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Wooden AT-AT Walker

by seamster on December 16, 2015

Table of Contents
Wooden AT-AT Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Intro: Wooden AT-AT Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 1: Possible poses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 2: Breakdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 3: Planning and Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 4: Scroll saw and band saw time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 5: Drilling perfectly centered, clean holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 6: Power carving the feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 7: Add weight to feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 8: Leg and feet pieces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Step 9: Glue up leg parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Step 10: Carve leg bottoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Step 11: Greebles, greebles, greebles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Step 12: Joint knobs/bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Step 13: Epoxy bolt heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Step 14: Undercarriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Step 15: Undercarriage, cont. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Step 16: Leg details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Step 17: Process shots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Step 18: Body base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Step 19: Compound angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Step 20: Undercarriage to base plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Step 21: Support stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Step 22: Glue up body frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Step 23: Gull-wing doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Step 24: Wood burning, torching, and lacquer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Step 25: Gluing in LEGO plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Step 26: Attach access doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Step 27: Removable magnetic wall plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Step 28: Wall plate details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Step 29: Tail section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Step 30: Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 31: Red Bull windshield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Step 32: Cockpit details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Step 33: Thoughts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Step 34: Articulating neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Step 35: Neck to cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Step 36: Neck to body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Step 37: Assemble! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Step 38: All done . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
ZOMG! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Author:seamster
I got an old sewing machine when I was just a kid, and I've been hooked on making stuff ever since.
My name is Sam and I'm a community manager here at instructables.

Intro: Wooden AT-AT Walker

This is a scale Wooden AT-AT Walker from Star Wars that I made as a gift for my kids.
It is made almost entirely from scraps of Baltic birch plywood, and is 20 inches tall (about 51 cm).
Here are some of the features:
fully poseable
pivoting "gull-wing" main doors, just like in the movie (wait, that's Back to the Future)
removable magnetic wall panels
articulating neck/cockpit tunnel
cockpit hatch
LEGO panels in the body and cockpit
weighted feet
This was made completely by hand with common woodworking tools (no laser cutters, etc.)!
I designed, scaled-up and hand-drew all of the individual pattern pieces as well. (I thoroughly enjoy the away-from-the-computer screen process, what can I say!)
This was by far the most complex and challenging thing I've ever made, but I really love the way it turned out.
If you're feeling ambitious and have access to some woodworking tools, hopefully this will help you build a wooden AT-AT Walker for yourself. I've shared my handdrawn templates in Step 4 as a PDF.
Enjoy!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 1: Possible poses

The Walker is unwieldy when the joint bolts are loose, but the whole thing is quite sturdy once they are tightened. Here are three possible poses for a wooden AT-AT
Walker:
Photo 1: "Downward AT-AT"
Photo 2: "Dropping the Stormtroopers off at the pool"
Photo 3: "AT-AT Stanky Leg"

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 2: Breakdown
The completed AT-AT Walker can be broken down into 29 separate parts (cockpit and body were permanently joined after the 2nd photo was taken).
The Walker is made from hundreds of pieces of wood that were individually cut, sanded, shaped, etc. I used almost every tool in my shop for this, as well as almost every
kind of adhesive I had.
Here are the tools you will need to complete a project like this:
band saw
scroll saw
drill press
oscillating sander
lathe (optional)
power carving tools or other means to shape some oddball pieces
rotary tool
clamps (lots of small spring clamps, and a few bar clamps)
miscellaneous hand tools
optional: table saw, jointer, planer (I used mine for a couple things, but you could do without)
I've shared a lot of little tips and tricks in the photo notes, so be sure to look at all the photos.
Many steps have lots of photos. Be sure to click the "Show All Items" button to expand and see the hidden photos.

Image Notes
1. Neck swivels around 360 degrees, and pivots about 40 degrees side to side.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 3: Planning and Templates

I began this project by gathering up all of my scrap Baltic birch plywood to see what I had to work with.
The sizes I used are 9mm and 15mm. I also used two full sheets of 12" by 24" 3mm craft plywood, which appeared to also be birch.
After getting some AT-AT Walker images online (thanks wookiepedia), I set about designing how everything would function and scaling up the various pieces with paper,
pencil, rulers, compass, and calculator.
All of my templates are metric, but any hardware I used was standard, so you'll see a mix of both in the templates. If anyone needs proof that the metric system is
superior to standard, just try building any scale model with inches. It would be ludicrous.
I find working out the details on paper and hand-drawing plans for things like this incredibly enjoyable for some reason. Craziness, maybe?
The completed templates were then scanned and printed onto 110 lb. cardstock. The individual pattern pieces were cut out with an x-acto knife to use as stencils (since
there are many duplicate pieces made from the same pattern pieces).
Linked below are scans of all of my templates, other guides, and miscellaneous bits that I made along the way. They are not perfect and you will still have to do a fair
amount of improvising, but these templates will at least get you going in the right direction.
They are shared for non-commercial use only.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

