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This is my favorite paper plane design of all time. It is a completley flat glider that can soar and loop. enjoy!
I will show you how to tie a monkey's fist knot, and what you can make with them. I had aways wanted to know how to make these, and one day someone showed me how. They are really fun to make and whack people with.
Here's a little hack that'll save you needless minutes logging in.
There are limitless possibilities for using cardboard. This instructable shows many projects, short descriptions, included photos, mouth watering ideas, can't wait to get started prompts, where does the time go, I can't do it all, I LOVE cardboard , ad infinitum ways to envision it, design it, cons...
here it is. parts list rods: 4 gray 9 red conecters: 5
gray look at the picture 5 blue look at the picture making the
sticks just look at the pictures. the main frame get the gray
rods out. finishing the ring toss your done. that was shorter
than my knex gun w...
Regardless of what you may think of either platform, it's fun to see what others will do to get what they want. In the accompanying video Taimur Asad from Redmond Pie demos an alpha version of Frash running on an iPhone 4. If you want to try this yourself, check out this how-to. [via Redmond Pie]
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This is what gave me the idea for this but I didn't have any resistors
and didn't want to drive 5 minutes to the nearest hardware store. I
didn't actually take any pictures of my work so I got to go with
diagrams and a finished product video.
What You'll Need You ...
This is my entry for the flashlight contest. In this instructable I
will be showing how to make a rechargeable flashlight that charges from
your car. I got this idea as I often find myself using the flashlight
that I keep in my car, but have come to it many of times with a dead
battery. So my ide...
My daughter loves owls. She dressed up as one for the school parade.
What better summer fun could there be than to sew an owl pillow!
Disclosure - my daughter age 8 - and my wife are responsible for the
owl, I merely served in a supportive capacity. Create a
Design! The subject was easy---o...
I got tired of having to stick pins in a cushion after using them, so I
started using a giant novelty magnet to hold my pins. Naturally, I got
tired of just using a magnet, so I grabbed some scraps of funky material
an old fridge magnet and went about creating the fusion of a pin cushion
I wanted.
Tired of carrying a purse during the summer? Make a purse/shirt!
Deconstruct You will need a shirt, old purse, good scissors,
embroidery needle, thick thread, sewing machine, thimble, pins. Cut
out the section you would like to make a face from. Make sure to cut ...
Most chokers, in my opinion, are far too small and very limited and have
annoying amounts of skin-irritating metals. If I'm going to wear
jewelry or accessories, I want them to be big and rash-free. It's
a super special bonus to have pieces that are adaptable. I
recently rewatched Marie Antoinett...
I have wanted to make a LED flashlight out of an airborne tube for
sometime now, just never got around to doing it. Then I saw the
flashlight contest at 10 pm central time and thought
what the hell, lets give this a try. This is really a first draft just
to see how good of a case the tube makes. LO...
My daughter really likes playing in the water when it gets hot outside,
but we've had the worst luck with kiddie pools. The local wildlife
keeps getting into the backyard and tearing them up . . . or worse.
After the demise of our last kiddie pool I decided I'd try another
route. With a tape me...
This cool, bright, and breezy blouse is so easy, even beginning
sewers will have great results. Comfortable and airy, it looks great
with jeans or leggings for a lovely – and unique – summer
look. The bandanas can be any colors you choose. One will be the yoke,
two will be the sleeves, and...
This Instructable is to show you how to make an adorable ice cream plush
from felt (complete with ice cream scoops, syrup topping, whipped cream
and a cherry, strawberries, and cookie sticks). Please note, this
type of plush should not be given to small children as the parts could
come off if pul...
I've wanted to build a full spectrum flashlight for a while and seeing
the Flashlight Contest advertisement enticed me to build it,
asap. Once i finished this flashlight it turned out a lot better
than i had expected. I now want to make modifications to it to
improve it for my next flashlight. I w...
Adam Quest's tea cup midway ride, featured at Brickfair '10, is awesome in so many ways. Great model!
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I built the NAR, and modded it. The main mods I have made are to the
forebarrel and grip area, and the stock. I liked the handle connection
points, but the stock itself was too flimsy, even with the hinge inside
the handle strengthener mod, so I encased it completely. The main goal
was to encase, an...
I love making jewelry with my mom. The other day, we were watching T.V
and we saw an adorable necklace with a rose pinned on it. It gave us an
idea to create one that is much cheaper and funner. Roses are so hard
to make though! I tried my best to explain, but it takes practice to
make it just the...
With Just a few inexpensive or up-cycled materials, you can make your
own sweat-proof armband holder for your IPOD or Cell Phone.
Materials needed Gather the following items: 1. IPOD, or Cell
Phone 2. Vinyl Fabric (fabric from a child's raincoat,
vinyl tablecloth, oilcloth, or p...
If you're going to the beach, you're going to need a way to escape from
the cruel sun! Here are directions that can help you build your
own shade-supplying beach umbrella! Tools and Supplies For this
project you're going to need: -A bamboo pole (7+ ft.) -9 Wooden
dowels (mine are 4 ft. lon...
Amaze and frustrate your friends with The Amazing Magic Flashlight .
This very simple project should take you no more than 30 minutes to
construct. When completed you will have a flashlight that no matter how
hard anyone tries, the flashlight can not be turned on or off. However,
you, with the secr...
I wanted to build an easy flash light that last long and super
bright. This is what i came up with. I found
the bulb on Ebay for about $20 and found out it's operating
volts are about 3.6V-4.2V and 3 rechargeable batteries are rated @ 1.2 V
each but normally they run at about 1.33x3 which is ...
Avast ye scurvey Instructables.com community dogs! If ye like
ter cook up grub aboard the barbecue grill, this here Instructable be
for ye. Me, Cap'n Toglefritz, will show ye how ter rig up an apron
and a hat fer cookin'. Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! Ye
be nigh a pair o' hours from ye n...
A fan made from a hand powered flashlight and an R/C helicopter. This
fan provides a pleasant breeze to the user in exchange for some light
cranking. The Flashlight I unscrewed the screws on the outside and
the ones under the cover (mentioned below) I then removed all the
circuitry, the upper ...
Photograph by Eric Ogden for a Madagascar Institute profile in Popular Mechanics
On Thursday, August 12, 2010 (7:00PM - 9:00PM), in Brooklyn, NY, our friends at the Madagascar Institute are doing a workshop called Shop Tools 101.
This two hour class, which SHOULD be a pre-requisite for most Madagascar Institute classes, will teach you the basics of how to effectively prepare materials using our equipment. You'll learn to send sparks flying with grinders and cutters, make ridiculous amount of noise and smoke out the other artisans in the shop. Oh, and there are safety tips.
Gotta love a "learning institution" whose motto is "Fear is never boring" and that also has a class on "Flamethrowers: Theory and Practice" on their calendar.
Sign up for the Shop Tools class is here.
Shop Tools 101
Thursday, August 12, 2010, 7PM - 9PM)
Madagascar Institute
217 Butler Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Cost: $25 members/$40 non-members
The theme for Burning Man this year is Metropolis. This can only mean
one thing1: you need a Superman cape. Fortunately you can find
everything you need to make not just one but 4 capes by hitting up a
thrift store or rummaging through your costume box. 1: Actually,
it means many, man...
I have made an instructables once again! I tried to be as creative as l
could. This should hold your files or any other paper that's lying
around. You can hold newspapers, crossword puzzles and things like that
into the holder. Just remember not to overload it but quite alot can fit
in without it br...
In this KipKay video, Kip shows you how to make a simple sound effects thingy out of some PVC pipe, a piece of drum skin, and a spring.
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After read flashlight contest announcement, I try to make an
instructable although my english is not good enough In this project I
modify LED HEAD LAMP so it can use as a HEAD LAMP with USB Power.
Here it is the material & tool: Cheap Made in China 12’s LED
Headlamp. I bought it at lokal s...
It's a tiny bit of pencil, shaved by hand with a blade. I'll give it
back to the kid I got it from.
This is an easy alteration and would work on an adult or kid-size
t-shirt. It's a great way to give an old, tired shirt new energy!
