Build a "working" tricorder

Step 9 Cutting the middle and bottom

 With the head and sides complete, we need to cut a middle and bottom piece to assemble the body.  The middle and bottom need to be slightly longer than the length of the head -- about 1/8 inch.  Cut two identical pieces out of the 3/4 pine.  The front and back plates of the tricorder are just a couple of pieces of 1/4 inch cardboard, so we need to reduce the thickness a bit.  The bottom plate is reduced by 1/4 inch on each side, so it ends up about 3.25 inches deep.   I used a bit of inexpensive 5/8 inch aluminum towel rod as a crossbar, so the middle plate is reduced to 2 5/8.   Use the leftover bits as glue blocks.  Test fit with the head and then glue up.