Machining Projects, How-Tos and More

Working Iron Man Style Palm Laser Weapon

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

View more articles by Sean Michael Ragan

@seanragan

July 19th, 2011November 23rd, 2015 30

Yes, OK, I know that the weapons in Iron Man’s palms are technically *repulsor* beams, which, at least as I understand them, are a kind of wholly sci-fictional counterpart to the equally sci-fictional “tractor” beam. But this terrifying device from German laserhacker Patrick Priebe, who previously has produced a handheld Nd-YAG pulse laser that will punch holes in, is “working” in the sense that it is a dangerous, if not deadly, directed energy weapon that you can wear on your palm and use to work great evil…

Printable Nunchuck Pen Caps

By Sean Michael Ragan

Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

View more articles by Sean Michael Ragan

@seanragan

July 6th, 2011 8

From Thingiverse user PrintTo3D, who calls them BicChucks, and was inspired by a set of pen-cap cutlery attachments from lusofer.

Arduino Goes to War

By Sean Michael Ragan

Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

View more articles by Sean Michael Ragan

@seanragan

June 27th, 2011 20

Shown uppermost is the prototype of a handheld artillery spotting device developed as a student capstone project at West Point. The blue board to upper left is pretty clearly an Arduino Mega. You can see, in the near upper corner of that board, where the DC power jack has been desoldered and the pads hardwired to the battery pack. The system, called DemonEye, is now reportedly undergoing field testing.

Lemon Hand Grenades

By Sean Michael Ragan

Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

View more articles by Sean Michael Ragan

@seanragan

June 24th, 2011 6

I took an aesthetics class in college. One of the assignments was to package a piece of fruit in an innovative way. I bought a miniature pineapple, cut off the flower, and screwed the fuse, spoon, and pin from a dummy hand grenade into the top. I got an A. But then, I think, so did everyone else.

Marine’s Field-Improvised Chess Set From Afghanistan

By Sean Michael Ragan

Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

View more articles by Sean Michael Ragan

@seanragan

May 4th, 2011December 17th, 2015 72

A Marine’s battlefield chess set made from shells, rounds, and bottle caps.

Meet the Makers: Satya Kraus

By makemagazineuser

makemagazineuser

View more articles by makemagazineuser

April 28th, 2011April 14th, 2015

Learn how Satya Kraus felt when he saw a motorcycle for the first time in his life. Since that moment, he has been obsessed, and turned that obsession into Kraus Motor Co. He hand-builds the most incredible machines from scratch in his workshop under the redwoods.

Experience Satya’s remarkable bikes at Maker Faire Bay Area, May 21 & 22, 2011.

Giant Machete-Shooting Slingshot

By Sean Michael Ragan

Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

View more articles by Sean Michael Ragan

@seanragan

March 30th, 2011November 23rd, 2015 82

I love Cory Doctorow’s droll description of this creation almost as much as I love the thing itself:

This handy gentleman has built an (arguably ill-conceived, but nevertheless impressive) rifle-cum-slingshot that fires machetes, should you find yourself with the need to fire machetes.

The handy gentleman in question is YouTuber Jörg Sprave, slingshot enthusiast par excellence. He blogs about it here. [via Boing Boing]

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