Hello all. This is my attempt at replicating the dedication plaque from the original U.S.S. Enterprise. This plaque was located at the rear of the bridge next to the turbolift. This project is basically an excuse for me to fool around with my long-unused Dremel tool while having a little fun. This seemed like a nice, easy project to try.
Please note, I am not trying to create a hyper-accurate duplicate of this prop. Mostly because I don't have the skills, but also because I found very little official data on the plaque specs or construction. So, I'm taking the path the studio likely did - use what's available.
First, I settled on the size of 19"x10" for the base. This copies the size of some replicas I found online. It will be made out of 21/32" pine board.
Next, I found the best screenshot of the plaque I could and used it as a template. I placed the screenshot in Adobe InDesign and typeset the copy using the picture for font size, style and placement. I also added some crosshairs for alignment. I printed my template on 11"x17" copy paper, which was too small to hold the whole template. Since it only cut off a small portion of two letters I decided it would work well enough.
To make the letters I glued a template copy to some 1mm chipboard and cut each one out. I then traced them onto 1/4" poplar. I am using my 1/2" band saw as much as possible, but the finer cuts I'm making with the Dremel and a multipurpose bit. I learned quickly that trying to cut sections (like the inside of an "O") out of the letters can easily break them because of the high speed of the Dremel. So, I cut the words into sections of 3-4 letters and did any cutouts, giving me more surface area. Then I cut around the outsides of the letters. I'm cleaning up the letters with needle files and light sandpaper as needed. I also cut out one of the paper templates to use for letter placement on the base. I'll tape it down and give it a light dusting of primer paint before gluing the letters in place.
Overall, this has been a fun project. It's not perfect, especially with the freehand way I'm cutting the letters, but I think it'll look neat on the wall. More to come.
Please note, I am not trying to create a hyper-accurate duplicate of this prop. Mostly because I don't have the skills, but also because I found very little official data on the plaque specs or construction. So, I'm taking the path the studio likely did - use what's available.
First, I settled on the size of 19"x10" for the base. This copies the size of some replicas I found online. It will be made out of 21/32" pine board.
Next, I found the best screenshot of the plaque I could and used it as a template. I placed the screenshot in Adobe InDesign and typeset the copy using the picture for font size, style and placement. I also added some crosshairs for alignment. I printed my template on 11"x17" copy paper, which was too small to hold the whole template. Since it only cut off a small portion of two letters I decided it would work well enough.
To make the letters I glued a template copy to some 1mm chipboard and cut each one out. I then traced them onto 1/4" poplar. I am using my 1/2" band saw as much as possible, but the finer cuts I'm making with the Dremel and a multipurpose bit. I learned quickly that trying to cut sections (like the inside of an "O") out of the letters can easily break them because of the high speed of the Dremel. So, I cut the words into sections of 3-4 letters and did any cutouts, giving me more surface area. Then I cut around the outsides of the letters. I'm cleaning up the letters with needle files and light sandpaper as needed. I also cut out one of the paper templates to use for letter placement on the base. I'll tape it down and give it a light dusting of primer paint before gluing the letters in place.
Overall, this has been a fun project. It's not perfect, especially with the freehand way I'm cutting the letters, but I think it'll look neat on the wall. More to come.