Skill Builder: Know Your Rivets
Rivets are one of the oldest, most reliable methods for permanently fastening two materials together. Here we’ll look at two of the most common rivets used in the home workshop.
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Skill Builder: Learn the Anatomy of CNC Routers
Anatomy of a CNC router For all the attention that 3D printers get in the Maker community, subtractive manufacturing — in this case using a computer numerical control (CNC) router — has a long history of making useful items. Like a 3D printer, it can do its job autonomously, but one should be nearby to […]
Skill Builder: 10 Questions to Ask Before Renting Time on a CNC Mill
If you’re like most of us, you probably don’t own an expensive CNC mill in your garage. In many parts of the country, one isn’t that far away. To use one, you’re likely going to have to rent time on it. Make every minute of time in front of the machine count by preparing in advance […]
5 DIY Bike Hacks to Avoid Buying More Tools
A little creativity and bike know-how can help you design or build workarounds for expensive and bulky tools
Turning Beautiful Spoons on a Wood Lathe
It’s interesting to see what can be made using a lathe. Beyond making simple table legs, users have created everything from intricately designed pens to highly detailed jewelry using a myriad of materials. Wood, one of the more versatile materials, can be combined and manipulated with other types to create some truly stunning pieces such […]
How to Make Spring Clamps Out of Plastic Pipe
If you find yourself needing a lot of clamps for a workshop job, you can easily construct a handful by cutting down a length of plastic pipe
The Versatility of Dremel Shines at Maker Faire
If you were to ask the collective Maker community to name their go-to tool, the enthusiastic response would be Dremel. No matter the project, the Maker will often tell you how they had to “go at it with a Dremel” to get it done. The beauty of the familiar, handheld rotary tool is its […]
