Baby Steps

This project is going to be different than anything I've built in the past because of it's somewhat small scale and I plan to laminate the exterior instead of painting or staining. I'm also planning on incorporating a large curve on the top which would be a first for me as well.

For this project I'm going to try and stay as organized as possible since I only have an hour or two most nights to work - I don't want to waste a half hour or so trying to think of what need to do when I could be doing it. My goal will be to work 3 nights a week minimum until the project is finished. Here's what I'm going to try and accomplish in the first week:

Night 1: Front Template
The goal for the first night is to create a template for cutting out the front and back panels of the jukebox. The general shape is going to be rectangular with a semi-circle on top. The things I'll need are:
- 3/4" MDF
- Circle cutting jig for my router

Night 2: Front and Rear Panels; Interior Panels
Now that I've made the template, the next step is to cut out two identical panels using the template. This is actually quite easy and shouldn't take more than 30 minutes. I'm also going to drill holes in these panels to help with clamping everything together as well as cut the rectangular panels I'll use as temporary spacers (more on that later). I'll need:
- 3/4" MDF
- Pattern cutting bit for my router
- 2" foerstner bit or hole saw

Night 3: Curved Top and Side Panels
Now that I have the necessary pieces, I'll screw everything together to get the general shape of the jukebox. The next step is to attach a thin layer of bendable MDF to form the sides and top curve. I'm going to use two 1/8" sheets so the final thickness of the top and side panels will be 1/4". This is also where the holes in the front and back panels will come in handy for clamping everything together. I'll also have to attach a temporary strip of wood to the bottom to assist with the clamping. I'll need:
- 1/8" MDF (or something similar)
- lots of spring clamps!

That's it for the first week of work. At this point I should have the general shape of the jukebox!