This process animation makes it look easy. There should be a zillion different variations on the design of a chair like this. It looks like a good way to work with the concepts of compression, tension, torsion and shear with students as they design and build their own furniture. Have you used cardboard furniture design/build projects in a classroom setting? Let us know in the comments!
HostessWithTheMostess is one of my favorite websites for party inspirations. This “Berry Sweet” centerpiece made from flowers and gems mounted to a grapewood branch is colorful, modern, and interesting. Just like you!
Around the world, people are preparing systems to deploy in emergencies like the earthquake in Haiti, the Asian Tsunami of a few years ago and other situations such as hurricanes, floods, fires and the aftermath of war. Medical personnel are crucial, but their stuff needs to be with them, and they need a place to work. Below are a number of shelters that can be delivered and set up in places of need around the world. The people developing these systems are working hard, often with little funding and driven by their passion to create better designs. The projects below are all in some phase of the Design Process, and each could have its place in a variety of challenging situations. Each community has its’ own traditions of architecture, and the materials available vary by region. The designers of long term structures need to remain sensitive to these local realities.
Recently, I had a class of 7th graders designing in Sketchup. One of the projects is to accurately design a block of 2″ x 2″ x 1.25″. These designs were then converted to G code with Millwizard by an 11th grader who then milled them in the high school across the street on a Taig Micromill. This was a fun project that helped illustrate the concepts and processes of separating the design from the manufacture of objects.
The way it worked out was that the middle schoolers would make some designs, and share them with the high schooler. If the files were designed correctly, proper size, no overhangs, then they would be converted to code and milled. He was able to process 4 files in one class period by cutting in 2 inch insulating foam. Then, the next time I met with the 7th graders, I gave them the blocks they designed.
I am ready to admit it: I don’t have a facebook account. But, I do love my twitter and count on it to keep me connected to the craft community. I bet I’d have all the followers in the world if I rocked these adorable stockings from post on etsy, or should I say from […]
This studio is a perfect example of my dream workspace. Clean, but colorful. Orderly yet flexible. I could see myself getting plenty done in that room. The photo is by photographer Magnus Anesund, shot for Ikea. [via emmas.blogg]
This month’s theme of Make Space for Crafting has got me thinking about designer/hacker/artist Emily Albinski’s helpful 101 feature on SketchUp, Google’s free 3D modeling software, which originally appeared on the pages of CRAFT Volume 09. As Emily writes in her intro: For decades, computer-aided design (CAD) applications were expensive tools used only by a […]
