Casa Mai - How I Built Fred 3

How I Built Fred

Part 3

The Base (Cont.)

For some reason, I couldn't find sheet rubber at the time, so I thought to use cove base, which is used at the base of walls, next to the floor. I also nailed some decorative corner metal to the top of the base boards, for disguise.

Version I base with some cove base on it

Version I base corner with cove base and door sweep completed

Close up of base in progress with door sweep applied

I used door sweeps to disguise my using two layers of the cove base.

The Bench
	I seem to recall reading somewhere that the early Dalek operators used some sort of office chairs to roll around inside with. I build a bench with supports that would bolt to the inside of the base.
(I used 2 x 4"s to build the supports, and the bench itself was a piece of plywood.)

Base and bench on wheels

I learned not to use furniture coasters for wheels only after I'd finished "Fred" the first time and tried rolling around. I purchased some 6" rubber caster wheels, and that made a big difference.

Underside view

The Skirt
	It was pure guesswork and trial and error to get the "skirt" panels cut out correctly. The tech manual drawings are pretty accurate, but using a radial arm saw to get the exact angles so that the panels meet together properly was tricky. They also had to be even along the top and bottom edges. I recall having to cut a few of these more than once, and lopping off the top, bottom or both to get things to match.

I nailed through the narrow edges with small brads every inch or two down each corner. I filled any gaps with wood putty with Version I of the skirt. That didn't work too well, because every time I picked it up, it cracked. A better alternative was to put a bead of a paintable sealant along the edges before I nailed them together. Cutting out the "sensor" holes was also tricky. I didn't want to pay the price for a hole saw that could cut the 4"+ hole out in one shot, so I used the 3" or so size I had on hand, then used the sabre saw to cut out the rest of the hole to the proper diameter.

The Hemispheres

(Old style 2-liter soda bottle bottom. I sprayed the silver paint on the inside.)

Speaking of those sensors, I had a devil of a time trying to figure out what to use for those. I got the solution from a guy who had made a Davros chair -- 2-liter soda bottle bottoms. With the lip they had along the bottom, they held in the holes from the outside just great. I don't believe they make these bottles the same way anymore.

With Version II of Fred's skirt, I flanged the inside of the holes I cut out and mounted the hemispheres from the inside, holding them in either with duct tape or tacks.

It was also trial and error to make sure that the hemispheres all lined up horizontally, by the way. I'm sure there's a way to do it, but at the time, I didn't know how. This is especially critical with the panels at the front that slope more.