File Downloads

AT AT templates.pdf (3 MB)
[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'AT AT templates.pdf']

Step 4: Scroll saw and band saw time

With plans drawn up for the legs, I used my band saw and scroll saw to cut out all pieces.
It is essential that these saws are dialed in fairly well and the tables level, with the blades making perfect 90 degree cuts.

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Image Notes
1. I didn't have a lathe at the time I did this part, so every layer was cut to a
specific diameter and stacked. Then glued together, and carved down to the final
shape. Then I bought a cheap lathe about a week before I published this
instructable. Yay for lathes. So much fun!

Image Notes
1. For cutting circles on a band saw, I try to keep as much excess material still
attached as possible, so I have something to grab that's not anywhere near the
blade.

Image Notes
1. Long excess piece used to guide the work piece and keep my digits away from
the blade.

Step 5: Drilling perfectly centered, clean holes

Anywhere I needed holes drilled, I used a nail punch to put a little dimple in the correct location.
With my drill press I pre-drilled every hole with a 1/16" bit through the dimple, which provides a guide hole to help center the forstner bits I used to bore the completed
holes. Regular twist bits are not good for making this kind of clean, precise holes.
The trick here is to only drill the hole halfway down, then flip over the work piece. Then with the help of the 1/16" guide hole, finish drilling the hole. This results in perfectly
clean holes with no blowout.
For all of the joint bolts, I used 1/4" bolts that were threaded into toothed t-nuts that were Gorilla-glued in place in the receiving ends of things. (Photos along the way will
show this in more detail.)
Like the band saw and scroll saw, it is essential that your drill press table be perfectly level for work like this. If needed, be sure to fine tune it before you get started.

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Step 6: Power carving the feet

This step could be simplified with a lathe. But I didn't have one when I did this step (although since then I bought a cheap lathe, which will be used for lots of future
projects!).
The layers of the feet were cut out and glued together. A bolt was used to center all the pieces and apply clamping pressure.
They were then carved down with a power carver, and sanded smooth with a drum sander on my rotary tool.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 7: Add weight to feet

I wanted the feet to be as heavy as possible. I went to a local tire store and asked for some used lead tire weights. They led me to a bucket and said "help yourself."
Rather than try to melt the lead down, I just broke off the leady chunks from the steel clippy parts, and filled up the feet with these bits. Then I filled all the cavities around
the lead with hot glue, and glued & screwed the bottom pieces of the feet in place. Each completed foot weighed about 13 ounces.

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Step 8: Leg and feet pieces

Here are all the leg and feet pieces up to this point. I thought I was making progress, but I had no idea how much work lay ahead . . .

Step 9: Glue up leg parts

The various leg parts were glued together with wood glue, and clamps.
T-nuts where fastened into the correct pieces. The ones I used were the kind with spiky teeth, but I added Gorilla glue to reinforce the bond. Drilling out the holes for the tnuts was done very carefully at the drill press to ensure precise holes as needed.

Step 10: Carve leg bottoms

The leg bottoms were carved to match the shape of the AT-AT Walkers in the movie.
Carving plywood allows you to cheat because you can gauge depth and shape based on how the plies look.
The plywood creates a neat effect, but I think using hardwoods would provide a better look, ultimately. Live and learn.

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Step 11: Greebles, greebles, greebles

"Greebles" are what the ILM people called all the surface details on their original Star Wars models. They provide visual interest.
For these knobby leg discs, I used a paint stir stick and cut out nickel-sized circles. These were glued in place.
Glue Tip! For gluing little bits like this where clamping isn't ideal, I put a very thin film of wood glue on both surfaces to be joined. ("Thin film" means a fully covered
surface, but not enough to allow any noticeable squeeze out when the parts are put together.) Then I wait about 30 seconds for the glue to get tacky. When you stick the
pieces together and hold for another 30 seconds or so, they stick with no need for clamps.

