The Arcade Even A Wife Can Love (Back From The Dead!)

[javeryh]

OK, I wasn't sure whether or not to even post this until it was finished but what the heck (I need something to do to keep me busy at work today  ).  It adds nothing new to the hobby and is a (yet another) shameless rip off of one of Knievel's outstanding cabinets.  Maybe I'll snap a few more pics or something along the way.  Progress on this is going to be s...l...o...w... because I think I've reached the point where my wife hates this hobby obsession.   She went to her parents on Tuesday so I started working on this without saying anything.  She's going to kill me.  Anyway, here's the profile:



Plans for this are a 20" LCD running MAME, Daphne and some sort of Pinball emulator (I've never played any of those before).  I'm also thinking about adding some hand buzzers for YDKJ and maybe even some SNES and NES games down the road.  I want this to be as "wife-friendly" as possible.

The cabinet is going to be stained a dark reddish mahogany color to match the furniture in my house and I will add black "leather" t-molding.  The CP will be the standard 2 player/6-button with trackball and spinner.  I will likely install a working coin door too.  I have no idea what to call this thing or what I'm going to use for marquee art...  That's all for now!

[DaOld Man]

Is the cabinet going to be that skinny? Or is the picture stretched?
If picture is normal, I like the idea, but it may be a little crowded around the computer area?

[leapinlew]

Progress on this is going to be s...l...o...w... because I think I've reached the point where my wife hates this hobby obsession.   She went to her parents on Tuesday so I started working on this without saying anything.  She's going to kill me. 

Just wanted to point this out...

Good luck with your build and marriage. 

[TOK]

Just wanted to point this out...

Good luck with your build and marriage. 

My wife doesn't like anything thats skinnier than her. 

[ratzz]

My wife would like a rotatable cp with a built in makeup set, and the monitor turns into a mirror.

Good luck man, I am a huge fan of your projects.

Started a blog yet?

Ratzz 

[theCoder]

My wife grudgingly puts up with my projects.  Apparently I'm a better person (her words) when I have a creative outlet.

You should look into Future Pinball for your pinball emulator.  It rocks.

Good luck with your project.

[metahacker]

im really looking forward to seeing this project come together.   

are there  other notable projects similar to this and Knievel's "woody"? like this one http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=72177.0 (/edit)
I haven't really seen many....  'stained wood furniture style', traditional or otherwise.

[AcidArmitage]

Just wanted to point this out...

Good luck with your build and marriage. 

My wife doesn't like anything thats skinnier than her. 

everything? OOOOOH SNAP! called yo wife fat. just kidding 

[javeryh]

Wow.  After diving into this project I have an even greater appreciation for Knievel's work.  This is not an easy build.  I'm having a tough time with all of the angled cuts.  I'm new to this kind of stuff and I really could use some lessons on the tablesaw.  I also just used my biscuit joiner for the first time - that thing is great (but also not as easy as it looks on TV).  I've got a 3D cabinet now and it looks pretty good but of course all I see are the imperfections... 

The wife is due home this afternoon so we'll see what she says!  ... I did finish building a bookcase that she wanted done while she was away - maybe that will soften the blow!

[leapinlew]

Wow.  After diving into this project I have an even greater appreciation for Knievel's work.  This is not an easy build.  I'm having a tough time with all of the angled cuts.  I'm new to this kind of stuff and I really could use some lessons on the tablesaw.  I also just used my biscuit joiner for the first time - that thing is great (but also not as easy as it looks on TV).  I've got a 3D cabinet now and it looks pretty good but of course all I see are the imperfections... 

The wife is due home this afternoon so we'll see what she says!  ... I did finish building a bookcase that she wanted done while she was away - maybe that will soften the blow!

Have you ever thought about beating her? See, it makes the other stuff you do seem minor. Trust me, just give it a try. One quick back hand and she'll straighten right up.

or!

When she comes home, be piss drunk and reek of stripper. Tell her you were thinking of building another cabinet but thought she wouldn't be happy about it so you went to a stripper joint and spent $300 with some of your friends.

Seriously, I got buddies who go out all the time and blow all their money drinking, gambling or strip joints. Makes my hobby of hanging around the house and building things of value seem not so bad. My wife recognizes this. One other thing you can do is make a cabinet to sell for profit. That way she can't complain about the money aspect of things.

[myntik1]

When she comes home, be piss drunk and reek of stripper.

In case you're wondering the scent is vanilla lotion and cigarettes.  I'm trying to market this to nerdy college students so their roommates will think they actually got a piece.

But seriously, sell the idea to her as a party/entertainment thing. I caught hell for the hobby until I came home with a centipede and I blatantly stole leapinlew's juke plans.  After that I can come home smelling of the Au De Mardi Gras (the name for the scent) and I'm still golden.  Once a week her and her friends are listening to the juke while watchin Dr Phil and sippin some Strawberry Boones (actually it's probably a classy vino, but that's the first wine that came to mind).

[btp2k2]

Yeah, the afore mentioned Future Pinball is pretty awesome...however the selection of tables for it rather sucks. You will find nothing over 1980 with Future Pinball.

[theCoder]

Yeah, the afore mentioned Future Pinball is pretty awesome...however the selection of tables for it rather sucks. You will find nothing over 1980 with Future Pinball.

Some of the home grown "originals" are pretty awesome.  The platform authors wrote a table called "Sci-Fi Classic" that is incredible.  A number of others are really good.  Alien Poker, and Fire Power are tables I played a lot, and the sims of them are really accurate.  The really old ones pretty much stink (1970's vintage Gottlieb tables for example), but the customs and newer ones are going to get a lot of play time on my cab.

[vidmouse]

Try Visual Pinball... you will never run out of tables to try

[javeryh]

Is the cabinet going to be that skinny? Or is the picture stretched?
If picture is normal, I like the idea, but it may be a little crowded around the computer area?

It will be that skinny.  The bottom edge is only 16" long and at its widest at the bottom of the CP is only 20".  It will be perfect for the LCD monitor and won't take up that much space in the house... which is almost mandatory for wife-friendliness.   

My wife would like a rotatable cp with a built in makeup set, and the monitor turns into a mirror.

Good luck man, I am a huge fan of your projects.

Started a blog yet?

Ratzz 

Thanks!  I'll run that by my wife - maybe she will be more accepting of the whole thing!  I did start a blog but there's nothing really to it yet.  I'm not sure if I feel like documenting the project in as much detail as the last one since Knievel already built one of these things.  I like doing it for my own reference though when people ask questions months later and I can't remember the details so who knows.

Your project is coming along quite nice.   

[javeryh]

OK, I broke it to the wife this morning... as expected, she was not pleased but I also showed her the bookcase I built this past week and she loved it so that was good... then she asked if we could use the cocktail table I built which resides in our unfinished basement as our kitchen table.  WTF?  Even after 8 years of marriage, I swear I will never understand women.

[javeryh]

I cut the side panels to the control panel box.  The two buttons are for pinball.  I still have to mitre the bottom edge but so far so good.  It is really tough to get a crisp line and a snug fit...

[Havok]

It it really tough to get a crisp line and a snug fit...

** Havok considers making a comment about this quote, and a wife, but then remembers this is a family oriented site, and slowly backs away from the keyboard **

[Knievel]

Looks good!

Seeing those mitered CP box pieces is bringing back some memories.

[superbigjay]

OK, I broke it to the wife this morning... as expected, she was not pleased

you live dangerously ... 

[javeryh]

T-Molding Slot:

I routed the slot around the side panels to accept the t-molding.  The hardest part as always was adjusting the depth of the blade on the router bit to cut the slot so it is exactly centered on the edge of the panel.

First, I installed a 1/16" slot cutting bit into my router.  Next, I eyeballed the depth of the bit with the edge of a scrap piece of the same plywood panel I used for the sides and made a test cut. Then I flipped the scrap piece over to see if the slot cutting bit fit into the slot I had just cut. It wasn't exact so I made a small adjustment and tried again. The idea here is that when you flip the scrap piece over the slot cutting bit should slide into the groove you just cut - this is how you know it is exactly centered. I actually had to make about 5 test cuts before I got it perfect.





