Make subscriber Scott House wrote in to let us know about BikeCAD and associated cycle design software from BikeForrest. BikeCAD is a parametric CAD tool used to design hardtail mountain bike and road bike frames. Other variants of the software are available to help produce full suspensions, recumbents, tandems, and custom wheels.
This looks so fun: make your own paint brushes with the help of this guide by missannie. The best tools are the ones you make yourself!
Overall, I like the Shinwa 78610. Even though I have a decent capacitative stud finder, I often seem to end up using a 1/16″ drill to probe for studs, anyway. And if I’m looking for joists in the ceiling instead of studs in the wall, mechanical probing is pretty much my only option, because inevitably the ceilings in my homes seem to have popcorn texture which prevents the use of any kind of instrument you have to slide across the surface. So for that use alone, I’m glad I’ve got the Shinwa in my toolbox and think it’s worth the $15.
Remember MakerBeam, the T-slot variant that began as a Kickstarter project? MakerBeam is a Mini-T open-source building system. Mini-T is a miniature version of T-slot (a technology that is widely used for industrial automation, robotics and machine enclosures.) Not only is it small enough to work as a model building system, but it’s also precise […]
The open source Video Game Shield from the Maker Shed allows you to create your own games, graphics, text, sound effects, music, and more on an Arduino! Make awesome black-and-white video games that you can play on your TV! It supports up to two Nintendo Wii Nunchuck controllers for an easy, and familiar, interface. Note: […]
If you’d like to try your hand at turning on a lathe, but don’t want to shell out for a machine, how about printing your own EZLathe? Paul writes:
So I’ve built a complete mini lathe system I’m calling the EZLathe… Fully 3D Printable except a small motor, and a couple pieces of cheap electronics. And able to do small wood turning jobs, or small pieces of pretty much anything.
Add a few stepper motors and a controller, and before you know it you’ve got a nifty little cnc lathe.
John Park @ MAKE writes: “I enjoy making my own cocktail bitters, which involves steeping things like herbs, roots, barks, rinds, and more in high-proof alcohol for a few weeks, and then straining the mixture.”
