How does one accomplish the curve on top of machines like pac man?

[havic626]

How do you guys out there do it?  i mean cut those curves so nice and even like on the tops of pac man cabs and the ones like donkey kong jr. is there a tool out there that helps?

[javeryh]

Assuming you can draw the line with a pencil (I used one tied to a piece of string) all you do is cut close to the line with your jigsaw and sand to the line.  No magic involved!

[fjl]

You forgot to mention that once you have one side of the arcade complete doing the above method, you use a flush cutting bit with a router and use it to trace-cut an exact replica of the first side of the arcade leaving you with a perfect copy for the other side of the arcade. Routers are such miraculous tools. And to think, I went this far in life not even knowing that such a tool existed.

How did I ever get through life without a router?

[valiant]

In order to generate accurate and smooth curves, I mocked up a simple pivot with a short piece of wood with a notch at one end for the pencil and a hole with a screw at the other.  This way I ensured the curve, which in my plans, were the same diameter for front monitor and rear over.

Marking out the circle

[leapinlew]

Here is what I do:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=75586.0

I usually use this method on a piece of MDF, and then sand down to perfect. I then use a router to trace out replica's.

[amadama]

Here's the method I used in my homemade Pac-man (similar to what leapinlew described in his post).
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=67464.0

Good luck!
Alex