I assumed it was a plasma torch, a regular torch would overheat thin shit.

Thread necromancy time.

I got a pair of commissions before Christmas to make two TARDIS models ... one as a Christmas present for a friend's Dr Who mad niece, and the other as a presentation box for an engagement ring.

Time to do some of the improvements to the design that I'd been planning.

The model for my friend's niece was completed first as the time deadline was a bit tighter. The presentation box for the engagement ring had a bit more of a generous time window due to a number of foul ups by the company making the engagement ring. I encountered some problems with features in the new design, so while I cut the parts for both at the same time, and did the bulk of the painting on both designs simultaneously, I stopped the engagement ring box version at about the 90% completion point and went on to finish the Christmas present. The problems with the first model could be worked around, but the stage of completion of the engagement ring box meant I could re-engineer solutions to the details that I was less than happy with.

Here's a couple of photographs of the almost complete engagement ring box. I still had to engineer an internal ring holder and do some minor trim adjustments, but it was looking good.

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...is_2015_th.jpg

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/..._detail_th.jpg

The beveled trim around the windows and the door panels was done using the LASER's 3D engraving node to generate a 45 degree bevel into the edge of the Masonite. For scale reference, the entire model is less than 7 inches tall, and each group of 6 windows measures 1 inch tall by 3/4 inches wide.

This particular model has had a hard life, and needed repairs done before it was even finished. We have a 150 pound Newfoundland, and his tail is like a fur covered baseball bat. Things that you think are safe, are still within the range of his swinging tail, and this poor TARDIS was knocked off the table and onto the floor boards ... twice. Fortunately, as long as I had a stock of 3mm thick Masonite, I could make all the replacement parts I needed, and the replacement parts fitted exactly the same as the original parts. Other than lost time, the damage caused no other problems. There was still a bit of touch up work to be done when the photos were taken, but the model was 99% complete (and placed well out of reach of the dog's tail when I wasn't working on it).

The engagement ring box was commissioned by a professional photographer.

As I didn't have time to take any good photographs before I shipped it off to him, after it was delivered, he set me a few photographs that he took while his girlfriend was out of the office/studio for the day and he could sneak it in.

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...02-0011_th.jpg

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...02-0013_th.jpg

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...02-0017_th.jpg

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...02-0024_th.jpg

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...02-0030_th.jpg

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...02-0034_th.jpg

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...02-0043_th.jpg

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...02-0046_th.jpg

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...02-0048_th.jpg

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...02-0050_th.jpg

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...02-0052_th.jpg

http://www.anobviousdistraction.com/...02-0055_th.jpg

Once he's actually popped the question, and no longer has to keep the TARDIS hidden, he'll have time to set things up properly in the studio and take some really good photos.

Plasma cutting is amazing. Especially when the plasma cutter is attached to a X and Y axis CAD/CAM system.

I've been looking at a number of "relatively" inexpensive systems both "ready to run" and home built from suppliers of the various components.

PlasmaCAM sells ready to run systems although you have to supply your own plasma cutter.

Precision Plasma is a supplier of hardware to enable you to build your own custom system.

In most of these types of systems, you can substitute a wood router for the plasma cutter and use the X/Y axis gantry system to do CNC wood routing.

That TARDIS looks amazing. It came out really well. Such attention to every last detail.

I want to see the ring holding mechanism someday...

The ring holder was nothing fancy, just a black velvet padded block that fitted inside. The client had removed it and forgot to refit it when he took the photographs.

This part cracks me the hell up:

and is probably why I'm forever marked as an amateur.

I've been using that line in forum signatures for over a decade. It's one of those lines that the more you think about it, the crazier it seems.