Cabinet construction or how do I replace this piece?

[LordOfDoubleDee]

Cabinet construction or how do I replace this piece?

Working on a Rolling Thunder cab that has seen better days:

Can you take a look at this photo and tell me how I go about replacing this single piece without hurting the sides?

I'm not super clear on cabinet construction - seems like there is a lot of glue and staples and if there are screws they are pretty well hidden.

Is there a way to remove this piece, recreate a new one and install it?

This piece is falling apart, looks terrible, is front facing and I would like it to go.

Please ignore the CP - that is another issue that I am in the process of solving (I am at the primer stage).

Thx

 

[photoboy]

If this were me I think I would try cutting that front piece down the middle and then peeling it out carefully in two pieces to remove it. It looks like your sides might be pretty trashed so be super careful peeling this back. I circled one of the questionable areas that looks like your wood is coming apart. You would also have to be careful not to cut through the other piece behind it on the bottom but I can't really see how everything is attached in this photo.
Once you remove the old piece and clean up any glue or staples I would use biscuit joints to connect the face to the bottom of control panel. Then I would use a Kreg Jig to help me drill screws into the sides and keep that in place. I know not everyone has these tools but if you get them you will find tons of uses for them and they make cabinet work so much better.

https://www.kregtool.com/store/c13/kreg-jigsreg/p34/kreg-jigreg-k4/

Good luck!

 

[LordOfDoubleDee]

Photoboy,
Man I love this forum! This is exactly the information I was looking for. Yes, I do not have those tools yet but are on my list to purchase, I know they are going to come in handy and are going to be well worth the investment. Thank you again.

 

[SnakeRake]

Second on the Kreg jig. Those things are great. I have 3 - all for different uses. I have a corded drill that I keep the kreg bit in permanently.

 

[kspiff]

5-in-1 tool and a hammer.

EDIT: For the record I am not making light of your situation, that's just probably how I would do it TBH (tap seams to separate @ glue line as best as possible, pry out). If a chunk of the sides came off during the process it needed attention anyways.

 

[LordOfDoubleDee]

5-in-1 tool and a hammer.

EDIT: For the record I am not making light of your situation, that's just probably how I would do it TBH (tap seams to separate @ glue line as best as possible, pry out). If a chunk of the sides came off during the process it needed attention anyways.

No offense taken - this cabinet is a real mess - just looking at it as a challenge to see how much better I can make it.

I'm new to the hobby but have already have a much more serious checklist for what I am looking for in a pick up - I will not buy a cabinet in this condition again.

 

[kspiff]

I will not buy a cabinet in this condition again.

Aww. You probably really believe that don't you?

 

[LordOfDoubleDee]

That's the true sign of a noob - haha - yes I do

 

[muchuckwagon]

It does look like it's seen better days. My fear is as you go to fix that front section you are going to peel back the onion and continue to find more and more damage that needs addressed. Good luck!

No offense taken - this cabinet is a real mess - just looking at it as a challenge to see how much better I can make it.

 

[LordOfDoubleDee]

I have the same concern - but would love to surgically fix that single piece - it's a gamble

 

[kspiff]

Is the control panel on that the kind that rests in a slot on that piece? If so you will need a router and slot cutter (well I would, I guess someone with skill could probably use a table saw). Just something to bear in mind, I know I didn't have all the nice specialty tools when I was getting started.

 

[SillyB]

Yes, that front piece is probably glued and stapled/brad nailed to 1x1 blocking at the sides and bottom. I have had to replace these a time or two on games that have been damaged. Depending on the strength of the glue and the quality of the wood the panel may or may not come out cleanly. You may end up with lots of torn particle board stuck in the glue, and then have to get staples out without damaging the other areas particle board. Your control panel is probably hinged to this front piece, so you'll have to be sure you get your replacement aligned just right or your control panel won't sit squarely. Just a heads up, if this is your first rodeo you might not realize those potential problems.

If you don't have woodworking experience and/or since the cab is rough and you're not looking for a museum restore there are other options you can consider:

#1 - Apply wood hardener liberally, let it dry, sand it and paint it. You'd be surprised how much water logged particle board will harden up. You might need a little bondo or wood filler to get it smooth before painting.

#2 - Sand it down 1/8" or so and use wood glue to apply a thin sheet of masonite over the area. This is effectively skinning the surface and will give you a nice smooth surface to paint.