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Step 12: Joint knobs/bolts

For all of the joints, I made fancy knobs to match the Walker's joints, with 1/4" bolts and thin plywood. The bolt heads were carefully epoxied into bored-out areas.
All of these pieces were cut out very carefully using a scroll saw.

Step 13: Epoxy bolt heads

To make this job cleaner, I first applied masking tape over top of the knobs and the hole where the bolt heads would sit. I trimmed away the tape over the hole with a
hobby knife.
The bolts were slid into the holes so the heads sat just about 1/4" above the head-holes. 2-part epoxy was added just under the heads, and they were pulled down into
place. Then the tape was removed.
The trick here is to make sure the threaded section of the bolts are perpendicular to the round wooden knob parts. If they are not, they will have to be remade. I had to
remake a couple of these, as I wasn't paying close enough attention until after the epoxy had set. Wobbly knobs are no good!

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Step 14: Undercarriage

I'll call this the undercarriage of the body. This part holds the hip pieces, which hold the legs, and connects them to the main body of the Walker.
There weren't a lot of reference photos or images for this area of the AT-AT Walkers, so I improvised based on what I needed. This part has four embedded bolts which
the hip pieces are fastened to.
Simple knobs were made with plywood and t-nuts to tighten against these bolts. See fourth photo for how those were made.

Image Notes
1. This whole project was an exercise in precision hole-drilling. Through a lot of
trial and error, I learned a lot of tricks. Use templates. Punch holes. Pre-drill with
1/16 bit. Drill from both sides with forstner bit. That's the gist of it.
2. This whole project was an exercise in precision hole-drilling. Through a lot of
trial and error, I learned a lot of tricks. Use templates. Punch holes. Pre-drill with
1/16 bit. Drill from both sides with forstner bit. That's the gist of it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Image Notes
1. Both heads were epoxied into counterbored holes. Then the layers were
stacked and glued together.

Image Notes
1. T-nut fastened into 15mm ply. 3mm ply piece was glued over the top. These
circles are cut roughly on the scroll saw, and then cleaned up with an oscillating
belt sander.

Step 15: Undercarriage, cont.

The undercarriage got some fancy bits to make it look more engine-y. This was all improvised, but I like the way it turned out.

Image Notes
1. Note these holes. These act as stops, to prevent the hips from moving more
than I want. A piece of metal rod was glued into each of the hip pieces with
creates an up stop, and a down stop.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 16: Leg details

Various bits were added to the upper legs.
The side details needed to be flush with the back, so to add these I had to route out a good-sized glue area to hold them.

Step 17: Process shots

At this point I temporarily assembled what I had to share my progress with a few folks.
Jon said "Whatever you do, DO NOT PAINT THIS."
That was good advice. I wouldn't dare cover up all these cool, woody details with paint!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 18: Body base

The base plate for the body was cut from 15mm plywood.
Note the specific bevel angles as mentioned in the photo notes.

Image Notes
1. 9 degree bevel
2. 7 degree bevel
3. 9 degree bevel

Step 19: Compound angles

This is where my brain started to get a real workout.
Side angles plus all kinds of bevels going this way and that. Yikes.
After some sketching and head scratching, I had a plan that worked out pretty well. The angles were close to what was needed coming off the band saw, but there was
quite a bit of fine-tuning required using my oscillating belt sander. This is the one I have, and from what I've seen, most other home woodworkers do as well. It's the only
thing of it's kind, and an incredibly useful tool to have.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Image Notes
1. Woot.
2. WOOT!!
3. Center sections removed to reduce weight and make the interior much more
awesome for LEGO play.

Step 20: Undercarriage to base plate

The undercarriage was glued to the base plate, and a few screws were added through the base plate from the topside to reinforce the connection. This was very carefully
and precisely located. It would be very bad to put this on all skee-wompus.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 21: Support stand

At this point I needed to make a little stand to hold the base and undercarriage while I worked on it. This was made from cheap 3/4" pine plywood.

Step 22: Glue up body frame

The body frame was glued up a this point. Screws were also added from the underside.
Front and back roof pieces were added, with skylights built in. These were improvised features on my part, but the holes double as nice little handles for carrying the
Walker.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Image Notes
1. When stuff just fits on the first try, that's so awesome. Or, I mean... I assume
it's awesome. There was so much tweaking and fine sanding to get these pieces
to fit, it's not even funny. Persistence!

Image Notes
1. There's a point when your on-paper plans just aren't needed. You have to
real-life fit stuff to the current state of things.

