Slothfurnace's The Old Republic double bladed Consular saber - step by step pics.

[slothfurnace]

I thought I had posted this saber build here, but turns out I haven't...

Image property of BioWare
My wife wants me to make her the double bladed lightsaber that the Jedi Consular uses in BioWare's HOPE trailer for The Old Republic. This saber has been a challenge to begin, as I am not sure how to make the intricate details of the handle section. However, the rest of the saber isn't easy either. For instance, the emitters...

To start with, I decided to take some time and attempt to fashion the emitter ends from a section of scrap stainless steel tubing. I chose stainless over aluminum, because of the way the saber is rendered in the trailer, seems more fitting a finish in the long run than aluminum.

I took the screen capture above and blew it up in photoshop, duplicating it across the appropriate size paper to wrap around the diameter of the tubing.

This wraps around perfectly, and seems to look about right. However, I noticed it would be kind of hard to drill through that, so I used that image as a basis for a template that I printed out and replaced the old one with.

This marks my drill points, and groove for the back of the emitter.

Problem #1 - Holes drilled by hand on curved surfaces tend to wander the drill bit... a bit. Therefore making the holes not quite lined up perfectly. This is a problem, as I will have to connect the holes with slots to form the slots evident in the saber emitter, and they have to be straight, uniform, consistent and even. But, even though I know I will probably have to re do this part, I decide to forge ahead and see what I will learn by finishing it.

I found that using my dremel and cutoff wheel is the easiest, fastest way to cut these slots. One cut at the top of the hole, one at the bottom. If I had a milling machine this would be worlds easier, and more consistent, but I don't have a mill, so I have to do the best I can with what I have.

As you can see, the dremel cutoff wheel approach technically works, but leaves uneven results. I will have to bring some stainless tubing out to the ranch and use the big mill back home for this piece, but for now, I have this to think on.

Three sets of three slots, and a groove at the back. Not terrible, but not up to my standards. I will re do this piece, and make two copies once I get time on the mill back at the ranch. I may go back out and enlarge the slots some to make them all more even, but I will most likely leave this piece alone and move on to a replacement.

Here I had used a mill to cut my slots more accurately, straighter. The edges are kind of rough, I'll sand those out on the lathe. Once those are clean, I'll cut it in two so I have two emitter cans.

One end cap installed, I will have to shorten the emitter can a bit to the right length, but it's getting close to good.

Here's a quick sketch I did showing how I think I am going to make the pieces to make this thing all come together.

 

[slothfurnace]

Today, I got out into the garage while it was still early and cool, and decided to get the lathe heated up and turn out some metal for this saber.

I started today with the emitter neck. This is a solid piece of aluminum that goes up into the handle, and up into the emitter can. I also machined the other emitter tip. I have yet to trim the emitter cans down to proper length, so they're both still a little long.

Once I got both emitter necks done, I needed to contour the handles. I start with setting the lowest point of the contour, measuring with my calipers down to 1/8 of an inch. To do the tapers, I'll need to set my angle on my toolpost, and use the crank to bring the tool across at that angle.

However, my crank is a PAIN to use, and has bad results. So I found a hand crank off an old X/Y plate, and drilled two holes into it to fit my crank, now I have a much easier and smoother way to turn this.

The biggest contour done, I had to play with the angles in tiny increments to get the right 1/8 inch in 7 inches slope.

Turned the handle around and dressed out the end where the emitter neck plugs in. Mental note, next time, I should do both contours on the handle before unchucking it. Doing the short angle is pretty difficult when it's not the exact same alignment as the main slope.

Here is the smaller slope, again, it's not perfect due to the fact that I rechucked it. But with a bit of sandpaper it cleans up.

I laid these out on the garage floor to see what the length would be like, once I decide how the two sabers attach in the middle, I'll trim that extra material off the ends. I let myself have enough material just in case.

Not too shabby. I am still evaluating a few parts, might replace one of the necks, and I need to figure out how they attach together, but I got a LOT done today.

 

[slothfurnace]

I think I figured out exactly how I want to do the raised details on the handle, but for now, I am working on the attachment point in the middle...

I cleaned off the extra metal I left for the middle section, and decided how I wanted to attach the two sabers together.

Here I have carved out enough space for the speaker and connector tube, and far enough back that the tube has enough purchase on the saber ends that it will be sturdy.

The speaker slides right in, on either side of the connector tube. I had to carefully mate each side of the connector tube with each saber section, for a snug fit with no rattle.

You can see here that the connector tube butts up against the rim of the speaker, and will on both sides. Should make for an interesting resonance chamber.

