How does the pile of plywood end
up looking something like this? This video will be the whole
build process from start to finish. Okay, so I built my first cockpit a couple years
ago and it was a really nice setup. But while building it and playing with it I learned a lot of
new things. And considering I actually really enjoy building this stuff, I decided that I'm going to
build a new one and take what I learned and make it better. So last summer I started building new
cockpit from plywoo
d, and it took me about six months to finish the whole build. This video will
be the whole build process from start to finished product like this. And if you're interested in the
details, each section of this video has actually corresponding separate standalone video where I
go in much details of what I'm building and why I'm building it. So let's get started and I hope
you enjoy. I started the project by making a basic 3D model of my cockpit in Fusion 360 with few
variations and this model
is actually available for you to download from my website for free. Just
want to mention I did make some changes on the fly. First I started working with the base plates
that will be under me. The one under my feet will be actually lying on the floor so in this
case I use just basic butt joints since there won't be too much stress on those joints. The part under
the chair is going to have casters underneath so in this case I decided to use half lap joints
just for the added strength. So a
fter finding the exact center point I added my miter saw to the
right height made one accurate cut and then just started chopping wood off. And used some sort
of face mask in this case because there will be a lot of dust. Unless you have really good
dust extraction systems which I didn't have . And after drilling a couple of holes and a lot
of cleaning I took out my silicone brush, which is great with clue, and started assembling the whole
thing. In this case the screws are mostly there jus
t keep everything in place until the glue has
dried so I can continue working with the thing. And in this case I also decided to add one extra
support to where the chair is going to be attached, just to make sure everything stays together. For
the base plate, I actually decided to use some chipwood that I had left over from my previous
project because it's enough and this way I'm going to save my plywood. And the track saw is something
I'm going to be using a lot in this project. After a qu
ick assembly I also added a few casters
underneath this chair part. And here I also made a major mistake that I need to fix in the future so
that's something you're going to see a bit later. But once this part was done it was time to move
on to the front panels. Here I quickly realized that I'm going to need some sort of workstation
when I'm working with the sheets. And while the Ikea table legs are not too sturdy, it
got me through the project. A major part of this project was basically me
asuring everything
precisely, ripping the seats with my track saw, then measuring again and cutting smaller pieces
and then cutting again and again and again. I also use the track saw to add grooves /
dados to the bottom pieces. On the hindsight, a hand router would have been much better tool for
this part so I ended up doing some chiseling. But I kind of felt a bit unsure with the hand router
at the at this point. Besides clue I decided to use pocket holes with these joints so I could
cont
inue working right away. And I also added these small pieces to the corners just to make
sure everything was perfectly squared. [Music] At this point I decided to cut
away the hole where I would attach the Virpil Ccontrol Ppanels a bit later. And after that was
done again back with the assembly and attaching the final panels to the front panel setup. And just
to make my life easier, I decided attach these small pieces separately. So the basic structure of
the front panels was done and I wou
ld come back to the details a bit later. But now it was time
to continue working with the side cabinets and this was the most challenging part of this whole
build. First thing I actually did here was cut a lot of small triangles and I'm actually going to
show you a bit later where I'm going to use them. And after the triangles it was actually time
to start working with the cabinet. So again first I actually had to combine the track saw
make a longer one so I could rip the longer sheet. Then
started cutting the smaller pieces and
at the end, because I decided to make things a bit more difficult for myself, because it's
still going to look a lot nicer, I had to cut the small angle at the end. I wanted to have angled
side panels in this setup and it's going to be a nice detail but a bit more challenging to build.
But this was the best moment to cut the holes underneath the side panel so I can easily route
the cables. So after some careful measurement it was time to first drill s
ome holes and then using
my jigsaw just cut the rest of the hole [Music] And I'm going to make another hole, a bit
longer one, to the top plate. And this is for the modularity that I'm actually going to be
explaining a bit later. But since this is going to be visible, I really need to make sure that this
is going to look nice, so in this case the track saw is really great tool for cutting this sort
of holes. And I can easily finish just the last few centimeters with my jigsaw. And after all
the
parts for the side cabinets were ready it was time first to drill a lot of pocket holes and then
just to continue with assembly. And part of these triangles I cut at the beginning I used
here just to make sure everything's square and just to add extra strength. This was actually quite
tricky part but I managed to pull it off [Music] These are the great moments of any build
project when things are actually starting to look as they are in your plans. After moving
my workstation it was ti
me to continue with the inner panels. Here I also added the maintenance
hatches so I could access the insides of the cabinet easily since they are going to house
a lot of wires and stuff going to the panels. So again, cutting the hole with the track saw
and finishing with jigsaw. And in this case I'm actually just going to attach this with glue and
nail gun since this is the faster way. And also this is actually enough in this case since the
pressure or the weight is going to come from abov
e. At this point I also figure out that this would be
a perfect moment to fill in the pocket holes that I have everywhere. And at this phase I'm not even
trying to make it pretty that's, for the finalizing. Just trying to fill those holes with
something. And them back to the cabinets. At this point I also decided to add the insides for these
grooves that I have on both sides for the modular parts. The idea of these side grooves, or perhaps
channels, is that I can have different kind of cont
rollers for different games, So for example
in this case I might have the HOSAS set up for space simulators with the left joystick and when I
want to change inti flight simulators, I can just take the left joystick off and bring the throttle
forward. And this way I can naturally play flight simulators with the same setup. And finally I added
some extra supports to the side cabinets because in the end, I have two small children so this needs to
be able to take the weight of a children jumpin
g on it. Even if it's something that shouldn't
ever happen. And now to side cabinets were ready it was time to move on with the project and start
finalizing the front panels. And here's the access hatch to the inside. A lot of small stuff at this
phase, like cutting holes for cables and building attachments so I could attach these parts together
and take it apart. And then re-attach later. The last large sheet of plywood I saved to be
under the chair. And in this case I just cut the suitabl
e piece out of it, then measured
the exact positions for the grooves where the casters would be running. And this time
used my hand router to cut those grooves away. Also some corner rounding for the section
that would be visible from behind the cockpit. Then it was time to start fixing the big
mistake I made: The base plate was as wide as the space between the cabinets which
means it would be scraping to the side of the cabinets all the time. So I had to take some
wood away from the sides
again. First with my track saw but since that wasn't enough I had to
use other tools like the multi-tool and my sander. At this point I also started trying DCS
out and first thing I noticed that the dashboard display I had in my previous cockpit simply wasn't
tall enough for DCS, for Hornet dashboard. So I bought basically the cheapest 27 inch display I was able
to find and attached it in its place. But the thing here is that measurements were for the narrower
display so I had to add some
extra things again into the cockpit. Spoiler: this was a bit
too high so once I'll assemble everything I'm just going to notice that I'll still going to
need to make some changes. Here I also added some small strips of woods where I can attach the game
specific overlays that I'm going to build later. As an extra detail I decided to add some
shades or glare shields to the front panel. And I'm just using four millimeter
plywood that I just happen to have lying around. First cutting them to th
e right size and using
a steam cleaner to bend them and attaching them in the place with clamps until it actually dries
completely and it should keep the the bend shape, and just looking a bit nicer. Now
that the front panels are pretty much ready, and I'm just trying out them with screeshots of Hornet DCS dashboard, it's time to move on finalizing the side cabinets. And
again a lot of small and interesting details. This phase is going to start with perhaps the most
challenging part of this
build: the angled side panels. Because there isn't a single right angle in the
whole panel. So first I'm just going to attach these triangles in this place. These
were something I actually cut earlier. And these are going to support the side panel.
