Removing and replacing the front of a cabinet

Xyla

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Hi,

I've got a couple of games where the area above or below the coin door is broken or cracked. I want to remove the entire front and cut a replacement piece. I have some questions regarding this process that I hope someone can help answer...


First of all, what is the best way to hammer out the panel without destroying the side blocks (or the inner sides themselves) that are attached to the inner sides?

Second, what kind of stapler do I need to staple all the way through the backs of those blocks into the new piece of wood just like the originals? I have found pneumatic 1-1/2" narrow staple guns for reasonable prices, but they don't look like they would be able to get close enough to the inner wall to be able to staple straight through the blocks. I'd love to have a particular model of stapler recommended.

Also, I have a few games that need to be re-vinyled on the inner sides but don't need the front panel replaced. How is this normally accomplished without removing the front? I would think that just trying to trim it into the corner would have very poor results.

Thanks for any advice.
 
I have done this and there is no guarantee that any of the part you mentioned won't get damaged especially if glue was used.

Probably the best way without taking apart the rest is to cut most of the panel out with a skill saw with the blade depth set to "just" cut through the piece you are wanting to remove. Run the saw down each side as close as you can get to the sides (put some duct tape over the edge of the frame of the saw to help reduce marking, or place a thin piece of metal/etc to cover the side panel). Once the bulk section is removed you can work on the smaller pieces still stapled to the blocks using thin pry bars and such. Pry up slowly on each piece in several spots, eventually you will get it off. It's a pain at first until the pieces start to separate (hopefully not glued). I would then remove the blocks from the sides (make note of their location on how far back they are). Not sure if it is worth the hassle of trying to remove the staples from the OEM blocks or just make up some new ones (I just made up some new ones).

You could try hammering it out with a dead blow hammer, but this will usually break the blocks and you risk marking the sides (especially if the blocks pull out of the sides first). Can't use this method if the front panel is sitting in a slot that has been cut into the sides.

As for the staple gun, mine is just the standard run of the mill brad nailer that uses staples (Mastercraft brand - Canadian Tire for the folks up here in Canada). It doesn't get into the tight areas very well, but it works good enough.
 
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