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TYJ : Police Box Recipes

warmcanofcoke

warmcanofcoke

Well-known member
Time and again I run into a FAQ on this forum : How much does it cost to build a police box? / what do I need to build a police box?

Generally the members have historically been very helpful and tried to explain the differences between marine grade materials, and location of the various reference topics that are provided on this forum, and even pointed to various build diaries that provide excellent information.

I propose a workshop topic (Like this one) where we try to provide a variety of build by numbers recipes. 

This topic is for the Tom Yardley Jones style police box.
[Other Workshop titles can easily be created for other designs Such as the Colin Richman/Ed Thomas box.]

recipe.jpg

lespaceplie said:
Here's an altered version of the plans with the 7+ posts. I'll keep modifying it as we discuss. It's high time this one was sorted out once and for all.

http://doctorwhoscarf.com/drwho/s18dev.pdf
Click to expand...

We could break it down in to sub recipes:

Lamp  |  Roof  |  Top Signs  |  Windows  |  Panels  |  Door and Door Sign  |  Handles and Locks  |  Walls and Posts  |  Base

Here is what would be ideal for this topic:

Example:

Recipe: warmcanofcoke's TYJ Beacon
Build Thread: http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=3548.45
Author: warmcanofcoke aka: Nate


Relevant posts:

Page 4
2 January 2013 1:17 am
3 January 2013 9:38 pm
10 January 2013 4:15 am
3 February 2013 4:44 am
3 February 2013 4:45 am
Page 5
3 February 2013 4:46 am
5 February 2013 12:31 am
6 February 2013 1:53 am
Page 6
19 February 2014 9:01 pm
20 February 2014 5:49 am

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
list of tools:
Drill (w/ drill key)
1/4" Drill Bit
1/8" Drill Bit (should be slightly smaller than the nails you use to build the box.)
Hole Saw (Sized Big enough for a light bulb)
Grinder Bit
Pipe Cutter

list of ingredients :
X1 : 5.5" Outside Diameter wide Nautical Ship Lamp Fresnel Lens http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=3028.msg32855#msg32855
X1 : plastic dome light
X2 : Circle Pine Plaque ("Walnut Hollow" brand {or comparable brand} reportedly 8" x 8" but actually measures 8.5" x 8.5" )
X3 : 1/4 inch thread screw rods
X3 : 9/32 brass tubes (Slips over the 1/4 inch thread screw rods)
X3 : Washers with 1/4" holes
X4 : Screws
X6 : 1/4 inch threaded nuts

X1 : 9" x 9" x .5" Wood Sheet
X2 : 9" x 4" x .5" Wood Sheet
X2 : 8" x 4" x .5" Wood Sheet

Nails: the amount you use is up to you.

Blue Paint.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

[/URL]

It should be noted : This is just one recipe. If people find it useful, give it a positive review.
My lamp was a fun build and it looks lovely, however I can not attest to its screen accuracy.

*Check out Timerotor's Build for that "screen accuracy" level of quality.
http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=2390.msg24031#msg24031

Many other fine builds also have that screen accuracy thing.

 
How much wood does it take to make a door? and then make eight of them.

warmcanofcoke said:
View attachment 159204
Click to expand...

"8 door recipe".

Step 1 Build a Door. [Cut hole to insert Windows.]
Step 2 Build 7 others.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
list of tools:
Drill (w/ drill key)
Hole Saw for lock.
Table saw
Miter saw
Circular Saw
Wood Router with router bits.


list of ingredients for 1 Door:
X2 : Door Hinges with catch pins
X1 : plywood sheet cut to 22.5" x 78"
X3 : planks 3.5" x 12"
X2 : planks 4" x 12"
X2 : planks 3" x 78"

X1 : Central divider 2" x 78"
X1 : Door Handle
X1 : Yale Door Lock
X1 : Door Sign [Assembly described in a Future recipe]
X1 : Window Panel [Assembly described in a Future recipe]

22° angle trim molding around each recessed rectangular panel.

Nails: the amount you use is up to you.

Screws: the amount you use is up to you.

Wood Putty.

Blue Paint.


*OK - this is a proposed Recipe - I will update it as the recipe is tested.*

Looking forward to other people's recipes in this thread.  :D ;)
 
This is looking great, but there is one item that you missed, LMSO (Laughing My Socks Off) & that's the main consistency, MONEY & lots of it.  :D

But love what your doing here.  :)

Chris.
 
True. But with recipes, we can then go out and price building materials, maybe we will be able to answer the two most common FAQs, what do i need? and how much does it cost?


Davros Skaro said:
the main consistency, MONEY & lots of it.  :D
Click to expand...

A Tardis is a vortex that you throw money into.
 
warmcanofcoke said:
...maybe we will be able to answer the two most common FAQs, what do i need? and how much does it cost?
Click to expand...

Maybe there could be a ** by the "Door Handle" and the "22° angle trim molding", and a comment at the bottom like:

**Items may be omitted if building the 1963 Brachacki-Original version.

That would cut the cost down a bit, especially when it comes to getting the right handle, and all of that trim.

Dino.
 
All recipes have an implied **. :P

warmcanofcoke said:
This topic is for the Tom Yardley Jones style police box.
[Other Workshop titles can easily be created for other designs such as the Colin Richman/Ed Thomas box.]
Click to expand...

 
OUCH!

That had better be some good quality wood!

I hope you post some wip pics & some pics of the finished upgrade as your box is one of my favourite ones on TB & I'm always keen to see how it's getting on!

Russ
 
Cheers Russ!

