What are you using? and what kind of wood?
Yeah, it was to support or to push away anthing that might dislodge the project box. It is un-needed and I was going to cut it off, but am probably never going to get around to it.
Hello everyone, I’ve been browsing this forum for quite awhile trying to figure out the process of building an arcade stick, and ordering parts from the trading-outlet as well. Anyway, i have almost finished my first stick, I modeled it after some of my favorite TMO and Byrdo sticks. Since I’m almost finished I figured I would share a few pictures of my progress and ask a few questions.
First the questions:
I know someone has already asked about wood finishing, but i was wondering if anyone new of any good detailed tutorials for wood staining and finishing? Preferably with pictures and/or videos. I’ve looked at a few but found them to be uninformative. Also, any tips or advice that one has gained through personal experience in this area would be appreciated.
I purchased some lexan for the top and bottom of my stick. I was wondering how resilient to saws this material is? I was told I could cut it by adjusting the blade of my saw to the proper height and cutting it along with a piece of wood underneath. Any opinions about this? As much money as i have in this project now, i would hate to waste any material just to experiment.
Also, I ordered a cheap set of forstner bits off ebay. They seem to work great for the price, but the largest bit (35mm) burns the wood pretty bad. You should be able to see a little bit of this in one of the pictures below. Is this burning do the large diameter of the bit, the speed of my drill press, or just because it is a cheap and probably dull bit? If it’s the later I will probably purchase a better bit for my larger holes.
Here are the pictures:
This box is made out of a cheap wood called aspen. I bought more material than i needed so I’m going to build three more two of them will be made of oak and another aspen.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d174/wado_dragon/DSCF0805.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d174/wado_dragon/DSCF0803.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d174/wado_dragon/DSCF0806.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d174/wado_dragon/DSCF0807.jpg
Sorry for the long first post. lol
@ DJ-Blitz
Dude… Lexan is some killer stuff. I have used a 12 inch Mitre Saw on it going super fast and it did not crack… what you want to do is just go a little slower on it but not too slow, otherwise it will melt. Let the machine do the work and cut properly and it will be fine.
About the staining, check the tech talk forums soon, I’m going to make a video about staining arcade sticks.
For lexan, I have used one of those plexiglas hand cutters with a metal ruler to score the lexan to get a good groove. From there once I have a nice 1-2mm deep line, I use a Fein Multimaster (oscillating tool) with the round metal cutting attachment and run it over the groove I scored lightly at first to deepen the groove, and run it across a few times deepening it slowly to cut it evenly. Put too much pressure on it and it will cut through too fast.
Thankfully my dads side of the family is full of construction junkies so I should have plenty of spare parts to work with when I make my PS3 stick in a few months.
Awesome, thanks for the info… I’m looking forward to your video
If the saw doesn’t workout I’ll have to give this a try
Hey there,
I think I can help a bit 
also great job on your build, it’s a helluva lot better than my first by far lol
Q. 1) Everybodies different when it comes to staining, that’s what makes it fun! I like oil based stains so I tend to go with a rub on finish with a nice piece of 100% cloth. The stain can be applied without mixing or with a mixture of tung or blo and varnish to thin. Your exact mixture is totally up to you, I would suggest taking a piece of scrap end from whatever wood you are using and make a couple of test pieces to see how they hold up after a day or two making very sure you are giving enough time between coats for the stain to “soak” into the wood. The turnaround time sucks but if your making it for yourself there’s no rush. There are a few youtube videos as well as woodcraft.com sample videos to get you up and running with this
before
http://216.246.50.234/picture.php?albumid=383&pictureid=2625
after
http://216.246.50.234/picture.php?albumid=383&pictureid=2626
Q. 3) Slow Down! Meltdown Approaching! j/k
The bit you are using is getting way too hot causing your wood to burn and giving your workshop a God-awful smell (well that’s if you listen to wife lol) with forstner bits there is always a temptation to rush through things because it’s pretty tedious, but what you wanna do is to almost graze the surface and slowly lower your bit in there. I keep a small bucket of ice and a rag close so of the bit does heat up I can just squeeze out the rag and place it on the bit to help it cool (after it’s been removed ofc) You make want to save yourself the trouble and get a nice flute bit for about 10-15 bucks and route out the bottom much easier all around.
