I got the building bug a while ago now. There's little more satisfying to me than having an idea and bringing it to life. It's also great to experiment and try to come up with elegant solutions to problems. I had no experience with woodworking to start with and was not sure how I'd take to something completely alien to me. I'm happy to report that with a little practice I was able to get the general skills down reasonably well.
I've posted some of this and my other project builds (racing simulation rig, arcade cabinet, gaming desk and console/PC gaming cabinet) in the 'Show us your gaming setup: 2015 Edition' but here are some more pictures of my current project.
I start with a doodle trying to put together a general view of how I want the project to look and go from there. For some builds, you never know what constraints you're going to come up against so I will typically freestyle my way through.
I use a limited toolset and cut and finish everything by hand. Tools used:
- Router
- Jigsaw
- Drill
- Power drill / driver
- A couple of clamps
- Small workbench
My current project (WIP) is a space simulation seat for Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen (and others, should they be released) with the intention to use a VR headset.
General design:
Basic seat base construction (this was eventually re-cut 3 more times to get the ergonomics right):
I started working on the paneling. I wanted something suitably space age so went for some fairly complex paneling (again, this would be re-designed and adjusted later):
Whilst doing this, I was working on re-casing the HOTAS:
Back to the seat paneling again. Here you can see I've split the back section to angle the upper piece forwards a little to provide more comfort. I would also end up using thicker foam on the main seat panel on the base:
I increased the recline angle again so re-cut the base. I finally had it how I wanted it at this point:
I then designed and cut the panel for the outer pods which would sit either side of the seat and then shaped them. The second picure shows the inlay sections where the inserted materials would sit):
The inlays were then cut to sit in the recesses of these panels. Ribbed rubber sheet and wire mesh were used here:
Perimeter and bracing sections were then cut for each side pod:
I thought I's have a little fun with LEDs so I fitted some to each downward rear sloping face of the pod:
The artwork, acrylic and vinyl to give the mesh contrast were then inserted:
At this point, the seat was starting to take its shape:
Yet more work on the seat paneling was conducted with some of the foam panels being thickened and re-worked:
Next, the sides were tackled. Windows were cut into the sides with mesh, vinyl and aluminium rods inserted. I initially make a real cock up of the positioning of the windows and had to re-cut everything or live with a substandard look - I re-cut everything:
A few interesting panels were made for the blank sections on the side and shoulder pieces:
I decided to include a stow-able centre platform for an iPad mini:
That takes me to where I am now, which is building the headrest section:
There's still a quite a bit to complete yet but the majority of the construction is done. I will be making a base for this and will include some rudder pedals also.
Other projects include a gaming desk (this was heavily modified rather than scratch built):
Arcade cabinet (posted in a couple of other places on this site):
A sim racing rig:
And a console / PC gaming cabinet for my son:
