My Original TARDIS The Police Box Make-Over

Materials

My TARDIS is made of the following materials:

  • 4’ x 8’ sheet of ½” CDX plywood4’ by 8’ sheets of ½” MDO plywood (this is plywood with smooth paper/card bonded to the surfaces to give a flat grain-free matt finish)
  • 4’ x 8’ sheets of ½” MDF hardboard (this is a fibreboard material). The sheets I’ve bought are actually ½” larger in the flat dimensions.
  • 8’ x 2” x 4” Standard and Better wall studs. Sizes are nominal, and they are actually 3 1/2 “ x 1 Ύ”.
  • 2 x 8’ x 2” x 8” floor joists. (Again sizes are nominal)
  • 1” x 5” clear VG fir. (actually Ύ” by 4”).
  • Ό round 11/16” radius molding.
  • Lots of wood glue.
  • 3” #10 screws.
  • 2 ½” #10 screws
  • Bolts and furniture fasteners for the walls
  • 2’ x 4’ sheet of clear acrylic
  • A Jelly-jar light fitting.
  • An 8” x 8” piece of thin hardboard or plywood
  • A 36” piece of 3/8” metal tubing.
  • 4 x 10” bolts, narrow enough to fit down the tubing
  • Finishing nails
  • Lots of spackling paste or wood filler to fill the screw holes.
  • ½” x 1/8” flat moulding (for window mesh)
  • 4 x 4” hinges for doors
  • Door catch and flush-mounted lock
  • Handle for the opening door
  • Handle for the “Pull to open” door
  • Recessed bolts for top and bottom of the door that normally remains closed
  • 2 x 2’ x 4’ Fluorescent lighting diffusers
  • Paint. Primer and Blue Paint. Pick your favourite shade of blue! I used a couple of gallons of “Carbon Blue” which I picked up in Lumbermen’s. I needed two coats in Satin, which is as flat as they could do it.

Tools

And here's a list of the tools I used to build it.

  • Table Saw.
    I can’t imagine doing this project without one. You need one that can do 45 degree cuts, and which has a rip fence and sliding guide with attack angle settings.
  • Electric Drill.
    I actually use two – one for drilling pilot holes and other holes and one with a screwdriver bit. Changes bits for screw holes would take a lot of time otherwise.
  • Hacksaw
  • Hole saw
    (for the lock hole) which fits into the electric drill.
  • Hammer
  • Sandpaper
  • Router with ½” bit
    (you might be able to manage without this).
  • Jigsaw
  • String
  • Sticking plaster (Band aids)
  • Patience