and did another dry fit. Everything is nice and tight (well, as tight as I can get it). I'm going to be using a lot more clamps for the final glue-up but this gives you an idea. I snapped a pic of one of the corners where 3 miters come together - not too bad.

I need to eat something and then I'll do the glue-up for real and start cutting out the CP top...

Kaytrim · « **Reply #43 on:** February 12, 2008, 09:43:56 am »

Nice work so far Javeryh. What is the finish plan, stain and polyurathane?

TTFN
Kaytrim

javeryh · « **Reply #44 on:** February 12, 2008, 02:04:16 pm »

Quote from: Kaytrim on February 12, 2008, 09:43:56 am

Nice work so far Javeryh. What is the finish plan, stain and polyurathane?

TTFN
Kaytrim

Thanks Kaytrim - you are correct. I'm going to put 2 coats of stain and 4-5 coats of poly on top... I'm a little puzzled by the directions on the can though. I chose "Red Mahogany" as my finish and on the can it says do not use that one color (out of all of them) with the poly. I'm guessing the poly will distort Red Mahogany or something so I have to think of something else. Minwax sells a bunch of different clear top coats - one of them is bound to work...

Kaytrim · « **Reply #45 on:** February 12, 2008, 02:25:45 pm »

Quote from: javeryh on February 12, 2008, 02:04:16 pm

Quote from: Kaytrim on February 12, 2008, 09:43:56 am
Nice work so far Javeryh. What is the finish plan, stain and polyurathane?

TTFN
Kaytrim

Thanks Kaytrim - you are correct. I'm going to put 2 coats of stain and 4-5 coats of poly on top... I'm a little puzzled by the directions on the can though. I chose "Red Mahogany" as my finish and on the can it says do not use that one color (out of all of them) with the poly. I'm guessing the poly will distort Red Mahogany or something so I have to think of something else. Minwax sells a bunch of different clear top coats - one of them is bound to work...

It is possible that the oils in the poly will bleach the red in the stain. Your best bet is to take a piece of scrap and do some testing. You could also visit their website and ask them what would be the best topcoat to use with your choice of stain.

TTFN

mountain · « **Reply #46 on:** February 12, 2008, 03:31:38 pm »

Looking great Javeryh

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #47 on:** February 13, 2008, 07:37:00 pm »

Read the whole topic. Great job! Can't wait to see the finished (pun intended) product!

~ DeLuSioNaL

javeryh · « **Reply #48 on:** February 26, 2008, 06:35:06 pm »

Thanks guys! This cab is an exercise in patience for me. It's much harder to find time to build with two kids instead of the one for some reason. Anyway, here's a little update:

The next thing on the list was building the control panel box. It was quite complicated since I decided to miter every single joint including the bottom panel.

The overall dimensions are:

Bottom panel: 12" x 32"
Side panels: 12" on the bottom edge; 5-1/4" on the back edge; 4-1/4" on the front edge (it's exactly a 5 degree slope).
Front panel: 4-1/4" x 32"
Back panel: 5-1/4" x 32"
Every corner is mitered at 45 degrees
The top edges of the front and back panels are mitered at 5 degrees to match the slope of the side panels so the control panel top will sit flush
The two holes in the side panels are for pinball flippers

These dimensions are completely ripped off from Knievel's design but I haven't seen them posted all in one place so hopefully this will help someone. After cutting all of the pieces I did a dry fit for the side panels to check for squareness and if everything was going to fit together properly. Note that the box is upside down in this picture.

Once I decided everything was lined up properly it was time to cut the slots for the biscuits to hold everything together. I could have probably used just wood glue and nothing else but the biscuits will provide a very secure bond between the panels. Here's a shot of the side panel without the slot:

Next you can see a shot of the biscuit joiner lined up with the mitered edge. All I had to do was set the fence to 45 degrees to cut all of the biscuit slots. I am not familiar with this tool at all but it was really easy to do.

The next shot shows the slot:

The next shot shows the biscuit in the slot. It's a #10 size biscuit - I tried 20s but the slot went all the way through the wood on my test cut so that wasn't going to work.

This process was repeated on all of the mitered edges. I used one biscuit in the corners and ten of them on the bottom panel (three on the 32" long edges and two on the 12" shorter ones). In my next post I'll show the glue up and the final results (God only knows whenever that might be).

Overall I'm pleased although it's not as *perfect* as I was hoping to get everything. I'm hoping the finishing process will eliminate any visual imperfections/minor gaps in the construction. If not, since the control panel is completely separate I can always try again!

javeryh · « **Reply #49 on:** March 02, 2008, 10:52:11 am »

Ugh. I have to completely redo the CP box. I tried staining it yesterday and it came out horrible. I'm not sure what I'm going to do... I think it was a bit cold out for staining and maybe not enough direct light to work with. I'm finding out that birch is tough to stain evenly too... For the next box I build I'm going to stain first and then assemble. I think I'll have an easier time working with unassembled pieces because all of the test pieces I stained came out great. I'll add the poly after the glue up. I'm also scared to stain the cabinet itself now. I might have to take that super slow and only stain a side a day or something so I can lay it down to work on.

leapinlew · « **Reply #50 on:** March 02, 2008, 11:14:38 am »

Quote from: javeryh on March 02, 2008, 10:52:11 am

Ugh. I have to completely redo the CP box. I tried staining it yesterday and it came out horrible. I'm not sure what I'm going to do... I think it was a bit cold out for staining and maybe not enough direct light to work with. I'm finding out that birch is tough to stain evenly too... For the next box I build I'm going to stain first and then assemble. I think I'll have an easier time working with unassembled pieces because all of the test pieces I stained came out great. I'll add the poly after the glue up. I'm also scared to stain the cabinet itself now. I might have to take that super slow and only stain a side a day or something so I can lay it down to work on.

Ouch!

Stand back dude. Give it a day and think about it. I'm sure you can figure something out.

bratwurst · « **Reply #51 on:** March 02, 2008, 12:52:05 pm »

Did you use wood conditioner? its a must for birch.

Kaytrim · « **Reply #52 on:** March 02, 2008, 12:55:11 pm »

Don't give up compleatly on this box. You might be able to sand it down and start over. The top layer is not that thin. Then look into that conditioner that bratwurst mentioned.

TTFN
Kaytrim

javeryh · « **Reply #53 on:** March 02, 2008, 04:14:27 pm »

I'll see what I can do about possibly sanding it down - the top layer is pretty thin though and I don't think I'd be able to remove all of the stain. I did not use wood conditioner but I will get some and see if that makes a difference on the next try. One thing I did learn was that 1/32" or 1/64" gaps are not visible at all once the stain goes on which is encouraging.

I'm thinking I might buy some black laminate and just wrap it. The CP top will still be stained birch similar to Knievel's Woody (with the vinyl rings around the controls) so maybe an all black CP box wouldn't look so bad. Other than the stained parts the entire thing is going to be black anyway including all of the controls. If I don't like it I can scrap it and try again.

I'm pretty bummed out though - first this and now I just got done cracking every attempt at making a plexiglass dustwasher (including the 2 discs that Neverending Project graciously sent me from Tap Plastics... grr... NOT a good weekend.

Kaytrim · « **Reply #54 on:** March 02, 2008, 04:51:41 pm »

Use a hole saw at slow speed in reverse and melt your way through the plastic for your dust covers. The key is to not use any pressure and let the blade melt through. Also use a scrap piece of wood behind the plastic for support.

TTFN
Kaytrim

javeryh · « **Reply #55 on:** March 02, 2008, 04:56:13 pm »

I'll give it a shot but I'm not sure I have a 2" hole saw... I might have a 3" one though... it should take 30 seconds to do though. Any reason why you go in reverse?

Kaytrim · « **Reply #56 on:** March 02, 2008, 05:20:41 pm »

It prevents the teeth of the hole saw from grabbing the plastic and causing it to crack.

javeryh · « **Reply #57 on:** March 02, 2008, 05:30:16 pm »

OK, I'll give it a shot.

javeryh · « **Reply #58 on:** March 03, 2008, 05:46:35 pm »

Well, here it is blemishes and all for proof that even when you eff something up you can still make a great looking cabinet (assuming my second attempt works out a little better):

It came out very splotchy and I've decided to redo the entire thing. I'm also apparently blind because there are several spots where I didn't sand all of the glue off (even though I swore I did). I'm mad because the box itself came out quite nice. Next time I'm DEFINITELY staining before gluing. If one panel doesn't come out right I can always recut it instead of the entire box. I also think having the piece laid flat will make it easier to stain.

I'll save it and probably cover it with some black laminate - the shape is still good and it might make a nice CP down the road but just not for this cabinet.

Kaytrim · « **Reply #59 on:** March 03, 2008, 06:03:46 pm »

Mineral Spirits will show you where the glue is. This way you can make sure the wood is clean prior to any finish being applied. Just wipe it on and any lite areas will tell you where the glue still is. The mineral spirits will evaporate and not affect the wood in any manner.

Don't give up on the stain. This is just another challenge like the paint on Bella's arcade. Spend some time on the forums of woodnet.net. There are plenty of guys and gals there that will be more than happy to share their knowlege with you. That group is very similar to the folks here only a slightly different area of expertise.

Chin up man,

Kaytrim

javeryh · « **Reply #60 on:** March 03, 2008, 08:37:57 pm »

Thanks for the mineral spirits suggestion. I need to plan things out a little better next time... I'm even more upset when I look at the final unstained box - I'm still amazed at how sick it looked!

Krohboy · « **Reply #61 on:** March 06, 2008, 09:20:57 pm »

Hey, this is Krohboy from CAG. I love Knievel Klones.

javeryh · « **Reply #62 on:** April 18, 2008, 02:36:51 pm »

I finally have some free time to work on this thing starting tonight. I need to make a "to-do" list or I'll go crazy trying to figure out what to do next:

- re-cut the 5 crazy angled panels for the CP box
- cut the coin door panel
- cut the kickplate panel
- cut the CP top (this could take a while)
- stain unassembled CP box
- stain rest of cabinet
- glue up CP box
- add poly/clear top coats to everything

It's a bit ambitious but I'm hoping to finish all this by Saturday night around midnight (the power tools should be off for a while at that point and I'll be staining/finishing so it shouldn't annoy the neighbors). I'll be working tonight from 7-10 after work and all day tomorrow starting at 7am. I've got to make the most of the time the wife and kids aren't home!

If it all goes according to schedule I can spend Sunday working on the rotating monitor mount...

mountain · « **Reply #63 on:** April 18, 2008, 03:02:58 pm »

Sounds like me when the wife and kids go out of town. They are going to be away this weekend but I have way too many other things to do that have slipped because of this hobby.

Good luck!

javeryh · « **Reply #64 on:** April 18, 2008, 04:00:00 pm »

yeah, it's like a mad dash and I get so excited to finally work on stuff that when I start I don't know what to do first without a plan and I end up wasting time with trips to Home Depot and other stuff. In theory, cutting out 7 panels and staining the cabinet shouldn't take ALL weekend but I know it will (if I'm lucky).

mountain · « **Reply #65 on:** April 18, 2008, 04:18:26 pm »

He he..yeah, project management skills are very handy when your time is limited. I pretty much went over my "budget right out of the gate when I went with the 27" 9200 on my current project. So now I have to plan everything in advance and order all of the materials and accessories when they are needed. It really sucks when time slots pop up unexpectedly and I don't have the right materials.

mountain · « **Reply #66 on:** April 22, 2008, 02:52:04 pm »

Well, where is the long detailed post ( with

) showing all of the progress that you made this past weekend?

javeryh · « **Reply #67 on:** April 22, 2008, 04:18:03 pm »

Quote from: mountain on April 22, 2008, 02:52:04 pm

Well, where is the long detailed post ( with ) showing all of the progress that you made this past weekend?

Haha... I don't really have any... I put in about 12 hours on Saturday and made a lot of progress (well, not really but it was a lot for me). It was all boring stuff though so I didn't snap any pictures. I recut the CP box - that thing is seriously tough to get right and even now it's not what I'd call perfect. I tried mitering all of the joints like Knievel did with the "Woody" and man that guy has some serious skills. Maybe cutting a box like this is really difficult and I just don't know it but I checked and rechecked all of my cuts and measurements (and even had to cut several pieces twice to get a better fit) and it's still not dead on 100% perfect. I'll have to live with it but man it really put me in my place.

After cutting the CP box I stained it before gluing it up - what a difference the right materials make. For some unexplainable reason I did not pre-treat the wood before staining on my last attempt and that is why everything came out so splotchy. I used a wood conditioner this time and the stain went on much more evenly.

I also cut the front door panel and made the keyboard drawer (which was tough because the front is on a 7 degree angle). I also cut the kickplate and base panel (mitered) and glued them into place. All in all it was a productive weekend. I'm hoping I can sneak away for a couple of hours and finish staining everything and start on the clear coats but with 2 kids who knows when that will be!

Jdurg · « **Reply #68 on:** April 22, 2008, 11:37:53 pm »

More props are deserve for those who build CPs and/or cabs out of wood and stain it. With a painted cab, you can screw up and Bondo/putty will save you. If you're staining the wood, you MUST be perfect with your build.

Great job!

Mr Wilson · « **Reply #69 on:** April 23, 2008, 03:25:53 pm »

looking good

shock pic of my wife on my arcade cab!!!!!!!

SNAAKE · « **Reply #70 on:** April 23, 2008, 04:51:07 pm »

your wife is hot

SimonBirchNYC · « **Reply #71 on:** May 12, 2008, 02:27:14 pm »

Man, she looks thrilled! (see her reflection)

My first post here btw...~~and yes, she looks hot. I like that tat...congrats, u have a hot wife!~~ EDITED once I saw your avatar!

javeryh · « **Reply #72 on:** July 02, 2008, 12:12:46 pm »

It's been a long time coming... Nothing too exciting to report as I continue my complete rip-off of Knievel's Woody. I finally found some free time this past week to cut out the CP top. I'm not finished but at least it's something!

