DIY Arcade Stick - Walnut & Epoxy Resin

This was a late Christmas gift for a good friend and a very fun project.
This stick is running off of a Brook Universal Fighting Board which makes it compatible with just about anything that plays games.

[@SlayerSuch]

"A late Christmas gift for a good friend." Goddamn I need to get me some friends like you

[@ShopTherapy]

LOL you're too kind, thank you!

[@SilenceDestroier]

Damn man that's actually some top tier work, it turned out great

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you very much! I appreciate that 🙏

[@dandice1222]

Now this is an Arcade Stick, and you used Brook Universal Fighting Board. That dream became reality in my mind. Wonderful Video 😁

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you! 😁 I really want to make another one for myself but it's been so cold here lol

[@heroicsquirrel3195]

I wish I could have my mixbox remade into something like this, so good

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you! I've never seen a mitbox but just looking on Google it seems like you would probably be able to move the internals into a different shell if you wanted to!

[@heroicsquirrel3195]

@@ShopTherapyyeah definitely, ive got a brooks board with a 20pin harness kit and im changing my wasd keys to 24mm buttons atm, the problem is zero woodworking skills and zero tools😂, im studying how to do though online abit so hopefully with my wife and her dads help ill make something quality and with a slanted wrist rest

[@ShopTherapy]

@heroicsquirrel3195 Haha thats totally fair! Luckily skills can always be developed and if you can borrow tools you're 95% of the way there 🙏 just make a practice box with cheap lumber before you try the real thing so you can iron out any kinks and I'm sure you'll be able to make exactly what you want 🔥

[@heroicsquirrel3195]

@@ShopTherapy yeah ill do that, then get an exotic wood or something for the real one👌

[@k58_gaming70]

Thanks for timelapsing this, it's great to see the whole process!

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank YOU! :] Glad you enjoyed it.

[@hamonoverdrive6111]

Your wiring is amazing!

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you! 😁 I tried my best to keep it clean and easily modular.

[@rj5485]

Need more folks like you in the world!!

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you so much! That's a super nice thing to say 😄

[@Grulkon]

That's a very nice fight stick. Well done

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you!

[@walkinwithjesus]

Beautiful work.

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you 😊

[@danielcisa107]

Cleanest setup i ever saw

[@ShopTherapy]

I really appreciate that, thank you 😁

[@danielcisa107]

Keep the good work, and You Will get all the subs You really deserve, based in your Quality of work

[@SergitoGames]

fantastico verdadeira obra de arte 👏👏👏

[@renzdelrosariogabriel133]

Dude I am literally a beginner without any ideas how to do this thing but Im planning to make one for my own. this vid is a big help for me! I hope you can give me tips 😁

[@ShopTherapy]

I'd be happy to help if I can 😁 Let me know if you have any questions!

[@squaretops1]

this is class mate well done on the build

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you! I really appreciate it :)

[@kikomartinez9062]

Absolutely gorgeous

[@Boomproof]

It's beautiful. I'd love to have equipment to be able to build something similar. I made myself one out of HPL with cheap tools. It's a box, yet far from that kind of perfection - feeling jealous tbh :D

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you very much! I appreciate the kind words :D I know how you feel though, I started with the most basic of hand-me-down tools and a lot of ambition before I was able to get anything nice. With enough time though you can do just about anything with basic tools!

[@3dhYT]

_Translator;_ Everything is perfect, except for the three buttons.

[@ShopTherapy]

Those 3 buttons still haunt me 😭 the drill bit slipped and there was no good way to fix it at the time

[@Fajah69]

Holy moly, mine is made from an old Fisher speaker I gutted out lol.

[@ShopTherapy]

Hey man whatever gets the job done! :D

[@damian_fgc]

Totally amazing!

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you!

[@xunxunchen4635]

Art

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you 😭🙏

[@deadworld101]

I play bass guitar and habe always wanted to build a pedal board like this

[@ShopTherapy]

I also play bass and guitar (this channel used to be all guitar videos but I swapped it to woodworking lol) and I was looking at my pedal board the other day thinking "Hm.. I should make a new one and record it. Maybe I could use some extra walnut and resin" 😅

[@OmnipotentPeaceMan]

Nice stick.

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you! :)

[@HushMySweet1]

Love this build. Looks amazing.

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you! I really appreciate it 😁 I'm hoping to make another in the near future to use myself, but life has been crazy and I haven't been in the shop much.

[@michaelv7394]

Wow this is great.

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you! :)

[@wurlbfree1981]

Sick I have to try this

[@ShopTherapy]

Let me know if you do, I'd love to see it :D

[@amarramoul4027]

Cooooooooool

[@rangodash]

Fantastic!

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you 😄

[@rj5485]

AMAZING!!! GAME ON!!!!

