Moncton, NB
Is it possible to add wood side rails, removing the stainless steel ones?
Are the wood side rails connected/placed on the side like the
steel ones?
Terry K 
(Topic ID: 211596)
Portola Valley, CA
the wood rails are pretty much a dowel with a oversized quadrant cut out if it. iir, they are pin nailed and glued on.
on Spot Lite pics below, the rail is about 36mm (1-3/8" in diameter).
if you were making them, it may be easier to use square stock and a router. Yell if you need the exact dimensions of the cutout.
the problem you may have is what's under the metal rail...the artwork likely will be brighter than the exposed cabinet, and you'll probably see a line where the metal rail was.
you also need to remove a wooden strip the metal rail was wrapped around.
I did it once before on a game that was originally wood rails and someone changed to metal - I think a Big Time. I swiped the rails off a parts cabinet.
IMG_20180306_152330 (resized).jpg
IMG_20180306_152346 (resized).jpg
"Twit", thank you for the info. I love the look of the wood rail games!
I don't have the room for a second game ,so, I thought I could kill two
birds with one stone and try wood rails on my game to see what it
would look like. I was hoping it would be a simple thing to do.
The reason I say this is I noticed pictures of a Circus Queen, some
with a wood side rail and some with a stainless side rail.
I was hoping this could be tried with out being to intruding on
my side boards!!
Thanks again,
Terry K
Circus Queen (1960-12) was Bally's final wood rail game. Lite-A-Line (1961-01) was the first game to come from the factory with metal side rails. That's according to flyers for both games. Maybe your metal rails were an operator retrofit, as commonly seen on late-50s games. Are the original wood rails still present under the metal?
"BlackCatBone", my Bally Bikini has the metal rails, it/the Bikini
comes that way.
I was wondering if it would be possible to try wood rail(s), with out
serious mods to my existing side boards, just to see how it looks.
Of course I would need a wood side rail to try.
I was just wondering if anyone tried this!!!
Terry K
Quoted from Terry1:"BlackCatBone", my Bally Bikini has the metal rails, it/the Bikini
comes that way.
Oops, I thought you were asking about a Circus Queen.
Quoted from Terry1:"Twit" , I'm thinking of cutting a grove in the "dowel" so it would
lay over the wood, this way I can always go back to the metal
rail(s), if I don't like it
I sent a rough drawing (not to scale)of what I have in mind!!
Terry K
Terry, how are you going to slide the playfield glass in?
Pinball Resource sells side rails: http://www.pbresource.com/signatur/gtb-woodrails.jpg
"meSz" , the playfield glass would slide in like normal.
The wood rail would sit on the wood back board just above the
glass, like a regular wood rail game, sort of
Well hello Ottawa. I did not realize that Pinball Resource sold
them, thank you very much eh
Terry K
Quoted from meSz:Terry, how are you going to slide the playfield glass in?
my first thought was what mesz said...and second thought.
the metal rail support (MRS) - the wood the metal is wrapped around - should be removed. If you try and put a wood rail over it, it'll sit up too high unless you notch the wood rail to completely cover the MRS. Dunno if the MRS is too wide or thick to do that....I'd guess it is.
The MRS is glued/nailed on, so once you get the drive nails out of the side, you can slide the metal rail off to get at it. Iir, start at the end and watch for the side wood splitting as you pry/chisel off the MRS.
The trick with the dowel is making a straight cut. You can probably get close freehand on a table saw - especially if it has a riving knife, but if you twist as you push the dowel thru you're in trouble. There's lots of jigs/tricks to ripping or routing round stock, so let us know what works.
Well here we go. I got my hard wood dowel
I re-designed my dowel grove/cut.
This is theory only right now. I will cut a short piece off
my 4 ft dowel , I only need about 3 ft , and then try the
cut to see.
My objective is to do this with out cutting the side board.
I have a few pics. the dowel grove would be for the
left side as you look at it, but, of course, would work on
the right' mirror image!
Sort of looks like Pac Man!
TK
"Twit", if I cut straight across like in your pic(s) the rail will be
to high off the glass. Wouldn't look right.
Keep in mind that the MSR side board(s) are higher than a regular, side board, wood rail set up.
Look at my pictures in post 13. Even when I remove the MSR the wood supporting it
is still high.
Removing the support wood would give me like your post 2.
Looking at you pictures in post 2 you can see that the 90 deg cut in dowel places
the wood rail nice and close to the glass.
My plan is to do this mod and still leave "stuff" for the purist, if it came to that.
