2013 in Review: Our Favorite New Tools
These products caught our attention for being innovative, useful, or just downright cool.
Tools
Raid the Shed for New Tools!
Although we already have a decent lineup of cool Tools and Components for prototyping and making (like ShapeLock, and others), the T&C category is one we hope to expand dramatically in 2014. Thankfully, we got a bit of a head start with some gorgeous tools from Tekton and new lockpicking products from Southord.
Cool Tools: Sharing our Favorites
On the cusp of the launching of the Cool Tools book, I visited editor Kevin Kelly’s studio to share tools with others.
Shopbot Desktop: A Step Up In DIY Engineering
I know that 3D printers have been all the rage lately, but let us not forget the humble CNC mill. It’s capable of fast and precise fabrication in a plethora of materials. It definitely earns a place on any serious maker’s workbench. The ShopBot Desktop is a prime example of a desktop CNC.
Diresta: Hardwood Phone Case
I often use a Zip Lock bag to keep my phone safe from dust and water and the coins in my pocket. But the workshop environment is also hazardous to my phone with tools banging and shuffling around. So I made this case to keep the phone safe in and around the shop.
The Duality of the Physical and Digital Worlds
With easy-to-use 3D printers and 3D software, we’ve come a long way in giving everyone the tools to create with confidence. Yet for most people one piece was still missing: the ability to bring physical objects into the digital world and to complete the transaction, inextricably linking the two worlds so that anyone could use one to influence the other.
Use a Model Train Transformer to Cut Foam
MAKE author Bob Knetzger shows how to built a foam-cutting rig with a length of nichrome wire and a model train transformer.