Tools

Custom DIY MIDI controller boards

Livid’s Builder series consists of a central USB-MIDI “Brain” board plus several input boards, each size-customizable for use with LED pushbuttons, rotary potentiometers, or faders. The system could definitely speed-up construction of that controller-of-your-dreams project – just be sure you won’t end up wanting a few more buttons after you’ve drilled/cut the enclosure (guessing I […]

Toolbox: First aid

Toolbox: First aid

In the Make: Online Toolbox, we focus mainly on tools that fly under the radar of more conventional tool coverage: in-depth tool-making projects, strange or specialty tools unique to a trade or craft that can be useful elsewhere, tools and techniques you may not know about, but once you do, and incorporate them into your […]

Ian Ross’s workbench and shed

Ian Ross’s workbench and shed

Australian reader Ian Ross sent in pictures of his awesome workbench, which packs some interesting gear like nixie-tube test equipment. It is the disorganised chaos of over 30 years of collecting discarded electronic devices. Some of the test instruments use lovely Nixie tubes and I also have a flat screen telly so I can escape […]

Amusing warning sign for CNC tools

Amusing warning sign for CNC tools

So I don’t want to go too far down the “funny warning signs” rabbit hole (you could get a whole blog out of that, I think), but a commenter on last Tuesday’s “Big Scary Laser” warning sign post linked to this design, of hers, for a warning sign to go on robotic power tools. I get a huge kick out of the giant menacing robot with the buzz-saw hand. [Thanks, Jennifer!]