My Console Viewed from Above

And from around the other side...

The actual control panels are made in two groups of three. Two 4x8 plywood sheets were cut into the shape above to form the bases.

Pairs of triangles were cut for verticals to support the actual control panels.

Horizontal 2x4s were cut to fit between the verticals with angled cuts at the ends. The ones at the front are about ½ inch taller than the front of the verticals to hide the edges of the control panels. I clad these with aluminium sheeting, which I cut with tin snips and folded between planks of wood held in a workbench. The folds end up a bit rounded, but look OK. This quite hard to do and the result is not actually that good. If I did this again, I might sand them very smooth then use primer and chrome paint, though I can imagine the finish might not be very tough.

Three trapezoidal enclosures were thus made for each of the bases. The 2x4s were screwed to the base from underneath. The verticals were screwed to each other and the verticals on the outsides of the two halves are bolted together for easy disassembly. The two halves just sit on the plinth – they’re not held down, and their centre of gravity is such that they’ll stay in place (unless you sit on them!) even without being bolted together. The two halves are bolted together for stability.  

The tops of the control panels themselves are plywood sheets with MDF bathroom board/Formica sheets sitting on them. This stuff is sometimes known as bathroom panel as it is a smooth shiny white and waterproof. You might also find it as “white hard board”. The surface is 1/8 inch thick and quite suitable for mounting switches and lamp bases in – an important consideration for the instrumentation.