Turns out it’s also possible to drill hexagonal hole using a very similar tool based on the Reuleaux pentagon. The video immediately above, again from jacquesmaurel, shows a tool he describes as a “Vika attachment,” mounted in a lathe, boring an hexagonal hole in a piece of stock. The video below, part of the Wolfram Demonstrations Project, illustrates the process.
I love magnetic parts trays. When I’m taking something apart, using one for the screws and other tiny metal bits is one of the best things I can do (together with taking pictures as I go) to make sure that it all goes back together again more or less as it’s supposed to.
So the last time I was disassembling an appliance for repair (a video projector, in this case), and I was carefully arranging the screws for each subassembly in a separate little pile in my parts tray, it occurred to me that it’d be nice to have a magnetic parts tray with compartments for this purpose. And when I was imagining what the dividers would look like, a shape like the blade of a fruit wedger occurred to me.
For some reason, I have two fruit wedgers. I never use a fruit wedger, but when and if I ever do, I am confidant that one will meet my needs.
So I busted the plastic off ring off of one of them and, with a bit of filing to round the ends of the blades, discovered that the blade assembly fit pretty well into my 4? magnetic parts tray. And actually works pretty well as a divider, too.
Great looking results from the very accessible process of toner transfer galvanic etching, by Rab. [via Hacked Gadgets]
Adafruit’s most recent Part Finder Friday column featured these cool no-nonsense BUD USB 7201-C polycarbonate USB dongle cases, available at Digi-Key and Mouser and probably other places. They cost about $2 apiece if you’re only buying a couple and come in three pieces—two snap-together clamshell halves plus a connector cap—and take a 19x45mm circuit board, which seems to be a pretty common PCB size among commercial USB keys. I just ordered two to re-skin some generic thumb drives I own with bulky cases that won’t fit into the back port of my Xbox 360.. Good find, guys!
This trick might have been around forever, but it was new to me: using wine and champagne corks for file handles. Ray Connors, a new member of the Hack Factory, was showing me his handcrafted lockpicks when I spotted his files. A very clever alternative to buying handles, plus you can use different corks for […]
Japanese-style woodworker, Len Cullum, shows us how to create a butterfly spline.
I picked up this lovely old toolbox full of tools at a yard sale recently. Any advice on reviving some of those rusty tools in there? Please add your favorite refinishing/de-rusting tips in the comments.
