Wood and Tape Deployable Structure
This neat expanding structure is made from pine parallelepipeds and white duct tape. Creator Ryan McCaffrey calles it the “Jitterbug.” [via Make: Online]
design
Polka Dot Bicycle Helmet
I was just catching up on my RSS reader and stumbled across this fantastic polka dot bike helmet on Oh Joy! She took a basic black bike helmet and added decals to turn what’s generally a boring safety item into something quite stylish. Yay for safety!
Mixed Media Valentine Applique
With Valentine’s Day upon us I thought I’d make a project that would be a fun gift for your valentine. This mixed media appliqué project was inspired by the “I Love You” fabric used for the man’s face. I found it on Etsy and almost immediately knew what I wanted to do with it. He […]
Cardboard chair process video
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!
How-To: Berry Sweet Grapewood Centerpiece
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!
Post-disaster shelters
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.
Milled blocks designed in Sketchup
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.