Image Notes
1. Center roof support blocks.

Image Notes
1. This back detail was a pain to get the angles right. The top secton here was
removed with my power carving tools. I drink a lot of cranberry red bull.

Step 23: Gull-wing doors

I wanted this AT-AT Walker to be cool. So, inspired by Doc Brown's Delorean, I decided to make two main access doors at the center of the body that raised up like the
gull-wing doors.
I wasn't sure how I was going to attach them at this point, but was vaguely planning on using a piano hinge. In the end that didn't work, and I had to make built-in wooden
hinges. These were a better option, and look so cool. More on those later.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Image Notes
1. The door pieces were made from 9mm ply, measured and cut to match the size
of the frame. No plan for these. The bottom parts are 3mm ply.

Image Notes
1. The miter track was positioned just right to allow for sanding the narrow
angle up top. Nice!
2. The miter track was positioned just right to hold the piece for sanding the
narrow angle up top. Nice!

Image Notes
1. Thin film of glue on both surfaces. Read to be stuck together.

Image Notes
1. Once the pieces were dry, I sanded the top edges down with a palm sander.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

The tape provides a clean line so I won't accidentally sand too high up onto the
door portion.

Step 24: Wood burning, torching, and lacquer

I used a wood burner to add lots of little surface details.
It's a unique look, and I was a little hesitant to commit to it. I had never done any wood burning before, so I made a lot of mistakes. But the mistakes blend in pretty well
and just look like intentional blemishes!
I used various tips from a basic wood burning kit to try out different effects, and also a propane torch to darken the edges and create some shaded corners and such.
All the pieces were then coated with several layers of semi-gloss spray lacquer, with a light 220 grit hand sanding in between coats.

Image Notes
1. Wood burner.
2. Propane torch.

Step 25: Gluing in LEGO plates

I swiped a few tan colored ground LEGO plates from my kids' stash of LEGO and glued sections of these down to the base of the body.
To do this, I used contact cement AND spray adhesive. The contact cement is brushed on in areas where spraying isn't an option. I waited about 15 minutes, and then
sprayed the spray adhesive on the bottoms of the plastic parts. I waited about 30 seconds and joined the pieces to the wooden base.
They stuck like . . . glue.
I picked up this gluing technique from Drunken Woodworker. It's a fantastic trick.

Image Notes
1. To cut the thin plastic I used a straight edge and an x-acto knife. Score a couple
times, bend gently, and you get a clean break. Sand the resulting bur lightly with
220 after and you're done.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 26: Attach access doors

To attach the main access doors, I had to modify them and create some built-in wooden hinges. These were glued and screwed in place, and then finished to match the
rest of the pieces.
The doors were positioned and fastened temporarily with masking tape where they needed to be. Then I carefully drilled out holes and installed little hinge pins made
from short pieces of metal rod. A bit of super glue was added to the pins just to the outside flush parts to hold them in place.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 27: Removable magnetic wall plates

I made the remaining four walls of the body from 3mm plywood. Small neodymium magnets were epoxied into bored-out holes, which will line up with screws placed into
the body frame.

Image Notes
1. No pattern for these pieces. They were just made to match the existing frame.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 28: Wall plate details

The details of the wall plates were added with the wood burner and propane torch, and then the pieces were lacquered.

Step 29: Tail section

I couldn't find many photos or images that detailed the rear section very well, so I just kind of made it up. Even watching and pausing the AT-AT scenes in Empire Strikes
Back didn't offer much help.
It seems logical that this is an exhaust-type area on the vehicle, so I went heavy handed on it with the blow torch. Additional notes in photos.

Image Notes
1. Having the front and back walls inset like this allows you to easily grab the
magnetic wall panels and pull them off.
2. These pieces (similar front and back) were just made up on the fly.

Image Notes
1. Heavy charring. Not sure I like it, to be honest, but it is what it is!

Step 30: Cockpit

The cockpit was built in a similar fashion as the body.
A pattern was made, and pieces were cut out and glued up. A top hatch was created with hinges similar to what was done on the body.
I learned a lot when doing the body section, so this cockpit was noticeably easier as I knew what to expect, and what dumb things to not repeat!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 31: Red Bull windshield

Is it a windshield? Polarized Empire-approved visor?
Nobody knows. I made it out of a piece of shiny red soda can. This little piece was glued in place with contact cement. The piece it was glued to was made from a small
bit of maple.
It has a shiny, metallic red color which wouldn't have been possible with paint. It really pops!

