creative reuse

That’s How We Roll

That’s How We Roll

Spotted in the MAKE Flickr pool, this homemade contraption from user Whymcycle who, besides having the best UID I’ve ever heard, has this to say about his creation:

Made from an 8 foot..96?..pair of power line spool hoops, sized down and painstakingly re-arc-ed back to more or less circular 84?, and crossbars of electrical conduit. Also with 4 handholds made from Schwinn Varsity drop bars…and foot straps of old car seat belts. We’ll see if practice, persistence and careful study of YouTube European footage..will allow me to learn some of the art of Wheel Gymnastics.

The device itself is called a “Rhönrad,” “gymnastics wheel,” or “German wheel,” and is apparently the basis of an entire sport in Germany.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan4
Make: Projects – CD / Suction Cup Status Dial

Make: Projects – CD / Suction Cup Status Dial

When I tried Jason’s trick for myself, however, I found that, while the hole in an optical disc does fit nicely over the hub of a hardware-store suction cup, all the cups I could find had this molded-in groove to accommodate a wire hook. This groove prevents the CD from fitting snugly around the hub, and allows it to spin too freely. If you only have two states you want to indicate (e.g. clean or dirty dishes), it’s really not a problem. But if you want better resolution, the fit needs to be snug so the dial can’t “drift.”

So I’ve added a bit of craft foam that fits down in the groove and secures the CD in place, and doubles as a pointer. This design adds just enough friction: The CD is easy enough to turn, but not so easy that it won’t stay where you put it.

I’ve included a printable version of the label I made for my own “returning at” sign, which can accurately indicate 96 separate states (any 15 minute interval in the 24 hours of a day), but the design could easily be adapted to other purposes.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan2
Greebly Coffee Table From E-Waste

Greebly Coffee Table From E-Waste

Though we see lots of furniture built from old computer parts, electronics, and other scrap, I especially like this one because I think it provides an object lesson in how to do this sort of thing and make it look good: Greeble it up! When you’re basically just glomming bits together to achieve a utilitarian form, the more visual complexity you can achieve in the surface texture, the better.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan12
Furniture Made From Close-Packed Tennis Balls

Furniture Made From Close-Packed Tennis Balls

Actually these HEX chairs from designer Hugh Hayden made the rounds back in 2009, but they’re just now coming across my radar via this round-up of tennis ball furniture that recently tripped one of my Google auto-alerts. There are plenty of unusual chairs in the world, and though I like these better than many, I’m more interested in Hayden’s process for joining the tennis balls together.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan11
ThinkGeek Giving Away Damaged Stock to Hackerspaces, Schools

ThinkGeek Giving Away Damaged Stock to Hackerspaces, Schools

How cool is that? From Blurgh! The ThinkGeek Blog:

We have a problem. And it’s growing at a rate proportional to our return pile. We can’t, in good conscience, resell damaged electronics. And we can’t donate them to charity–the saddest kid in the world is one with a handheld video game that won’t turn on. Garbage, then? Not good for the environment. Luckily for us, there’s an entire class of scavengers out there ready to pick the bones of our helicopters, keyboards, and interactive t-shirts: hackers, makers, and crafty techy types.

They’re even polling interest in a possible subscription service. [Thanks, John!]

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan10
Laser Cutting LPs to Make Dinosaur Models

Laser Cutting LPs to Make Dinosaur Models

When we have blogged before about folks laser-cutting old records to make stuff, readers have been quick to point out that laser-cutting vinyl is dangerous because it releases chlorine gas which, in turn, presents two hazards: A) you don’t want to breathe it (and probably shouldn’t just vent it into the atmosphere), and B) it will corrode the metal parts of your equipment.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan16