Volpone's TARDIS build...

[Volpone]

Basically, once I got all the nominal lumber to scale, I'd copy and paste it, orient it the way it needed to be, and "cut" it to the length it needed to be.  I was pretty faithful on this from the ground up to the windows although I didn't plan for the floor or how the walls will join on the inside.  And I didn't actually "cut" the crossbars on the paneling because it is fiddly to get them into position so I'd just put in one big crossbar and put it "behind" the center rails. 

Actually validating my cut list got a lot more dodgy the further up I got.  And I ran into the virtual equivalent of taping paper signage to the outside of the box to see what it looks like.  I think the POLICE BOX signs will be a kind of sandwich with 1xs on top and bottom, notched to fit between the corner posts and then the "end blocks" around the actual sign would screw to the corner posts.  The top and bottom would screw to the end blocks, and help tie everything together structurally (while still allowing for lighted POLICE BOX signs). 

Still a lot of work to swag out the cost of the "not pictured" materials and some of that will be nigh impossible because it will be cobbled together and I won't have the exact materials.  My current lamp (from top down) is the top of the biggest $5 solar lamp Lowes had, the bottom 1" or so of a plastic bucket with a hole cut out for the solar lamp, a lamp chimney from Vermont Lantern Company, 4 bits of wood dowel (and some glue and duct tape), a base that was framed up with whatever scrap lumber I rummaged, and a couple pieces of galvanized tin that I found in the ductwork aisle to put over the base and make it as watertight as possible.  It will be a pain in the butt to figure out what that all cost. 

[barnacle]

(An inch is something like .13' if you're curious). 

Being pedantic, I came up with .083', so if you came up with .13' I advise you to check your math while it's still all on paper and early days.

Figure out some way to screw all these 4 sides together sturdy enough until you can get the top on.  (probably blocks of scrap material at the corners)

FWIW, on my box:
I put the inner edges of the columns (a ripped-down 2x4, giving me a 1-1/2 inch surface to work with) on the corner posts, then screwed the panels to the inner edge of the column.  Lemme see if I have a picture of it... ah ha!  You can kind of see how I attached mine... YMMV.

[Volpone]

.083 is correct.  I was just going from memory and putting out a number.  Since I was using the calculator, I assume the math is right (but I'll double-check it).  I may have been thinking of my 2x2s, which should be 1.5x1.5.  So 1/12=.083*1.5=.125.  But yeah, I'll definitely double check. 

I really enjoyed your build because I hadn't realized you'd be putting a veneer/facade on your corner posts.  I used 4x4s for my build, which made for odd dimensions because my corner posts were too skinny.  Eventually I stuck wider boards onto the corner posts and rejiggered the panels with some questionable carpentry. 

[barnacle]

I really enjoyed your build because I hadn't realized you'd be putting a veneer/facade on your corner posts.  I used 4x4s for my build, which made for odd dimensions because my corner posts were too skinny.  Eventually I stuck wider boards onto the corner posts and rejiggered the panels with some questionable carpentry. 

I think that, prior to joining here, that was pretty much the only way I'd seen the posts done (working from Glen Walker's 'How to Build a Tardis' and the Doctor Who Technical Manual).  They built the outer layers up; I just bunged 4x4 PT posts up the centers for support.

And lemme tell ya, that sucker does not MOVE at all... if I want to take it with me when I go, I'll have to cut it off at ground level or disassemble it.  Fortunately the husband and I agreed that we're coming out feet first. 

[Volpone]

HA!  Never say "never."  But as far as moving, mine's not nearly as well built as yours and it just rested on bricks under the corners instead of a proper slab.  When I was designing it, I was worried that someone would steal it--until I dragged the sides to the assembly location.  Even without the roof and the floor, just one side was a handful to manage.  Short of driving a truck into my yard the thing wasn't going anywhere. 

And while rot has lightened parts of it, layers of paint, waterproofing, and mortar to weather it have added much more weight.  And neither me nor my brother is young these days.  Wrangling it up into a Ryder moving truck was a miserable venture. 

[Volpone]

I hope I don't bother anyone with my non-update updates.  If I do, don't hesitate to let me know and I'll try to stop. 

As I've said, the TARDIS talks to you.  I didn't decide to do the 1960s paintjob.  The TARDIS told me to do it.  I'd pull into my garage at dusk or after dark and see her through the garage window and somehow, in dim light, I'd see her with the white trim. 

Now she's telling me she wants to be all blue again.  Although I do think she looks better with the white trim in low light--which is funny, because for the real boxes, they'd have been lit up at night, so the white window trim would have actually appeared dark anyway--you couldn't have seen the white trim at night; only during the day. 

All a moot point for now, because she won't be getting any paint until spring, at the earliest.  And before I paint I plan to use up my remaining roof patch and thinset to waterproof/Artex the exterior. 

[Volpone]

Got home from work tonight (I work evenings) and was shocked to find the signal lamp working again.  I've got a solar garden light as part of the cap for the lamp so when the sun goes down the light *should* come on.  Unfortunately, it seems to have been damaged in the move and has only worked a couple times--in spite of a known good battery. 

It's been rainy, so I suspect enough moisture got into it that it bridged a short somewhere and once things dry out it will stop working again, but I guess we shall see.  TARDISes can be finicky. 

And the problem is, you can't get at anything but the battery without significant disassembly of the lamp housing, so at that point you might as well just buy a new lamp rather than fidget with wiring. 

[Volpone]

Yup.  In spite of having tons of the dark blue paint, this spring I'll be going back to the all blue pre-1950s Met box/classic series paintjob.  She wound up in the 1960s/Hartnell paint because I'd see her at certain times and see how nice she'd look that way.  Now it's happening with the blue.  I tell you, TARDISes have a mind of their own and they're determined to get what they want. 

[barnacle]

Funny you should mention.  Mine's not even a year old, not fully complete, and already she's saying to me, "Um, about this blue..." 

[Volpone]

Hi all, Russel's update on finding a Fresnel lamp lens nudged me to make a minor status update.  I, of course, do *not* have a Fresnel lens.  But I do have a fairly passable Fresnel-shaped lantern chimney.  One time I had a scare where a wind storm blew the housing around the glass off and into the neighbor's yard so I redesigned the  housing.  A few weeks ago we had a storm that blew things off again--this time including the glass.  I sadly made my way over to see the bad news and was delighted to find the glass intact.  I think a combination of fairly tall, wet grass, and that the redesigned housing worked a bit like a roll cage in a race car spared it.  Knock on wood that third time's the charm and, after some minor alterations, from now on the thing will stay in place. 

What else?  There's a bit more rot to the base than I'd like, but raising it up slightly off the concrete has hopefully slowed that.  I need to inject some wood filler--or concrete!--to fill the rotted bits.  But I'm also tempted to jack it up and replace the 2x4 base with 2x6s.  But then I'd need to figure out how to add a taller bottom crossbar to the paneling, another roof step, a steeper roof slope, and bigger corner posts--while retaining the current space between the corner posts--to chase the full Police box effect.  I think I'll just stick with wood putty. 

Looks like my box is around 7 years old at this point and it's been outside the whole time without succumbing to the elements yet. 

[russellsuthern]

7 years is pretty good going.

Let's hope for at least another 7.


Russell

[Volpone]

Hello, all.  Apologies for my absence.  The TARDIS desperately needs some attention (well, not "in danger of falling apart" desperate--at least not yet) but I've been busy on another project. 

[Mark]

Crazy fool!

[fivefingeredstyre]

I pity the fool who disses the van!

[thewhovian228]

I saw this a while ago and thought it would be funny...