Thursday 1 January 2015

From MilesR - Secret Underground Depot....... (no points...)

One downside of the Challenge is miniature storage.  While the Challenge reduces the size of my lead mountain it does create figure display and storage issues.  This situation is further compounded by my wife's decree that I can not purchase any additional figure display cases or materials to build one - apparently a man cave can have too many (crazy isn't it?).  Sensing there was no ability to appeal my lovely, yet fierce, wife's decree (i got the look..),  I set about devising a clever way around her proscription with only the materials at hand - some 1x2 lumber, some quarter round moulding and a few miniature transport trays.  You can see the conceptual work in my hobby notebook scribblings - take care - gazing to hard at the crazed runes in my notebook has driven hardiest of us to the brink of madness.

 Rather than just build a simple storage unit, I elected to build a secret underground base in the style of a soviet bloc apartment building from the 1960's - you know square, ugly and with shoddy workmanship.  Like a leviathan rising from the deep, my creation began to take form....


 All nice and level....
Higher and higher go the rails
Wala' here is the completed skeleton of the beast.  I am sure that all of you are gazing in wonder at my creation and your faces have taken on the same visage that they bore the first time you gazed upon a dinosaur skeleton as a child.
Fully deployed under my gaming table - more figure storage without breaking my wife's edict that I can not purchase anything new.

So how does this qualify for points in this years Challenge?


Well, ummm, ahhh, you see.....


It's a secret multi story underground base that can pop up during game and shoot stuff up and junk like that.  Of course, I still need to cut an access panel in the table top, install some long drawer slides and a motorized pulley system plus add the guns but I'm almost there.


The unit is held in place by 2 wood screws and can slide out to be used for transporting large forces to convention games.  Each shelf will hold about 120 28mm scale infantry figures so I can hide - oops - I mean store a approx 2,000 infantry figures.  It was a simple project that took about 3 hours to complete.  The only power tool used was a hand drill (for pilot holes) - everything else was simple hand tools.



From Curt:
Well folks, we have to look on the bright side, last year it was a chair ...  
Okay Miles, once you've cut out the table-top access panel, installed a motorized pulley system and added some turrets then you can come back for some points.  
Otherwise... I must say I live in awe of people who can do good woodworking. This is a lovely piece of organizational funiture Miles and you did it in a few hours?! Incredible. I probably would have lit our house on fire in the attempt... 
If I can ask, what are the drawers made of and what dimensions? 
I'll have to bring to you Canada as a migrant worker so you can make a hobby table for me. I'll pay you in wine, steak and some snow - deal?

29 comments:

  1. Nice try Miles!

    Like Curt, I'm in awe of people who can knock out useful things like this. Whilst I might not set the house on fire, any such effort in wood by me would be somewhat cack-handed.

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    1. Curt - you had me at Wine and steak but I'm afraid the whole snow thing is a deal breaker

      I can offer to draw you up some plans that use only stock lumber sizes and send it along with a box of band-aids to you directly!

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    2. I'm happy that this submission didn't earn me negative points like my groundbreaking submission involving the newest and most exciting branch of our hobby - office furniture war gaming.

      It still saddens me to see Curt's prejudice towards the evolving game world of office accouterment. To me, one of the most exciting experiences in the gaming world are broadsides of file cabinet artillery pounding prepared cubicle positions - breathtaking!

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    3. I'm a 4th level Database Analyst!

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  2. All the figures and this awesome thing too! Amazing :)

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  3. Really great work there. It's awesome to see something like that take shape so quickly and know that it will be useful for the rest of your life.

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  4. I have use 3 drawer file boxes. Every time I do DIY I slightly reduce the value of my house. However do have a space and the need for more storage. Great idea

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  5. "This situation is further compounded by my wife's decree that I can not purchase any additional figure display cases or materials to build one"
    Tell her your therapist says that's preventing your growth and that in the interest of your ongoing mental health you need to buy more storage. It worked for me :-)

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  6. Fantastic and really useful. Great!

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  7. I was tempted to submit my freshly painted 1:1 scale staircase, until I remembered that Curt doesn't score terrain.

    Very fine Miles, like the others I am impressed by your woodworking skills - wish I had the skill, time, patience and tools to just knock something useful up!

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  8. I always marvel at peoples ability to build things. I'm afraid my skills are what Ikea offers with everything already pre-cut and ready for assembly. Excellent Miles.

    Christopher

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  9. Great stuff . And well done on working SWMBO guidance to your advantage!!

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  10. Just ONE more room in my flat and I would be a perfectly happy man...!

    I am green with envy at the present time; that's a brilliant storage solution, Miles!

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  11. Very clever. You should send a prototype to IKEA, and get a cut of the royalties from folks like me who are incapable of nailing two boards together.

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  12. I think anyone who has the skills to paint miniatures can easily master the basics of wood working - if a cave man like me can do it so can you. It's the same thing as building a model, with two big differences (1) the materials weigh a bit more and (2) workshop safety is really important if one values ending the build session with all 10 fingers intact.

    The trays are from Dave's Baggage Train and are 8.25 inches wide and 14.75 inches long. I got a bunch second had for about $1 each and then bought some new ones direct from the company. They're molded plastic and work well for both storage and transport.

    I'll do a step by step tutorial on my blog on how to make the shelves which will hopefully be helpful - give wood working a try, it's a lot easier than it looks

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  13. I look forward to an Office furniture AAR and a publication of the rules.

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  14. That's so very good Miles, do you do mail order?

    Ian

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  15. Lovely scratch build, Miles, waaay better than the chair. Without mitre, dovetails, decorative scroll, gun turrets, and freaking laserbeams...it is points neutral. Ya could a at least stained it dark mahogany so it would look like you were doing tough work on a hardwood! Perhaps some sawdust on the floor and some strategic placed drops of water to simulate said hard work. I'm kinda disappointed. ;)

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    1. Drat, I knew someone would call me on the lame butt joints and the use of stock pine. My only defense is I could only use the materials on hand to stay within my wife's restrictions. Of course the look on her face as she realized I had indeed complied with all her rules was priceless!

      Rest assured that the laser beams are on order and will be installed pronto - I am not a barbarian

      :)

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    2. Cripes Dave, you're a real hardass!

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  16. Miles
    Great stuff! It does look very Bond like. When Curt has done with you, you can travel 2km east and I'll pay you in lamb and wine to make some stuff for my basement, and my wife needs storage for her quilting supplies…
    Cheers, PD

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    1. No snow? Deal! I'm packing my bags and trying to figure out how to get a table saw classified as a carry-on item

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    2. ...of course I say that with a smile...

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    3. I prefer the term "Woodworking Escort" - I may be easy, but I am not cheap!

      Take a walk on the mitre-cut side.....

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  17. That's some nice woodworking. Very clever and like others if I tried this I would use up all the swear words in the world so best I don't. Cheers

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