My New Series Doctor Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

This is an incredible build log - keep it coming! Sturdiest Tardis I've ever seen.
 
re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

That is really looking nice and clean. I like watching this build alot.
 
re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

Please archive this thread when you're done!
 
re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

I started on the top signs today. These are what holds the top of the posts together, as well as the police box backlit acrylic. I was already building my first one when I realized the acrylic would not be removable the way I had planned it, which I wasn't happy with. I changed it and now plan to install it from the outside of the assembly. However I end up lighting it, will be from the back side which will have a removable panel.

I am building it in two pieces that will be joined to make one unit when done. The front part you see is 48" wide, but not very deep, and the back part that goes between the posts is 43" wide, but much deeper. Basically a narrow mitered frame for the front (to match the prop) and the back is just a butt joint box. I used face frame size tiny biscuits in all the joints.

It's a lot of fiddly work, so even though I spent most of today on it, I still have quite a bit of work to do before I'm finished with them.

Here's what the tiny biscuit looks like.

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Stack of the outside frames glued up.

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An inside lip for the acrylic to sit against.,

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Back side box joint.

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A glued up back box.

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Fitting a small board to cover the area left open behind the outside frame where the back will be joined to it.

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Though not joined yet, this is how the two pieces will join together.

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re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

Man you really have great woodworking skills. A big project to . I will keep watching this one.
 
re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

A lot of work but little to show for it today. I finished both parts of each sign box and began gluing them together. It takes all my short parallel clamps each time so I only got two of them completed. I still have to decide how to close the inside part off where the light will be located. This part has to be removable as well.

You can see here all the biscuits that primarily serve to align the parts, but also help hold the pieces together.

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The parts clamped together, using spacers under the clamps so they don't damage the finished wood.

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re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

I finished gluing up the sign boxes yesterday and moved on to sorting out how to attach them to the posts. This part has to be removable for disassembly and transporting. I had planned to use passageway door hinges and just pull the pins but it turns out I don't have as much room for them as I expected. I'm still working it out.

My friend Wayne in the UK sent me the hardware needed for the door and it arrived today. Handles, a Yale Nightlatch and Door Bolt for the leftside door to hold it closed in normal use. The handles are brass and need to be nickel plated, which deck5 did for his build and passed on how simple that is to do here in the shop. I have the materials for the plating here now and I'm anxious to try it out.

The plywood between the columns is there to make it easier to assure proper spacing and a square assembly. It's not part of the build.

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re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

Which keyhole are you putting in? The one that stays or the one that moves out of the way?
 
re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

Which keyhole are you putting in? The one that stays or the one that moves out of the way?

I'm not sure I follow your question, but here's a try...

I am putting in a Yale Nightlatch on the right door. On the left door, it also opens, but when it's not opening, it has a vertical door bolt on the bottom inside of the door that will stick into the floor to hold it firm.
 
re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

I think he's talking about the "An Unearthly Child" version, where the whole lock came out -- or the TV Movie version where the front of the lock was false, and swung out of the way to reveal a slot for the spade key.

The box Rebelscum is building is from the new Doctor Who series -- standard Yale lock, standard Yale key.
 
re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

Well Yale TYPE lock anyway...

I think they are still using ERA, but could be wrong.
 
re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

When I left off last I was working on a problem mounting the sign boxes as there wasn't enough room to do it the way I originally planned, which was to use passageway door pin hinges as angle brackets that could be separated by removing the pin. This is how the show prop is made.

Instead, I decided to still use hinges, but in a more traditional manner. Unfortunately, it is much more difficult to do it this way, especially since the sign boxes are already assembled. Further, it also requires a much more precise layout to ensure everything lines up.

Since I was now going to mortise the hinges far into the ends of the sign boxes there wasn't enough wood there to fix the hinges to. First step was to back them up with another 3/4" piece, which I cut from oak for strength.

I then assembled a template to use for routing out the mortise with a bearing guided pattern bit, as before. Since the hinge has to stand away from the post for removal, I cut a 1/4" piece of acrylic as a spacer.

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Next step was to carefully lay out the first sign box between two columns. I did this with all the pieces laying on the floor to make it easier to figure out the process the first time.

This is what the first hinge looks like mounted on the post.

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And then here is the installed sign box mounted to the hinge. I'm happy to see it fits and is in the correct place.

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I then cleared out a space in the shop to assemble the Tardis for further installation of the other sign boxes. As this isn't the most precise wood to work with, I felt I better do the rest of them in place just in case there were issues with slightly twisted posts or sign boxes. I noticed when I put the floor inside the base that the frame has already moved around a bit, with one side of the floor needing to be knocked into place in the floor.

Putting the sign box in place was somewhat cumbersome to do by myself. I'd definitely want help if I could get it for assembly and disassembly in the future.

First sign box installed.

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Spacer plywood used for squaring the posts in place and a long clamp holding it all together.

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Sign box sitting on the clamps for hinge location marking.

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And the second sign box installed.

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re: My New Series Dr Who Tardis Build (image heavy)

I finished up attaching the four sign boxes to the posts this morning. I forgot I had made backs for the sign boxes from 1/4" plywood. They fit across the back of the boxes and have a notch in each end for the hinge that sticks out. To make the notches I ganged the four backs together with clamps and ran them through a dado blade on the table saw set to the height of the notch.

Next up I'll be making the roof.

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