Step 32: Cockpit details

This was a fun part for me. I was in the groove now, and familiar with some techniques that worked well for the body.
For the cockpit details, various bits of wood were cut, glued up, sanded and glued in place.
Never underestimate the effectiveness of a stencil. They take time to make, but speed up the process immensely overall.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 33: Thoughts?

What do you think?
Better with the burned weathering/wear and tear, or better without? Let me know in the comments!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 34: Articulating neck

I really stewed over how to do the neck the whole time I was working on all the other parts. I just couldn't figure out how I would make it. I considered many approaches,
but none of them seemed likely to work or look the way I wanted.
In the end I finally decided to layer up rings of plywood, with a beveled piece in the middle attached with hinges. This allows about 40 degrees of movement side to side.
On the body-end of the neck I made the juncture able to swivel. I like the way it looks and works!
See photo notes for details.

Image Notes
1. The flat sections on these two will be sanded down to hold the hinges and
hinge pins.
2. Various mods were made to allow clearance to the cockpit access hatch.

Image Notes
1. This is a retaining ring which is screwed to the neck from the inside of the
body. Pressure from the screws can be adjusted to change the
looseness/tightness of the neck-swivel.

Image Notes
1. I considered adding multiple pivot points, but opted against it to simplify things
and keep the head/cockpit attached as solidly to the body as possible.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Image Notes
1. I actually ended up mounting this into my drill press. Neck pieces were
shimmed apart and taped tightly together to ensure precise, nicely lined up
hinge pin placement.

Step 35: Neck to cockpit

The neck was glued into the head/cockpit, making sure it was lined up vertically.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Image Notes
1. Not showing, but there are holes bored into the top and bottom of this piece,
but not all the way through. I put a drop of super glue into each hole before
assembling and inserting the hinge pins.

Step 36: Neck to body

The neck was screwed to a retaining ring inside the body of the Walker.
I wanted the neck to still work like a tunnel, so my kids could slide LEGO men in and out of the cockpit.

Image Notes
1. Screws were spaced unevenly intentionally, so I could match up the pre-drilled
holes without any trouble.

Step 37: Assemble!

I found it most easy to assemble the AT-AT Walker upside down.
Without legs it looks like some kind of funky woodpunk bug. That'll be a future instructable. Maybe.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Step 38: All done

This was a challenging project that really stretched me. I'm going to try to avoid overly complex projects like this for a while . . .
If you make one, let me know!

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

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Comments
36 comments Add Comment

rgregory123 says:

Dec 17, 2015. 10:08 AM REPLY

Aaaargh, I feel a little cheated. I literally just jointed Instructables to download the PDF for this, only to find out there are not templates involved. Oh well, at
least I'm supporting the site now.

rgregory123 says:

Dec 17, 2015. 10:11 AM REPLY

Just saw that you are updating the PDF. Sounds great, I'll keep an eye out for it. Forgot to say, "nice work!"

seamster says:

Dec 17, 2015. 12:25 PM REPLY

I have added my templates to step 4. Be sure to grab the pdf "AT AT templates" attachment . . . rather than download the instructable as a pdf (that
just converts the content into a pdf that you can save on your computer--there's no additional information contained in that other than what's already
in the online version).
Hope you make one. Good luck!

bricobart says:

Dec 17, 2015. 10:56 AM REPLY

Just when I was slightly gettin' drunk I stumbled on this.

Instant sober!
Got to start all over again!
Why sam, why, did you make this?!

Kiteman says:

Dec 17, 2015. 9:59 AM REPLY

According to the Young People I know, the word I need is...

ZOMG!
AlternateLives says:

Dec 17, 2015. 6:09 AM REPLY

If I were still in my Lego stop-motion movie making days, I wouldn't have killed for this, due to my religious upbringing, but serious maiming wouldn't be out of
the question.
This is absolutely beautiful! And I'll weigh in and say the head looks much better with the burned accents than without. The AT-AT looks like it's seen some
service rather than shiny - new from the factory.

seamster says:

Dec 17, 2015. 9:33 AM REPLY

Thanks!
This would be perfect for doing some stop motion videos. Just like the way the original AT-AT scenes were done!

bobbyseitz says:

Dec 17, 2015. 9:14 AM REPLY

EXCELLENT Project! Very good use of materials and love the details.

cybercapri says:

Dec 17, 2015. 8:38 AM REPLY

Great Project, very well done....

jhamon says:

Dec 17, 2015. 8:32 AM REPLY

Lets see the PDF's I want to try to cut one out on the CNC.

trcky1 says:

Dec 17, 2015. 8:21 AM REPLY

That is one of the coolest projects I have seen in a bit. Beautiful work!

