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!

Theo Gray on electrochemical machining

Theo Gray on electrochemical machining

In this Boing Boing Video, PopSci columnist and author of the splendid and high-recommend Theo Gray’s Mad Science, explains how electrochemical machining (ECM) works and shows off a rig he put together to do ECM in his shop. The entire how-to can be found at popsci.com. Carve Steel with Saltwater, Electricity and a Tin Earring […]

Car Wars IRL

Car Wars IRL

I knew it was only a matter of time before Car Wars, Mad Max, and dozens of video games featuring weaponized vehicles, came to television. On May 11th, the producers of Mythbusters will be bringing Weaponizers, a three-part series, to the little screen. Two teams will design, build, and send into remotely-controlled combat, lethally-outfitted vehicles. […]

Round-up of gear-making books

Round-up of gear-making books

Automata artist Dug North has posted a round-up of books related to gear-making and is looking for suggestions for others. After seeing the beautiful use of gears in Bill Durovchic’s kinetic sculpture, I started looking for books on gears. The following books all look good and get great ratings from Amazon’s vast customer base. Additional […]

Video tour of the Craftmanship Museum

If you’ve never seen the Craftmanship Museum, either virtually or in person, prepare to have your geeky socks blown off. This video provides a tour of this astounding “model engineering” museum and workspace in Vista, California. This is really machining as an artform. Their “virtual museum” has an extensive online collection. Prepare to get lost […]