Handsaws = Stupid

Okay, so far I've had two "if I could go back and do it differently" moments when it comes to building this joystick.

1. Cutting/snapping the sheet of polycarbonate was dumb. It's not accurate at all, which ends up leaving an edge that is crooked enough to be noticeable. And you have to score it so much before it will even think about snapping that you might as well just cut through the whole thing with a circular saw. Which brings me to the second item on my list.

2. Handsaws are stupid. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe it'll be a good thing to own one day in the future, but right now it feels like $15 down the drain. Had I known ahead of time that I could actually get a circular saw for only $40, I probably would have just spent the money. Luckily the in-laws have one.

So half of my wood is now potentially ruined, not to mention the polycarbonate isn't sitting well with me. While I did manage to get the base of the joystick cut with the handsaw, I think I'm going to start over tomorrow and just cut everything with the circular saw. This should help it all line up better when I actually start piecing it together. And if I decide that the polycarbonate isn't good enough, I'll probably special order a piece from OnlineMetals.com and just have them cut it for me. That or maybe switch to aluminum since the cost is about the same.

Live and learn I suppose.