Tools

Hacking the SX2 Mini Mll

Hacking the SX2 Mini Mll

Jeffrey Nelson bought the SX2 HiTorque Mini Mill but didn’t want to drop $125 for the tachometer add-on, so built his own. I knew before purchasing this mill that it had a tachometer display port on it much like the SC2 Lathe has. I also knew there was no way in hell I was going […]

Pat Delany’s Designs for Low-Cost DIY Machine Tools

Pat Delany’s Designs for Low-Cost DIY Machine Tools

We have covered septuagenarian Palestine, TX, resident Pat Delany’s DIY multimachine, which is mostly built from recycled auto parts, before. Following on the success of that design, Pat has branched out, researching and promulgating three more simple build-it-yourself tool designs: A treadle-powered electrical generator, a simple compound lever drill press, and—most interesting to me—a lathe made from cast concrete and aligned with wedges sawn flush after the concrete has set up. Engineering for Change has a good overview of the story and the available online resources. [Thanks, Jake!]

In the Maker Shed: DayCounter Kit

In the Maker Shed: DayCounter Kit

The DayCounter kit from the Maker Shed comes pre-programmed with software that allows it to count up one day at a time, or have it count down one day at a time from a set number. The kit easily mounts in a frame, or poster-board (not included), so you can customize the surrounding text to suit your particular needs.