[@khanhchau1096]

This is a piece of art.👍 How thick is the wood where you attached the mounting plate of the joystick? Is it solid enough to hold the screws there?

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you! 😭 the wood was pretty thick, honestly moreso than I planned for but certainly enough for the screws. I would feel confident using this thing as a step stool lol

[@user-cs2yr9ho6o]

Perfect

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you 😁

[@SolderSoldier]

Something about the stick being so far from the buttons just makes me twitch, but otherwise beautiful.

[@ShopTherapy]

Haha that's fair! I used a template I got online but admittedly had little to no personal experience with fight sticks outside of an arcade, so I'm sure I could have done a lot of things differently/better. I'm planning to make another one eventually that follows a more standard format factor. Thanks for checking the video out though and I appreciate the feedback!

[@ravitokas84]

Beautiful arcade stick design. where u from?

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you, I really appreciate that! I'm in the pacific north west, US.

[@sig1761]

Damn. Where can we order something like this?

[@ShopTherapy]

One of these days I'll get around to opening an online store or something lol :(

[@olieebur]

Beautiful build. Please share this on fightsticks subreddit!

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you man! I just might do that, but I'd need to make an account first lol

[@silver60618]

If you put LED lights under the resin, will it illuminate? or is it too opaque?

[@ShopTherapy]

It illuminates! I tried it when I was building it but didn't end up adding any LEDs.

[@daveyinblade]

Wew so I have a few questions to ask in regards to to the build. I'm wanting to start out on resin but I wanna eventually try stuff like this. 1. The varnish you used for the final coat (I believe it was varnish? Looked like it was possibly mixed with something), how well does that stand up when used? Does it leave like a weird sticky residue on your arms when ya use it? If so, any recommendations for what you'd use instead? 2. What kind of Resin did you use? Might've missed it but I didn't see what brand or anything. Did it matter in the end what kind of resin you used? 3. What did you use for the colours in the resin? Looked like a mica or pigment powder but I'm not certain lol. 4. What grit sandpaper did you use for the wood? Would ya recommend only using the microfiber on resin? 5. This is a bit off topic but if you were to make a ball/bat top, what sort of resin/finish would you use? Been contemplating making some but I'm real worried about the resin type and finish. Don't want the resin to reshape or leave a tacky feeling during/after use. 6. Bit of a big ask but would you be able to do a breakdown of project in a video? Going over the steps, thoughts and reasoning behind them, any suggestions and improvements, that sorta thing. Sorry for the big questions, I hope ya find time to answer these. Good video nonetheless, great to see 2 of my favorite things come together lol

[@ShopTherapy]

Hey, sorry it took me a while to get back to you but I'm sure you know things have been weird lately in the world lol. 1. The finish I applied was a brushing lacquer that I thinned out a little bit with lacquer thinner. I picked that finish specifically because it's very durable, water resistant and when buffed out doesn't have a tacky feel even if you're using it for a while and get warm/sweaty. A natural oil finish would also work nicely but would provide less protection and in this case I wanted it to be as rugged as possible (The friend I made this for has bad luck with spills/dropping things). 2. The resin I used was "Klear Kote" Epoxy resin from Creative Wholesale. There's nothing particularly special about it other than the price, I get 2 gallons for about a 3rd of the price as most other resins and since I use epoxy for a lot of different things this is typically what I have on hand. You should be fine to use pretty much any type of resin so long as you follow the guidelines for recommended pour depths and cure times for the resin you're using since they're almost all different. The main pour for the top of the stick was done in I believe 4 or 5 pours, since I had to manage the depth of the resin to avoid a runaway thermal reaction (Ask me about the time I lit a table on fire with epoxy). 3. I used a combination of Pigment/Mica powder, and some 'glow powder' to add a little bit of glow in the dark luminescence. If you're interested in the specific brand or anything let me know, but they're all available on Amazon. 4. For the Walnut I sanded up from 100 grit through 320 grit, and did a final smoothing of the lacquer with 600 grit before 'rubbing it out' which is the unfortunate term used for the process. On the Epoxy Resin I used the micromesh pads as you saw which start at 1000 and go up through 10,000. You can use regular sandpaper on the resin but removing all of the scratches can be difficult unless you sand up through really high grits so the micromesh makes it a lot easier. I've achieved the same results before by wet-sanding the resin with a cheap variety pack of wet/dry sandpaper from Amazon, but again you have to go wayy up through the grits so I prefer to avoid the resin when I'm sanding the wood. 5. I'm actually in the process of doing exactly that right now! I used the same resin as previously mentioned, but I put the resin/mold into a pressure pot. If you don't have a pressure pot or don't feel like making one (Mine was made for cheap using Harbor Freight stuff) then I'd highly recommend a Casting Resin due to the depth you'll need to achieve good results. "Castin' Craft" makes a good casting resin but it's expensive. If you don't anticipate many resin projects in the future then their small kit will be more than enough. CA glue (Superglue) makes for a good durable finish but honestly if you sand/polish the resin well you won't need to finish it with anything else. I suppose it depends on if you have a lathe you were planning to use. Once the resin is fully cured it should definitely not deform or feel tacky unless your hands lite on fire :D 6. I no longer have this fight stick since I sent it to my friend as a gift so it would be somewhat difficult to do a video with it as a retrospective sort of thing, but when time permits I could definitely make another and go over the thought processes involved and steps, along with what I learned during the first build. I've never uploaded a video with vocals of any kind in it but I see no reason why I couldn't :) Just figured most people would rather see the things and not listen to me ramble but I'd be happy to make one and try to help out. Let me know if you have any questions about stuff I mentioned or anything else really, always happy to help out when I can and I know working with new materials can be intimidating if for nothing else other than the idea of wasting money. I've goofed up a lot of stuff during the learning process myself.

