Solid plywood cabinets start with a good solidbox. The kitchen cabinets sold in most stores these days lightmaterials. The top and the back are often replaced with bracing tokeep costs down. A quality cabinet makes none of thesecompromises.

The structure of the cabinet is nothing more than a box the faceframe is attached to. The sides, the bottom, and the top have adado slot that accepts the back. The whole assembly is heldtogether with glue and nails/screws.

The woodworking challenges are getting the dimensi

A French cleat is a rock solid way of hangingcabinets. I like for its ease of installation. One man can hang acabinet on the cleat in seconds. It's almost like hanging your coaton a coat hanger. The cabinet will stay in place without screws andcan be squared up without stress.

How it works

The cleat is nothing more than a piece of wood runninghorizontally along the upper part of the cabinet. The lower part ofcleat beveled. Another piece of wood with the bevel going the otherway is installed on the wall. When the two p

Wiring the buttons is a tedious, but straightforward affair.

The Interface Controller

The center piece of the control panel is a controller board.This board is the interface between the computer and thebuttons.

There are several types of boards (joystick, keyboard, custom),each with its own way of interfacing with the computer. All typesare readily available at arcade stores. It does not really matterwhich type of controller you choose. The only thing that changes isthe way the software is instal

Most of my furniture pieces I built in mywoodshop are for the public space in my house. I like to show offas much as the next guy. The actual reason for this is that Iwanted to build extra nice pieces for my private area. The firstproject for my bedroom will be a high quality bed. Solid, thickwood everywhere. The design is meant for the ages. This bed willlast a lifetime.

The high level design is relatively simple. A headboard, atailboard and two rails. The pieces are joined together with bedanchors. More about these later in the

I decided to install a garage door opener on thenew doors I installed earlier this summer. A conventional garagedoor opener cannot be installed in my garage. A beam sits right inthe path of the track.

Liftmaster 3800

I did some research and found the Liftmaster 3800 jackshaftopener (

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• Chapter 9

The control panel hosts the player controls andthe controller interface board. It detaches from the main carcassto allow the cabinet to pass through doorways.

Plexiglass Top

The entire panel is covered with a 1/8 sheet of Plexiglas, whichprovides the actual playing surface the players hands rest on. Thecontrol panel's art is sandwiched between the MDF top and thePlexiglas playing surface. This keeps the art save and clean.

The Design

The controller design used in this build is not

The woodworking starts with building thecabinet.

Cabinet Sides

The two sides of the cabinet are identical. Ideally cut themboth at once.

The angled cuts near the monitor cannot be done on the tablesaw.Start the cuts with a circular saw. Stop short of the line andfinish with a jigsaw.

The edges of the panels can be finished with either T-molding orveneer. If you choose to go with the T-molding, route a 1/16" slotwith a slot cutter on the center line.

Top

I grew up spending way too much time at thearcade.I still remember the sounds and lights.

The 80ies and 90ies were the golden age of the arcade. Thisdesign is my attempt at recreating an arcade cabinet in thecontemporary look. You'll instantly recognize it.

What's Involved

Building an arcade cabinet is not a cheap project. In additionto the woodworking, the cabinet requires joysticks, buttons,controllers, and a fully functioning PC.

A build requires woodworking skills, el

I am starting a new project. My homeentertainment system is lacking base. I am going to over compensateand build a 21inch^3 subwoofer. The 15 inch driver in this desingcan handle 1500 watt RMS.

Here is my box design. I'll let you know how things aregoing.

The Design

The carcass of this bookcase is made from 3/4"plywood. This is a common and economical way of constructingbookcases. The back is 1/2" plywood. The face frame is 3/4" solidstock. For decoration an elaborate crown molding tops off thebookcase.

Build the Carcass

Begin by cutting the two sides of the bookcase and the shelvesat the table saw. Nothing but straight cuts here. You can adjustthe dimensions of the bookcase to your liking. If you plan onstoring heavy things on the shelves, plan on adding