The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for the industrial arts from metal and woodworking to CNC machining and 3D printing.
The Digi Comp II is a replica of a binary mechanical computer that can perform basic mathematical functions. As shown by Windell Oskay of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011, it uses billiard balls as its counters and performs calculations in real time as the balls make their transit down a ramp with specially places guides and levers.
If you’ve ever wanted to experiment with aluminum anodizing but were put off by the conventional requirement for concentrated sulfuric acid, you will be very interested to read of Ken’s successes with an alternate process using the acidic sodium salt of sulfuric acid. This salt, sodium bisulfate (NaHSO4) is much safer to transport, handle, and dispose of than the strong acid, and appears to give anodizing results that are just as good or better.
Jeffrey Lipton of Fab@Home demonstrates their 3D printing system at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011. This open source personal manufacturing machine can print with many different materials from plastic to cookie dough. When used in a classroom, Fab@Home furthers STEM education by making students comfortable with the software, hardware, fabrication, and materials.
Where visions of crafting often conjure up images of glue guns, popsicle sticks, fabric and looms, hacking evokes soldering irons, microprocessors, and software. Truth is, there’s a lot of similarities between hacking and crafting, and even more to be gained from a dialogue between both groups of makers. Both hackers and crafters feel the same need to create things and manipulate materials, and have very similar basic requirements: access to equipment, space to work, and a supportive community within which to grow and share projects and ideas.
Remarkable art from Korean Young-Deok Seo, who works in many different types of chain, but always, it seems, with the human form as subject. The roller-chain piece shown here is but one of many beautiful examples, none of which have apparent titles, in the artist’s online portfolio.
According to Instructables user nsnip, they’re made from Baltic birch! To make this board, he cut the rounded ends off stacks of sticks with a table saw, laminated them stick-by-stick in five layers with alternating grain directions, and glued the whole thing together in an improvised vacuum press made from a clothes storage bag. Impressive, meticulous craftsmanship.
This XBox 360 controller was built by a certain Minister Morbid, who even included a brass lock and key for the highest in Steampunk gamer exclusivity. The piece is finished with antique burl wood, and even has leather grips for that authentic Victorian feel while you mash those buttons. [via Geeky Gadgets]
