I was thinking the same thing. Seems like you would be able to reduce material waste that way.
Yeah, the thought crossed my mind. It would have been maybe $60 difference. For any kind of large-production, “base model” type of product though, I should probably use an entirely different construction method. Messing around in Solidworks right now seeing what would be best, but if it could be multiple pieces of flat bar that would be ideal, since the per-pound cost of flat bar is less than big hunks like this.
There’s also less waste - and .050" aluminum is plenty strong for a stick.
3 axis with no tapping, right?
Oh come on man, it can’t be .050". I want it to feel like you could use it to club somebody. My main problem with plastic products is that light flimsy feel they all have. That’s why I love my Model M keyboard. Also, 3-axis with tapping.
Which is made out of plastic?
-ud
Yes the model M is mostly an ALL plastic construction with the exception of a metal plate that holds the actual switches.
Much like a modern retail arcade stick.
http://www.preater.com/modelm/
Haha, I was trolling a little. I was waiting for “Well, it has thick plastic with a metal plate that really gives a solid feel,” to which I would reply, “Oh, so like a Madcatz TE?” 
-ud
^ Touche, lol.
So I’m going to hold off on that billet piece until next week because I had an idea last night that I want to try making asap. Modular button blocks that slide side-to-side in grooves, and can be added and removed as needed. I’ll post in the stick thread tomorrow or Sunday, as soon as it’s done.
^Want so friggin’ hard!
That is very cool, my friend. Sign me up for one with the dimensions of a Hori Real Arcade Pro VLX Premium 
Edit to add suggestion - It would be cool if you could also have some long pieces for the side to cover the entire gap if you wanted.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have at least 2 size options.
Yeah, there definitely should be an option for cover plates, as well as some short ones that can fit in between buttons.
Also, crazy idea just now, I need to design a cab where you can remove the default control enclosure and attach just the stick, so you can either A) have your buddy come over and both of you attach your personal sticks to the cabinet, or B) you remove the one from the cabinet and it’s like one of those double-wide 2P versions people make.
By the way, looking at a rough quote I got from a local aluminum supplier today, the material cost for this design (assuming I don’t change it) is $15 total, for the entire thing. As opposed to $287 for the other one.
We should be best friends. You wanna be best friends? LoL. Seriously though…that cab idea is not bad. Detachable 2P arcade stick so you can take it off of the cab and into your living room or travel with? Pretty slick.
There’s some money to be made if you fill @blklightning21 's void by making replacement steel panels
It would also need brackets that attach to the sides so you can do 4P. I don’t think there would need to be any difference between a standalone 2P stick and the one that would go on the cab, so there would just be the purchase options “1P, 2P, cab (without controls), and side brackets”. From there you can do whatever you want.
Oh man, is that a thing? We have a 4’ x 8’ waterjet, we could pump those out like crazy.
Damn. I didn’t even think about replacement panels. I actually need one right now. I want a HRAP V3 panel with but with the buttons and stick slightly higher on the faceplate. I think you found a good outlet for your craft. Laugh.
A 12.25" x 8.75" version would have a max capacity of 20 side buttons, lol. With this new design there would no longer be any screws you have to tighten for each one, you would just undo the 4 screws to take the top off, lift it up, move the pieces around into their little slots, then place the top back on. When you bolt the top on it will hold everything together.
Just think. If you made them for $15 and sold them for $30, suddenly you’d be dropping the barrier of entry for someone to make their own stick.
Is quite nice. And I’ve got ideas for what I want to do with a stick once I have one that include an acid etched metal top, so that looks really nice to me.
they would probably go for no less than about 80 to 100. 15 may be for parts but you are forgetting cost of labor and various other things.
I suppose. Still, a man can dream. Ah well, my plan would work just as well with any other stick, just throw a steel or aluminum plate on top instead of plexiglass. Or Brass, if I needed a more golden color.
Yeah, he’s right. It’s around $15 just for the material (actually more like $20-ish since I made a change), but the real cost is the machine time, which can cause the price to go through the roof if you don’t do it in the most efficient way. Almost every change I’ve made tonight was for the purpose of somehow simplifying the machining to reduce cost. Right now it looks like I’ve got the machined parts, (material and time) down to about the same price as the total price for buttons, stick, and PCB. That’s a guess though because I won’t know until tomorrow what the actual run times are. Need to go get sleep so I can build it and find out.