What you'll need two t-shirts, one long-sleeved t-shirt OR one
t-shirt and some knit fabric; sewing machine;
scissors; thread to match shirt and safety pins Cu...
In this instructable , i'm gonna show you how to make an rc spy
robot which is controled by an rc car controller. this robots
can bring you videos and audios off the place where he
is because of the spy cam !! BUT the bad thing is THE
distance , it depende off the spy cam and the car . ...
Lizards are cool. Spool knitting is fun. Spool knitting a
lizard is cool and fun. This Instructable will teach you how to
make a spool knitting loom and how to use it to make a lizard.
Follow this Instructable, and you will have numerous cool spool knitted
lizards in no time. Materials T...
This is a simple method to make a flashlight that will last forever.
It uses a small stepper motor to generate energy and many capacitors for
keep it stored for several seconds. Ps:
I'm from Argentina so let me know any grammar mistake. Materials
Most mate...
This is a step-by-step tutorial which will hopefully get you through
your project! Uses for this bag might be: keep marbles, gum,
coins, pretty rocks, beads or anything else small you use daily in this
bag. You could make a very large version, and it would be a
backpack! Personally, I find it an ...
Everyone who has a veranda/porch/balcony wants a swing, right? So here
is a support we built. This swing support has holders for three
individual swings, or one big swing (three-four places ) or a hammock.
It consists of a metal pipe (2' diameter ), a wall-support (you
may need two dependi...
This is a very challenging Instructable that is not for the
weak: physicsally or mentally. If you are brave enough to take on the
challenge and you succede you will have a very awe inspiring creation.
Chose the Potato This step is VERY important. Chosing the potato forthe
project can be ...
Note: as I like to enter the flashlight contest, I post the
instructable now. There were some problems, which I hope to
clear up the coming days... Broken or totally obsolete SLR cameras
can still look very cool and professional, and have a great feel to it.
To get knowledge of the...
There are numerous versions of Ikea Bike Stands out there. This one is
versatile, strong, and attractive. This uses the Broder System
as its base: Broder Post Broder Height Extension and Post 4 x
Broder Center Brackets Rope 2 x 3" inch diameter White PVC 90
degree bracket Pipe Insula...
I had an old, holey pair of sweatpants, but in this 100 degree heat what
I really needed is a cute skirt! This Instructable will take you through
refashioning sweatpants into a comfortable skirt perfect for summer.
Materials To do this refashion you will need: Old Sweatpants
Scissors Matchin...
Background to this project: Being the cheapskate that I am, I'm
always on the lookout for things that would be useful but I can make
rather than buy. I was browsing through online patents and found a
really complicated suspension strap made from one piece with the extra
loops cut from other ...
Shine in a home , street and party ! With this instruction , you can
change your drink . Your drink will get Luminous and pretty . It's
different for you . With GIF animation you can see the cup events . Fact
is better than this animation ! The tools you will need - 3 color LED
- 3 lithium batt...
Harness the power of fruit! I give you the Lemon flashlight . It's
the solution to the considerable worldwide energy problems that
scientists have struggled with for so long. Powered by a single lemon,
and with a brightness in a league of it's own, there's little stopping
this flashlight from becom...
In this Instructable I will show you how to hack a stapler so even when
it has staples it will not staple. This gag is great for the office or
school. Supplies 1. Stapler and staples 2. Metal file. 3.
Testing paper. 4. The fun part, a VICTIM! The Prank Setup Open up
the stapler and remo...
This project goes into the category "kids can do" because it's
so easy, quick, and the result is a very satisfying (and cheap) toy.
The models for these pictures are my boys, age 7 and 10, who are not
famous for their patience. Despite the numerous steps, it took them
about 5 minutes to complete ...
This is Lily the pug who had no clothes to wear prior to this
instructable. This is a child's size 3 T-shit Remove the
side seams of the t-shirt to about the halfway point of the dog's belly.
Cut a curved area on the underside of the t-shirt to allow for the dogs
to be able to do t...
