Laser Cut Police Box (aka TARDIS)

thingiverse

The 1950's UK Police Box model, also used for time travel in a TV series, was designed as a plaything for the maker's children. It is built to scale with their existing figures, and crafted using a Kwartzlab Makerspace G-Weike laser cutter (http://kwartzlab.ca). The model is made from 3mm material at least 300x300mm in size, usually hardboard, but other 3mm laser-cuttable materials like acrylic or cardboard can also be used. The project requires glue, paint, and paper for window interiors and signage. The pieces should be laid out with the scorched side facing upwards. Note that there are two thick and two thin door frames which fit the base in a specific sequence: thick-thin-thick-thin. The inner doors nest inside each other. Broken outer-door centers can be glued back in place. Building the model starts with assembling it scorched side outwards. Due to its asymmetric base, a quick dry-fit is needed to ensure all parts are correctly positioned. The door centers should be exactly centered with each other. It's easiest to build upside down, placing the door panels in the roof first, making sure the outer door panel is pulled towards the top of the door frame. After gluing the bottom part, flip it over and glue the top part after about 15 minutes. The outer door frame may need some additional glue in its centers. The door panels come in two sizes. Glue the outer edges first, then place the smaller one tightly next to the larger one, leaving a small gap for the next side door panel. Wait a couple of minutes for the glue to set before rotating and repeating on the next side. To finish off, the caps should be glued together ensuring alignment. The model is then painted, window interiors are cut from paper and glued inside, and signage can be laser-printed and glued onto the model for a complete look.