I've not taken any pictures yet; however I will make sure I do. I'm also looking to tone down the blue a bit and its always been a bit bright.

I should add though that i'm actually "double lining" my doors this time. Both sets of doors i've made in the past have both warped over time, i'm hoping that the additional layer of wood at the back will keep the doors straight; however the trade off is that it puts the over all cost of the wood up by another £50+
 
Yeah, my doors warped quite a bit, too.
It bows in quite a bit at the top & bottom.
It's not really noticeable, unless you are looking out for it, but if it warps any more you'll be able to see light leaking out from it then I'll have to do something about it, although I'm not sure what...
I suppose I could take it off, put it between two chairs, then put a big weight in the center until it bends back, although I'd rather avoid that palaver if possible!
Anyone got any other suggestions?
I have noticed quite a few builds in the gallery section have the warped door look, you can tell by the triangular shadow at the top of the door where it meets the triple step....
So I'm guessing It's quite a common problem...

Regards,

Russell
 
My best guestiment. I'll have material left over, but better safe than sorry. Please forgive the wonky formatting.

4' x  8' x 3/4" Plywood 1 $38.09 38.09
4' x  8' x 1/2" Plywood 10 $28.39 283.90
2" x  4" x 8' stud        20 $ 3.23 64.60
1" x 12" x 8' board        20 $14.18 283.60

Lamp          1 $69.98 69.98
(allen + roth Stonecroft 13-in from Lowes)

Clear Acrylic Sheet          1   $44.99 44.99
(36" x 72" x 0.1" Menards)

4" hinges                  6 $ 2.97 17.82
2" hinges                  2 $ 2.48  4.96
Yale Lock                  1 $36.03 36.03
Sash D door handle          2 $13.78 27.56
Wood glue                  2      $ 4.99  9.98
wood screws       1 box $10.00 10.00

Paint and Primer      2 cans $20.00 40.00
Caulking      4 tubes $4.98 19.92

Signage approximately  $200 200.00

Total                                     $1210.83
 
Coincidentally, the Brachacki box I just built came out at about £1200. It's not that dissimilar in size to a TYJ in terms of the amount of wood you'd buy, so I'd expect it would cost a similar amount if it was a TYJ.
I bought new softwood and 1/4" plywood, but I made my own signage and lamp from bits that cost next to nothing.
It would have cost considerably more if I planned to make it survive being outdoors for long. At the very least I wouldn't have been able to get away with paper signs!

Prices in the US and UK have tended to have a similar numerical value, because in spite of the differing exchange rate, products are generally more expensive in the UK, which usually cancels out the difference. (This may not be as true now as it used to be.)

My earlier Tardis was $800-900 (I built it when I was living in the US) but that was 18 years ago, and I think prices have gone up...
 
I’m acquiring parts for a season 20 TYJ build. Do you know the size of the two door handles? I’m guessing between 125mm and 150mm, but does anyone know for sure?
 
Evil bob, you've asked this at the wrong time of year! I've got a set of those handles (thanks to help from brethren across the pond) and could measure them for you. However, with all of the shuffling that's been done around this shoebox of a house I live in to get the decorations out and in place, all sorts of boxes were moved about, and all of my TARDIS bits - aside from my Fresnel lenses - are buried in the spare room (a.k.a. storage room, a.k.a. my son's old room) that it would take me over a week to dig my TARDISy stuff box out. :P

However, may I suggest you take a look through Tony's Article on http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=6965.0? It's a very interesting and informative read, meticulously researched (eight ways to Sunday, as my grandmother used to say), with magnificent drawings. Most of the measurements you'll find on http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=6965.5, but the entire Article will show you how the handle and lock arrangement changed from the Yardley-Jones' first appearance in Season 18 to her last in Season 26. (So you'll have to decide which TY-J you want to build.)

I didn't notice handle measurements, specifically, in the Article, but there are many other measurements on Page 6 that you can use to extrapolate the handle measurements from. Possibly Tony could tell you what the exact measurements would be off the top of his head. (I'd almost swear he's got a photographic memory.) Maybe even Clayton Hickman would know the answer to this one?

I hope some of this helps.

Dino.
 
To be honest, I've never found a decent photo/screen grab which contains a sufficiently clear view of the handles to give anything even approaching a definitive dimension for them. As Dino suggests, the handles' positions changed depending on the version of the TY-J Box. Not only this, but the actual type of handle used also varied.

Nevertheless, in an effort to help Bob, here is the earliest version of the TY-J prop and also the version last seen at the DWE with the dimensions worked out for you (N.B., I doubt that the handles on the exhibition prop are the originals i.e., they're not screen-used; I'm sure Timerotor/Mark Barton Hill will confirm this):

First, the original TY-J Tardis from "Meglos"
(There's a bit of the handle which isn't visible in the screen grab, I've therefore estimated where the handle's bottom edge would be and added a red line at the bottom of the picture to indicate this.)

As regards the handle on the central divide, I can tell you that it is bigger than the one on the phone panel but - again - I don't have a good enough picture to give you an exact figure. My best guess would be 165 mm to 180 mm but no bigger (6.5" = 165.1 mm whilst 7" = 177.8 mm).

Screenshot 2016-08-10 14.09.30 with lines.png

Second, the later TY-J Tardis as it appeared at the DWE

1 mid t.png

(All dimensions are in millimeters. Open images in a separate tab and use the 'magnifying glass' to see at full size.)

I hope this is of some assistance.  :)

T
 
Thanks Tony! This helps me tremendously.

In all honesty, nobody but you (or possibly the pedantic Bill Rudloff) would know the difference, but I want to get as accurate as possible.
 
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