Front Panel: Template

After working on the front template tonight I realized this part is going to take quite a bit of time. I did manage to cut out the general shape of the front in less than an hour though.

First, I traced the shape of the front of the jukebox onto some 1/2" MDF and rough cut it out with my jigsaw staying about 1/8" wide of the line.

Next, I screwed the panel down to prepare to route the panel to size. I am not worried about leaving holes in the jukebox because the material will eventually be removed (more on that much later).

After the piece was secured in place I used my router and flush cutting bit to make the 1/2" MDF panel exactly the right size.

Finally, I removed the newly cut panel.

Now I'm ready to lay out the hole openings for the marquee, monitor and speakers. Unfortunately, the monitor hasn't arrived in the mail yet and I need that to start. Hopefully I can continue working on this tomorrow...