The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for the industrial arts from metal and woodworking to CNC machining and 3D printing.
Wicked mechanical papercraft from Instructables user dombeef. I actually made a remarkably similar model when I was but a lad, but it didn’t turn out nearly as well as this one. It’s his entry in their ongoing Toy Challenge.
This one, called “Galia,” is just one of twenty-two beautiful kinetic sculptures, most of which are zoomorphic, featured in Bend, Oregon artist Chris Cole’s online portfolio. Each has a well-produced video showcasing its movements, and they’re all available in Chris’s YouTube channel, to which I am subscribing right now.
Our pal Quinn Dunki sent us this fix she made to her rope-start salad spinner. The nylon cord on it broke. Rather than toss it away, she used it as an opportunity to learn more about the mechanism that powers it, and experimented with different replacement chord. Eventually she ended up with a 550lb-test paracord. Yeah. That oughta hold.
Cool folk art tutorial from delightfully-pseudonymed Instructables user “oldanvilyoungsmith” that manages to combine blacksmithing, old rusty bolts, and scorpions in a single project. Win, win, and win.
Every time I see some great mechanical, hydraulic, or electromechanical contraption left by the side of the curb for trash, I think about all of the great raw materials inside that I could use. Ed Sobey’s new book, Unscrewed, gives sage advice regarding how to mine the gold in them thar heaps of broken appliances.
A confirmed lover of labels, I’ve been known to geek out pretty hard over cute place cards. This Hammered Spoon Place Cards Tutorial from Elizabeth Anne Designs is a lovely, subtle way to keep your wedding reception or dinner party in order, while giving your guests a trinket to take home. I love that they […]
Netherlands-based design firm HEY HEY HEY created this Rube Goldberg machine which promotes its own identity: Melvin the Magical Mixed Media Machine (or just Melvin the Machine) can be described as a Rube Goldberg machine with a twist. Besides doing what Rube Goldberg’s do best – performing a simple task as inefficiently as possible, often […]
