Welcome: A magazine, a movement, by and for Makers
Dale Dougherty
It’s a rare thing that a magazine would become a catalyst for a community and a movement.Page 07
Make: Volume 92 — 20th Anniversary!
Wow, it’s been 20 years since Make: magazine hit newsstands and mailboxes. We wouldn’t be here without you! To celebrate, we got the original magazine team back together to give a behind-the-scenes look at creating the very first issue, and asked Fab Labs guru Neil Gershenfeld and visionary tech publisher Tim O’Reilly to look back at 20 years of the Maker Movement. Plus, check out all 90+ Make: magazine covers!
But that’s not all. Our annual Digital Fabrication deep dive explores the coolest high-tech tools for your workshop. New laser cutters — CO2, diode, and fiber — have more power and lower prices than ever. See our breakdown of “what cuts what” to pick the right type for your cutting needs. Then, check out innovative new 3D printers and CNC machines — or build your own handheld CNC router that automatically helps you cut the right path.
Table of Contents
Columns
It Really Tiles the Room Together
Marshall Piros
Discover this trippy LED light wall.Page 08
Master of the Micro Arts
Cabe Atwell
Gattem Venkatesh carves reeeeaaally small things.Page 10
Making Connections With Glass
Kevin Toyama
Chris Mosely builds strong community connections with fragile glass art.Page 11
Features
Making Mayor Clayton’s WonderLab
Creating a whimsical makerspace for “wish” kids.Page 12
Pinball Restoration Revival
Players and collectors come together to compete and to keep classic machines running.Page 20
Page
20th Anniversary
Back to the Beginning
Dale Dougherty
A roundtable discussion with the editors and designers who made the very first issue of Make:.Page 26
Make: Over the Years
Revisit 20 years of Make: magazine covers, from Volume 01 to the one you’re holding in your handsPage 34
The Band Began to Play
Neil Gershenfeld
Fab Lab founder Neil Gershenfeld, interviewed in our first issue, looks back on how Fab Labs — and the Maker Movement — have evolved over 20 years.Page 36
Triumph of the Makers
Tim O'Reilly
O’Reilly Media founder Tim O’Reilly says the future is catching up to what makers have known all along.Page 39
Digital Fabrication
Loving These Lasers
Matt Stultz
Laser cutters’ power is up, and prices are down — time to add a new tool to your workshop.Page 40
Don’t Fry an Eye
Ryan Priore
Wear your safety goggles! Protecting your vision from laser tools is an absolute must.Page 44
What Cuts What
Matt Stultz
Three laser types and which materials they slice and dice — and which they barely nibble.Page 45
Upping Their Game
Chris Yohe
Filament printers are innovating again, sparked by competition and the open source community.Page 46
LDO Inside!
LDO Motors is the secret sauce for some of our favorite, innovative 3D printers, CNCs, and kits.Page 51
Cocoa Press: 10 Years On
Ellie Weinstein
From hardware manufacturer to chocolatier and back — a lot goes into a 3D printer that prints chocolate.Page 52
Sharing Is Caring
Matt Stultz
3D file sharing sites now help designers get paid.Page 54
Carving New Paths
Matt Stultz
Smart new CNC gear we’re excited about.Page 56
Get Your Bearings
Cameron Chaney
Build a handheld CNC router that automatically keeps your cuts on track.Page 58
Upcycle a Printer
Transform an old 3D printer into a cool new CNC tool.Page 62
Projects
3D-Printed Lace Fabric
3D print lace — with zero 3D modeling skills required.Page 64
Wobble Disk Coffee Roaster
Use a heat gun, flour sifter, and a pizza pan to build the ultimate DIY coffee roaster.Page 70
Build a Better Screen Lock
Thomas Garaio
Use an Oxocard Connect to create a smartphone safe — respite for the terminally online.Page 80
Electronics Fun & Fundamentals: An Electronic Safe
Set your combo with rotary switches — and a timer to thwart brute-force attacks.Page 86
Squishy Tech: Bubble Blaster Brat Bot
Lee Wilkins
Hack a clever toy and a robot arm to make a bubbly companion.Page 92
Binders Full of Jammin’
Turn a three-ring binder into an ultra-portable music synth system.Page 98
Make It Matter
Building DIY devices to explore the emerging Matter home automation standard.Page 100
Toy Inventor’s Notebook: Flat Flicker Games
Bob Knetzger
Make three different mini tabletop games from a single piece of acrylic!Page 106
DIY Energy
$50 Water Turbine
Generate 200 watts from this pico hydroelectric turbine built from everyday materials.Page 110
Skill Builder
All About SMA Connectors
Wi-Fi, radio, high-frequency data — it all goes through these gigahertz coaxial connectors.Page 116
Level Up!
Use a video game-style skill tree to develop your real-world maker and life skills.Page 120
Toolbox
Prusa MKS4
Ryan Priore
Page 122
xTool P2
Matt Stultz
Page 123
Saturn 4 Ultra
Matt Stultz
Page 123
xTool F1
Matt Stultz
Page 124
EM-Smart One
Matt Stultz
Page 126
The Inventor's Workshop: How People and Machines Transformed Each Other
Kevin Toyama
Page 126
Over the Top
Cookin' Derby
Craig Couden
Customize your hot dog racers for a track that cooks them on the way to the finish line.Page 128
