i looked at unassembled, but with cabinets that have no routed tennon joints (atari, nintendo) it's about impossible to make a fool proof set of instructions for the end user to assemble it. It would be a LOT of work, and i couldn't find a way to ship it much cheaper than assembled.
New cabinets
- Thread starter Atlas100
- Start date
Change the way the side components go together..
Do those little twist and lock connectors like ikea has. Its not 100%
original but if it looks like a sinistar, acts, like a sinistar, I can see
people overlooking non authentic conenctors to save 1-200 hundred
bucks.
Do those little twist and lock connectors like ikea has. Its not 100%
original but if it looks like a sinistar, acts, like a sinistar, I can see
people overlooking non authentic conenctors to save 1-200 hundred
bucks.
joeycuda
Well-known member
No offense, but those knock down furniture joinery techniques are crap. They're fine for a cheapy end table, but a 6ft tall cabinet would rack and get out of square. The tenon joints, glued joints, etc..are necessary. Although the shipping issue sucks, many of us who would spend the money on a cabinet in the first place wouldn't be happy with it unless it was put together just like the original was.
He's stated while he could turn over the stack of parts unassembled, without jigs and proper measurements, it would be tough for someone to just put it together. I'm in the process of building a copy of the Missile Command cabaret cabinet, and just aligning the parts isn't simple enough.
Knock-down joinery doesn't have to be bad. I bought a higher-end Ikea (as opposed to cheap Ikea) entertainment center a number of years ago. The carcase is six feet wide, by three feet tall. And with a 250-lb Sony crt on it, it doesn't rack at all. Seriously, I think it would support an elephant.
And we're not necessarily talking about cam-lock furniture, just "flat-packable." Since most arcade cabinets allow easy entry to the interior, they could be screwed together (and glued) by the recipient. I think it's safe to make the assumption that someone willing to tackle building a game from a bare carcase probably has more skill (or at least more desire) than the average consumer shopping at Walmart.
-Jim
And we're not necessarily talking about cam-lock furniture, just "flat-packable." Since most arcade cabinets allow easy entry to the interior, they could be screwed together (and glued) by the recipient. I think it's safe to make the assumption that someone willing to tackle building a game from a bare carcase probably has more skill (or at least more desire) than the average consumer shopping at Walmart.
-Jim
I agree. Your market would be for an enthusiast building a game.... I would assume they should be able to assemble it. Your kit would help streamline their build, and allow them to have a nice cabinet without spending the time to construct it from scratch.
VectorJunkie
Well-known member
I think the biggest problem is that he said he doesn't have a way to ship the flat packed cabinets at much of a discount. You can really save if you do a whole sipping container, but one or two won't be that big of a savings.
This could be done fairly easily by building the cabinet around a skeletal inner structure. The outer panels would not be structural and could be made of lightweight materials e.g. half inch plywood with a .75 inch MDF perimeter for that real arcade look and feel without the weight. You could also explore other materials like fiberglass. Hell, you could even make the skeletal structure from alternative materials e.g. steel tubing, PVC pipe, or whatever.
Think about it; how difficult would it be to build a small platform that could hold the weight of a CRT monitor then attach outer panels to it? We are basically talking about making a heavy duty computer desk and attaching decorative panels to it.
Forget about the outer panels being a structural component and go with a skeletal structure and this would be as easy as pie.
Think about it; how difficult would it be to build a small platform that could hold the weight of a CRT monitor then attach outer panels to it? We are basically talking about making a heavy duty computer desk and attaching decorative panels to it.
Forget about the outer panels being a structural component and go with a skeletal structure and this would be as easy as pie.
not sure i'd want to pay to ship a repro cabinet that isn't accurate to the original.. otherwise it's just another mamecab. If you just want to make some 2x4 box and nail wood to the side you can do that yourself pretty much but if you want an arcade accurate cabinet then it's worth the efforts of a pro.
I agree with that to a point.
Are we talking about making exact reproduction cabinets for a restoration, or are we talking about building game room quality cabinets that look no different than an original vintage cabinet externally? I guess that is where we need to make the distinction.
Also, just because the cabinet is built with a different structural design than an original, that doesn't mean that it can't look exactly the same on the outside.
joeycuda
Well-known member
My bad, I was specifically referring to cam lock being crap for this application.
As far as assembly and ease of alignment, biscuit joinery would be a good method. The slots and biscuits would aid in alignment, then the glued biscuits would hold really well. Biscuit joinery can be hidden, while the finished product would look assembled as the original cabinet manufacturer did. I have to think though..when the water based glue hits the biscuit, it swells, that's part of what makes the joint hold well. That would be a problem if someone goofed, didn't have something square, or didn't have the joint clamped tightly as it started drying. The only fix is to let the biscuit dry in the joint, flush cut it and recut the slot. Basically, if someone has the ability to do all of that to fix the mistake, they'd have the tooling to scratch build a cabinet.
You could actually use the skeletal inner structure as a jig/template to line everything up and hold it in place while you attach the outer panels to each other with biscuits and glue, then disassemble the inner structure in place and remove it.
I used to run a tv screen protector company that was able to ship a
42"H X 72"W x7" deep box for $99 via freight across the US. Its a matter
of negotiating rates with national trucking companies. They can be shipped
much cheaper flat packed.