Once I knew the slot cutting bit was at the right depth I just ran the router around the edge of the side panels where the t-molding is going to go - the ball bearing on the router bit runs along the edge of the panel so you get a nice consistent depth all the way around. Once everything was set up the cutting took all of 10 minutes. You can see the start of the slot I cut in the picture below. Pretty simple!



The cabinet glue-up is next!

[ratzz]

Oooohhhh ... shiny new router! 

[javeryh]

Well, here's the bookcase I built that kept me out of the doghouse!   

I will be painting it white this weekend...

[Level42]

What a complete waist of wood and space.





 

leapinlew, that comment made me laugh my pants off (well not really of course).....

It's strange how women hate everything that is big (big TV's, big speakers, big cabs) but aren't pleased with a small size in other territories  .........weird ! 

[javeryh]

Here we go!!!  Check out this sick bit of woodworking I did for the base of the cabinet.  I took a 2x4, cut it into 4 pieces and get this.... glued it together!!!!  Oh yeah - check out the attached pics and start drooling....

    

[mr.Curmudgeon]

Man, Norm Abram ain't got nuthin' on you!   

[javeryh]

All these angles are making me CRAZY!!!! 

Well, I got some extensive practice on my tablesaw and it's about time.  I am having the toughest time making perfectly square cuts for panels of plywood.  I think I need to make a cross cut sled or something like that to run the panels though the saw without using the fence...  also my fence seems to drift about 1/16" away from the blade and no amount of tinkering seems to fix it...  I just need more practice, I think.  Setting the tablesaw blade at an angle was no problem but running the piece through cleanly and perfectly straight was tricky.  I'm just not comfortable using the push stick, the featherboard and the proper amount of pressure on the board.  Also, I don't want to lose any fingers.  Norm makes it look so easy!

Anyway, all of the 5 interior panels I cut for this cabinet needed to be cut at an angle on one end (or in the case of the top panel, on both ends).  What a pain!  I've attached some pics to show what I mean. 

In the first picture you can kind of see the angle on the edge of the speaker panel - plus the two sweet holes I cut for the speaker grills.  I used a holesaw to make those cutouts. 

In the second picture you can clearly see the 45 degree angle I cut for the kickplate panel.

Finally, the third picture gives a sneak peak at the assembled cabinet as well as shows off how I had to angle the edges of the top panel and speaker panel so the edges would be perpendicular to the floor in order to accept the marquee properly.  Fun stuff!

Oh, I have a question for some woodworkers out there - I tried to be as clean as possible during the glue up but inevitably some of the gluee squeezed out and dried on the surface of the cabinet.  This is not good for staining purposes.  Can I use a cabinet scraper to remove the glue or will this damage the plywood somehow?  The top layer of birch is quite thin when you look at the cross section of the plywood.  Any ideas?  Thanks!

[polaris]

is there a solvent for the glue at all?
if you gotta sand it off , go with the grain is all i can offer

[bfauska]

Looking good.

You should be able to sand it off carefully w/o too much danger to the birch layer.

If you are using normal carpenters glue you can come back right after gluing and clamping/screwing/nailing and wipe the glue with a wet cloth, that's the best way to clean it up, before it dries.  I understand it's too late now, but sanding should work and in the future keep a rag handy.

[Kaytrim]

Here is a trick my Dad taught me about the table saw. First don't trust the fence to stay parallel to the blade and second ignore the measurement marks on the side of the table for the fence.  Using a tape measure set up the fence to the proper distance from the blade.  Next take a measurement to the nearest miter slot.  These slots are made parallel to the blade.  Transfer that measurement to both ends of the fence and lock it down.  Now your fence is parallel to the blade.  Make sure to double check your distance from blade to the fence.

Those angled cuts are a pain I know.  I had the same issue with the bartop I made for Dad.

Now for the glue.  If you used standard wood glue you should be able to re-liquefy it using a wet rag.  Seeing that you are going to stain this use mineral spirits to make sure you get all the glue off.  The mineral spirits will not soak into the wood where the glue is.  A cabinet scraper will also help get the glue off the wood as long as it is good and sharp.  Here is a good video on how to sharpen a cabinet (card) scraper.

TTFN
Kaytrim

[javeryh]

Thanks for the tips guys.  I'm probably a ways off from staining it... I need to finish building the CP box - I want to stain everything at once.  It's coming along... 