All in all nice work and make sure you post the finished stick, can’t wait to see 
A quick question, I am about to go to Home Depot to look for a wooden ball top for my ikaruga stick.
I have one of those bat top adaptors for the JLF. Anybody have any idea where to get the perfect sized wood ball?
I was going to drill with a forstner bit hole slightly smaller and just force/glue in the adaptor.
Great thread idea!
My question. I’m building a new box out of Bolivian Rosewood and wanted to know how to finish it. I want a high gloss mirror finish. I’m not staining it because… it’s Bolivian Rosewood. Haha. So what I was thinking is shellac of some kind, but not really sure which kind exactly and the exact process of applying it. Thanks for any help.
@ Digital717
My favorite way to get a mirror finish on stained or unfinish wood is Poly.
http://www.minwax.com/products/oil_based_clear_protective_finishes/fast_drying_polyurethane.html
Get the glossy type. Sand your wood down with 200-300 grit paper, then apply one coat of poly. Keep going with the grain of the wood and don’t put too much on it… if you see bubbles, just keep wiping until they are gone cause bubbles will stay with poly.
Let it dry for 4 hours. Then sand with high grit sandpaper. I use steel wool #0000. Then you’re going to add more poly like before. Then 4 hours, then sand with high grit sandpaper, then add more. You can keep doing this to whenever you like. I usually only do 3 coats and it has a great mirror finish. Poly also strengthens the wood and you’ll feel the difference.
When you’re done with all your coats, let it dry for 2 days straight… then you’re going to sand it just a bit with high grit sandpaper to make it feel smooth. It will retain the mirror finish.
I have a quick question for you guys
I want to use a dado bit for my router in order to make my stick top mount. The thing is I want to know if its possible to start the router in the middle of the wood or do I have to start it on the side???
Any help will be appreciated
**my stick layout is like so **
l________________l this layer is plexiglass
___ _______ |```l______l| THIS LAYER IS WOOD
|________________|
I want to indent it slightly, like so; just enough to fit the mounting plate on top of the wood and in between these two layers. So, is this possible??
Eeek! another thread to keep an eye on!
Anyway, here I am.
Its very possible, that what I do with my box. You can start in the middle since you already have the hole drill for the stick.
Since i had to make 5 boxes I made my self a simple template and use a template router bit and I get perfect straight lines every time.
Great thread BTW.
duh, thanks for the info nizz. I forgot I could just use the whole as a starting point. Do you recommend a hinge mortise, or just a straight bit??
and yeah this is a great thread, especially for guys like me, the only thing I know about wood is cutting with the table saw and primer/paint
I use both, a mortising bit to make the mortise for the plate. Since you are top mounting the stick you will also need to make room for the stick switches or it wont fit for that i will use a straight template bit.
I read somewhere that oil based poly doesn’t work well on oily woods such as Rosewood. Have you experienced any problems like that?
What kind of brush do you use to apply it? Can I just use sandpaper or is steel wool better for some reason?
I use pre sealer before I stain or clear coat the hardwoods and never had a problem. Pre sealing the wood will sometime raise the grain so you may have to give it a quick sanding with 200 or greater sandpaper.
I personally use a foam brush because it cheaper and haven’t had a problem, but I think any brush will do. As stated before just be careful with the bubbles that may form during the application. Sandpaper will work but seem to get residue build up pretty quick. So if you do use sandpaper I would recommend a wet type. Steel wool tend not to build up as quick and work really well. I also like the 3M scotch bright looking pads. Really your chose but you will get the same effect.
I like to put at lease 3 coats on mine. Biggest mistake people make is not being patient. Let the coats dry and give it a light sanding between coats. Dont try to put the coats on too heavy also.
Great thing about it is if you dont like it or mess up just sand it off and try again.
Good luck with the project.
Thanks nizz. Can you recommend a brand of pre sealer?
I have patience. I’ve painted MDF to a perfect mirror finish. After that this will be nothing. A few coats a few hours apart? Not a problem. The paint job I did on the MDF took about 3 weeks total.
I think all a major brand stain and poly manufacturer will make them but some may call them pre-sealer or pre-stain. I used minwax pre-stain and a brand that sold at my local Rockler woodworking store. I tend to recommend people to use the same brand and type of pre-sealer to stain and poly i.e oil to oil base and water to water base. I heard you can mix but i havent done it myself.