So we've made some good progress on the arcade over the past week or so. We've finished up the angle cuts and rabbits on the control panel side pieces. This is the time I've really used my router and it performed admirably.

Next up we've got to cut the back piece (forgot to do that before) and then we're going to be starting the assembly process. We've still got some work to do on the control panel top: cut the corners off of it, cut holes in it for the controls, and route a slot in the edges for the T-moulding to fit into.

I also bought some gel stain that I'm going to try out on a sample piece of birch to see if it looks good. If it looks decent, then I'll get a bigger can of it and put that followed by several coats of polyurethane on all the exterior pieces.

Here's a few pics:
This is a weird shot. I swear my hands were over 6 inches away from the blade but it looks like I'm going to slice a finger right off.


Here's another one that's a bit out of focus. This is at least a better angle that makes me look like I actually know how to use a saw.