How hard is it to build a cocktail cabinet?

phatchit

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Just something that i am throwing around doing.The reason being is that I live in a new neighborhood that is constantly having new houses being built all around me and I am see a ton of scrape plywood being tossed out along with 2x4s and other pieces .Do you guys/gals think that its possible to use this scrape and build a cocktail out of it or what.I also need to know what tools i would need to do this job correctly.The finished project dosent have to look like a standard pac table or anything just something that i could put a 60 in 1 in and have fun with .Worse case senario I put it on craigs list for 5000 dollars and say its one of a kind!LOL Thanks for your input everybody!!!Keep playin with your joysticks!
 
This is a loaded question. I think it is easy to do but I (sort of) know my way around a wood shop. At the very least you will need a router with a flush cutting bit and a slot cutting bit, a jigsaw, a sander and preferably a biscuit joiner (although you could do without the last 2 if you had to). You will also need lots of clamps and lots of patience.
 
There's a very detailed set of plans going around the internet for a Pacman/Ms Pacman CT, although I don't know the link off hand. I'd aim to build one of them as they don't seem too complicated and all the oddball parts like the control panels, speaker grill, glass clamps and such are readily available through the usual arcade parts suppliers.
 
I'm in the middle of doing this right now.

It's a bit of a pain in the ass. And I have all the woodworking toys, and know how to use them. Hopefully you have patience.

Yes, you could use that wood, but check with someone before grabbing it, don't steal the wood. :rolleyes:

PM me your email address and I'll email you the very detailed plans I have for building one of these. (A Pac-Man / Ms. Pac-Man style Bally/Midway cocktail)

Oh, and IvanTT CNC'd the pieces for me, saving me a shit-ton of time. Thanks again, Rick!!!
 
It can be done of course, but the devil is in the details if you want a really nice finished product. I built a few of these based on the Midway design, but working out monitor clearance and mounting is tricky if you want it to open and close properly.

I'd say go for it, just plan on it taking longer than expected, and start with the monitor being your absolute value on dimensions, and work backward from there.

build13.jpg
 
It can be done of course, but the devil is in the details if you want a really nice finished product. I built a few of these based on the Midway design, but working out monitor clearance and mounting is tricky if you want it to open and close properly.

I'd say go for it, just plan on it taking longer than expected, and start with the monitor being your absolute value on dimensions, and work backward from there.

That is very cool looking!

Hey, can I ask what size monitor you're using on that one? I haven't even researched what size went into these originally yet... I want to believe 19", but I could be dead wrong and they might be smaller? :confused: Thanks in advance.

Phatchit: Did you get the plans I emailed you ok?
 
I used 19" Vision Pro's in those, the trick was to get the monitor to sit exactly on it's mount so the bezel clearance would be perfect once the top glass was installed.

The other critical area for me was the control panel fit because I wanted the side projections to be a lap joint on the interior of the cabinet for strength, not just a butt joint.

I found that by stretching the cab lenghthwise by 1", I could make the monitor mounts clear everything inside the cab, while still using a normal shelf mount monitor frame. The same monitor frame side brace, also becomes a cabinet brace the way I used spacers on the hinge side of the cabinet.

From the outside, the 1" stretch isn't noticable since the top dimensions remain the same, and you're really only adding 1/2" per side.
 
yea I got the plans the details are sweet!!Love that there are pics!this will be a long time project .I appreciate all the info and support thanks everything .
 
its not hard to build at all. dont listen to these guys. here is my spin! here are before and after shots using the plans for the midway mspac cab on mikes arcade! As for the monitor we used a nice lcd from Japan. it is awesome and plays great! The last 3 pictures were taken with my cellphone so sorry about the crap quality!

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