The coin door that I ordered is pictured (Part No. 40-0055-00). It's a little pricey but I think it adds a real nice finishing touch and an "authentic" look to the cabinet. Plus, since I decided to remove the "coin" button from the control panel it will be the only way to start up the games!The first thing I did was remove the coin door panel from the hinges (and remove the hinges too) so I could layout the mounting template in the center. This was pretty easy to do with just my t-square and pencil.
As you can see from the template, the corners of the hole are rounded and have a 1" radius. I had to drill a 2" diameter hole in each corner in order to get the proper cut. Here are some shots showing the layout and some of the holes drilled:
Once all 4 holes were cut in the corners I used my jigsaw to connect the holes and remove the interior material. I made sure to stay 1/8" inside the line for the rough cut so I can clean it up with the router and a flush trimming bit.
The final thing I did was use the router to make everything nice and even. Here are the results:
Unfortunately, the coin door hasn't arrived yet so I can't get a finished picture but it is supposed to come this week and I will post a few pictures when it gets here.
Tips:
1. Be patient. It takes a while to make each of the 4 holes in the corner with a forstner bit or hole saw because MDF is so dense.
2. Make sure you have a piece of scrap MDF underneath the workpiece at all times. You don't want to cut a hole in your workbench.
3. Make sure everything is clamped tight to the workbench before you start cutting.
4. Plan on spending an hour and a half or more to cut the coin door hole. I know it sounds crazy but that's how long it takes if you follow my method.
Thanks for looking!!
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