Building Aluminum Guitars: The Open-Source Lobo CNC
This 3-axis CNC can go where 3D printers cannot.
CNC & Machining
The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for the manufacture of metal, wood, plastic, ceramic and composites. We talk about machining, using a lathe to machine metals like steel, brass, and aluminium. We make chips fly!
Fender Jazzmaster-Style Guitar, Built from Scratch
This gorgeous homemade electric guitar, modeled after the Fender Jazzmaster, was made from a 2″ slab of alder wood. From there, the maker planed, jigsawed, wired, sanded, sealed, primed, lacquered, buffed, and copper shielded their way to the finished pale green guitar, which is quite handsome. After going through the whole painstaking process, the maker comments at the end: “Whew…. I kind of want to build another…. Am I a sadist?”
Prototypes That Last: Simple Tips for Making Durable Parts, Part 2
In the previous installment of Prototypes that Last, we investigated several simple, powerful ways of predicting and improving the load limits of the parts you make. That’s pretty cool, but we have conveniently overlooked the fact that the elastic deformation of mechanical components can sometimes become a problem long before they suffer any sort of structural failure. Let’s pick up where we left off last week, and sort it out once and for all.
DiResta: Skeleton Key
In each bi-monthly episode of DiResta (every other Wednesday at 2pm PST), artist and master builder Jimmy DiResta (Dirty Money, Hammered, Against the Grain, Trash for Cash) lets us into his workshop, to look over his shoulder while he builds whatever strikes his fancy. On this episode of DiResta, Jimmy reverse engineers a key to open a vintage lock.
Prototypes That Last: Simple Tips for Making Durable Parts, Part 1
Translating basic concepts in engineering into surprisingly simple yet powerful parts design tips.
Inspiration: Laser-Cut Leather
Leather lends itself to the intricate design possibilities of a laser cutter, because it is pliable enough to wear on the body, but sturdy enough to hold its shape, even with large cutouts. I’ve collected a few of my favorite examples of laser-cut leather here, to serve as inspiration.
How-To: Add LEDs to an Engagement Ring
Engineer Ben Kokes created this incredible engagement ring featuring LEDs that light up when he and his fiance hold hands.
