Help replacing Ms Pac-Man cabinet bottom

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Hey, all

Well I've got a Ms Pac cabinet that I'm still hoping to restore, but I figured I'd need advice on some woodworking areas. I'm honestly not very good with wood working so please bear with me. The bottom wood piece on my Ms Pac was in horrible shape. I think it had cats or something that had pissed in the cabinet at one time because it definitely had an odor coming from that nasty wood. Tonight I removed the bottom, but it was not without a fight. It's held in with recessed nails and a tongue and groove type setup and probably glue. I did my best to carefully remove the bottom, cutting out large sections before trying to gently knock the edges loose. The biggest problem is that the plywood sides front and back didn't hold up completely. Two of the Four small section of plywood sitting below the dado cuts came off with the bottom piece. :( I'm hoping that someone has some suggestions on if there's a good way to replace those little pieces or if I should look at another method to put the bottom panel on. Here's a few pics and I'm those with more woodworking skill will know what I'm talking about. I will note that I have a nasty hole to patch on the front so if this bottom repair is going to be a hassle, I have to admit I'd considering scrapping this cab and look for a better candidate. I don't want to go that route, but I was really hoping this would go a bit smoother. Just how would you even get the replacement piece in with the rabbet cut with all 4 sides of the cab still there?

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In the first picture, what is the distance between the bottom edge of that panel and the top of the dado? If it's 3/4" you could just cut the new bottom to fit within the front/sides/back, use glue, tap it in. Measure that and post.

I don't know what the bottom was, but you'll want to make sure you use 3/4" plywood - sanded pine, birch, whatever. Assuming the bottom piece is <24", you can buy a 2'x4' piece of 3/4" ply at Home Depot or Lowes, most likely. The hardest part of this process is extracting the old panel, bottom in this case, without tearing the up the cabinet. You're correct in that the panel was aligned by the dados in the front/side/back pieces, and stapled.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'll try to grab the measurement tomorrow, but definitely by Saturday. I had wondered about not using the dado. Luckily, other than those small strips of plywood at the bottom, I didn't tear the cab up at all. All things considered, it could be worse. Just out of curiosity, how would you even put a replacement panel in if you could use the original dado? With all 4 sides in place I don't think you could just tap it in. The bottom was just particle board that was heavily damaged. I actually already cut a piece from a 2'x4' piece of plywood from the Depot, but I should have waited until I took the bottom apart, because I think I'll be a hair short on the sides and have to cut again. Oh well that'd be a very minor set back.
 
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If all else fails, you could use 3/4" blocking, like how Atari did in their cabinets, glued to the side panels, 3/4" up. Then, cut the panel to snugly fit inside the opening, with the new bottom panel glued at the edges and against that blocking, it would be strong. Get Titebond wood glue or Elmer's carpenters glue (yellow glue). Glued correctly, the glue joint will be stronger than the surrounding wood.

If you can, make use of the dado in place.
 
Thanks again for your reply, joeycuda. It's very much appreciated. I wonder if it would be possible to put in a small strip of plywood to fill in the broken pieces below the dado cut. This may be a really stupid question, but how would I put in a new piece assuming I somehow save the dado cuts? Just trying to visualize it, I don't see how you could put the new piece in place with the all 4 sides still in place. Unless I tried to put the bottom strips in after the panel is resting on the top part of dado cut.
 
Got the poor cab up on sawhorses tonight. I figure it will make it a bit easier repairing the bottom and I just like keeping it off the concrete while it is without leg levelers. I have right almost exactly 1" from the start of the dado cut down to the bottom. I'm leaning towards trying to make the dado cuts work by putting in the new bottom panel and patching in the bottom section of plywood lost in removing the old bottom. The plywood layers are separating a bit on the edges, especially on the kick plate panel, but nothing that should be hard to handle.
 
I spent some time working on the cab this weekend. After mulling it over I decided to just remove the remaining 2 smaller strips below the dado cuts that were already damaged and cut the wood to fit that area. I now have solid and even wood around the base. A new piece of pine has been cut and fits pretty damn well, but I will be filling in a slight gap along the left side edge near the top. I still have to cut the holes for the wheels and do some more clean up before mounting the piece but I feel better having a plan of attack in place.
 
Sounds good. Like I said, Titebond II is great glue. I get it at Lowes. If glued well, the surrounding wood will break before the joint does. Good luck and glad to hear it's going well-
 
Thanks. This cab is definitely a project, but if I can pull off a good restoration, it will be a great feeling and Ms Pac is just so iconic. I remember it was one of the first arcade games I ever played and it was at a local Little Caesar's pizza back in the late 80's. :) I did pick up some Titebond glue, but I just realized I didn't get the number 2 version only the number 1. It's not far to go to Home Depot so I'm sure I'll just return the unused one I bought and get the stronger stuff.
 
Number 1 is fine. I think 2 has a slightly slower setting time. I think 3 is waterproof. They're all high quality woodworking glues. You're good.
 
Cool. :) That will save me a trip to Home Depot, but I'm sure many more will be made as this project goes on. I've put on several coats of Minwax Wood Hardener to the bottom areas to try and help them out as much as I can before I put the bottom on. It definitely helps with some separation issues on the kickplate caused by whatever destroyed the bottom I'm sure. The good news is the rest of the cabinet is solid, but I want to get this area as nice as I can even though nobody will see the bottom edge of the kick plate. I'm hoping bondo will help even it up a bit as well.
 
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