Playfield Holder

This section deals with my Playfield Jig. This is a tool I built for myself to allow me to more easily work on playfields.

I decided to make this animal one night while I was watching a TV show on Hot Rods. These guys were easily working on restoring an engine after they took it out of the car. I thought the same concept might transcend into the pinball playfield maintenance area.

I made the jig by taking some scrap 2X4s, Wood Screws, small braces and scrap rails from a deck I once had. Total cost = $0.

The dimensions are 42 inches in length x 24 inches in width x 6 inches tall. This is for a normal size playfield - wide bodies would be wider. It is easy to switch to a wide body setup by simply unscrewing the bottom 2X4s and replacing them with longer 2X4s. It would also be easy to make the jig taller by placing a 2X4 underneath both ends.

The goals of this project were to make a jig:

	I could work on a Playfield in a more ergonomically correct fashion
	Easy to transport
	Easy to tear down and rebuild (for storage purposes)
	Work on the TOP and BOTTOM of a playfield
	Reach both the TOP and BOTTOM components at the same time
	Build support for the playfield so it won't warp, crack, twist or become damaged if left in the jig for an extended period of time.

The goals led to the design of placing the 1 1/2" deck rails along the length of the playfield for support to keep the playfield from sagging, cracking and warping. I stair-stepped both end pieces to allow for access to the underside of the playfield from each end while also obtaining rigidity in the jig. By-products of the two-design phase allowed the sides to be wide open for easy access and the dimensions (height & width) to be easily modified.

Here are the type of activities I use the Playfield Jig for:

	Top side mechanicals (Posts, rubbers, etc)
	Bottom side mechanicals (Solenoids, switches, wiring, etc.)
	Playfield Cleaning
	Mylar Removal
	Playfield Paint Touchups
	Playfield Sealing

The sucker really works. It really saves the stress on my back while working on playfield rebuilds. I have used the jig on my workbench (where I have really good lightening & all of my tools are located). I've set the jig on the floor in front of the TV and watched a little football while working on playfields. I've even set the jig on a pair of saw horses and sat in a chair to do the work - very nice because the chair (and my knees) slid right under the playfield to get me in a great position.

It goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) - this jig makes it so much easier to work on the playfield in a Horizontal position instead of a Vertical position (sitting against the Backbox). Its also a major back-saver!! Although its never happened to me, with this jig you don't have to worry about the playfield falling and hitting you in the head while you are working on the game.

If you're just working on 1 or 2 playfield items, I would not go to the trouble of removing the playfield an putting it on the jig. However, if you're going to work on the mechanicals (rebuilding flippers, slings, pop bumpers, etc) OR do some serious work on the playfield it works out great.

Below are some pictures of the playfield jig.

	Playfield Jig sitting on my workbench without a Playfield installed. Shows the Side Rails that support the PF length-wise. Shows the "stair-step" end pieces. This setup allows for total access to parts on the Top & Bottom of the playfield as it sits on this jig from either side and from either end.
	Playfield Jig with BOTTOM of the playfield facing up. This allows for easy maintenance on items underneath the playfield. A lot easier working on this here than in the game.
	Playfield Jig with TOP of the playfield facing up. This allows for easy maintenance on items from the top of the playfield and their components underneath the playfield (Pop Bumpers, Flippers, etc).
	Here's a side view showing how easy it is to reach your hand in to grab hold of a component. Also shows the clearance so entire playfields can be placed on the jib without having to remove anything on the top or bottom of the playfield. The jig can be raised higher to accommodate EM Playfields by placing another 2X4 under each end piece.

NOTE: Each side rail now has weather-strip attached to it. This adds some protection that prevents the wood side rails from scratching the surface of the Playfield.

This page was last updated on 04/04/02