makezine.com: Make 21: Desktop Manufacturing

Volume 21: Desktop Manufacturing

Learn how to make three-dimensional parts using inexpensive computer-controlled manufacturing equipment. Both additive (RepRap, CandyFab) and subtractive (Lumenlab Micro CNC) systems are covered. Also in this issue: instructions for making a traditional cigar box guitar, a magic photo cube, and a snow making machine.

View a list of all links referenced in this volume

Much More to Do by Dale Dougherty in Welcome
Five years in, MAKE is just getting started. Page 1

Mad for 3D CAD by Saul Griffith in Making Trouble
It’s the ultimate video game. Page 12

Who You Calling Unoriginal? by Cory Doctorow in Make Free
Reinventing the wheel is not mandatory. Page 14

Tales from Make: Online by Gareth Branwyn
Get Your DIY On(line) Page 15

Reader Input in Reader Input
Love of lashing, kids who solder, hope, and Scout skills. Page 16

Cranked-Up Creativity by Laura Cochrane in Made on Earth
Mike Adair, a 44-year-old artist from Overland Park, Kan., builds brightly colored wooden crank toys in his basement workshop. Page 18

Bright Idea by Megan Mansell Williams in Made on Earth
Eric Lawrence, a web designer and former art student at the University of Texas, Austin, made the first Styrolight built from the molded styrofoam his new Apple computer came in. Page 20

Emotional Aquatics by Laura Kiniry   in Made on Earth
Axolotl is a 3D audiovisual display attracting onlookers with a digitized squid-like creature that responds to facial recognition by simulating a sense of interaction and involvement. Page 21

Camper Van Bicycle by Thomas Walker Wilson in Made on Earth
Through the vehicular art series, the Camper Kart, Camper Bike, and paintings of vans, Kevin Cyr hopes the Kart will stimulate conversation about self-reliance, mobility, and shelter. Page 22

The Art of Fusion by Megan Mansell Williams in Made on Earth
Jared Pankin, who makes sculptures, is innovative with his use of plywood, fake fur, sawdust, foam, model-scale trees, and other familiar goods. Page 23

Mechanimals Menagerie by Ian Dille in Made on Earth
Andrew Chase welds together sheet metal, iron pipe, and used car parts to make mechanical animals, or "mechanimals.” Page 24

In the Zome by Bruce Stewart in Made on Earth
Rob Bell and Patricia Algara created their own hybrid structure, a DIY greenhouse they call the Algarden Zome. Page 25

Snow Science by Forrest Mims III in Country Scientist
Conduct winter experiments. Page 26

Maker Shed on the March by Dan Woods in Maker's Corner
Maker Shed kiosks on the march. Page 29

Cup Positioning System by Cy Tymony in 123
Use a cup to put you in your place. Page 30

Cutting His Own Paths by Keith Hammond in Maker
Eddie Paul is Hollywood’s fastest maker. Page 32

Big Kid Bikes by Nik Schulz in Maker
Bending bicycles with builder Greg Degouveia. Page 38

Locally Grown by Peter Smith in Maker
Carving boards and waves with the maker of all-wood Grain Surfboards. Page 40

The Nonsense Factory by Lisa Katayama in Maker
The Maywa Denki collective makes instruments of mass whimsy. Page 42

The Solar Catenary Reflector by Tho X. Bui in Maker
21st-century tech using 17th-century math. Page 43

The Revolution Will Be Squirted by Becky Stern
An inside look at MakerBot Industries. Page 46

Armchair Architect by Colin Berry
A new way to create 3D models for Google Earth. Page 52

DIY 3D Scanner by Andrew Lewis
Introducing the SplineScan computer-controlled turntable. Page 54

Your Own CNC For Under $800 by James Floyd Kelly
An overview from the co-author of the new book Build Your Own CNC Machine. Page 60

Direct Digital Wedding Rings by Jonathan Oxford
Create custom jewelry using CAD software and a 3D printer. Page 64

Open Source Self-Replicator by Abe Connally
This plasma cutter promises tool inter-changeability, and synergy with its RepRap cousin. Page 66

CNC Machine Kit by Steve Lodefink
Meet the mighty micRo, a tabletop CNC robot kit from Lumenlab. Page 68

MakerBeam: Lego for Grownups by John Baichtal
An open source building system for project boxes, robots, and more. Page 70

3D Fabbing State of the Art by Gareth Branwyn
3D printing and desktop manufacturing innovators tell us what’s currently on their radars. Page 71

Traditional Cigar Box Guitar by Mark Frauenfelder
Build this 3-string instrument that requires a minimum of tools and parts, yet sounds great. Page 76

Geared Candleholder by Benjamin Cowden
Make an elegant, all-aluminum candleholder with a movement containing 3 handmade gears. Page 86

Reaction Timer by Charles Platt
Use 555 timer chips to test your reflexes in this experiment excerpted from Make: Electronics. Page 96

The Drill Rod by Russ Byrer in Build Notes
Run a mini electric bike with a cordless drill. Page 108

Safe Bamboo Swords by David Battino in 123
Padded weapons for play-fighting fun. Page 114

ESP/PSI Testing Lamp by John Iovine in DIY: Science
Watch the universe play dice, by detecting random radiation. Page 115

Slow Down To Speed Up by Ken Murphy in DIY: Imaging
A smart, cheap setup for shooting long-duration time-lapse movies. Page 119

Elemental Knowledge by Wendy Tremayne in DIY: Outdoors
Think you’ve mastered fire? Make and use a bow drill. Page 123

Combo Snow Gun by Steven Lemos in DIY: Outdoors
Make snow with a pro-style gun for about $90. Page 125

Gourd Lanterns by Diane Gilleland in DIY: Home
Drill patterns into hard-shell gourds and let the light shine through. Page 128

Better Leather by Betz White in DIY: Home
Embellish leather using a woodburning technique. Page 131

Intro To Scratch by Jeremy Kerfs in DIY: Kids
Make your own games and animations, free and easy. Page 133

Magic Photo Cube by Ken Wade in DIY: Office
Make a fun, folding desktop photo display for about a buck. Page 136

"Glengarry" Brass Balls by Paul Spinrad in DIY: Office
This totemic desk toy assembles in 2 minutes. Page 138

Automated Fan Speed Controller by Duane Wessels in DIY: Workshop
Steady temperatures in a server room, using the MAKE Controller. Page 139

Electroluminescent (EL) Wire by Steve Boverie, Louis M. Brill in Skill Builder
Bring glow into your projects by learning how to work this flexible, durable material. Page 142

Water Landing! by Lee D. Zlotoff in MakeShift
Legs are broken and time’s running short. Page 150

Toolbox by Eric Ponvelle, Brian Kerfs, Sam Mason, Sean Michael Ragan, Adam Zeloof, Marc de Vinck, Justin Morris, Ed Troxell, John Edgar Park, Donald E. Simanek, Tim Lillis, Bruce Stewart, Gareth Branwyn, Arwen O'Reilly Griffith in Toolbox
A simply great calculator, laundry alternatives, a look at music, and the 3D camera you’ve been waiting for. Page 152

The Chinese South-Pointing Chariot by Donald E. Simanek in Toys, Tricks, and Teasers
For fun or function? A Chinese south-pointing chariot. Page 160

Maker's Calendar by William Gurstelle in Maker's Calendar
Our favorite events from around the world. Page 163

Instant Paddle by Tim Anderson in Heirloom Technology
Here’s a better, quicker, inexpensive way to make a paddle. Page 164

Wind Chimes by Tom Parker in Make Money
Sometimes it costs more to buy it than to make it from the money itself. Page 167

Benjamin Franklin’s Electrical Experiments by William Gurstelle in Remaking History
Benjamin Franklin and electricity. Page 168

Cake Decorating Conundrum by Michael H. Pryor in Aha!
Cake Decorating Conundrum Page 175

My Big Fortune Teller by Roger Hess in Homebrew
Build your own Zoltar Speaks vintage fortune-teller machine straight from the 1988 film Big. Page 176

MAKE: Amends Errata for this volume.

Where it appears	Traditional Cigar Box Guitar, Page 83
The error	In Volume 21’s “Traditional Cigar Box Guitar,” the tuners were mistakenly mounted upside down, which will make the guitar more difficult to keep in tune. To mount them correctly, simply flip them so the string tension is always pulling the shaft toward the gear, not away from the gear.

Where it appears	Reaction Timer, Page 105
The error	In the schematic, S5 should be connected to the negative wire, not the positive wire.

Join the conversation -- every MAKE article has an online page that includes a place for discussion. We've made these RSS and Atom feeds to help you watch the discussions: subscribe.