I realize that I could cut my side board(s) and be done with it , BUT, I want to
make sure I will like the "wood rail" look first,and maybe, come up with something
that may be of interest to others.
TK
the cabinet edge should be a little higher that the surface of the playfield glass. If it's up higher than you want, you can make a notch like you show or cheat the angle a little so the edge of the dowel cutout is closer to the glass.
in the pic, I wasn't suggesting that's how to do it..I was trying to show that that the blue piece is too wide for a 1-3/8" wood dowel to fit over it.
I'm assuming the cabinet edge is like the green part in the above pic all the way down and the blue piece is attached on top. If the cabinet edge is like the below, then never mind...you need a notch after removing the blue part
Quoted from Terry1:Is it possible to add wood side rails, removing the stainless steel ones?
Are the wood side rails connected/placed on the side like the
steel ones?
Terry K
It can be done. Here is a Rocky & Bullwinkle done up in 1959 Gottlieb cabinet woodrail style.
Alan
Quoted from okorange:Just my two cents here. Why in the world would you go out of your way to make your machine less than original after all of the work you have put into it? Keep the original rails!
OKO, this mod, if it works out, will, in no way, alter the side board(s) as far
as being able to go back to orig.
My machine is in my family room and it looks great. But the wood rails and
possibly wood legs would would really make it look like the machine I have
always imagined.
If you look at a picture of a Circus Queen with metal side rails, then, look at a picture
of the Circus Queen with wood side rails, I think you will see what I mean
"P2K" , thank you for the specs
I believe the cut outs are not quite what I would be able to use.
I think I will stay with a round side rail(s).
TK
This is an honest question: can the additional weight in a Bikini be held by the wooden legs? Even with the double anti-split bolts in the bingo legs, it's a LOT of weight. I do not recall which was the first bingo with metal legs - I'd guess it was Lite-a-line (as the first with metal rails). If that was the case, can the earlier/any Magic Screen games be held by wooden legs?
It sounds like the easiest answer to your problem is to get another game. 
Nick, don't temp me
Honestly, if had the room, I would have a wood rail
game as well. But, my family room has room for one game, now, had to make the
room.
I fell I can kill two birds with one stone, and make my game a wood rail
game. This mod is an add on thing, allowing the game to go back to
metal rails. If I don't like the look, back it goes!
When I am done, I will show the results . My only comparison will be a
Circus Queen with and with out metal rails. Both can be found on line!
The wood leg thing is just thinking out load!!
BTW, Coos does not make the "nail risers" for sale. He only makes them
when he needs some. Not sure what stock he uses. He fastens them with
any nail or drive screw that was a good looking head on it!!
1 week later
The next step in my wood rail mod(s)
The fit is good enough that the wood pushes in/on with
a little push.
I would like to take credit for the work, but, my guy that
made me my lock down bar did this. I did make the measurements
though.
Stay tuned for more updates.
1 week later
Well here she be
I like the look. also, what I like, is that it can be changed
back at any time; although I don't see myself doing that.
I have a bit of touch up painting to do to the top of the box!
Nick, just think when you are on your Multi Bingo, you can get
the "full meal deal" by having wood rails when playing a wood
rail game
Terry K
Terry, how do your wood rails attach that they are reversible? I've never seen a wood rail Bikini before!
"meSz" , the finish is Varathane Clear Gloss Diamond finish.
The stain is Varathane 602 Cherry Gel.
My wood guy did the work, I am BAD with wood!!
Nick, if you notice post "25", you will see how the rails
attach. They are a friction fit, i.e., the inside measurement is
just a hair wider that the top of the box, with the MSL removed.
If you get this measurement just right the rails fit with a slight push!!!
Keeping in mind that what I did is NOT how orig wood rail games
attach their side rails
Terry K
Thanks Vic. I can't believe that there isn't other people
out there wondering what there MSL game would look like
with wood rails. Really not that hard to do and not major
surgery!!
The wood legs are next on my research list.
BTW Vic, I think I noticed, on your Silver Sails, that the
wood rails were placed over the metal ones, I could be
mistaken though
Terry K
Yeah...My Silver Sails came with the wood rails on the game when I bought it. I prefer the metal rails bingos since they were the games I grew up playing on route from 1960's to the 1990's. On route in Newark New Jersey back in the day in our section of the northward were mostly 95% six card machines.
For sure the wood rail bingo games are so much more beautiful looking and have a charm about them. I have a Gay Time and Coney Island and love the look of them two wood rail bingos and they keep me glad I have some earlier Bally Bingos.
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