The best tool to use would be either a CNC router or a milling machine. Thats what I did to mill ports for the DB25s on my project boxes and stick cases.
Got another question. How does one go about making a lot of angles on the sides of a case? Voltech said he used a sander for it. What kind of sander would accomplish that task the best?
I have a router but what else do I need to route out the underside of the buttons down to the mm to get the depth just right? and to keep a nice look not all over the place, some sort of template?
You don’t need anything other than the router. Just use a straight bit and set it to the right depth. As far as keeping it looking really neat I’m not sure someone else will have to answer that.
Like, some people have one thats 6 30mm button holes then what they routered out looks like 60mm routers perfectly around them, some sort of template or just skill? or a big 60mm bit?
well digital717, my families the bodyshop type, so my experience with wood can be mixed, but when I want to mirror finish for wood.
I first sand the wood down with 220 briefly then 400
then I spray lacquer primer with a spray gun, then after it dries (5 min)
I sand it with 400 then put in another 2 or 3 coats.
After that I sand it again and put filler primer which I sand with 400
after its sanded its ready for paint; I use single stage automotive paint 
I’ve only painted wood once for a glass/ black table I made for myself, but there were no flaws, bubbles, peeling, or anything of that nature.
ps: you can find lacquer and filler primer spray cans in any autozone and use high gloss finish spray paint. I’d just go with the good filler primer instead of the cheap one.
edit: sorry for the late reply I got sidetracked by the tv:wgrin:
So I just did the 30mm holes for my buttons now I want to route the bottem of it so screwins can fit and I want it nice looking, I dont need a jig? Should I use a huge 60mm router bit and just route 6 times? is that how its done to look like the nice routed shape around the holes?
If you want it to look like the link, then you need to get a large forstner bit, one large enough to overlap itself. Since you have already drilled the 30mm holes, you will probably need to use a drill press in order to keep the bit from jumping.
http://www.joystickvault.com/showfull.php?photo=105
Alternatively, you can make yourself a little template out of scrap wood to guide your router, and use a straight bit (I think) to route to the desired depth.
Yeah just like your pic, So a large drill bit and find the depth I need and just do that so I dont need to use my router at all just the drill press, can I use a drill press for the stick routing too then?
For the stick, I used a jig saw to cut the hole then used forstner bits to drill the place for the mounting plate. It takes a little patience but it’s not hard. You can use a router and a template to do this to though.
The forstner bit I used to route the place for my screw-ins was not large enough to over lap, but since i have a drill press i was able to just drill out the small sections that were left with the same forstner bit.
exellent thanks
Alright, I’ve got a question, I have a forstner bit that doesn’t cut shit. I’m going to try sharpening it but for the blades in that strip away the wood (not the ones on the edges that cut the fibers) how do I sharpen it?
Using this picture as a reference:
Do I sharpen the side of the top one (the outside of the blade) or the side of the bottom one (the inside of the blade)?
hmm have you tried changing the direction your drill is spinning in?
Anyone have any pics of jigs they made for their button routing and joystick?
How useful is the plunge-router attachment for the Dremel? Does it more or less depend on the Dremel model you’re using? I’m looking for a space-conscious router for the mounting plate shenangians.
I’m wondering the same thing, they’re fairly cheap and the router I have is too big to do some work inside a case.
Where can i buy this Mitre Adhesive and what is the best brand
thanks
Is a good online place that ships to canada for pretty cheap that sells forstner bits and such?
I use a Bosch palm router to router the mortise for the plate and to mortise the area around the buttons. Its small than a conventional router but slightly bigger and more powerful than a dremel. I use a mortising bit with a template for my button and plate and it work great.
I will try this, pretty certain it was spinning clockwise and my bit isn’t some backwards crap but I’ll try anyways. My forstner bit looks a bit messed up though, the cutting blade is jagged like it’s worn out or something. I have a feeling it may have been returned, if I can’t get it working I’ll exchange it I guess.
I was buying from CT, but a lot of their stuff sucks (like the forstner mentioned above). Ordered some stuff from http://www.leevalley.com/home.aspx?c=1 and they seem to be pretty good. Probably not the cheapest you’ll find but they seem to have a lot of stuff and decent prices. Just make sure that you’re on Canadian currency (c=1 in the link is CAD, c=2 is USD) in the top right of the page, it switches back to US for me when I close and re-open the site.