[@daveyinblade]

@@ShopTherapy thanks for the reply and no stress, the world has been tipped on it's head recently lol. Thank you for answering my questions and in such great detail, I really appreciate it. I did wanna ask, if I were to use a lathe, how would you recommend going about making the bat/ball top? I was gonna put resin at the top of the wood piece, attach it to my faceplate (I haven't got a chuck, not sure if there's one compatible with mine), carve out the top with the resin then cut it off while it's spinning. Thinking about it, using a table saw/bandsaw might be a cleaner option to cut it off. So if I use casting resin on some timber, turn it on a lathe, sand it and cut it off, it should be fine just with the sanding alone? How will oil's affect resin and the texture? Love the look of the grain coming out with oil but I don't wanna ruin the resin and feel of the whole thing. Thanks for answering, I've been struggling to find out who/where to ask these questions so I appreciate the help :) sorry if ive misunderstood anything tho, I've tried to take it all in and reply accordingly lol

[@ShopTherapy]

@@daveyinblade No problem at all, glad I could be of some help! I've made similar things (Shift knobs for cars) two different ways on my lathe; 1. The first way is to use something called a "Viewtainer" as a mold since it's already round and comes in lots of convenient sizes. They sell these at Home Depot or similar locations and they're available online, but I'd put my wood piece in the bottom and pour the resin in ontop. Once the resin cures and you remove it from the makeshift mold it's already cylindrical and much easier to shape on the lathe/easier on your chisels. 2. The second way I've done this, mostly when working with more square stock, is to make a mold out of cheap thin acrylic or even some MDF/plywood with the tuck tape like I did in this video. Then I'd lay the wood on it's side in that mold and pour the resin in the cavity next to it. I hope that makes sense because re-reading it I realize it might not lol. Either way once that's done I've had success mounting it on my lathe between a live center since up until very recently I didn't have a chuck either. I have a sort of oddball smaller lathe myself and it was difficult to find a chuck that was compatible but they're out there. Do you know the thread size/pattern for yours? I may be able to send you some cheap options for chucks. Generally I've started the cut with a flat chisel and then finished it off with a thin-kerf hand saw while the lathe is off but any of the options you mentioned should work just fine. If the end product is exposed wood with resin on top i.e the resin didn't end up coating the wood or you sanded/lathed through the resin, you may consider something like gun stock oil for the exposed wood just to give it some protection and shine - I've never used it on the resin itself though, I don't know how that would work though I'd imagine it would likely adhere to the resin as well and cure 'on top' of it but I think that may be an unnecessary step if you can manage to just use it on the wood. I HAVE used spray/brushing lacquer on top of resin though and it adheres just fine and doesn't really impact the feel/finish as long as you buff it once that cures. Something like boiled linseed/tung oil would likely just sit on top of the resin and never do anything other than be oily and terrible to feel lol. Again I'm happy to help answer any questions I can so no worries, I struggled to find good information when I was looking too which is how I ended up with so many trial/error projects so if I can spare someone else the financial/wasted time frustrations I consider it a win/win.

[@Refleton]

Çok başarılı tebrikler

[@ShopTherapy]

Thank you :D

[@canaljaopaidele9388]

Perfeito, quero um quanto para enviar para o meu endereço aqui no Brasil? . Agradeço

[@jevlon8736]

would making the board out of more resin make it an integral weakness? Or would resin be able to withstand button mashing? Did you consider putting plexy to protect the surface

[@ShopTherapy]

If the resin is thick enough I'd be confident making an entire top out of it honestly, it's really strong once it cures. A plexi top probably would've been a good idea but hopefully the lacquer holds up 😅

[@CMON75]

Magnets on the baseplate? Solid work, was a little nervous when you were drilling the resin but it turned out great!

