Tag Archives: TARDIS

Woodwork

TARDIS windows

Who’d have thought a bunch of windows could be so difficult? I’d mocked up a prototype of the 2x 6 pane window frames for each panel way way back before I’d even had the body structure built thinking that this would be an easy thing to do, put aside, & resume. How wrong I was!

I tried a number of designs including mortise and tenon & bridle joints and in the end setttled for the half notches (not actually a join, but a fit). The main reason was ease (relatively speaking) of construction however, the joins will then be bonded. Probably use brads and glue.

I trenched some grooves in the prototype and had some glass panes made up at Essendon Glass. The glazier didn’t give me grief when I said I was building a TARDIS so kudos to him!  Richard & Leon (TAFE teachers) pointed out with that design the glass may break whist final clamping, so in the new design I’ll rebate in some grooves that the panes can be fitted after the frames are complete.

So, it’s taken 2 weeks of jig making & calculations on the panel saw so that I can exactly and precisely reproduce 56 sticks of timber with precise grooves for fitting. As they say, it’s all in the preparation. I spent the last hour after arvo smoko to complete the corner joins on the 24 horizontal bars. Also made some spares just in case…

Woodwork

TARDIS roof lamp

The interesting thing about this particular construction is that there are actually two different styles of skill involved. There is the gross structure, the pillars, walls & doors which in retrospect weren’t too hard. Then there is the finer fiddly stuff. As Leon, one of the TAFE teachers said: “You can spend a week building a house, but then spend 4 months fitting it out”.

The roof is attached, albeit temporarily as I’ll remove it back to ground level to putty some cutting defects and paint. The roof lamp box took two weeks of fiddly work. I’ve managed to source some glass panes so the next challenge is upskilling to some glazing.

Woodwork

TARDIS – yay!

Well, after one and a half terms learning about static machines, it’s back to the Tardis. Because I’ve been working on it in dribs & drabs since late 2009, I kinda forget what & where I’m up to. Like a tv episode, the Tardis looks at me every Tafe class and mocks me. Spiders & other insectivorous life have taken resident as has the dust.

Still, finally determined what to do with the roof, and here’s the finished (to be added to the frame) product. I need to make a light fitting for the flashing blue light and there are a number of designs that I could use – so a little more thinking music required.

 

Woodwork

TARDIS roof

Finishing the roof of the TARDIS required a little more contemplation than just banging some bits of roughly triangular ply together. Teacher Pete suggested a hip & rafter design which is probably a bit more substantial than required, but in the name of learning a new skill: I’m game. It’s also good practice for the eventual gazebo that Anna wants.

Woodwork

TARDIS rhs lightbox

The slowly forming TARDIS continues… Added the right hand side light box. Matters of contemplation now include: cutting several (lightbox sixzed) hole in the frame for access and placement of graphics & lights, addition of rear lightbox, strengthening base, doorstop design (Doctors 3 & 4 had small wedge stoppers above the doors), and stepped & sloping roof.