42"H X 72"W x7" deep box for $99 via freight across the US. Its a matter
of negotiating rates with national trucking companies. They can be shipped
much cheaper flat packed.
VectorJunkie
Well-known member
I don't think anyone disagrees with that. Dptwiz is a guy doing these cabinets out of his garage and not a big company with any sort or retail channel.
It was me and my partner shipping about 300 pcs a week via fedex ground out of a
2500 sqft warehouse, and maybe 1 or 2 of the big ones via freight It was a small business.
He can get better rates if he flat packs. I'll gonna stop talking about this... I wish him well and I hope he is able to expand his market. I'd love to be able to get a nice cabinet for a good shipped price from him.
Thanks,
Malice95
2500 sqft warehouse, and maybe 1 or 2 of the big ones via freight It was a small business.
He can get better rates if he flat packs. I'll gonna stop talking about this... I wish him well and I hope he is able to expand his market. I'd love to be able to get a nice cabinet for a good shipped price from him.
Thanks,
Malice95
so easy to forget that it's not that easy. You don't just slap it together in a flat stack and call a shipper. Flat it's cheaper to ship usually true, but you have to add now on the back side all the labor to pack it, the materials to pack it that are now far more complex(custom boxes, foam etc needed to ensure it doesn't get damaged in shipping), the time to create and provide assembly support.. all that stuff added up pretty much not only negate the little bit you save shipping but probably in the end ADD overhead to the person making the cabinets. So in the end you'd get cheaper shipping but the price of the cabinet itself would go up to compensate.
OP
OP
Atlas100
Well-known member
As happens all too often on forums, everybody ends up arguing different sides while trying to get the same thing. 
More than anything I am glad to see that there is indeed interest in having more cabinet options.
For now I am focusing on the classic Nintendo cabinets. These seem like a good place to start because they are lightweight, use thinner material and have fewer angles to deal with. The only real angle is the control panel, and the control panel is even made of wood!
I will make it fit with the original hardware. Otherwise I will piss off half the people who buy it. Seems stupid to offer a Donkey Kong cabinet that won't allow you to attach an original marquee or bezel.
One big question I have is what people would prefer as the cabinet material:
1) raw MDF
2) raw plywood
3) black laminated particle board
Raw MDF and plywood would require a lot more work to finish on the customer's end. You can still paint melamine laminate as long as you use the right primer, and you would start with a very flat surface if it were pre-laminated. The inside would also already be pre-finished in black, which is a huge plus. For those that can't paint, at least the cabinet would already be finished.
I also know that offering more options just opens me up to more headaches. You can't please everybody. I will probably just pick one option as ordering one kind of wood keeps the costs down. The three materials actually ended up being very close in cost so the price wouldn't be all that different regardless of the material used.
More than anything I am glad to see that there is indeed interest in having more cabinet options.For now I am focusing on the classic Nintendo cabinets. These seem like a good place to start because they are lightweight, use thinner material and have fewer angles to deal with. The only real angle is the control panel, and the control panel is even made of wood!
I will make it fit with the original hardware. Otherwise I will piss off half the people who buy it. Seems stupid to offer a Donkey Kong cabinet that won't allow you to attach an original marquee or bezel.
One big question I have is what people would prefer as the cabinet material:
1) raw MDF
2) raw plywood
3) black laminated particle board
Raw MDF and plywood would require a lot more work to finish on the customer's end. You can still paint melamine laminate as long as you use the right primer, and you would start with a very flat surface if it were pre-laminated. The inside would also already be pre-finished in black, which is a huge plus. For those that can't paint, at least the cabinet would already be finished.
I also know that offering more options just opens me up to more headaches. You can't please everybody.
I will probably just pick one option as ordering one kind of wood keeps the costs down. The three materials actually ended up being very close in cost so the price wouldn't be all that different regardless of the material used.I was using 5/8 Luan, and it was really not optimum for a smooth finish. I recommend what i am going to try next, 5/8 Domestic core Ply skinned with Maple. It should have a really smooth finish, and when you put the dial caliper on it, it's 1/64th thicker than 9/16 since ply runs undersized. Atlas, PM me if you want, lets exchange Phone numbers.
I'll be glad to try and help you out, I just never figured out an easy way to do what you want to do. But, if i can help, i'd be glad too.
I'll be glad to try and help you out, I just never figured out an easy way to do what you want to do. But, if i can help, i'd be glad too.
VectorJunkie
Well-known member
I would encourage you to share whatever negotiating tips you can. I'm not sure if he negotiated prices or not. While everyone is trying to change how he delivers product, it would be awesome if we could just help make what he is doing cheaper for a start.
OP
OP
Atlas100
Well-known member
Don't worry about the shipping. My quotes on shipping these cabs is about $130-$200 depending on where you live. If you are REALLY out there like California then it might get up around $300+. Even my quote to Washington state was only $219. Add $35 more for a liftgate and $30 less if you have it delivered to a business. If I ship it to your local hub and you pick it up there, it is even less.
These prices are for assembled cabinets strapped onto 36 x 36 pallets with an approximate total weight of 150 pounds or so. I am used to shipping the big stuff, so this isn't much change from what I normally do. Having a forklift helps too.
These prices are for assembled cabinets strapped onto 36 x 36 pallets with an approximate total weight of 150 pounds or so. I am used to shipping the big stuff, so this isn't much change from what I normally do. Having a forklift helps too.
