Volume 21: Desktop Manufacturing

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Volume 21: Desktop Manufacturing

Features how-to articles that give individuals and small groups the know-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 cigar box guitar, a magic photo cube, and a snow making machine.

View a list of all links referenced in this volume

Table of Contents

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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Direct Digital Wedding Rings by Jonathan Oxford
Page 64

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

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

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

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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

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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

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

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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

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

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Puzzle This by Michael H. Pryor in Aha!
Cake decorating conundrum. Page 175

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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

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