Me and the finished cab. This sucker is tall. Control Panel pops off by taking out 6 screws.
You can see Game Launcher displaying Space Ace. Game Launcher is cool cause it doesn't look like windows and you can use a trackball. :)
CABINET:
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Me and the finished cab. This sucker is tall. Control Panel pops off by taking out 6 screws. You can see Game Launcher displaying Space Ace. Game Launcher is cool cause it doesn't look like windows and you can use a trackball. :) |
For the above, I used LuSiD's plans, and changed the measurements slightly to accomodate the immense monitor.
I bought the wood in Holidaysburg, PA - a nice little cabinetry shop. Anyways, brought the 3 huge 4x8's of paint-grade birch plywood home and started cutting. I ran into a problem of the T-molding because I wanted to dado out some grooves so the plywood has solid corners, but couldn't because of the groove for the T-molding. So I had some 2x2's laying around, glued and screwed them on as bracers, and the whole thing is incredibly sturdy.
I have a ShopSmith, which is just about the greatest tool ever made. Construction went very quickly because I have some good experience with building furniture. This was just like a big box - pretty straightforward.
front shot
back shot - after sealing
getting a glimpse at the finished unit
The back two panels are removable so I can access the computer and stuff.
After it was assembled, I put 3 coats of sanding sealer on it, sanding after the last coat. Some people sand after every coat, but hey, I'm lazy. Then I rolled on 2 coats of high gloss interior paint (some use outdoor enamel, but why? It'll be in a basement or living room...) Used a no-texture roller, the finish is amazing after 2 coats. I sanded after the 1st coat of paint, and lightly rubbed with a cloth to polish the second coat.
Oh, I grooved the t-molding after I sealed the cab but BEFORE the paint, just incase it might scratch the finish.
glued the unit together with long furniture clamps.
here it is finished with a back panel removed for a look at the monitor and computer
here's a close up of the powerstrip mounted on the inside - I mounted a separate switch on the outside to control the master power to the cab.
the marquee set-up with glass, light, and Happ marquee retainers in place
The bezel was on back order, but I finally got it and put installed it with velcro(for easy removal, duh.) Here is me tweaking some Game Launcher config files:
A close up:
