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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/08/mister_jalopys_community_tool_box.html
Mister Jalopy, proprietor of what looks to me -- through my virtual window here on the other side of the country -- as one of the coolest establishments in LA, Coco's Variety Store, is one magnanimous so and so. He's created a community tool box to share with his customers. It contains 30 tools, chain lube, and Santa. Sweet. The identifying stenciling says "Bicycles 4 Lovers and Fighters," which I take as a Coco motto of sorts. And, as if to tug on my polymathic heartstrings even harder, there's Coop art, stickers from my favorite type foundry, House Industries, and to show that Mister J and Coco are in touch with their feminine side, there's even a fashion designer Kate Spade tag! And did I mention it comes with Santa?
We Loan Tools
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August 14 2010, 6:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/08/quick_n_dirty_220_volt_converter.html
This item was in a recent Cool Tools newsletter:
When I moved into my apartment I found it had a through-the-wall air conditioner sleeve. I ignored it and installed my window air conditioner. When that old AC died about 3 years ago, I was told by the co-op board that the rules had changed and I had to use the sleeve. I guess I should pay more attention to co-op board announcements. My problem was that next to the sleeve was a 110V outlet but every AC that fit the sleeve required 220V.
After being quoted over $1000 to run 220V to the sleeve I was desperate to find another solution. Luckily, I found the Quick 220 Power Converter. All it took was the 110V outlet near the sleeve and an extension cord from another 110V outlet on a different circuit. Instantly, I had two 220V outlets. And at $160.00 I was very happy with the price. They also throw in an outlet tester because both 110V outlets must be wired correctly (not something you can assume in an old apartment) for the Quick 220 to work. -- Donnie B
This looked dangerous and not likely UL-approved when I first looked at it. Before you jump to conclusions about the apparent dangers, and the seemingly high price, read the comments at Cool Tools.
Easy 110 to 220 volt converter
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August 10 2010, 6:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/08/repair_a_broken_ethernet_plug.html
Here's a really easy and clever fix for an Ethernet (RJ-45) plug, using two zip ties to replace a broken locking tab on the plug.
Repair a Broken Ethernet Plug
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August 9 2010, 7:45pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/08/shop_tools_101_at_madagascar_instit.html
Photograph by Eric Ogden for a Madagascar Institute profile in Popular Mechanics
On Thursday, August 12, 2010 (7:00PM - 9:00PM), in Brooklyn, NY, our friends at the Madagascar Institute are doing a workshop called Shop Tools 101.
This two hour class, which SHOULD be a pre-requisite for most Madagascar Institute classes, will teach you the basics of how to effectively prepare materials using our equipment. You'll learn to send sparks flying with grinders and cutters, make ridiculous amount of noise and smoke out the other artisans in the shop. Oh, and there are safety tips.
Gotta love a "learning institution" whose motto is "Fear is never boring" and that also has a class on "Flamethrowers: Theory and Practice" on their calendar.
Sign up for the Shop Tools class is here.
Shop Tools 101
Thursday, August 12, 2010, 7PM - 9PM)
Madagascar Institute
217 Butler Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Cost: $25 members/$40 non-members
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August 8 2010, 3:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/08/redneck_make_and_mend.html
Here is a selection of "redneck repairs," from There, I Fixed It (Epic Kludges + Jurry Rigs).
A few more fun ones after the jump. [Thanks, Kent!]
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August 7 2010, 3:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/08/formufit_sells_maker-focused_pvc_at.html
An anonymous reader sent in a link to this neat store. Basically, Formufit sells PVC connectors intended for maker projects. They feature glossy, unmarked fittings for pipe sizes ranging from 1/2" to 2".
Just like many of our customers, we got our start making household objects out of PVC pipe and hardware store fittings. However, the plumbing-grade fittings we had access to did not meet the needs of our more and more intense and complex projects. They also were not as attractive or flexible in their roles, and just didn't fit the bill.
Our PVC fittings are high quality; ultraviolet stabilized and made specifically for structure and design applications. What you can create is only limited by your mind and creative prowess, and one can literally create thousands of items using our fittings and off-the-shelf PVC pipe.
So what is the difference between our fittings and what you can get at your local hardware store? Well for one, our fittings have a high glossy finish. There are no manufacturer stampings, raised lettering or barcodes and all of the ends are flush-tapered and are made to look good in whatever application you put them to use in. Additionally our fittings withstand the abuse that sunlight applies to most PVC-based plastic products, keep their color and wont yellow or fade.
As a bonus, they provide Google SketchUp files of all of their connectors so you can plan before you buy.
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Digg this!August 5 2010, 10:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/08/plastic_model_kit_business_card.html
Designed by Bangkok advertising agency CreativeJuice for plastic model kit giant Tamiya, the letters in this card can be popped out and snapped together to build a robot, a plane, a boat, or a car. [via NOTCOT]
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Digg this!August 4 2010, 5:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07/leatherman_tool_prototypes.html
Via PopMech: these early prototypes of Leatherman tools. Starting with cardboard, then moving to wood, then finally a crude (compared with the final result!) metal example.
In the Maker Shed:
Make: Open Sourcerer - Leatherman Juice CS4 Tool
Our Price: $74.95
MAKE's very own limited edition Leatherman tool, the Open Sourcerer. This is our branded version of the Leatherman Juice CS4 Tool. Fourteen tools in one, including pliers, straight knife, wire cutters, scissors, five screwdrivers, a bottle opener and a corkscrew.
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Digg this!July 26 2010, 8:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07/wd-40_now_then.html
This is pretty cool WD-40 has a "Now and Then" pack via Giz...
To celebrate WD-40’s heritage and honor multiple generations of WD-40 users, we’re offering you a 1950s-style WD-40 Collector’s Can in the Now & Then Twin Pack.
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Digg this!July 24 2010, 6:30am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07/toolbox_retro_kids_tool_sets.html
In the Make: Online Toolbox, we focus mainly on tools that fly under the radar of more conventional tool coverage: in-depth tool-making projects, strange, or specialty tools unique to a trade or craft that can be useful elsewhere, tools and techniques you may not know about, but once you do, and incorporate them into your workflow, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. And, in the spirit of the times, we pay close attention to tools that you can get on the cheap, make yourself, or refurbish.
Everyone has their first maker experience story. Mine was when I was five years old and I got a Handy Andy Tool Set for Christmas, exactly like the one pictured here. My mother walked into our kitchen and cried out in horror as she found me on the counter top, using my tools to take apart the family toaster. That was transgressive enough, but the appliance was still plugged in! As the story goes, I had a hammer and screwdriver jammed down into the heating coils and was going to town.
I've always had a special misty-eyed fondness for that tool set (and my first Erector Set I got a few years later). Periodically, I go online and do a search on these sets and reminisce. Recently, I bumped into a blog post on Sir Richard's Tool Kit. He got the same set that I did, also for Christmas, at five years old. His post concludes:
It was a great thing to have these at such a young age. I did a fair amount of harm to myself and the tools during the learning process, but all worked out in the end. It was that introduction that gave me such a strong interest in tools and making things. Those are skills that have helped me to no end. And that makes me think of the quote by the great Red Green, "If they don't find you handsome, a least they'll find you handy." Words to live by.
I can only hope that kids today, at least those with make-minded parents, will have similar fond feelings, looking back on their first Sparkle Labs or Gakken kits or whatever. What are your kid tools remembrances and what was your first "maker experience?" Share your stories in the comments.
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July 22 2010, 7:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07/makers_notebook_on_evernote.html
As was mentioned on Twitter recently, Evernote now has a MAKE-branded "Notebook" section, a collection of tutorials from Make: Projects that you can add to your personal Evernote account. Many of us are big Evernote fans here, so it's great to have this partnership.
Make: Projects on Evernote is part of their new Evernote Trunk, an in-application showcase of content, products, and services. You can read more about the Trunk launch here.
Make: Projects on Evernote
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July 21 2010, 12:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07/make_craft_oreilly_spotted_on_it_cr.html
If you've ever seen the Emmy-award-winning geek British sitcom The IT Crowd, you've probably spent half of your attention scanning the background to see all of the great nerd collectibles and high-techery crammed in there. On the Channel4 website for the show, they have a zoomable, pannable tour of the IT basement and Jen's office. A bunch of issues of MAKE, CRAFT, one of the Make: Projects books, and not surprisingly, a bunch of O'Reilly tomes. What? No Maker's Notebook? IT Crowd set designer, email me, STAT! [Thanks, Chris!]
Explore: The IT Basement
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July 15 2010, 7:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07/wwi_field_sketching_case.html
We keep on ending up in the Wayback Machine when looking at scrolling map technology (and I bet we could go a lot farther back). First we started with the 1930s scrolling car navigator, then the 1920s wrist-borne map scroll. Here, Make: Online reader "TH" describes a WWI era (1914) scrolling device for map making:
The same concept of scrolling paper was used even earlier during the WWI era to make maps. The Cavalry Sketching Board or Field Sketching Case was like a handheld version of the old surveying plane tables. Two rods were attached to the sides of a wooden board to store a roll of paper that could be pulled across the sketching surface. A magnetic compass, an elevation clinometer, and a straightedge to use as an alidade were built into the device. It also included a leather arm strap so it could be used on horseback.
In use, the map maker would start at a point and set the compass to the general bearing of the road or trail that was to be mapped. Holding the board steady, he would carefully draw straight lines in the direction of various landmarks visible from his current location. The map maker then moved to a new point, aligned the board in the same orientation using the compass, sketched more lines to the landmarks, and made notes of various features along the trail. Continuing down the road, he would repeat this process many times. After returning to base, the sketch was turned into a usable map by filling in the details. The landmarks were located by finding the points on the map where the sketched lines intersected. The finished map could then be used by itself or combined with other similar maps to cover a large area. An example of this device can be seen above.
Original sketching boards like this are quite old and aren't seen frequently. But they are also relatively simple and any makers interested in the idea could easily produce a similar device.
[Thanks, TH!]
Hogspear sketch book 1914
More:
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July 13 2010, 12:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07/homemade_blow-molding_gun.html
Blow-molding (Wikipedia) is an thermoplastic forming process in which a hot polymer pre-form is injected with gas to press it against the inside of a hollow mold. It's how most plastic bottles are made. Designer George Fereday got annoyed that the primarily-industrial process was so inaccessible and decided to build his own DIY version, which extrudes pre-melted polymorph plastic through a custom die attached to a normal caulking gun to create the hollow pre-form. There's more detail over at Core77.
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July 1 2010, 12:12pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/06/panavise_crank_mod.html
Anyone who has an otherwise indispensable PanaVise, Jr. knows that that the turning knob can be sort of a pain. MAKE Flickr pool member Triggerdog7 got fed up with his and came up with this larger, easier to crank wooden jobby. Nice.
Panavise Jr Upgrade Crank
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June 30 2010, 12:15am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/06/wacky_multimeter_clock.html
Our maker compatriot, Alan Parekh over at Hacked Gadgets, has made this odd but cool multimeter clock, an homage to the Simpson 260 meter, using three meters to display hours, minutes, and seconds.
Multimeter Clock - Styled after the Simpson 260 Multimeter
BTW: This project got picked up by Design News, for their Gadget Freak series. As you've no doubt heard by now, we've teamed up with Design News to do our own Gadget Freak contest. You can find out more details on our Gadget Freak Design Contest landing page.
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June 23 2010, 7:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/06/and_the_super_tool_300_goes_to.html
The winner of the Leatherman Super Tool 300 giveaway is....
User: tegers
Congrats to you, tegers! And Happy Father's Day!
And to everyone who wrote fond reminiscences of dads and granddads, thanks for the heartfelt stories. Some of them were quite moving. We'll post tegers' entry, and a round-up of some more of our faves, on Monday.
If you didn't win the Super Tool 300, you can still pick one up in the Maker Shed.
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June 20 2010, 3:10pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/06/happy_fathers_day_1.html
Project from Popular Mechanics 1954, a blueprint lampshade
Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there. We hope you're having a fun day of paternal celebration. In honor of dads, here are a few excerpts from the reminiscences posted to the topic for our Leatherman Super 300 giveaway. There are a lot of really touching entries there that are worth reading through.
Pops grew up on a farm
Dad grew up on a farm and never had any money. His dad taught him early on that when you buy cheap tools, you always pay twice - one for the cheap one, then a second time when you have to buy the good tool after the cheap one breaks.
He didn't have a ton of tools, but he always made sure he bought good quality ones that lasted for 30-40 yrs. He still has the Craftsman socket set in a steel green case that I used to borrow to fix my bikes when I was a kid living at home. We used that very set of sockets to work on his truck last time I was home. — RapidEye
Bring the big one!
Growing up in the era before the multi-tool, there was always a big bag o' tools to lug around, and I was often the one doing it. I recall that, before my dad would head out to start some work, we'd stand in front of the giant rolling toolbox and select the tools he'd need. Hammer, pliers, screwdrivers, sockets... all in the bag or bucket.
Of course, sometimes you get part-way into a job and realize you don't have the tool you need. At those times, I'd be dispatched back to the house to get the designated tool. The heavier the tool, the greater the complaints about having to go fetch it.
So one day my dad, brother, and I are trying to straighten a dinged-up bumper removed from our old '76 Ford van (it met a tree in a backing-up accident). No matter what we tried, we couldn't get the main kink out of the thick steel bumper. Eventually, I was sent into the house for the tool of last resort: the eight pound sledgehammer. We had great fun watching my dad beat the tar out of the bumper for about ten minutes. Boy was it loud! We ended up with a bumper that looked like new, though (well, after a little Bondo and a few coats of paint).
To this day, my brother, father, and I refer to all sledgehammers as "bumper alignment tools." Bringing one out for a job never fails to bring a smile to my face. — introp
My Hero
My dad has all ways been my hero. He's the one who taught me how to use tools as soon as I could hold a screwdriver. My dad was a machinist, and every day, he would come home from work with a tool box in one hand and blue prints or schematics in the other. No matter how tired he was or how bad work was that day, he made the time to sit down with me and show me a tool I'd never seen before or show me the schematics he brought home. Sometimes, he would bring stuff home just to show me because he knew I'd love it, and he would brag to everyone at work that he had the only 4 year old who could read blueprints. Whenever something needed to be fixed, you could find my dad at his workbench, with me right by his side, handing him his tools. — mwgamemaster
Silversmith and fixer
After 25 years in the Navy (a mustang) and a career in real estate, my dad became a full time silversmith. Though I think he started it out of his love of tools and he swore he wasn't an artist, silversmithing allowed my Dad to express himself in a way that surprised him and the world.
Every image I have of him (he's been gone some 5 years now,) has him with an opti-visor mounted on his brow. He taught me that everything in the world is parts for making or fixing something else. Watching his strong hands move through gentle lines as he taught me to sharpen knives using his trusty Dremel will always stay with me as the image of a tool as an extension of self.
My dad dug my grandfather's 120 lb. oil field anvil out of my uncle's garden, proclaiming it 'not right' that such a tool become ornamental. That anvil is in my shop now and I hear dad's voice ('Take it easy') every time it rings with the strike of his 16 lb. sledge hammer.
A lot of the tools in my shop came from my dad. Every time I walk out there and smell 3-in-One oil, I feel his quiet presence standing at the bench fixing some appliance or carving wax for casting. Even though I inherited so many wonderful tools from him, the most important thing he left me was the understanding of the potential embodied by them, the knowledge that I can take things apart and put them together, that I can repair and improve. That I can create.
Thanks, Dad. I miss you. — Tim Deagan
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June 20 2010, 9:30am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/06/fathers_day_tool_giveaway_reminder.html
Don't forget that the purveyors of fine toolboxes for your belt, The Leatherman Tool Group, is giving one lucky MAKE reader a new Super Tool 300 (19 tools in 1). To be eligible, all you have to do is go to the original post and submit a reminiscence about your dad and his relationship to tools. Eligible entries will end at noon tomorrow (6/20) and the winner will be announced a few minutes later.
Father's Day tool giveaway, sponsored by Leatherman
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Digg this!June 19 2010, 2:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/06/homemade_split_nut_driver.html
In response to my Toolbox column on screwdrivers, maker "Funky Space Cowboy" sent this picture and explanation of his "split nut driver:"
My favorite driver is one I made from scratch. It's a sawmaker's split nut driver, used in making traditional Western style hand saws.
I've made several of these over the years but this one is my favorite and it was gift for a friend a very talented saw maker in Stuttgart. The handle is East Indian rosewood I turned on my mini lathe, the ferrule is a 1/2" copper pipe end cap from the hardware store that I polished and the bit itself I ground down to the correct profile from an old 1/2" spade bit. The '2' on the blade is the bottom half the 1/2 mark ;-)
Awesome job! Love the end-cap ferrule. Clever.
More:
All of our Toolbox coverage on MAKE
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June 18 2010, 7:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/06/bicycle_wrench_that_looks_like_a_fi.html
I designed this multi-wrench years ago but just now finally managed to get a prototype water-jet-cut in stainless steel by my pal, Makers Market seller Dustin Wallace. The design features 21 distinct wrenches for metric and SAE nuts, 3 flat screwdrivers, a serrated cutting edge, a can opener, a wire breaker, a centerfinding tool, and a lanyard loop hole. It's a long way from perfect--the can opener tooth, the serrated edge, and a couple of the tail-fins that are supposed to serve as flat-blade screwdrivers still need to have their edges ground, and the surface of the tool needs to be polished up quite a bit, but I was so stoked to get it in the mail I just had to share. The DXF file is available for download on Thingiverse.
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Digg this!June 18 2010, 12:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/06/toolbox_show_us_your_screwdrivers.html
In the Make: Online Toolbox, we focus mainly on tools that fly under the radar of more conventional tool coverage: in-depth tool-making projects, strange, or specialty tools unique to a trade or craft that can be useful elsewhere, tools and techniques you may not know about, but once you do, and incorporate them into your workflow, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. And, in the spirit of the times, we pay close attention to tools that you can get on the cheap, make yourself, or refurbish.
Since it's "Physical Science and Mechanics" month, it seemed only appropriate that we cover screwdrivers, a simple machine if ever there was one. So simple, in fact, that my call to my usual networks of makers didn't yield a tremendous number of responses. Maybe screwdrivers should have gone into last Toolbox's Homeliest tools round-up. OK, so it's little more than a rod with a handle on one end and a shaped tip on the other, but as we all know, our world is... well very screwed, so without drivers, we'd be in a real pickle.
I thought what I would do is inventory the significant drivers in my personal collection, followed by a few thoughts from friends and colleagues, and then throw it open to you all. What screwdrivers do you use and recommend? What tips for driving? Do you do any tap and die work? What do you recommend there? Please tell us in the comments below.
If I had to choose a "desert island" set of screwdrivers, it'd be a Wiha set of slotted and Philips drivers. Some tools just feel different in your hands. Wiha is like that. The blades are precision-ground high alloy chrome-vanadium-molybdenum. OK, I don't even know what vanadium and molybdenum are, but they produce a really strong allow that makes these drivers extremely tough and keeps their tips intact. The handles are well-proportioned to the blades so you get good torque and they have rotating caps for fingertip control. Some sets, like the above Wiha 26199 Slotted and Phillips Screwdrivers, come in a heavy-duty canvas roll-up. This is a really sweet set of tools for just over $25 on Amazon (MSRP $40.50).
Wiha 40010 Magnetizer or Demagnetizer ($6) -- I don't actually have one of these, but when the driver discussion came up on HacDC, someone was recommending magnetized drivers. Sometimes you want a magnetized head to help pick up and hold your screw, sometimes you
really don't want this. This device lets you to "turn on" and "turn off" a magnetic field. Nifty.
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June 17 2010, 7:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/05/xy_plotter_pr0n.html
Riley Porter's sweet plotter is built out of Contraptor beams and lasercut panels, and uses a custom stepper controller called TinyG. Next: can haz CNC?
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Digg this!May 30 2010, 8:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/05/toolbox_homely_tool_round-up.html
In the Make: Online Toolbox, we focus mainly on tools that fly under the radar of more conventional tool coverage: in-depth tool-making projects, strange, or specialty tools unique to a trade or craft that can be useful elsewhere, tools and techniques you may not know about, but once you do, and incorporate them into your workflow, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. And, in the spirit of the times, we pay close attention to tools that you can get on the cheap, make yourself, or refurbish.
We all have them -- those tools that we don't brag about, don't show off to other tool nerds, don't hardly take notice of ourselves. We've had them for so long, or they've become such an extension of us, that they're nearly invisible. We thought it was time to have a moment with these tools, to recall some of the stories associated with them (perennial tools always come with stories). We put a call out to MAKE readers. Here are some of the responses we got. Please add your own homely tool favorites and stories in the comments. -- Gareth
Jonathan Fulton -- I have this old pair of pliers; I'm not even sure where they came from, but they're at least as old as I am. There's something about a good old heavy pair of steel pliers that really adds confidence to the workbench, you know? I've used these to straighten nails, cut cable, I can even remember pounding in some nails when the hammer was not within reach. I hate trying to find a specific size wrench for a nut, and so most of the time, I use these pliers instead.
Recently, I reorganized my toolbox, and I have three other similar pairs of pliers, all Kobalt, or Craftsman, or some other mass-market company. The thing is, I almost never use them, they feel impotent and cheaply made next to this beefy Japanese pair. The brand is KAL, and I think the model number is 805.
James Vreeland -- Before the war, my grandfather was a toolsmith and perpetual tinkerer in Poland. After the fighting started, he and my grandmother were sent to a Siberian work camp. Not content to allow such an inconvenience to keep him from making things, he began to cobble together a humble toolkit. In lieu of a finishing hammer, he was able to scrounge a short segment of brass bar stock, which over time mushroomed at both ends and shortened by almost half.
Apparently he found this solution adequate, as when he and my grandmother moved to the States after the war, he continued the practice in his new life as a lamp maker. As each "hammer" got too short to use further, he'd toss them into a drawer and begin the process anew. When he passed, he had "finished" three and was well along his way to completing a fourth, which I use to this day whenever the need for gentle mechanical persuasion is in order. Thank you Jan Jakiela for teaching me what patience and dedication looks like, in the form of a one pound lump of metal.
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Digg this!May 27 2010, 7:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/05/redbluecnc_a_modular_cnc.html
MAKE subscriber Nick Santillan of Vancouver, BC, an ID student at the Emily Carr University of Art & Design, created this CNC for his thesis project.
I decided to tackle on making CNC machine by allowing people to be more experimental with them to progress CNC technology from the bottom-up. The end result is a prototype that is completely modular; users can rearrange the CNC in a few minutes to specifically suit the tasks. So a desktop CNC that can engrave below the surface can be transformed into a wall-plotter in a few minutes using only 1 wrench. Also it can transform into a wheeled-cart for ease of transportation. This allows DIY hobbyists to concentrate on new tool-head development without them having to learn how CNC mechanics works.
I created a blog that goes through my entire year-long process, and will continue updating it when I experiment with it. I currently have a Makerbot plastruder, though have not have the time to install it yet. The prototype is a fully functional 3 axis CNC (with a 4th axis lathe not yet shown), with a little fine-tuning I should have a video of it in action hopefully by the end of the month.
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Digg this!May 20 2010, 10:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/05/deluxe_dead-drop_spike_in_solid_sta.html
I first blogged the aluminum dead drop spike from Brian Dereu's Hollow Spy Coins back in March.
For those who aren't up on their tradecraft, a "dead drop" is a place where spies or other clandestine-y folks drop off items for later retrieval by other agents. A "dead drop spike" is a particularly ingenious little container devised for the purpose. Basically, it's a hollow metal spike, with a threaded watertight closure at the top. You put your top-secret microfilm or whatever inside the spike, take it to your dead drop, and stomp it into the ground with your foot. Then you cover it up with a rock or a piece of trash or whatever. The lid has a pull-loop built into it, so that when your contact comes by later to clear the drop, he or she can grab the spike by the loop and yank it out of the ground again.
Of the new "deluxe" version, Brian says:
It is machined from a billet of solid alloy 416 stainless steel, and has a threaded, removable top with an o-ring seal to keep the contents waterproof. When compared to the aluminum spike, this one is much harder, stronger and heavier. Although aluminum is a fine material for a dead drop spike, this demon made in solid stainless will last 4 lifetimes. Its dimensions are 3/4" in diameter by around 6 1/2" in length, and is painted with a black, scratch resistant finish.
More:
Hollow spy bolts
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Digg this!May 18 2010, 5:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/bottle_opener_ring_for_bartenders.html
Dustin Wallace, whose Oriboto Robotagami I am always raving about, also makes this wicked-looking wearable bottle opener intended for beverage-slangin' professionals. You can wear it on the top or bottom of your palm. It's good-looking, provides plenty of leverage, and seems like it might come in handy when the guys in black cowboy hats start smashing bottles over people's heads.
More:
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Digg this!April 30 2010, 5:03pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/wine_cork_pincushion_and_toolholder.html
And sometimes, it's just this simple. Urbanwoodswalker writes on Flickr:
This is a real handy holder I came up with for those delicate tools such as pin vice, delicate tweezers, sewing needles and pins. Even the stray craft blade.
I glued six wine corks to a jar lid. And that is it. The jar is holding pens and pencils, and this tool holder keeps delicate and sharp tools right where I need them. It's a great pin/needle holder too.
FINIS
See her Creative REcycled Container set
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April 23 2010, 11:59pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/toolbox_my_repair_kit.html
In the Make: Online Toolbox, we focus mainly on tools that fly under the radar of more conventional tool coverage: in-depth tool-making projects, strange, or specialty tools unique to a trade or craft that can be useful elsewhere, tools and techniques you may not know about, but once you do, and incorporate them into your workflow, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. And, in the spirit of the times, we pay close attention to tools that you can get on the cheap, make yourself, or refurbish.
This week, for Earth Day, we thought it'd be fun to focus some of our content on repair. It's actually staggering to think of what impact we could have on the entire cradle-to-grave lifespan of manufactured goods if we serviced them rather than tossed the majority of them when they begin to falter. Repair can be seen as significant act of conservation (of both material resources and your hard earned cash), as well as a fun way to learn about and maintain the technology in your life. To that end, in this Toolbox, I asked some of my maker friends what sorts of repair and maintenance tools and supplies they keep in their toolkits.
For my own repair kit, I'm partial to my Stanley Glue Gun, a roll of duct and electrical tape, nylon zipties, a Wiha precision screwdriver set, needlenose pliers,
Make: Open Sourcerer, Gorilla Glue, JB-Weld, and a basic home toolset (socket set, regular pliers, hammer, level, etc.). That'll cure most of what ails you.
I also have a media repair kit I keep handy. I bought a decent, cheap plastic toolbox at Home Depot. In it, I have all manner of A/V plugs and cables, RJ-11 and RJ-45 plugs and cables, wire strippers and crimping tools, USB cables, all sorts of adapters, cross-overs, and the like. Every time I go to Home Depot, Radio Shack, and similar stores, I toss in a couple of bucks worth of these supplies (and try to find obscure connectors and adapters I might need one day). This way, I rarely encounter an A/V or computer connection issue that I'm not able to address.
Douglas Repetto, Dorkbot founder:
"Z" Inch and Metric Fold-Up Set 12 Pcs, $10.17
#7324A18, Sizes: 5/64" - 5/32", 1.5mm - 5.0mm
From McMaster-Carr, a high-visibility hex key set with both metric and inch sizes in one package! Saves the day!
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Digg this!April 22 2010, 7:15pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/at_techshops_do-it-yourselfers_get.html
Some nice ink for the TechShop crew in the NY Times -
MARK HATCH sees the revolution going something like this: Wealthy, love-handled Americans will turn off their televisions, put down their golf clubs and step away from their Starbucks coffees. Then they will direct their disposable income and free time toward making things — stuff like chairs, toys and, say, synthetic diamonds. They will do this because the tools needed to make really cool things have become cheaper and because humans feel good when they make really cool things.
Should this revolution take place as planned by Mr. Hatch, much of it will happen at TechShop, a chain of do-it-yourself workshops. Mr. Hatch is chief executive of the company, which has three locations and plans to set up about 10 more over the next 20 months.
“Making things is core to who we are as Americans,” Mr. Hatch says. “We are inventors. We are creators. Once you give people access to the tools, there will be a resurgence of creativity and innovation.”
TechShop represents an inevitable, corporatized version of the “hacker spaces” that have risen in popularity over the past couple of years to cater to people who like to hack things open and see how they work.
The typical hacker space consists of a few dozen people who share the costs of renting a work area and buying tools. There are spaces that lean toward robotics, some that specialize in software and others that generally encourage the melding of metal, electronics and plastic in artful forms.
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Digg this!April 11 2010, 7:39pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/dual-purpose_workbench.html
Check out this excellent workshop Jim added to the MAKE Flickr pool. He's got his setup divided into two -- he calls them the "tool side" and the "nerd side." How about you, readers? Do you designate separate parts of your bench for different kinds of work or do you mush it all together?
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April 11 2010, 11:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/cnc_porn_5-axis_mill_carves_a_motor.html
As much as I admire the Dremel-on-a-Makerbot projects... wow. [thanks, Brandon]
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April 9 2010, 8:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/workshop_organization_tips.html
Part of what we're covering in our Make: Time & Space is how you manage your workshop. Do you separate your woodworking and soldering areas? Pegboard or no pegboard? What do you do with those funny-shaped tools that don't fit anywhere?
Here are some of the suggestions given and received via our @make_tips Twitter account:
Cover X-acto tips with triangle pencil grips... won't poke, won't roll, and adds retro looks! via @3leftturns
Try storing/transporting small parts like screws using packing tape! http://bit.ly/8h5UPG
Sort obj like Lego by size not color. Easier to pick a red 2x4 brick out of a bin of 2x4s than a bin of red bricks. (v @mightywombat)
Put an old magnetic knife holder underneath an old ice cube tray to keep your screws and washers organized. (v @flincshop)
Use synthetic corks as sharp tool blade covers (chisels, gouges, etc.): http://bit.ly/erQzj
Sort and store your through-hole resistors by the color of the third band.
Component drawers aren't just for electronics; try them for nuts/bolts, drill bits, rivets, thumb tacks, etc. Label the drawers!
cut up and recycle cardboard tubes and organize your boxes of misc cables by doing this: http://bit.ly/V7DWg (via @chamblin)
Electronics: A small desktop cup/container can be handy for gathering small clippings from leads, wire, and solder sucker refuse.
Clean and re-oil your tools after a messy project to extend their life.
Maker Pro tip: Check out @ULINE for boxes and other shipping materials: http://www.uline.com/
When rolling up power cords, start at the power source; unplug first and don't get shocked if the cord is frayed. (v @chrisspurgeon)
What are your favorite tricks for organizing and storing your tools and supplies? Share them in comments or tweet them to @make_tips. [Workshop image: Craig Smith]
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April 9 2010, 10:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/how-to_use_a_wirewrap_tool.html
I never knew this little tool was so useful! I know what's going in my next parts/tools order! Joe Saavedra shows us how to use a wirewrap tool in this informative video.
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Digg this!April 7 2010, 2:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/pantry-turned-workshop.html
Some of us are lucky enough to easily find room for a workshop. Others, well, have to get creative. Make: Online reader Kenneth Lee converted his pantry (above photo) into an excellent workshop (bottom photo). I especially like his magnetic shop lamp with exactos and hemostats dangling from it. (Click on the "after" image to see it big!)
Have you done something similar, readers? Send me photographic evidence of your storage and space management skills and I'll post the best of them!
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April 6 2010, 8:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/three-stage_brush_cleaner.html
Craig Smith wrote in with a brush-cleaning setup he created:
Did you know:
(1) Most people buy the cheap disposable paint brushes because they don't want to clean the expensive one-coat brush, or have been burned before by losing an expensive brush to improper cleaning.
(2) Most people clean a brush poorly in a one soak paint thinner process, leaving lots of paint residue in the brush, therefore ruining it.
(3) Most people pour a cup of paint thinner in a jar, clean the brush (poorly) and dump the thinner.
I made a 3-stage paint thinner jar/rack system that eliminates all of this. The top board has 4" circles cut out of it with a circle cutting bit, the bottom board has 3 ¾" holes so the jars cannot fall through. Four dowels glued in hold the rack together. The jars should be filled no more than 1/3 full. After several weeks of sitting, the oil based paints will fall out/settle on the bottom of the jars. The now clear thinner can be carefully poured into a container, the settled paint sludge cleaned out of the jars, and the thinner poured back in. One quart of paint thinner will last me dozens of brush cleanings with excellent results, minimal waste and I'm now buying the high quality paint brushes for superior results to use them over and over.
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Digg this!April 4 2010, 2:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/duct_tape_as_a_metaphor_for_life.html
Check out Kat Jungnickel's preso on "Technology You Can't Live Without" which describes the importance of duct tape!
I recently completed a sociology PhD during which I spent a year living with a community wifi group and also with a group of freakbike makers. During this research I noticed one particular technology central in both groups that was easily found, cheaply purchased and critical to their making practices...... Stickytape!
...
Stickytape is not only a technology you cannot live without but it is also a metaphor for life.
[via Beyond the Beyond]
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Digg this!April 2 2010, 3:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/04/make_way_for_making.html
This quarter, our theme on Make: Online is "Make: Time & Space." No, we're not talking about hacking the underlying fabric of reality (altho, if you have any cool projects in that realm, do ping me!). We're talking about all of the things you can do to organize your life, both physical and mental, to make room for making. We frequently hear from people (heck, we voice it ourselves sometimes) that time cannot be found in our busy lives for indulging in our hobbies, undertaking our pet projects, repairing our own appliances, cars, and gadgets, etc. So we thought it might be fun and productive to pick our collective brains, those of our extended maker family, and yours, to collect tools, tips, and techniques for better project organization and planning. So, over the next three months, we'll look at everything from how to organize your workspace to how to organize your head to be more productive in DIY.
We've been really digging, and digging into, people's workspaces of late, looking over their shoulders and hearing about their shops. We'll continue to do that, as well as getting into some of the nuts and bolts (er... so to speak) of their set-ups. We'll also look at project management techniques, software (and dead treeware) for organizing yourself, how to best do projects with kids, and lots more. And, it being springtime, we know some of you are itching to clean and organize your project spaces, so we'll cover cleaning as well.
We'd love to get your take on all of this. What tips can you share with fellow makers that might help them organize their physical spaces and free up their time for doing more making? Please email us with your ideas.
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April 1 2010, 7:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/review_of_made_by_hand.html
Treehugger has a nice review of MAKE Editor-in-Chief Mark Frauenfelder's new book, Made by Hand:
Do It Yourself. It's a phrase that's been snatched up by mainstream culture through televisions shows, best seller books, and craft store kits. But DIY, when you stop and consider it, means so much more than just building your own set of book shelves or knitting a scarf. It means slowing down and making something for the sheer joy of fulfilling your needs without mass manufacturing and big box stores. It means detaching yourself from a world that strives for perfection -- or at least makes you want perfection so that you'll keep your wallet handy -- and instead finding the perfection in the process of learning and creating. In Made By Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throw Away World, a new book by MAKE editor Mark Frauenfelder, these and other essential elements of life are discovered through the process of doing things for one's self.
Congrats to Mark!
Made By Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throw Away World (Book Review)
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March 31 2010, 11:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/workshop_panorama.html
I love this panoramic series of photos of Matthew Good's workshop. He describes the contents:
Ohm's Law
Medicine Man balsa wood glider (half finished)
Make:Electronics book, Maker's Notebook
Woolly Mammoth clone guitar pedal, nearly done
2.5 gallon fishtank, testing out temperature logging via LM34 and Arduino
There are no less than five computers on/around my desk. Not all are visible.
Small cheap telescope
Printing plate of some old ship
Guitars
More guitars
The mess? Oh, that just means I'm getting work done.
I can't believe he didn't mention the X-Files poster!
(Note: Click on the image for a larger version of the panorama.)
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Digg this!March 19 2010, 4:00am | More »
