Posted by Andy Desak on 15, 2000 at 8:07 PM:
In Reply to: wood vs metal posted by D on 15, 2000 at 6:39 PM:
: When I bought my cab, it had a metal control panel. It was a 2 player 2 button a piece layout. I added a button below each of them making it a 2 player 4 button a piece layout. Of course, being metal, it was quite a challenge. Later I decided to make multiple control panels to suit different games. I went and got 3/4 inch press board, and assebled a control pannel. The problem is, it feels less sturdy than the metal panel. So much so, that I switched back to the metal panel. My question is, how can I make a sturdy feeling wood panel. The press board i bought, was the best they had. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
A metal panel is definately much nicer. I prefer metal over wood myself....you can see a pic of one I built here:
http://members.home.net:80/thehutt/Ferrari.htm
If you look at all of the pics you can see how I had the metal bent to wrap around the wood in the back which makes for a really nice job.
You said you had problems drilling through the metal?....If you used steel that is your problem. It will be very hard to drill through. I use 1/8" aluminum. It is very sturdy on an average size panel. If you are going to build a really big one like the one in the link above then I would reccommend the wood underneath.
To drill the holes in the metal just get yourself a nice holesaw. Using a drill press will also make the job easier and neater. If you go to purchase the hole saw spend a few extra bucks on a name brand one. It will be worth it compared to some of the generic crap they sell out there.
As far as the wood you used not being sturdy....well, even 3/4" pressed wood should be sturdy enough but I always use plywood which is even much stronger. And you can also get the plywood with one or both side with a nice smooth finish. This will also look better painted than pressed or partical board.
Hope this helps,
Andy Desak
Arcade Solutions