M.D.s console

[rocket]

Looks really good, can't wait to see it come together.

[museumdave]

DT's Console is brilliant. I thought about making that one but all the corners just seemed impossible to me. You're actually doing a good job on it and I think that's very impressive.

Impossible Corners
Youmika I have seen YOUR very impressive work- and when I think about the geometry of your console corners I go into spasms.  Thanks for the complement but Your console Wow, just wow.

This is way simpler than what you have been doing.

Cheers

M.D.

[galacticprobe]

Wow! You're making some serious progress on this. When working in the ribs, remember that of the six, two were wider than the others: the one with the Demat Lever, and the one directly opposite it (which faced the main doors and had the three-section rheostat on it) were the wider of ones.

And what are you using for your column's outer casing? I haven't been able to find anything close to what you've got. (Not that I can afford it at the moment, but it would be nice to know what to look for.)

Dino.

[museumdave]

Thank you all.

Dino Thanks I have been planning on two different widths- thanks for confirming that - that is the way the original was done.
The outside of the central Time column is corrugated PVC roofing $17 at home depot.  They are long and narrow and the cheapest clear-ish plastic they had.  I will likely need two pieces in the end- although if I had been smarter I may have been able to cut the length in half to double up and tack it on the side.  The stuff works well with a heat gun and I have been thinking of removing the corrugation.  In this case the corrugation is a nice gentle undulating wave ~~~~ (ish) -  pattern It should smooth out better than the crisp box
    _     _
\_/  \_/     (like) corrugation.  But I may not bother depending on how it looks with the waves and how much of a pain it would be to heat and flatten the whole thing...

Cheers

M.D.

[atomicgraph]

oh thats looking splendid. great job it really looks like you've got a good grasp on the build, hope you don't mind if i copy your technic.

[galacticprobe]

Dino Thanks I have been planning on two different widths- thanks for confirming that - that is the way the original was done.
The outside of the central Time column is corrugated PVC roofing $17 at home depot.

Ah... The next time the wife takes me out for some exercise, I'll ask her to take me to Home Depot so I can check that stuff out. Thanks! And you're welcome about the widths of the ribs. I've been working on plans for my just-over-half scale version of this console (it's all I can do until I get some money coming in) so I've been trying to scrutinize this thing, and when it comes to the bits on it the reference section is a big help. I'm also hoping that Morlock Enterprises (from one of me recent posts) is helpful with fabricating the hard to find bits: like an inexpensive facsimile of that F1 clutch plate.

Dino.

[museumdave]

Hello All,

A quick up date on a not- overly productive weekend.    I managed to cut out two more side arm or rib forms and assemble another. SO to date 3 arms assemblies are together and I have side forms for a forth.  I also found that the Masonite bends much better if dampened and Left for a while- too much water will wreck it though.  I will need to find some more ply wood soon.

All so there is a growing awareness that as my work shop is the back deck and this is now November in Canada, I will need to move indoors soon to continue the construction or wait until spring....
I am hopeful, that if I do the serious construction out doors I will be able to do the assembly in the attic.   We will see how that pans out.


I also started on the 'demat' Lever.  I have been looking for a small travel clock for a while, ideally with a black face.  I did eventually find something somewhat suitable, but with a white face.


I found that I could pry the front off using the blade of a sharp knife. This gave me access to the face and hands.  I printed my own gauge face, which to be honest I would not have done if the clock had a black face in the first place.  I printed the gauge face punched a hole in the centre - and pasted it on.

.  I replaced on the minute hand so it does move around.  Now it is true because of the gauge set up the hand points to an area between the max 30 and the minimum 0 for about 17 minutes every hour- I am okay with this.
I used a 2x4 and a bit of ply to make the main housing for the demat switch.  
I cut a recess for the clock and made the outer lip out of ply. More sanding will be required.  This looks like another good place for my multicoloured dot push lights.






Obviously this is not an exact copy, but is hopefully clear what it is meant to be

Next steps
1-Mount a switch or dimmer in the side of the block
2-Mount the lever
3- use some bondo to fill in some gaps
4- wrap the two red buttons in metal tape to change the profile
5- Paint - and add the graphics

More soon

Thanks for looking

M.D.

