Custom console II

[the_temporal_mechanic]

I guess every ship needs a few control rooms and in light of recent finished projects I have been itching to build a secondary console for my TARDIS.  I have some designs that I will post later as far as concept art.  I want a sleek new console with an abstracted shape.  I want to push the limits of implied line when it comes to the overall shape of it. 

As far as cost goes, I don't want to come even close to the hundreds of dollars I spent on that first project  .  I live in the Pacific Northwest now and have been introduced to the world of reclaimed building materials.  I plan on building a console from 100% recycled material (minus paint, connectors and lighting).  So far I have spent a whopping 30 dollars on building materials and have obtained wood to build about 60% of the console, the housing and center of the time rotor. 

My time rotor is going to be made from corrugated roofing plastic that I found by a garbage bin near a construction site.  It is filled with plastic bits and bobs that I found at a local recycling place here in Portland.

Pics to come so keep your eyes peeled for some updates!

[the_temporal_mechanic]

Okay, here we go with the pics.
The table top was inspired by a couple of Lazy Susan shelves I found at the rebuilding center.



The shelves are going to be sandwiched together so that the existing triangle cutouts are not aligned, and the top one will have some cool cutouts so you can reach into the table top and adjust instrumentation.




I just cut the shelf with a jigsaw to remove the unwanted material.

Next comes the time rotor:
I got a bunch of cores from old register tapes to start the process.

Then I packed them tightly in these cool spools that used to hold thin wire


And put those assemblies around a light tube cover that I found

[the_temporal_mechanic]

That forms the central bit of the rotor


The little silver balls are just attached with wood dowels in holes I drilled in the wire spools




That all fits inside a bit of corrugated roofing plastic made into a column and held together with pop rivets



It will be capped off with a lamp shade on both ends.  I found these by the roadside as well


All together as is, it looks like this


and with some fairy lights in the middle of the rotor core it looks like this

[geminitimelord]

Ben, I am not much of a fan of Alternative TARDIS consoles probably for the same reason that I am not a fan of taking some box and calling it my TARDIS and claiming my Chameleon Circuit was repaired.

However I am a Fan of your creativity and skills. Your Sonics are awesome, and so are your Light Sabres. Doing the recycled Console is interesting because it doesnt look recycled it looks High Class just as most of your efforts.

I really cannot wait to see how this console develops.  Maybe we can get your console in my TARDIS and go somewhere. Or just get your Chocolate in my Peanutbutter and call it a Reeces....

[type55tardis]

Really starting to look good love your use of imagination

[DoctorWho8]

That column is sick.  Nice job!
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

[ripintime]

That is a really good Tardis well done! Keep up the good work!

[flaming cog]

Do you mind if I try and use some of your ideas for my time rotor please? As mine is just part of a Dyson atm...

[the_temporal_mechanic]

Thanks guys!  Scott, I do love Reese's.... and time travel.... either would be a good idea.  Thanks for the other compliments too guys, you're too kind.

Luke as far as you borrowing any ideas, feel free to borrow whatever you like.  Imitation is the highest form of flattery   

[the_temporal_mechanic]

After much cutting, sanding and filling (and even some painting)... I have some updates for you guys....  posts to come by end of day today.

[type_1012_tardis]

After much cutting, sanding and filling (and even some painting)... I have some updates for you guys....  posts to come by end of day today.

The next day....

Anyways, loving the creativity here!  Been wondering for some time what to put into my console's timecolumn, and this does give me some ideas...
But enough of my babbling!
This is coming along great!  Will definitely be checking back on this one!
LOVE how you made such a great bobby-thingy for the timecolumn out of junk.
I guess it just goes to show that one man's cr*p is another's TARDIS repair kit! (or however that saying goes.)

[the_temporal_mechanic]

Sorry guys!  I had some internet issues last night and was unable to post!     I will be working dilligently to get an update posted today!  Sorry for the delays! 

[type_1012_tardis]

Sorry guys!  I had some internet issues last night and was unable to post!     I will be working dilligently to get an update posted today!  Sorry for the delays! 

I'm guessing that this means you had interwebs issues again, right?
Hopefully you can actually post the updates soon!  Getting anxious here.

[the_temporal_mechanic]

Breath easily Gents... post time.  FINALLY.  I have been working mostly on the table top that will support the time rotor, the rotor itself and have just started on the base and supporting structure.

I have not yet started on on the control surfaces outside of some cutting.  I will bore you with images of that later

So far we have the table base itself.  As stated earlier in the thread, it's made from a Lazy Susan lower cabinet shelf and will be paired with a second identical shelf that has cutouts. 



The supports are made from the same wire spools that I used in the time rotor, with register tape cores in the middle.  These are glued together to make megaspools.  That is a technical term.



They are spaced on the table top as such to divide the surface into six sections. 



The second shelf will go on top of those



to make a console sandwich.... also a technical term.



The components for the rotor have been painted and I cut a new base for the whole thing with a threaded rod attached to hold the whole business together....













The lights are wrapped around some scrap tubing and slide over the rod.

[the_temporal_mechanic]

The lights are just secured to the tubing with some electrical tape.  Not the most high tech solution, but will be insulating and unseen



The table supports will sit on a round base.  There will be six that will line up with the megaspools on the table top.  The arms will be removable for transport and held in place with another layer of cladding. The cladding will be cut in funky technical shapes that have a bolt that pierces them to hold up the arms.  So far the supports are shaping up to look like this



If I were doing this with store bought materials, I would have chosen to make this in one piece for strength, but given it's recycled, I'm making this concession. 

Building in this way presents this unique issue.  You just have to be creative with what materials you can find.  Challenging, but fun.

Oh and before I forget, the rotor looks like this assembled and painted.  I'll post a shot later of it lit atop the table



So yeah.  Let me know what you think of this stuff.