I'll post some more pics soon of the glue-up - it's starting to look like a real cabinet and the proportions are perfect.  I think it's going to be nice since this is the first "real" cabinet I've ever built... and maybe this doesn't even count...

[javeryh]

Alright people - check it out.  I glued up all of the panels I cut and everything came together pretty nicely - angles and all.  The joints are all quite tight and I'm happy so far.  The cabinet was put together using #20 biscuits to help me line everything up.  I LOVE my biscuit joiner - this was the first project I used it for and it worked great and saved a ton of time.  On my last project I installed 3/4" x 1.5" cleats along all of the lines where interior panels were going to be placed for support.  It was difficult lining everything up and required many extra hours of work.  The biscuit joiner cut all of that out - plus it gives me added strength on all of the joints.

Anyway, not much more to say other than check out the pics!  Stay tuned for the unclamping!!!

[Kaytrim]

Looking good javeryh.  Is it me or do those bar clamps look like they are bending on the back panel?  From what I am learning over on the Woodnet forums pipe clamps are better in the longer lengths for strength.  You also want to be sure that you don't over clamp a joint.  You could starve the joint for glue and then it wouldn't hold over time.  This is because glue gains it's strength by soaking into the pores of the wood.

TTFN

[javeryh]

Looking good javeryh.  Is it me or do those bar clamps look like they are bending on the back panel?  From what I am learning over on the Woodnet forums pipe clamps are better in the longer lengths for strength.  You also want to be sure that you don't over clamp a joint.  You could starve the joint for glue and then it wouldn't hold over time.  This is because glue gains it's strength by soaking into the pores of the wood.

TTFN

It's you.     Actually, it's the weird angle I took the photo at.  The back panel is perfectly straight/square and I don't think I overclamped.  Plus, I dropped glue in all the biscuit slots so I should be OK as far as stability goes.  It's rock solid without the clamps... for now, at least...   

[theCoder]

Biscuits and glue should hold fine.  The originals were held together with staples & glue.  I'm convinced the staples were only needed until the glue dried.

My wife doesn't mind me taking my time on these projects, just so long as the mess/tools do not linger around forever.

Look'n good.

[javeryh]

Biscuits and glue should hold fine.  The originals were held together with staples & glue.  I'm convinced the staples were only needed until the glue dried.

My wife doesn't mind me taking my time on these projects, just so long as the mess/tools do not linger around forever.

Look'n good.

I hope you are right!  The clamps are off and it seems very very sturdy.  My wife doesn't mind me doing these projects either (I think she realizes I need a creative outlet since my job is so boring) but she does get annoyed when I want to work out in the garage for hours on the weekend and she's minding our two very small kids - that's a lot of work for her!  Also, we are running out of room and these things are kind of expensive... I'm trying to spread costs out though and I try to build only one a year...

[javeryh]

Check it out people - I'm finally getting somewhere and from now on I'll actually have "something to work on" instead of random sheets of plywood sitting in the garage! 

The cabinet is VERY sturdy and everything came together evenly and square.  I'm really happy.  After standing it up I realized how nice a full-sized cabinet is going to feel (well, at least height-wise).  The CP area and marquee are set perfectly for someone of average size like me (6ft.).  Overall the cabinet just feels right - Knievel did a great job with this design.

I'm hoping to be able to work on the cabinet more this month but with the holidays and stuff it's going to be tough.  Hopefully I'll make some more progress before the New Year.  Enjoy the pics!

[javeryh]

Oh yeah!!!!  I don't amaze myself often but today is one of those days.  Miters all over the place and everything is super tight!

OK, this is just a sneak peek at what I built today - it's a dry fit and it went together VERY nice - everything is within 1/32" or less.  I'm in the process of deciding how to secure the joints...

Any thoughts?

[leapinlew]

Looks good dude...

 

[Knievel]

Looking sharp! Good to hear the design is comfortable so far, I'm also 6' so you should be good.

So it would seem you have become a biscuit junkie. I can tell you that those joints are pretty much unbreakable.
You will destroy the material being held together before the joint gives out..as I have found out.

I did my CP box with biscuits as well. Just set your plate at a 45 degree angle like this..