[@ShopTherapy]

The plan was to make the bottom panel magnetic so it would be easy to change buttons/joysticks etc. but in the end I had to put some countersunk brass screws to secure it. Apparently the heat generated when CA glue cures was enough to mess with the magnetism on them and it wouldn't hold well.

[@naejimba]

@@ShopTherapy , interesting to hear. I am looking to one day make my own, and I want that clean look with no screws or hinges sticking out... everything smooth, but also want easy access to the internals. I also want to try putting a material on the bottom to keep it from sliding around on my lap (neoprene sheet? Not sure on that yet). Anyway, if magnets are a no go, what other option would you go with? I've been looking at things like hidden hinges for cabinets and the like, but they have a push to release mechanism that wouldn't be appropriate. I do like the fact that with an option like that you wouldn't have to remove screws and it would be flush (plus allow the non slip material to be placed over the entire bottom). Any ideas?

[@ShopTherapy]

@@naejimba I think magnets could certainly still be a viable option, they would just need to be attached a different way. I truthfully don't know much about the science behind what happened on this project but I was able to replicate the results multiple times. Maybe something that doesn't generate heat during the cure process like a construction adhesive could work better but I didn't think of it at the time. Some of the better hinges I could think of are probably too big to be reasonably attached and while velcro would also work fine I'm not sure if that would maintain the aesthetic and quality it sounds like you're going for. Definitely do let me know what path you take when you get there though, I'd definitely like to hear about it!

[@naejimba]

@@ShopTherapy , cool ty. I'm currently looking at options like hidden hinges (might be a bit much for a first project but I'm hard headed) kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4WqmXmGrt6Kpas

[@naejimba]

Or even hinges that are used in cabinets to get a flush surface like this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oabEZ6V3g9OHj9E

[@stupidhunkofcheese_218]

Meanwhile, me: cuts holes in a shoebox with a razor blade

[@ShopTherapy]

😆

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

That is a gorgeous stick, shame about the sloppy placement of the start, select and home buttons at the top. I'd also have gone for mounting them on the back side like a lot of sticks are these days.

[@alfonsoafricano8415]

How much for the box??? Or just the top part???

[@flyingpikachu4794]

What were the dimensions of this?

[@ShopTherapy]

I want to say it was around 12"x22"x3" but I'd have to go back and check some of the original footage to confirm. My friend said it's very close to the same size as his other brand name fightsticks.

[@jerichodiaz7268]

How do you print the template and have it to scale?

[@ShopTherapy]

The template I had included measurements so I just had to change the print scale settings until the 1" markers on the template actually measured 1" I believe it ended up being 110% scale on the print settings.

[@jerichodiaz7268]

@@ShopTherapy I see, appreciate it a lot man!

[@ShopTherapy]

@@jerichodiaz7268 happy to help! I also replied before I really woke up so if you need any more technical advice let me know, that's my day job lol :) I can also send the website I used for the various template layouts if that would be of any use.

[@jerichodiaz7268]

@@ShopTherapy That would be nice man. Thank you som much.

[@hecticXx]

Did you use the buttons with lock rings or the snap ins? I can’t tell

[@ShopTherapy]

I used buttons with lock rings. The top was too thick for the snap in style to actually have a surface to snap onto.

[@Tunehead99]

Can u make one for me wnd sell it to me on Ebay or something?

[@ShopTherapy]

Absolutely! It took a bit of time to make but I could definitely make another :) I'd just need to know if you have color preferences or want a specific type of switch/stick.

[@Tunehead99]

I have my own buttons and joystick,i will want one with thar brooks converter in it.i have gold sanwa buttons and joystick so i would just like a color to go with that or one made where i can use a plexi and change artwork

[@ShopTherapy]

@@Tunehead99 that's perfect. I'll message you later today and we can figure everything out.

[@Tunehead99]

@@ShopTherapy aight

[@ShopTherapy]

@@Tunehead99 Hey sorry for the delay man, been busy. I thought KZbin had a PM function but I can't seem to find it. You wanna send me your email?

[@catioropulguento]

What are the songs you're playing in this video?

[@ShopTherapy]

I want to say the first one is a random royalty free track I found online and the rest are misc. tunes I made for my videos so I didn't have to look for royalty free songs lol. I know I have all the info in the video project on my PC so I'll confirm tomorrow and let you know.

[@ShopTherapy]

Song 1: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pna0pmOooJhmZpI Song 2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4rLZXuhjrChhdE The rest of the video contains stuff I made.

[@catioropulguento]

@@ShopTherapy Thanks a lot! :D

[@ShopTherapy]

@@catioropulguento no problem 😁