Then just a lot of measuring and careful cuts with my tracks saw. Which is surprisingly accurate
while cutting even angled cuts foreign [Music] One of the sides had so steep angle that I couldn't
cut it with my track saw. So I had to use my tabl
e saw and some creativity to
get exactly right angle for that side. [Music] That's good enough. And to attach the side panels I
first drilled some holes for bolts and then added to some threaded inserts to the triangles with
some help from epoxy. While the side panels are basically permanent part of the setup I am still
planning to take them off when I need to add new panels or new stuff to the side panels. Then it
was time to start working with the small details again, like adding some ski
ds underneath the side
cabinets. They were basically part of the design, part of the height. Just adding them in place with some glue and nails. And also adding trims around the side cabinets because this is really
crucial detail in making the setup look much nicer. First I'm just attaching them to the right place,
just cutting them right size and making the angles perfect. And then I'm taking a router
with router table and adding a groove inside, just lower them one centimeter. And also add
ing a
groove inside where I can later at the LED strip. For inside groove I ended up using my table
saw. In this case ir just made better results. And since we're not allowed dado blades
here in Finland, or in the EU area for some reason, I just had to make multiple
passes for each of these pieces. And finally rounding the corners and also just
drilling a few holes to attach with the screws. I ended up gluing just the butts
together so in this case I used some clinge film just to make sure i
t
wouldn't get clued to the cockpit itself because I still I'm still going to need
to take it off at least for the painting. Theb few more important details like the actual
modules that I can drop in the slots or the sides. And basically I'm going to use
the 21 millimeter plywood that I had lying around and just gluing and nailing it in its place. And
once it was ready I could just drop it in place for the future panel designs. and as final
thing I basically built the center console that ag
ain is something that where I can switch
the panel for different games. And drilling a couple of holes. One important for the cup
holder. And then just adding this final small piece. Once the basic structure of the cockpit was
ready, it was time to start painting it. Before starting the painting the first thing for me to
do was basically take the whole cockpit apart. [Music] First I went through all the major
scratches and holes and gaps and everything like that with the wood filler before
doing
anything else. And after I was done with that it was time for sanding. And this is a phase
there will be a lot of sanding, [Music] The second step, I went through all the surfaces
with this universal filler hoping to basically hide most of the wood grain. And then again
some more sanding. After base coat and quick sanding with the fine grit paper, it was
time for the paint. And some some of the areas got two coats of the gray paint that
I decided to use for most of the cockpit, and on
few occasions I also used black paint
just to create some contrast. [Music] After the paint had dried I started attaching the trims in
place, and also since I just happened to have this warning tape flying around I figured out it
would make a nice extra detail for the cockpit. For the assembly I got some, I guess
extra help, from my son here [Music] And just adding some extra nice
details here. And while I was done with that one it was time to get my laser
engraver and one really importan
t detail. [Music] After painting things really started looking
really good. And then it was time to start playing with electricity. For the lighting
I'm using a second hand computer PSU that I pick up for around 20 euros, a breakout
board for the PSU, LED dimmer and LEDs. And if you want to get some more details about
this setup, you really should watch the episode. My basic process for panel
design, like the lighting panel, is that I start with Fusion 360 and design the
basic panel with t
he holes for LEDs behind it. Then I printing it in white PLA. This
is important for the lighting. After printing it I designed the markings and using light burn and
my laser engraver I engraved the markings in the panel that has been spray painted black. And this
way I will get the markings to come as white but also they are transcluent so when I turn
the lights on, I actually see them lit. And after cutting a hole for the lighting control panel,
it was time to just adding the LEDs in place
and started soldering. And there was a lot of soldering
to do in this phase. [Music] Nice thing is when things actually fall in place and
look exactly as you wish them to look. Finally it was time to attach the panel in its
place and attach the side panel in its right place. And after I was done setting all the wiring
correct for this one, I also added the LED strips under the side trims. Because these are really
important details that make this setup look really good. And even if I say so
myself this
is actually starting to look quite nice at this moment. My dad was able to come help me so
at this point we disassembled the old cockpit and we ended up having three generations working with
the setup. These are not that heavy but naturally really difficult to carry alone. And while we had
everything in the cockpit room it was time to put everything together. At this point I also realized
that I actually had to lower the dashboard display because it was just too high for comfor
table
viewing. So that was kind of some couple of hours of extra work at this point. For display
mounting I actually decided to use my old triple display arm, but just create a separate pillar
for it that I can attach to the cockpit and to the ceiling so it wouldn't lean. And I really suck
at welding but I was able to create a good enough welds so it stays together. Then I just add it in
place and add displays in place. [Music] Then it was time to get back with the details like
adding thes
e mounting points to sides of the cabinet so I can mount for example joysticks or
other accessories in them. Also I decided that one extra LED strip just for the looks and
added the locking mechanisms for the chair. I decided to floss mount my Virpil Control Panels,
so for that purpose I designed and printed this flush mount trim that I can add
in place with the existing bolts and then just attach the flush mount trim into the surface. For
the keyboard on mouse stands I actually used old mon
itor arms that I had lying around. On the left
side I added the keyboard and on the right side I added the mouse. I decided to mount right hand
joystick the center. It just felt a bit better and it's better suited for Hornet for DCS.