Erivelton says:

Dec 17, 2015. 8:14 AM REPLY

Sam, I want to leave my congratulations. I know the difficulty of creating a project based in the Star Wars vehicles, because I designed an AT-AT, and its
design is phenomenal!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

RobF4 says:

Dec 17, 2015. 8:05 AM REPLY

I'll take 100 of em

BossyRangs says:

Dec 17, 2015. 7:58 AM REPLY

Wow Sam! You've outdone yourself on this one! Freaking awesome! (and boo to laser cutters)

mchau2 says:

Dec 17, 2015. 7:39 AM REPLY

fabulous indeed! i am churning up my own starwar project... yours is amazing! after seeing yours, i feel so inconfident now!

Stefanv10 says:

Dec 17, 2015. 6:19 AM REPLY

Awsome. Maybe even more so with... magnetic hinges!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Magnetic-Hinge-With-3D-Printing/

jcampos14 says:

Dec 17, 2015. 5:55 AM REPLY

absolutely gorgeous wood work, this thing is a family heirloom. I wish I had the patience to assemble something half as cool as this.

kylegilbert says:

Dec 17, 2015. 5:32 AM REPLY

This is seriously great! You always turn out amazing projects!

ClenseYourPallet says:

Dec 17, 2015. 5:13 AM REPLY

This is completely awesome. The wood burning details really sets it off for me!
I agree... Laser cutters are overrated (I say because I don't have one) great project

mlawing says:

Dec 17, 2015. 5:08 AM REPLY

Wow!!! Excellent work. This is waaay cool and excellently written/documented. You have my vote!

Chronotaku says:

Dec 17, 2015. 5:06 AM REPLY

Freaking awesome! *Thumbs up

ossum says:

Dec 17, 2015. 5:01 AM REPLY

Beautiful result! I thought it was cool when i first saw it and assumed it was lasercut, but after reading through, wow! As Vader would say, "Most Impressive!".

Jack Thundersteele says:

Dec 17, 2015. 4:46 AM REPLY

Very good Instructable, wonderfully complete as well, your attention to detail is greatly appreciated!

Tecwyn Twmffat says:

Dec 17, 2015. 3:47 AM REPLY

Wow! Fantastic! Just wish I was 10 years old again!

ehobbs09 says:

Dec 17, 2015. 3:25 AM REPLY

Incredible!

mlorang says:

Dec 17, 2015. 3:19 AM REPLY

Wow! That is incredible!

I am stunned!

Jedi_zombie85 says:

Dec 17, 2015. 1:48 AM REPLY

this is just so epic

Linkin_J_Knex says:
OMG this is great! voted for the sci-fi and homemade contests :)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/

Dec 16, 2015. 11:56 PM REPLY

Dire Wolf Forge says:

Dec 16, 2015. 10:01 PM REPLY

Amazing! True craftsmanship in every detail. Well done.

remael says:

Dec 16, 2015. 9:49 PM REPLY

Fantastic job. The wood burning really made it for me. it gave the ATAT a depth.

popsicle_mini-models says:

Dec 16, 2015. 9:12 PM REPLY

Really awesome! Couldn't have done it better myself...

bravoechonovember1 says:

Dec 16, 2015. 4:59 PM REPLY

awesome! where's the x-wing?

it also looks like it is laser cut

bravoechonovember1 says:

Dec 16, 2015. 5:00 PM REPLY

hmm my link doesn't seem to work http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Fake-a-Lase...

-BALES- says:

Dec 16, 2015. 4:49 PM REPLY

This is freaking amazing!!! My desire for a laser cutter just went through the roof! Fantastic Sam .. I'm coming over to play with it.

seamster says:

Dec 16, 2015. 4:52 PM REPLY

No laser cutter! Scroll saw and band saw.

Laser cutters are overratted!

-BALES- says:

Dec 16, 2015. 4:56 PM REPLY

Oh I saw, but I think I'd want to punch myself with all that scrolling. Besides, I don't have a scroll saw and my bandsaw is a drift monster.
Also, if we had the laser files, we could make a fleet. Think about it Sam ... an AT-AT FLEET! We all need that in our life.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-AT-AT-Walker/