Wood Replacement or Wood Filler?

[D_Harris]

I've been wondering how other cabinet restorers here decide whether or not to use some sort of wood filler like Bondo to flesh out missing pieces of a cabinet's edge/end or cut away more wood after making a template so they can replace the damage sections.

Is there a normal rule of thumb for which option to go with?

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[dezbaz]

Hi Darren

It depends on a person's skills really.

I have repaired and replaced sides on different cabs

When repairing, I shortened the cab by 2" first so I could cut off the swelling bottom edge. Then I sanded, covered and stuck laminate onto the sides. You hardly notice the height difference in that case.
The front was OK as were the other panels

On other cabs I replaced the sides, and that resto took about 6 months of my weekends to complete. The effort required is quite enormous, so that needs to be considered.

Bear in mind to remake sides and parts you need tools

I have a fine tooth bench saw, several routers and a jigsaw. Also Work stands, and other tools

If you have access to all that it may be easier for you

Let us know how you go

All the best.

Please ask for help if needed

 

[joeycuda]

Filler like Bondo should be used as just that - a filler. I've seen people make substantial missing edges, etc.. with Bondo, but one good smack and it would crack right off I'd think.

 

[D_Harris]

Ok, here are some image examples.

How would you go about repairing any of the following?

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[dezbaz]

Some guys would repair that.

If that was all of it I would probably repair it myself

Replacing whole sides is for cabs that have expanded all over

I had an asteroids that had swollen all over.

I suggest fixing it first, then seeing the result to decide where to from there

 

[joeycuda]

That's getting near the point of me finding a better cabinet, especially for something as common as Ms Pac. I'd probably use it as a template and build a replacement cabinet. I know..destroying an original. Some of those edges, especially the bottom, could be repaired with bondo. The back edge though.. I wouldn't bother with just filler, not strong enough. At some point, I don't want a cabinet with too much filler, like you wouldn't want a fender with too much.

 

[p1899m]

personally I prefer bondo over wood filler but have used both. The biggest concern with wood filler is that most of it shrinks slightly over time which is not great for our scenario. It could potentially cause visual cracking lines ect. For me the question of weather to repair with a filler or replace a piece of wood depends on the size of the damaged area and the type of damage. I've got a SF rush that has two damaged corners that will be better if I cut off the bad areas and attach a couple new corners rather than use a filler. Filler is more for surface damage than recreating a mostly missing or totally missing area.

 

[D_Harris]

So it seems that all but the smallest missing pieces require wood replacement, and Bondo is best used for holes in the cabinet along with minor chips and gorges.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Tornadoboy]

Personally I'm big a fan of using wood to replace wood on anything bigger than gouges whenever possible. There's nothing worse than putting a ton of work into something, having it look near perfect only to have a big piece snap off because the Bondo didn't stick good enough, especially if you just put on new side art.

 

[D_Harris]

I got a good laugh out of this clever use for Bondo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55N2BM_yFLs

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[kcchief59]

I just fixed a back edge with bondo and it worked great. I drilled holes into the plywood, I then slowly put 3 screws ith the area to be prepared. Their depth would be just under the surface. I then took to peices of straight edge peices of old plexi and clamped them to each side of the plywood at even height of the good plywood. I then filled with bondo, making sure it went all the way into the void. Once dried, I removed the clamps and with very little sanding had a nice straight cabinet that would not snap off if hit due to the screws. It's even better if you end up laminating the cabinet.

 

[Michael Roma]

While that cabinet does look beat to hell, I'd use Bondo (and perhaps some wood hardener) to repair the damage.

I repaired the corners on a Galaga and documented it here: http://home.comcast.net/~mtpacifico/_arcades/galaga/galaga.htm

- Mike

 

[dezbaz]

While that cabinet does look beat to hell, I'd use Bondo (and perhaps some wood hardener) to repair the damage.

I repaired the corners on a Galaga and documented it here: http://home.comcast.net/~mtpacifico/_arcades/galaga/galaga.htm

- Mike

Awesome Job there Michael

 

[SuperGunGuru]

While that cabinet does look beat to hell, I'd use Bondo (and perhaps some wood hardener) to repair the damage.

I repaired the corners on a Galaga and documented it here: http://home.comcast.net/~mtpacifico/_arcades/galaga/galaga.htm

- Mike

Looks great! It's also interesting that Darren is also working with a pretty beat up Ms Pac-Man cab just like I am. It's great that so many have shared their restoration tips.

 

[prOk]

honestly with holes like that and the fact that you're repainting i'd replace the front wood entirely. Why go through all the work on the outside when on the inside you'll see this obvious nasty repair happened.

 

[CanadianGamer]

It's a damn shame any of these games were treated this badly, lol, but they were intended for kids, and played in largely unattended arcades or worse yet bars.

You have to go with new side art eventually anyhow, so I would definitely say use new wood for the missing edges/corners areas. You do need some woodworking know-how and tools though, (biscuit joiner would be handy as well as a table saw, circular saw, jigsaw, clamps, belt sander).

If you can't do it, talk to a local custom cabinet shop, they may be able to do the repairs at a reasonable price if they're good.

I've thought of just cutting out new wood sides for my Robotron, but that would mean major disassembly and reassembly which would be much harder that repairing the existing side panels. Good luck with your project.

 

[D_Harris]

It's a damn shame any of these games were treated this badly, lol, but they were intended for kids, and played in largely unattended arcades or worse yet bars.

You have to go with new side art eventually anyhow, so I would definitely say use new wood for the missing edges/corners areas. You do need some woodworking know-how and tools though, (biscuit joiner would be handy as well as a table saw, circular saw, jigsaw, clamps, belt sander).

If you can't do it, talk to a local custom cabinet shop, they may be able to do the repairs at a reasonable price if they're good.

I've thought of just cutting out new wood sides for my Robotron, but that would mean major disassembly and reassembly which would be much harder that repairing the existing side panels. Good luck with your project.

If you're going to cut completely new sides you might as well build a whole cabinet.

As for art. It's paint only for my Ms.Pac-man.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.