JamesB4500
New Member
I'm new here, so I thought as an introduction, I'd show you a project I've been playing with on and off for a few years ... a 6 inch high TARDIS model.
The project was created as a test piece to demonstrate the precision wood cutting capabilities of my LASER cutter/engraver.
Here's a photo of a few versions of an early design (one painted, one unfinished, both sitting on a freshly cut set of parts in the LASER cutter).
Each model is cut from a single 12" x 24" piece of 1/8" HDF (high density fiberboard AKA Masonite) and takes about 30 minutes to cut. In this form, the kit of parts are so accurately cut that the entire model is assembled without any glue or fasteners. This tight tolerance was a bit of a problem when I applied paint, and the painted model in the photo is a bit rough as I was still playing with the paint mixture, and the Masonite swelled a bit too much in the humid Newfoundland air.
Every now and then, I come back to the CorelDRAW source file and tweak it a bit more and there have been quite a few design changes since these were photographed, but the design is still a fair way from being anywhere near completed.
A business aquaintenance with a line of licensed movie and TV clothing took 3 samples with her on a trip to London to discuss with the BBC the licensing of further items in her Doctor Who/Torchwood clothing line. The BBC was impressed with the model but considered that the labor involved would make it too expensive. They suggested some design changes to make it more accurate, and I've been slowly working my way through the list of changes, but I accept that it will never be a licensed product that I can sell, so I just tinker with the design for my own amusement. The latest version changes most of the model above the "Police Box" text and features a peaked roof. Unfortunately, the peaked roof design requires glue to hold the roof sections together.
For the technically minded, the ULS VLS 4.60 is a 2½D CAD/CAM system and mine is fitted with a 50 Watt CO2 LASER assembly. It can engrave or cut materials that burn or melt and will fit onto its 24" x 18" work space. It connects to a PC via USB, and the computer treats it like a big printer/plotter. The downside is that they aren't cheap (the price of a new car), and the LASER needs factory reconditioning every 4-7 years.
The project was created as a test piece to demonstrate the precision wood cutting capabilities of my LASER cutter/engraver.
Here's a photo of a few versions of an early design (one painted, one unfinished, both sitting on a freshly cut set of parts in the LASER cutter).
Each model is cut from a single 12" x 24" piece of 1/8" HDF (high density fiberboard AKA Masonite) and takes about 30 minutes to cut. In this form, the kit of parts are so accurately cut that the entire model is assembled without any glue or fasteners. This tight tolerance was a bit of a problem when I applied paint, and the painted model in the photo is a bit rough as I was still playing with the paint mixture, and the Masonite swelled a bit too much in the humid Newfoundland air.
Every now and then, I come back to the CorelDRAW source file and tweak it a bit more and there have been quite a few design changes since these were photographed, but the design is still a fair way from being anywhere near completed.
A business aquaintenance with a line of licensed movie and TV clothing took 3 samples with her on a trip to London to discuss with the BBC the licensing of further items in her Doctor Who/Torchwood clothing line. The BBC was impressed with the model but considered that the labor involved would make it too expensive. They suggested some design changes to make it more accurate, and I've been slowly working my way through the list of changes, but I accept that it will never be a licensed product that I can sell, so I just tinker with the design for my own amusement. The latest version changes most of the model above the "Police Box" text and features a peaked roof. Unfortunately, the peaked roof design requires glue to hold the roof sections together.
For the technically minded, the ULS VLS 4.60 is a 2½D CAD/CAM system and mine is fitted with a 50 Watt CO2 LASER assembly. It can engrave or cut materials that burn or melt and will fit onto its 24" x 18" work space. It connects to a PC via USB, and the computer treats it like a big printer/plotter. The downside is that they aren't cheap (the price of a new car), and the LASER needs factory reconditioning every 4-7 years.