M.D.s console

[galacticprobe]

This isn't a half bad idea! If you use heavy duty clamps to hold the 4 x 4 with the motor on it to the saw horses, besides having a lathe that spins like a turntable, you could always flip it 90 degrees (so the "lathe" action is spinning as a normal lathe) if the need arises. And the variable speed would let you take things as slowly as comfortable.

Large pieces of that florist or sculptor's foam would work well for the collars. The console rim, I think, would need to be made of sturdier stuff, though, especially if there is a possibility of someone leaning on it even a little.

Dino.

[Elvis Gump]

Well, if you want sterner stuff for the console rim, one could simply build and extension table for a band-saw and cut some glued up joined segments out of wood. Basically this is how wheelwrights used to make wagon wheels. Then attach it to our theoretical homemade horizontal lathe thingy and let the chips fly where they may to contour it. This is where we take a moment to remember the sage wisdom of Norm Abram about SHOP SAFETY and there's no more important rule than to wear safety glasses. And lots of plaid shirts. But I digress...

There is a Dremel wood cutting tool, it is a bit of a rough cutter, but then that's what sandpaper is for. The real fun is cutting in those oval-ish indents. I suppose one could mark them out with a compass after you made the smoothed-down contoured blank, then build a rig to scoop out the indent details with a Dremel grinder disk if the woodcutting disk is big enough. I'm thinking rigging a jig to hold the tool so one can spin the blank into position, bring down the Dremel tool kinda chop saw like and if the rig can be worked out make the same sort of scooping cut every time that's in the console rim prop. I've never studied it closely, but I'm taking a stab at thinking it's probably a straight down cut perpendicular cut, like if you had a great big forstner bit on a drill press cutting into  curvature of rim the as it bulges out in the middle.

I'm just guessing they either did something like that or had some sort of multi-axis routing machine at their disposal in the props department at the old Beeb. I'd really love to see a DVD extra about how they do the stuff they do. Such things on DW Confidential would have been imminently more interesting in the RTD years than listening to RTD blather on about how BRILLIANT his own scripts were... But I digress again...

[museumdave]

WOW some interesting ideas hear.  I am going to play with some pre made something and likely expansion foam *thanks*.

But I really like the idea of extending the bed of a band saw and mounting a pivot point out there and then hand turning it into the blade - sort of like a horizontal mounted leathe....makes me think  hmmmmmmmmmmmm

so much to do, so much to try.....
thanks for sharing the thoughts everyone.

It is so much fun, but I find myself spinning my wheels a bit, because I want to get the insulator rings (pills) done, but before I do that I need to finish the swivel ring and scanner mount and counter weight, But before I do that I would really like to make the little frame for the scanner.   I have pieces cut out for two more glass gauges and they just need sanding and assembly and painting.  And of course there is the matter of the rim /outer ring.... I need a more systematic approach here.
Any how thanks for sharing the enthusiasm and ideas!


cheers


p.s.


thinking pretty hard about buying a sextant today ***** shhhhhhhhh don't tell Mrs. museumdave****
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/VINTAGE-BRASS-SEXTANT-WITH-LEATHER-CASE-COLLECTIBLE?item=130705836612&cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D5%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8977711275063035732

[the mister]

Well they look good in the picture! Wow Dave, this is coming along so amazingly. I can't believe how legitimate it's all looking. That glass gauge is perfect

[museumdave]

Hello All,

Thanks for the positive comments, it is appreciated.
thanks for the tip on the studded finial Dino- I don't mind what I have for now, I will post an image soon so you can see what I am talking about.Just a quick update with no pictures as the camera is on a field tip right now.
I was able to squeeze a little bit of time out of the week end and in that limited space a couple of things happened;
1- two more glass gauges have been mostly assembled and painted with the base coat.  They both still require the extra block at the end to attach the levers and hoses, but that wont take long.

2- I have the swivel ring for mounting thew scanner and counter weight together, although not the counterweight YET.

I did order the sextant.

Thanks all

Dave

[museumdave]

Hello All,

Not much new, I found some discs that may well work for the counter weight to the scanner. They have been painted and can be mounted and tried out soon. Also I acquired another tire side wall from a friend who does road work- I guess they use them to weigh down great big road traffic cones.  I REALLY like the profile of it and think it will likely be the bottom part of the bottom insulator ring.

Mostly today I wanted to do the show part of the show 'n' tell.

The glass gauges are well under way. Although I may need to back off on the green acrylic paint a bit on the gauge panes.

Also the shell ball that is the stand in for the studded finial.

