ArcadeCab

Cabinet Plans 2: Materials

Materials  I prefer 3/4" birch cabinet grade plywood for anything that is to be painted or stained.  The quality is a pleasure to work with.  MDF would be a cheaper option but there are several downsides when used for a cabinet: it is significantly heavier, screws can split the wood, it is more suseptical to moisture damage, and the dust from cutting it is extremely fine and a breathing hazard.  I do use MDF in all my smaller controllers but the extra expense for the plywood was justified. The ledger boards were of two different sizes, 1x2 and 3/4"x3/4". I purchased what Lowes calls 1"x4"x4'boards (actually 3/4"x3-3/4") and ripped them to 3/4" wide on the tablesaw. You'll want the straightest boards with minimal knots that you can find. These ledger strips are used in some situations, and the 1x2 boards are used in other. I'll explain these boards in detail on the Ledger Board page.   Below if a list of materials I used.  The tools have been left off.  I also left off the prices as they vary so much from location to location, and some items you might be able to find bargains on.  I have also left off the control panel parts. These will be discussed in that section. Item Qty Where From 4x8' sheet of 3/4" birch, cabinet-grade plywood 3 Lowes Ledger Boards     Coin Door (Happ over-under) 1 ebay T-molding (3/4" blue, smooth) - 40' (T-molding.com carries colors other than black) 1 Happ Marquee Retainer - 10' 1 Happ Keyboard drawer slides- 16" 1 Lowes 1-1/8" Utility Cam Lock 1 Lowes Drywall screws- 1" course thread 1 box Lowes Drywall screws- 1-1/4" course thread 1 box Lowes Drywall screws- 1-5/8" course thread   Lowes Cabinet Screws - 3" 8 Lowes 3" paint rollers (3/8" smooth pile) (2 pk) 6 Lowes Kilz (gallon) tinted 1 Lowes Valspar Duramax Latex Gloss Enamel paint (gallon) 1 Lowes 12" fluorescent light w/ 6' cord 1 Lowes 2" Industrial Casters - Rotating and locking 2 Lowes 2" Industrial Casters - Rigid 2 Lowes !!!!!!!! hinges 1 Lowes Foam brushes (1" and 3") 6 Lowes Tack cloth 6 Lowes L brackets (4 pack- 1-1/2" x 5/8") 2 Lowes 1/16" slot cutting bit w/ arbor 1 RouterBits.com Valspar Multi-purpose Black Enamel Spray Paint 1 Lowes 1/4" glass - xxxxxxx 1 Vision Glass <<<-Tools Cutting Side 1->>> All Content Copyright 2003-2021 by Mike Trello