Now the middle is shaping up to be much more like the render. I will run over to the hardware store and get some stainless hex bolts to begin my latch.

 

[slothfurnace]

Well, I spent about 6 hours last night dremeling, measuring, filing... till this all slowly fit together.

The latch works, which is what I was hoping for, I'll get the other side done and clean it all up.

Might push the two ends a tad closer together, but it's getting close.

 

[slothfurnace]

Ogh. my aching self. After several hours with the hacksaw, turning my lathe into a makeshift mill by chucking up an endmill bit and clamping my aluminum blank into the toolpost to make long straight cuts using the lathe bed.... ONE DOWN.

More or less. I have left it a bit rough so that when I get the other five to this point I can clamp them all together and shave them all down to a uniform and consistent shape. I also drilled and tapped the back for 6-32 threads for my connection points back to the main hilt. The emitter tip has a groove cut into it to allow the fin to clamp against the main emitter can with a small hook cut into the fin tip.

 

[slothfurnace]

Ok, so here's my jury-rigged milling setup. I chuck up an endmill bit to the lathe, and clamp my stock into the toolpost. Might be a tad unorthodox, but it works for what I need for the time being.

Here are the other two blanks with the straight low side cut. This side will sit on the emitter can surface, so it has to be straight. You can also see the can hook there on the end of the fin.

And here we go with the hacksawing rough cuts, sanding and filing to fit.

 

[slothfurnace]

Another night, another few pieces done.

Three more fins cut.
Notches and threading to follow, but the hard part is over for these.

 

[OldKen]

:confused

Dang dude.

That is looking incredible!!! :thumbsup :thumbsup

 

[Anakinos]

I'll take two please. hahah JK

that looks incredible. great job.

 

[slothfurnace]

I'll take two please. hahah JK

that looks incredible. great job.

Thanks much!

Here I am cutting the slots for the fin hooks into the emitter caps.

And this is my test trial for the switch lever... Using only three files and a drill press for the hole, it didn't take too long to round everything off and cut the slots.

Not too shabby for only using three files... but I might redo this piece.

 

[nwjedidave]

fantastic job!
can you use an acid etch for the pattern? I know they make etching kits for car windows.
*shrug*
or maybe you can use thin sculpty, wrap it around the handle, and sculpt the pattern into it and double back tape it in place?

 

[propken]

Wow that looks awesome, wish I had your skills!

 

[crystalbaud]

My jaw is still on the floor. You've done an incredible job bringing this piece into reality. Just beautiful work.

 

[goldenage]

I don't get excited about saber builds anymore - or thought I didn't, but this is a gorgeous saber and your doing some damn fine work on bringing it to life.

 

[Vlair]

dude....epic.

 

[Grey]

Hope you don't mind, I liked the way the initial design and your sketch looked as a single blade (not a fan of the doubles) and started working up a rendered version.

 

[Construct]

:love

For the swirls on the grip you could try piping steel metal clay out of a syringe, securing the pieces with epoxy once they're fired.

 

[slothfurnace]

At this point I got my batteries in from TCSS, and am assembling the battery packs for the saber. I begin with scuffing up the ends, so that the solder has something to hold on to, and then clamping two batteries into my panavise grooves so they're parallel. A couple drops of solder to "pre tin" the contact points, and I flip em over and do the same to the other sides.

After soldering a short piece of solid wire across the terminals on each set, you can now see the two sides to one battery pack. Four AAA rechargable batteries give me 4.8 volts.

I clamp them up again in the panavise, and run one jumper wire between the two sets, and then run my positive and negative wires up through the middle of the pack, and to the corresponding terminals. I'll need two battery packs just alike. One for each side of the saber.

 

[slothfurnace]

Here, I am working on the speakers. I want to be able to quick detach them during the build, but I don't want the wires I'd normally solder to the speaker tabs to break due to bending from assembly/reassembly...
So this is a small two contact plug I harvested from another circuitboard, and bent so that the leads go out and reach the speaker contacts. I did the same kind of quick detach plug on my Luke ANH saber.

Here's a closeup of where the leads reach to. I bring them this far over to protect the actual speaker wires in the center set of tabs from harm during soldering. Also making VERY sure there's a space between my plug leads and the speaker body. Can't have that shorting out.

And here is the plug soldered in. Once I find my glue gun, I'll hot-glue this area so it is stable, insulated and protected from the rest of the saber.

 

[hydin]

Holy crap dude this is awesome.

I LOVE seeing WIP pics like this.

Please keep us updated!!!

Chris