PLEASE NOTE this is not its final location it is just there for the picture


I hope to have the swivel scanner mount done soon and will post about that.
On a personal note
The family and I are going to be doing some (TIME) travelling next month and things will need to be put on hold leading up to that-  we are off to be Vikings at L'anse Aux Meadows Newfoundland and the kids need new shoes.  So If I am making Norse footware I am not building a console. (but yes I am coming up with fanfilm story lines to make use of this opportunity). I will keep you posted.

thanks for looking
and thanks for the comments
Dave

[galacticprobe]

Dave, that gauge glass on the right above looks pretty well done. I think you've nailed the look and if you make the others similar to that one you'll be cooking with Zyton-7! That shell ball also looks pretty darn good. I'm guessing this gem could "plug" into any of the round bubble glass paper weight ("bubble globe") depressions in the console panels. That panel with the two bubble globes on it had its globes change from clear, to green, to amber, in different episodes. And in "Boom Town", Margaret the Slitheen took the studded ball off of the console panel and caressed it as she walked around the console room praising the TARDIS' technology...

Just like I'm praising your work on this beauty! This is really turning out to be fantastic: absolutely fantastic!

Some of the things I've wondered about (directed at everyone here, not just at M.D.): is the rheostat on this console the "roughed out Time War survivor" version of the 2010 console's Quantum Foam Manipulators as it seemed to be used in much the same way? And if so, is that studded ball the "roughed out Time War survivor" version of the 2010 console's Atom Accelerator? (Just trying to figure out how these controls are used since there is almost no documentation to go with it like there is for the 2010 console. We've ID'd many of the parts; maybe we could try IDing what they do as "controls".)

And speaking of controls... Don't know how switching the colors of bubble globes and the studded ball around the panels will affect the TARDIS' operations, but there is only one way to find out!

Swap their positions around, throw that Demat Lever, and...

Alons-y!

Dino.

[museumdave]

Greetings fellow time travellers,


Dino, you ask some interesting questions.... short answer is I have no idea...If anyone else knows about quantum foam manipulators or Atom accelerators... or mercury fluid links please feel free to chime in... as for swapping components around and throwing the demat lever!?!?!?! do you have ANY IDEA how catastrophically dangerous that could be?  

So a belated happy fathers day to any and all out there who found themselves at some point the source for a randomized genetic copy- or more traditional prodigy.

Another weekend with grand plans and little actually accomplished has come and gone.  I found a little bit of time to work on a couple of things , but I am only going to share one right now and hold the other for later  ....

Started to put together the swivel ring and counter weight for the scanner mount. The weight should likely be a bit heavier, but we will see how it works.

This is another case of recycling and a sign that this is a CANADIAN build the weights are hockey pucks....

Thanks for looking

Cheers

Dave

[the mister]

wow! spot on!

[galacticprobe]

Hockey pucks? Ingenious! It also gives a sense of scale with that ring. (More questions... but these may be easier to answer.)

Are you planning to use some sort of Lazy Susan for the swivel part? Or are you going to build your own swivel bearing design?

Dino.

[museumdave]

Swivel ring & scanner mount

Hello All,

Dino I am planning to install my own rollers at a few points around the collar for the swivel ring to pivot on. Think -'microwave turntable'. The rotation will need to be somewhat limited by the cable running through a gap part way around just above the swivel ring, But I think that is okay. If the scanner can rotate from on top of the rheostat- rib to the keypad panel I think that is likely all the movement that will be needed.

There is still more work needed here, but I thought I would share the progress that happened last night. The swivel ring/scanner mount is more or less in place (although I need to get the rollers in under it )



I also have some 'roughed out' insulator rings in place for the time being, but this is going to require some more work to make it 'right', for starters it need to be thinner.


This mount is also going to need some HELP- I am thinking of tension springs sort of like an old fashion swing desk work light- to help hold the weight of the monitor. Also the 'Frame' around the monitor will really help things look right.






I am really looking forward to getting the time rotor mechanics working so I can install the central column and have motion.  Although as this build grows (literally) higher I am struck with how little of the time rotor is going to end up being visible between the top of the insulator rings and my limited celling space.... oh well.

as always thanks for looking and for the encouragement.

cheers

Dave

[galacticprobe]

Okay... Starting to get speechless here.

Fantastic!

Dino.

[action_mat]

Superb!  I love the way you worked the base out  Well done, you must be very proud of yourself.

[Scarfwearer]

Looking amazing!

Now you won't forget about being able to get it out of your attic again, will you? I've moved twice since I built my console ...

Crispin

[atomicgraph]

man this is looking great, those insulator rings are coming together nicely.... its always stunning how big these props actually are once you get going with one..... its looking amazing and i like how innovative you've been with it.