DIY Projects

Lasercut Fume Extractor

Lasercut Fume Extractor

Riley Porter created a large fume extractor that uses fans and carbon filters to clean the air in his workshop. This past weekend I decided that I would attempt a carbon filtering fume extractor stack (at least what I called it). Basically the fumes from the smoke of many different materials is pretty bad. The […]

Cool Idea:  Bannister ropes

Cool Idea: Bannister ropes

Image courtesy W.R. Outhwaite & Son, Ropemakers. Depending on where you live, this may be old hat for you, but I’ve lived 30 years on this earth and never seen a rope bannister before. And I just finished remodeling my staircase too. Besides being less expensive, easier to ship, easier to install, and way more […]

Rubik’s cube of Doom

Rubik’s cube of Doom

A few years ago (2002?) I made this “accessible” cube puzzle by simply gluing/drilling an existing cube. The goal was to get an intuitive sense of “where the cubes went” when a face was turned – by holding the back and viewing the front, the cubist can sense all faces at all times. This makes the design ideal for puzzling in the dark (which I did) but also as an enhancement for the visually-impaired without sacrificing usability for the sighted.

How-To:  Make rigid carbon fiber tubes

How-To: Make rigid carbon fiber tubes

Epoxyworks is a free magazine published biannually, and archived online, by Michigan’s Gougeon Brothers, Inc., who use it to promote their West System brand of epoxy resins, which I have not used and have no stake in, but it’s chock full of tutorials, tips, and techniques for working with composite materials that could probably be “de-branded” and used with whomever’s products you prefer. Shown here are photos from one article that caught my eye (PDF), by J.R. Watson, showing how to form straight and curved rigid composite tubes in carbon fiber, kevlar, fiberglass, or other braided material by laying the composite up over a mold made from split foam pipe insulation. It also covers techniques for joining the finished rigid tubing sections. [Thanks, Alan Dove!]

Cajun Crawler: If Theo Jansen designed a Segway

This Segway-style transportation device uses famed kinetic artist Theo Jansen’s style of bug-like locomtion. I think the rider appears to surf on another creature, perhaps a crayfish? Cajun Crawler [via @EMSL] More: Theo Jansen papercraft walker Theo Jansen-inspired Arduino walker Interview with Theo Jansen… Reader mail: Theo Jansen signs MAKE! Lego Segway needs only NXT […]