Leg Levelers

Leg Levelers
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The Control Panel
Initial Inspection
Monitor Shelf
Game Details
Replacing Corners
Marquee and Front Glass
Speakers
Internal Wiring
Stripping The Cabinet
Sanding The Cabinet
Patching And Filling
Painting/Priming
Checking The Monitor
Leg Levelers
Gutting The Cabinet
Coin Door

 

As I started to finish up patching and sanding the bottom edges of the cabinet, the time came to put on leg levelers.  I certainly didn't want to break up the nice work I had already done.  I purchased leg levelers from Happ Controls and wasn't really pleased with them.  They look cheaply made which I should expect since they were inexpensive.  Because they're paid for I decided to keep them.  I put 6 on my arcade bowler and had 4 left for the Defender Cabinet.

S030I001.JPG (112366 bytes)     New leg levelers...

First I removed all of the old leg levelers.  Some were missing and the remaining ones came out without incident.  Of course 1 leg leveler just had to cause problems.  I just couldn't get the bolt out of the t-nut because the nut kept spinning.  Eventually I gave up and broke off the wooden support for the leg leveler.  Using a screwdriver and a hammer, I chiseled away at the plywood support.  It came off quite easily and didn't damage the rest of the cabinet.

S02DI004.JPG (136055 bytes)     This leg leveler refused to come out.

S02DI005.JPG (148339 bytes)     A little persuasion was needed to remove it!

S02FI002.JPG (126340 bytes)     S02FI005.JPG (119445 bytes)

The bolt was trash but the t-nut was recoverable 

To replace the removed support, I cut a 2x4 on my table saw.  First I cut about 1/4" off the thickness of the 2x4.  Then I cut a 45 degree angle on the end.  Next, I laid a piece of the broken leg leveler on top of the 2x4 to determine how large to make the support.  I made the final cut and was left with a nice, clean triangle.

S02EI004.JPG (140538 bytes)     Where is Norm Abrams when you need him?

S02EI001.JPG (143555 bytes)     S02EI003.JPG (145104 bytes)     S02FI001.JPG (114671 bytes)

Before I could mount the support, I needed to recess the t-nut.  This way the t-nut wouldn't interfere with the support contacting the bottom of the cabinet.  To create the recess, I used a 1" flat drill bit.  The drill bit has a single blade that cuts a flat bottomed hole.  After creating the recess, I followed through the center of the recessed hole with a smaller drill bit.  This hole allows the leg leveler to pass through the wood and screw into the t-nut.

S032I001.JPG (128324 bytes)     S030I003.JPG (128376 bytes)

After making the support, I bent the wings on the t-nut so they pointed up and would stick into the wood.  I pounded the t-nut in with a hammer and glued the support to the cabinet.

When the glue was dry, I squirted a little WD-40 into all of the t-nuts and screwed in the new leg levelers.

S030I002.JPG (131195 bytes)     S032I002.JPG (113056 bytes)

Second Chance Arcade

E-Mail: todd1814@yahoo.com