 

[kspiff]

This is exactly how I'd end up doing this (I am assuming this is a similar front piece to countless other Atari cabs):

1.) remove any screws between blocking and piece to be removed, use blue painter's tape or pencil to mark the alignment of the piece to be removed
2.) use 5-in-1 tool and hammer to tap between blocking and front piece to loosen staples and break glue layer as cleanly as possible
3.) tap piece out gently until you have room to get in with heavy duty cutters and cut the staples, then pull the piece out
4.) use 5-in-1 tool to scrape off any residual glue from blocking and mating surfaces, use cutters to flush cut old staples, tap them back so mating surface is flush (you're going to mess up the blocking more if you try to remove the staples)... if blocking got torn up then either replace if too bad or use body filler and sanding to get the mating surface of the blocking planed
5.) use a templating bit and router to make a new front piece (preferably from black melamine just like original, but if you can't swing that you could use TOG black vinyl or Wilsonart black laminate is very durable despite not being a good texture match)
6.) use a slot cutting bit to add the slot the control panel rests in
7.) paint sides of piece before reinstall (personally I find slightly thinned flat black soaks in well for painting the bare sides, and clean as I go with mineral spirits and water)
8.) glue and clamp the new front piece to the old blocking (possibly use a long cabinet clamp to squeeze the sides in to avoid gaps, if not using non-marring cabinet clamps use some thin scrap wood to prevent clamp scarring), toss in some staples while still clamped (maybe let glue dry first unless it's clamped really tight), predrill if desired and reinstall any stock screws

 

[LordOfDoubleDee]

Yes, that front piece is probably glued and stapled/brad nailed to 1x1 blocking at the sides and bottom. I have had to replace these a time or two on games that have been damaged. Depending on the strength of the glue and the quality of the wood the panel may or may not come out cleanly. You may end up with lots of torn particle board stuck in the glue, and then have to get staples out without damaging the other areas particle board. Your control panel is probably hinged to this front piece, so you'll have to be sure you get your replacement aligned just right or your control panel won't sit squarely. Just a heads up, if this is your first rodeo you might not realize those potential problems.

If you don't have woodworking experience and/or since the cab is rough and you're not looking for a museum restore there are other options you can consider:

#1 - Apply wood hardener liberally, let it dry, sand it and paint it. You'd be surprised how much water logged particle board will harden up. You might need a little bondo or wood filler to get it smooth before painting.

#2 - Sand it down 1/8" or so and use wood glue to apply a thin sheet of masonite over the area. This is effectively skinning the surface and will give you a nice smooth surface to paint.

These are great ideas - I'm actually pretty strong in the woodworking dept. Was at Harbor Freight this week looking at the pocket hole jig kit - already have my router with will get that groove cut in the top for the CPO - yes, my concern is that once I start pulling it apart it may make things worse and at that point there is no backing out

You presented some good alternate options - thx!

 

[LordOfDoubleDee]

This is exactly how I'd end up doing this (I am assuming this is a similar front piece to countless other Atari cabs):

1.) remove any screws between blocking and piece to be removed, use blue painter's tape or pencil to mark the alignment of the piece to be removed
2.) use 5-in-1 tool and hammer to tap between blocking and front piece to loosen staples and break glue layer as cleanly as possible
3.) tap piece out gently until you have room to get in with heavy duty cutters and cut the staples, then pull the piece out
4.) use 5-in-1 tool to scrape off any residual glue from blocking and mating surfaces, use cutters to flush cut old staples, tap them back so mating surface is flush (you're going to mess up the blocking more if you try to remove the staples)... if blocking got torn up then either replace if too bad or use body filler and sanding to get the mating surface of the blocking planed
5.) use a templating bit and router to make a new front piece (preferably from black melamine just like original, but if you can't swing that you could use TOG black vinyl or Wilsonart black laminate is very durable despite not being a good texture match)
6.) use a slot cutting bit to add the slot the control panel rests in
7.) paint sides of piece before reinstall (personally I find slightly thinned flat black soaks in well for painting the bare sides, and clean as I go with mineral spirits and water)
8.) glue and clamp the new front piece to the old blocking (possibly use a long cabinet clamp to squeeze the sides in to avoid gaps, if not using non-marring cabinet clamps use some thin scrap wood to prevent clamp scarring), toss in some staples while still clamped (maybe let glue dry first unless it's clamped really tight), predrill if desired and reinstall any stock screws

This is fantastic - thank you for taking the time to break this down - I do want to do this and though is simply putting a band-aid on this cabinet, because it is so visible it would be a nice (and worthwhile) upgrade - I will let you know how it goes

 

[vegas12]

I like all the suggestions already made... I would add that knowing the right approach really depends on what's going on inside the cab... Post a pic of that - it would make it easier to know what would be the best approach. 3/4 inch blocking and screws/staples/wood glue can go a long way for putting things back together sturdy (vs using biscuits)...

If you can remove the damaged piece without breaking it apart it can be used as a template for making an exact copy using a router. I prefer this approach because I find trying to cut an exact piece with a circular saw to be more difficult.

X2 on laminating or putting on vinyl BEFORE putting it back on the cab. Using black melamine solves this altogether...

If a 5 in 1 isn't thick enough, I use a couple flat headed screw drivers in tandem.

 

[vegas12]

Is this similar to what you have going on? This is from my Atari system 1.

If so... separating that front price could be very tricky - especially when it comes to replicating the ends that fit the corners like a puzzle... solving merging that would make me think long and hard about using wood hardner, and bondo - even though I prefer replacing stuff with new wood...

 

[muchuckwagon]

I hope you really love the cabinet....you appear to have a rather large mountain to climb.

my concern is that once I start pulling it apart it may make things worse and at that point there is no backing out