Barnstable, MA
What would the cost be to accurately build a Gottieb EM cabinet as originally made? Has anyone done this? I have a cabinet maker nearby, but haven't yet inquired.
(Topic ID: 292243)
Quoted from Playdium:What would the cost be to accurately build a Gottieb EM cabinet as originally made? Has anyone done this? I have a cabinet maker nearby, but haven't yet inquired.
Wood/plywood prices are way up right now, so you may want to hold off. The cabinet maker should be able to give you a good estimate though.
I am interested to learn what a woodworker would estimate.
Without measuring, I imagine it will require more than 1 sheet of quality, finished 1 side plywood to lay out the 4 sides and the head pieces, plus additional stock for the cross braces and collar on the head, plus thinner wood slab for the cab bottom. However the lions share of the cost will be the woodworkers labor hours. I have no idea what hourly charge might be, but I'm confident it will not be cheap.
In the UK you can get a Gottlieb cabinet made for around £800 - £1000 but it is made from ply.
To get it made as original, other than the cabinet front, cabinet bottom and backbox front, the cabinets were made from Poplar, this would take a lot longer and therefore be more expensive than ply as boards have to be edge jointed and sanded flat before cutting out the components.
2 weeks later
I built an EM cabinet out of 1/2” Birch plywood, one side paintable, used Birch for Back Box trim, and and 3/8” plywood for bottom, paint and glue. All total about $100 Material. Figure it took me about 8 hours, cut material, glue up (this took the most time) and painting 2 coats primer and 2 coats of finish paint.
If I charged $20 an hour labor, I think I could build an EM complete cabinet for around $300.
Quoted from Kickout:I built an EM cabinet out of 1/2” Birch plywood, one side paintable, used Birch for Back Box trim, and and 3/8” plywood for bottom, paint and glue. All total about $100 Material. Figure it took me about 8 hours, cut material, glue up (this took the most time) and painting 2 coats primer and 2 coats of finish paint.
If I charged $20 an hour labor, I think I could build an EM complete cabinet for around $300.
This is a very fair amount....
however because its pinball you should do what wedding companies do and over charge just because its for that specific subject.
Example: 4 Champagne flutes cost about $10 but if you say its for a wedding well then those same flutes are $149
Cost to make a box out of wood is about $300 but if you say its for pinball.... $2500 unpainted 
North Adelaide
I built a cabinet from marine plywood cost around $200 to built I posted here on pinside .
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/abra-ca-dabraattacked-by-white-ants
Raff
Quoted from Raff:I built a cabinet from marine plywood cost around $200 to built I posted here on pinside .
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/abra-ca-dabraattacked-by-white-ants
Raff
Those were some hungry "ants"! 
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