How-To: Plycycle!
Instructables user LongToe, inspired by design student John Hobson, borrowed tools and techniques from plywood kayak construction to make this beautiful laminated Baltic birch bicycle frame. Best of all, he shows us how.
Science
DIY science is the perfect way to use your creative skills and learn something new. With the right supplies, some determination, and a curious mind, you can create amazing experiments that open up a whole world of possibilities. At home-made laboratories or tech workshops, makers from all backgrounds can explore new ideas by finding ways to study their environment in novel ways – allowing them to make breathtaking discoveries!
Sick ‘n’ simple squirmin’ worms effect
OK, so this video from YouTuber beachj0 includes no explanation, but my belief is that there are one or more cylindrical magnets embedded in the plastic bait worms (possibly by casting them in place using the DIY bait molds commonly sold to fisherman), and several more magnets attached to a platter rotating beneath the table. A simple effect, but strikingly creepy. [via Propnomicon]
Centuries of cranks vindicated by human-powered ornithopter flight
Although the Snowbird, made of carbon fiber and balsa wood and with a 105-foot wingspan, could hardly be described as “practical,” to me this seems like a major aviation milestone: Somebody, specifically University of Toronto PhD student Todd Reichert and co-workers, finally did it. All those old black and white “wacky inventor” blooper reels set to goofy music can eat it. [via Toronto Star]
How-To: Dried Flower Bouquets
Happy first day of autumn! I was cutting off the dead stuff on some wild irises in my yard last weekend and noticed how delicate and beautiful the dried blossoms were. This got me thinking about the dried up, deep brown blooms (Curly Dock) you always see by the side of the road this time […]
ChemHacker’s DIY scanning-tunneling microscope up and running
Sacha De’Angeli of Chemhacker has announced the release of version oh-point-one of ChemHackerSTM, a scanning and tunneling microscope (SMT). I’ve gotten the scanning tunneling microscope built and working (well, 0.1 is just proof of concept). To celebrate and in anticipation of MakerFaire and Open Hardware Summit, I’m releasing all designs and source code using GPL3.0. […]
How-To: Anodized titanium jump rings
Titanium is really cool for a lot of reasons, but this Instructable by, ah, “Thursday” highlights one in particular: It is incredibly easy to anodize, and produces really striking colors when anodized. So, you know, if you’re interested in anodizing this is an way to start experimenting. Thursday has stripped the anodizing process down to it’s absolute minimum here: small titanium bits, white vinegar, a stack of 9V batteries, and a counterelectrode. Now I want to see somebody use all those differently-colored rings to make a chain-mail photomosaic.
Sketching machine draws pictures using sound
In response to the vibrating conveyor belt post, Ranjit Bhatnagar let us know about the sketching device #1 that he built back in 2002.
