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The monitor in this cabinet was originally mounted horizontally.  I decided to rotate the monitor vertically because more games fit correctly this way.  After test fitting I realized that the monitor was too tall (vertically) to fit correctly.  Some careful measuring convinced me that I could lower the monitor shelf about 2 1/2 inches to make the monitor fit - barely.

I started by cutting a 2x4 in half to make 2 support braces for my new shelf.  The original shelf was 16" from front to back and my 2x4 was about 18".  Although a bit longer, I decided that the 2x4 length was just fine.  I also cut a piece of 3/4 inch plywood to 18" x 24".  My cabinet is actually 24 1/2 inches in width but the piece of plywood I bought was only 24".  Unfortunately I didn't notice this at the store.  Still I think that a 1/4 " gap on either side of the shelf won't be a problem.

After getting my shelf and supports cut, I measured down 2 1/2" from the top of my existing monitor shelf.  I drew several marks at this measurement and connected the lines.  From there I measured down 3/4" and made another line.  This was to allow for the height of my plywood shelf.

Next I clamped a support to the cabinet and lined it's top up with the lowest line I drew.  Using a thin drill bit, I pre-drilled from the inside of the cabinet to the outside.  From the outside, I drilled a larger counter-sink hold to recess the screws.  The first hole I drilled served as a guide so that I knew where to drill on the outside of the cabinet.  I had to place the thin drill bit just barely inside the chuck to ensure it was long enough to go through the support and the cabinet side.

I screwed in the shelf supports and stopped for the night.  Next I plan on fitting the shelf and monitor and measuring to ensure that the monitor fits correctly.  I also have to remove to old shelf, which is currently sitting 2 1/2" above the new one.

    Although the countersink holes are barely visible in this picture, I'll have to conceal them with wood filler.

As I was writing this I realized that I made an error in my measurements.  I had to remove the monitor supports and put them 3/4" higher to allow for the shelf height.  After moving the supports I removed the old monitor shelf.  Because the existing shelf was installed into dado's in the cabinet sides, I was forced to cut it.  Using a jig saw, I cut the shelf and pounded it out with a hammer.  In the process I managed to scrape the side off one of my fingers.

        Cutting the shelf and pushing it out of the dado.

After removing the shelf I was left with a very ugly looking dado in each side of the cabinet.  I really don't need to fill it but I think the perfectionist in my wants to do so.  Most likely I'll be filling it in before painting.

    This dado has to go!

Once the old shelf was removed, I set the new shelf in place temporarily.  I put the monitor in to see how well it fit.  Everything looks fairly good except that the bezel is a little too high.  If I move the shelf up 1/2" more then the bezel will fit perfectly.  

As I already mentioned, I'm a perfectionist so I moved the shelf up 1/2".  After the second and final move of the shelf, I test fit the bezel, front plexi-glass and speaker panel.  Everything lines up very nice and it looks perfect!  I'm now getting anxious to play on this cabinet!

Second Chance Arcade

E-Mail: todd1814@yahoo.com