So for that purpose I built this mount for the central joystick and while I was at it, I also
built built thing for the throttle that I can move it back and forward in the groove
and drop it in place when I need it. [Music] After attaching the center mount for th
e joystick
I noticed something that I was kind of expecting, I didn't measure it but I realized that
this might happen. Basically these two sticks are too close to each other and will collide into
each other when in use. But this was kind of a good thing because this forced me to build a kind
of separate module for the left hand joystick that I can drop in the groove. And again it made
everything look so much nicer. Then back with the small details like some cable routing here,
adding hand
les here that I can use to pull myself in when I'm sitting in the chair, and a really
important detail: cup holder. I decided to build a separate panel for the stream deck and this is
version 2 so this is basically the front cover for the stream deck. And I just couldn't resist
adding this small extra panel here. For more nice looking extra details I also decided add these
steel plates under my feet, just kind of small detail that looks really nice. On my left
hand I'm using a Razor Tartaru
s V2 so I 3D printed this stand for it. And this one is for the
trackball that I use to control the top display since it's hooked to a separate computer. Since I
still didn't have any specific overlays for the dashboard display I just created this small trim
to go around it just to make it look a bit nicer. My first game specific model for Star Citizen
would contain just a basic power control panel. So in this case I again designed, 3D printed, and
engraved the panel that I was going to use
with it. And it actually came out quite nice. Just for the
fun I also decided to add these status indicators, red and green lights that flip on and off.
And if you want to see how I did this one, you really need to watch this specific episode. After
adding the panel in its place I also added second panel with the green glowing trackball because,
well, it just looks nice. And also when everything was in place I hooked the buttons to a Leo Bodnar BBI- 64 board that's basically working as the i
nterface so the computer understands my
key presses. And then the first module was ready to be dropped in place. Also as a small detail
I decided to add a few 3D printed switch guards here. I had painted with the silver
paint and I'm using super cool at them in place. [Music] To be able to use mouse for longer periods and,
for example when editing videos or if I would be playing some FPS games, I designed and
built this this mouse tray that I can drop in in place easily and take off quickly
if I need to.
Setup was basically ready there was still one more detail to add especially for Star Citizen:
the dashboard displayx, while being great for flight simulator and DCS for example, was quite useless
for Star Citizen since we couldn't be able to get any gauges on it. And it wasn't a touch display.
but since I designed that setup to be modular I could just add some extra overlays and
I just happen to have this 15.6 inch touchscreen lying around, so I decided to create a
separate o
verlay for Star Citizen. Just basically by cutting a hole into plywood, adding the display
in its place and adding this nice routing for the cables. And I also had this extra tablet lying
around so why not go overboard with it? And I decided to add that on to center pillar
so now I have two two touch displays that I can use for GameGlass. So after this addition I'm
ready to say that the cockpit is ready for now. But in reality this sort of setup is never truly
ready, so don't forget to subs
cribe because I have a lot of interesting stuff coming in the future.
Thanks for watching and see you next time. [Music]
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