[museumdave]

Hello again

In response to Youmika's request for a floor plan I have thrown this together.  My apologies for its crudeness. Here is a very rough idea of the floor plan I was talking about. You can see that the attic is accessed through a fairly narrow and steep set of stair in the centre of the floor. IT would be fun and way cool subject to spousal approval to turn this into a grid type access hatch. The room has a small bay at the south end. In a dream world I would turn this into a set of interior tardis doors and put a coat rack there. There is already a light fixture that is positioned well and would work for the top of the time rotor. Presently the room is unfinished with pink insulation and a vapor barrio being the wall finish, but I am envisioning a paneling with applied hex roundels possibly some 3d but mostly printed and applied. These would be scaled down to allow for more and de-emphases the lack of scale to the room.



At this point this may be a bit of a pipe dream, but I am happy to share it with like minded who fans

Cheers

M.D.

[galacticprobe]

I love that Demat lever "housing"! I never thought of using a 2 x 4 as the main body. That seems so much simpler. I was considering trying to bend a small piece of panelling to make the "top" that goes between the sides, but your method looks to be far easier.

Looks fantastic so far!

Dino.

[the mister]

I love that you're making this so accurate to the show. I can't wait to see it come together

[galacticprobe]

I've never been able to see it (and I admit I need new glasses), but has anyone noticed if that dial on the Demat lever actually moved in the show? (Pure curiosity here.)

Dino.

[museumdave]

Moving hand on the gauge of the demat housing??? 

I have no idea- it is good question Dino- I will keep my eyes open, but let me know if you figure it out first.

Cheers

M.D.

[galacticprobe]

Looks like I'll have to hit those DVDs again and re-watch every Eccleston and Tennant episode, scrutinizing each time that lever is used. (Twist my arm to do that, why don't ya? )

Dino.

[museumdave]

Just a better view of the concept, showing the location of the railing - which we ought to have anyway and the seat.   Though at this point it looks like the build will be put on hold while I clear some space in the shed for it to 'temporarily' live in.

Any how thanks for the encouragement.

Cheers

M.D.

[museumdave]

Greetings fellow (time) travelers

A quick up date - sans pictures - as I have cleverly left my camera cord elsewhere. 
Progress has slowed a little.  The shed is cleared enough that I can start assembly in there, but it leaves little room to get around the console. 
De mat housing-

I have used wood filler to smooth out gaps and imperfections in the housing and been working on building up the lever side of the housing.  I am not what you would call an electrical genius, by any stretch of the imagination, so I have gone with a very low tech and hopefully not too cheesy solution for the workings of the lever.  I found an inexpensive extension cord with a switch on it.  I have recessed an area on the side of the switch where I have mounted the switch (pic to follow).  The idea being that as the lever moves up and down it will rub by hitting the rocker switch and turning on the Time rotor motor.....I strongly suspect that my feelings about the cheesy level of this solution will hinge largely on if it works or not.

I have cut out and pieced together another side arm for the console.

Oh and I have been given some Christmas 'Icicle' lights from my boss who was horrified the year we had Volunteers decorate the historic house with them.....I will use these (lights - not Volunteers) for the console!

I have been struggling with what to use for the rim of the console and would welcome any suggestions....

Looking at reference picture I see that the 2005 console has a rim shaped
Kinda like this in cross section

_
/
|   with the rim curving inward.  There are also elongated oval recess in the slanted part- the sort of thing that could be done with a 'bull nosed' rotor bit. 

So I have been wracking my head about how to piece this together?  It is the compound bend that is the issue here.   Do I cut a strip of light plywood for the bottom- cut a partial curve for the top of the rim and fill in the slanted part with a piece of plastic? Pool noodle???  Do I layer up layer after layer of plywood and cut the slant on a table saw and then bend and adhere the layers together???

Or do I try to find a preexisting something like a Mr. Turtle Sandbox that has that sort of profile to start with and use my beloved heat gun and then cut and torture the pieces to the right radius.....  I suspect some experimentation is required, but if you have thoughts please Share them.

Thanks very much
Cheers

M.D.