opinion Poll: Difference in Cab wood?

DavidSKi

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I am wondering what the tech and nostalgic differences are between the common cabnit woods.

So far Ive heard Oak, Birch, plywood, particle board & Flakeboard with a double sided Melamine laminate.

Any opinions? pros and cons? the preferred wood and why?
 
i wasnt even thinking about talking LBs into consideration. My mind was just on looks and stability. you make a good point though.
 
which wood is the lightest then?

and does anyone else have an opinion about wood?
ex:
DPTwiz's kits are birtch, arcadeshops kits are oak, mameroom's kits are flake board.
 
If building new, might as well go with 3/4" sanded birch plywood. It's going to be milled smooth, fairly dimensionally stable, and MUCH lighter than MDF or particle board.

If you want to go with plywood and have a 'classic' look, you can apply black adhesive vinyl over the plywood just fine. I've done it and you'd never know it wasn't pb or MDF. You may need to dab some wood filler in some knots or splits, then run a sander over it with 220 grit.

Plywood will take screws MUCH better than the other 2 and will glue up well. I'd use a combination or staples and glue or screws and glue, depending on your choice of joinery.
 
Medium Density Fiberboard was used on Galaga, Omega Race cabinets, some Williams cabinet components (fronts, tops), and Taito cabinets, among other things. It's perfectly flat, machines really well, is dimensionally stable, but is heavy and will permanently swell if it gets damp.

MDF is really favored in building high end (DIY) speaker cabinets. It's heavy/dead weight, and the fact that it is dimensionally stable - the joints should stay closed and not open up like natural wood tends to do (expands/contracts) with the humidity, temp, etc.. With MDF, you can make a perfect box, but then apply high end, real wood veneer, making fine woodworking in a sense, while it's very functional as a box.
 
i actually think my 1st was made out of that, Karate Champ. cab was like 600lbs.

what are your opinion on fiberboard with lam on both sides? does that swell up with water too?
 
i actually think my 1st was made out of that, Karate Champ. cab was like 600lbs.

what are your opinion on fiberboard with lam on both sides? does that swell up with water too?

Fiberboard will be much more susceptible to swelling than plywood.

It would be ok for home use, I would just find it easier to work with plywood, as it doesn't chip out as badly and takes screws better. Something to consider if you're using a material that's already laminated on both sides - You won't be able to glue to it. You could glue cut end of that to wood, but glue isn't really going to stick to the laminate. You'd need to use biscuits, dowels, or screws, but you couldn't add the strength of also gluing the joints.

The only positive I see with that material is that it's pre-finished. If you want a black cabinet, though, spraying or using a fine foam roller isn't really that much work, on a stripped cabinet. I think the painted finish would be better also.
 
Having moved my fair share of cabs, I prefer plywood cabs to just about any other.

Nintendo ply cabs are awesome... light... nice set of wheels built in the back... the only negative is it sits directly on wood instead of "feet".

Williams ply cabs are kickass as well. A little heavier construction than Nintendo but still very light compared to Atari cabs.

Midway ply cabs are pretty nice as well... easy to move.

Atari makes some of the heaviest freakin' cabs on earth.
 
Sega/Gremlin cabinets (Zaxxon, Frogger, StarTrek, TacScan and others) were made from what feels like HDF (High Density Fiberboard). They will kill you if they fall on you.

Plywood is a much better choice for a modern reprduction cabinet. The different particle boards were used BITD because there was a significant cost difference. Plywood was 4x or 5x the cost of MDF.

A quick check of Home Depot shows 3/4"x4'x8' sheets of birch ply ~$40, oak ply ~$45, medium particle board (not MDF, but medium sized particles) ~$20.

ken
 
I'm a little biased towards plywood because it's less vulnerable to moisture and having it's edges broken off in accidents, but getting a decent surface quality is more expensive than MFD.
 
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