This last shot shows roughly where the trackball will go:

I still have to:

1. Cut the 3" trackball hole
2. Remove material to recess the joysticks and trackball (no mounting plate) from underneath
3. Cut the plexiglass to size using my pattern bit (then polish the edges)
4. Cut the slot for the t-molding

This weekend I am going to try and finally stain and poly the entire cabinet. I gave the wife advance notice and she seemed OK with it. Taking care of 2 small kids is a lot of work and doesn't leave a lot of free time to work on these projects. I feel like once the staining and poly/finish is out of the way I'll be able to work on the thing in 1/2 hour to hour long bursts (after work and when the kids are sleeping) and crawl to the finish line. Wish me luck!

bratwurst · « **Reply #73 on:** October 29, 2008, 04:46:58 pm »

Any updates on this project? I have started my own woody clone some time back and haven't made much progress besides cutting out the sides. I have come back to this and the original woody thread by Knievel many times looking for info. I'm going to try and pick back up the job again this weekend. I finally finished my jukebox and redid my basement after a flood so I'm back to the woody project.

What speakers are you using btw?

javeryh · « **Reply #74 on:** October 29, 2008, 04:55:09 pm »

heh, I sure have been neglecting this one...

I have made a little more progress but it is not my focus right now until I can get an entire weekend to sand and apply several coats of poly. I need a large chunk of time and unfortunately with two small kids running around unless my wife takes them to her parents or something I just can't seem to get the full day that I need.

The cabinet has been stained and there are two coats of poly on right now - it looks pretty good and I am eager to get it finished but the jukebox is my priority right now.

javeryh · « **Reply #75 on:** April 14, 2010, 02:41:15 pm »

Wow - it sure has been a long time since I worked on this thing... almost 2 years! I kind of got sidetracked with my DK+ and the jukebox (that still isn't 100% finished). I was moving things around in the garage the other day and I saw this thing just sitting in the corner under a tarp looking all pathetic so I decided it was time to get this project moving again.

Since I last posted I managed to stain and add several (like 5 or 6!) coats of poly to the entire cabinet. I also got the t-molding in place. It's a good start. I need to take some pics though. There is still a ton left to do with the hardest being figuring out how to rotate the monitor (hardware and software).

I recut the CP box and I'm planning to glue it up this weekend if the weather is nice. If it doesn't come out the way I hope I'm just going to wrap the old CP box (that I ruined) in black laminate. I think it will look OK since the cabinet has black t-molding and the buttons/trackball/joysticks are black too. I'm looking forward to completing this project!

bratwurst · « **Reply #76 on:** April 14, 2010, 02:55:22 pm »

Glad to see you're back at it! I'm working on my clone as well. I have 3 coats of poly on mine, and am going to try to get the cabinet door cut, stained, and poly'd as well soon. I might put another couple coats of poly on the whole thing, not sure. I cut the poly with mineral spirits for the first three coats to thin it a bit. So I think it needs more coats.

I've made contact with a friend of mine to use his table saw to cut out my control panel box. I don't have the tools to do nice exact miters.

thatitalian · « **Reply #77 on:** April 16, 2010, 10:47:48 am »

I am not sure if you are able to jav, but could you do a video of how you are cutting? I have a table saw and would love to see you're approach to cutting it

I know there are some videos on the net floating around, but form an arcade perspective this would be good as I plan on taking the angles fitting together approach.

javeryh · « **Reply #78 on:** April 16, 2010, 11:07:29 am »

Which cuts? I do 95% of my straight cuts with my router, a flush cutting bit and a straight edge. I use the table saw for the longer or odd angled cuts. I don't have anything other than a camera phone so I'm not sure how helpful it would be (or how I'd pull it off). I go through a LOT of test pieces to get the angles just right before actually making the cut on the work piece. It is a pain.

thatitalian · « **Reply #79 on:** April 16, 2010, 12:09:13 pm »

That is what I am am having problems with, the odd angles. I have router bits that are 45deg, 30deg and 15deg which are handy but it is the 20 deg cuts that I find hard. I was hoping to see how you align and cut but if you are testing a lot then it is more trail and error. Is that right?


Main	Restorations	Software	Audio/Jukebox/MP3	Everything Else	Buy/Sell/Trade
Project Announcements	Monitor/Video	GroovyMAME	Merit/JVL Touchscreen	Meet Up	Retail Vendors
Driving & Racing	Woodworking	Software Support Forums	Consoles	Project Arcade	Reviews
Automated Projects	Artwork	Frontend Support Forums	Pinball	Forum Discussion	Old Boards
Raspberry Pi & Dev Board	controls.dat	Linux	Miscellaneous Arcade	Wiki Discussion	Old Archives
Lightguns	Arcade1Up	Try the site in https mode		Site News


Unread posts \| New Replies \| Recent posts \| Rules \| Chatroom \| Wiki \| File Repository \| RSS \| Submit news