Signage... Fellow Whovian!

I contacted a small sign shop in our area and started the process of having the sign cost estimated. It turns out that the gentleman I spoke to painted a tardis 20 years ago on the day his son was born!

What a relief! I have someone on the other end that actually knows what I am looking for! Still waiting on my father for the dimensions of the signs above the doors, but things are looking up! Cross your fingers that it doesn't cost and arm, leg and finger to purchase. ;)

Zoning and Permits

Not much to update at the moment. Just contacted the city to make sure that I do not need a permit to build - I don't. WOO! But, I was told that I needed to make contact with the zoning commission to make sure that I can put it up.

What does the zoning department do? *ponders*

Research, research and MORE Research...

This morning before work and most of yesterday evening, I researched the signage. I figured this might be something that I could work on when I wasn't hip deep in sawdust. I guess the signs have been pretty well documented by the many other tardis builders before me.

But, unless I'm reading the forums incorrectly, most of the people seem to go to a sign creation location to have them made. (Them being the four clear on black "Police Public Call Box" signs above the doors and the black on white (or silver) on the front left door. I also found someone who had created the "The St. John's Abulance Association" sticker!!

Now I am in the process of figuring out if I can make them myself, with the help of friends - or if I should talk to a sign company. I will be off work on Tuesday and have the numbers for a couple of local places that do sign work. Guess we'll see what the dollar amount is before making a decision....

Let's MAKE something!

Well, as they say - Practice makes perfect... we had a bit of a learning curve on the saw. I had never actually SAWED anything and my father was acclimated to a circular saw... so the whole buzz and clear/present danger of blade near fingers was a bit of a challenge. We also had some little OOPSIES - cuts not quite perfect (Probably my fault), pulling a bit too hard to one direction (Definately ME), but the process was not physically painful (Thank goodness!)

But, we were overly optimistic about what we could accomplish in two days. Uh, more like a day and a half... nope. 1 day really. Actually, we got a lot done considering! *laughs*

So, Wednesday afternoon was tackling the base. We will eventually be pouring cement and placing the base on top of it (HEAVILY stabilized), but we wanted to start somewhere and it seemed a good idea to start at the bottom.

MAN! 45 degree cuts are HARD! *grumbles* So, there was learning on the go...


LOOKIE! We have a base!

We also created a cross section support and sized down a 4x4 square piece of plywood to sit on this, but this brings to mind the base of the telephone booth from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure... remember? The red light that traced around where the phone boot used to be? hee!

Thursday we were planning to tackle a side panel and a corner. Well, that was a bit too much to expect in 3.5 hours. *snickers* So, we cut pieces for the side panel - but didn't get them together. We decided to go with the angle design for the square segments on the front. It allows them to be a nice flush join between them. (SQUEE! I'm using construction speak!)

We did however complete ONE corner!! It was a bit of back tracking... forgot to do a couple of things before we glued and screwed parts together, but the end result... PERFECTION! :)


My father checking out the amount that would need to be removed to have the top segments flush...


OMG! It's a corner! *laughs*

Getting Started...

My father and I started working on the tardis this Wednesday. We spent Tuesday together going over the design, then we hit the local hardware store to do some price checking, so as to have a total cost for the majority of the materials. We came up with an estimate of $650. Ouch. So, we didn't buy everything on the trip the following day! ;)

We didn't really spend a lot of time discussing starting the project this week - it just turned out to be something fun and we both wanted to start on it right away.

Wednesday morning, I contacted a friend of mine who made the offer for the use of his table saw. I gave him no notice of the pick-up. But, the amazing man and his lovely wife said I could raid their garage and make off with their tools. THANK YOU! :D

After the raid, we stopped by the local hardware store and bought some wood, screws and glue to make a few items.


Pulling down boards...


Our Cart!

We purchased enough items to create the base, two sides and a corner. Boy... were we ambitious!


Getting Started!!

Problems??

Well, things never start out perfectly, right?

My father's truck wouldn't start after sitting in the garage for 2 years. So, it was a bit of cha-ching to fix up what wasn't working so that we would have a full bed truck. Ouch. But, at least now my father will have a second vehicle to drive up here in and my mother will have a car to remain mobile down there. Everyone happy.

So the task is to purchase 18 bags of 60 lb normal grade cement and 2 bags of limestone gravel. Hubby strongly advocated the 60 lb bags instead of the 80 lb bags because they would be lighter. We will have to purchase these items before the truck arrives, so we will be doing multiple trips to the store, as our poor SUV probably won't drive with 18 bags in the back.

My father will be bringing up a wheelbarrow (ours had a hole in it before we moved - so we tossed it) and saw horses (as hubby is not much of a, uh... renaissance guy, we don't own any) and then shovel and leveling tools for doing the cement.

I also hope that he will be working on the anchor pieces for the base structure before he arrives - that way it will be one less thing to do once he gets up here. After the cement is complete, we will be starting on the side posts.

I hope.

Starting Out...

Being a big fan of Doctor Who is not unusual. You go to any conventions and you are bound to be surrounded by understanding and sympathetic souls that feel the same way you do about that lovely blue box and the wonderful and changing man that travels inside her.

But, once you leave the haven of fandom and return to the middle of the prairie - where you can clearly see the farmer plowing right beyond your fence - the idea of attempting to build this amazing creation seems far-fetched and surreal.

But DARN IT! I want a tardis. My father and I have been a creating team for several years now - starting with wings for costumes (fairy wings? BLEAH! Too easy! Daddy, let's make Pretear's wings! Oh... and I don't want to see any support undergarments. *puppy dog eyes*) and ending with the tardis creation project.

Happily we currently have no neighbors, and my husband has been trying to avoid mowing the backyard (unsuccessfully, I will point out) - so we have found a happy middle ground of taking up half the yard with a wild flower garden and the tardis with angel statues around it. I think this will be one of those moments I will remember forever. Not when we got married, not when our daughters were born - but when my husband said "YES". Yes, you crazy woman - go build that tardis.