This mini-hamburger is tasty and will guarantee lots of giggles in the
kitchen! Ingredients Bread Hamburger Tomato 2Green olives
Red Pepper Onion Carrot (optional) Ketchup 2 skewers Step 1
Begin by constructing your basic Hamburger Frog. Slice two pieces of
bread, leavin...
great for snipers in airsoft, hunters or people who feel like being
invisible. paint colors in order you put it on you can get these
paints in tubes at cabela's or any place where they sell hunting
supplies probably 1.leaf green 2.mud brown 3.flat black how
to put it on first if you w...
Hello, here is the progress of my project solex moped S3800
the system is back at the base of two steel washers on which roller
wheels are raised the wheels are modified with strapping even were to
guide here a video engine lacks
power, it is not fini...
INTRO:- This is a very powerful Flashlight that turns night onto day
at a radius of 100 feet. It uses 60 Bright White LED’s with a
Rechargeable 6 volts 4.5 Amps leak proof lead acid Battery. The
Charging is done outside the light casing with a 6 volt charger.
Step-1 Items you will...
This is a easy , pretty and cheap necklace . You can make it with
minimum materials and maximum art . It's a simple jewel . You can use it
in a party , with pride to your hand work necklace . It haven't range ,
It's for everyone . The tools and materials you will need - Allotrope
macaronis (Sever...
Our second annual Bierfest at our Brewery. This year we made 6
different grill-sticks, flammenkuchen and more.
So you have an old hard drive that can't store information any better
then an oven stores fruit? I assume you've replaced it with a new one
but what to do with the old one. It can't perform it's most
basic function, to store data, so you cant well use it, why not
take it apart and see how it works? ...
Via the HacDC Blabber list comes this giddy-with-awesome cardboard racetrack with camera-mounted R/C cars and an arcade racing cockpit where the driver controls the vehicle. The builder, Malte Jehmlich, says he spent several months working on the project. It's WipEout meets vintage R/C racing. I want! [Thanks, Daniel Packer!]
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A couple of years ago, we moved to a new, football-obsessed city.
Every Friday when the local team plays, all the school children dress up
in the team colors. The boys wear jerseys and all of the girls
wear cheerleading uniforms. We don't follow sports, but when my
little girl begged for a cheerl...
Commercial Sous-Vide equipement is $450 for the low end. You can
buy the equipement in this instructable for less than $50, and
probably less if you have any of the pieces laying around. This
instructable is unique in the use of a hacked aquarium thermometer to
heat the water when it starts to c...
Here's a neat video about a design firm in the '60s, and what it looked like to build things before the days of 3d modeling and rapid prototyping. Designers drew out many different plans, then the favorites were cut out in a machine shop, cast, and assembled painstakingly by hand. Looks like fun! [via core77]
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Here is a selection of "redneck repairs," from There, I Fixed It (Epic Kludges + Jurry Rigs).
A few more fun ones after the jump. [Thanks, Kent!]
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Todd writes in -
Longtime reader. Just wanted to pass along a little project I just had made. I have always loved this design from supposed Time Traveler John Titor ([en.wikipedia.org]). I used Etsy's Alchemy service to have it laser cut out of wood. I think it turned out wonderfully. Even if the story was a fake I'll never stop dreamin' of Time Travel!Read the Full Story » | More on MAKE » | Comments » | Read more articles in News from the Future | Digg this!
Ladyada writes -
This is actually not any sort of product or public project (!) – its something we designed to help me evaluate solar panels and how they act when charging batteries. Normally this requires a lot of multimeters and its a bit of a pain to do if you have to constantly change out panels. So we decided we would build a specialized tool that would assist us. Here is what we wanted!This design is intended for ~6V panels, single Lithium Polymer cells and chargers. It can very easily be adapted to any kind of panel and charger, you’ll just need to adjust the resistor dividers and such!
- Portable! Its hard to test solar panels inside
- Ability to log to an SD card for long-term data analysis (to be added later)
- Keep track of the solar panel voltage
- Keep track of the battery voltage
- Keep track of how much current is going thru the panel to the charger
- We figured if we had to build this, someone might find my notes useful.
Read about the tester here.
Connecticut-based artist Dalton Ghetti must have amazing eyesight. Pictured here are none other than pencils that he hand-carves to teeny tiny detail. Apparently, Ghetti is a carpenter by trade and the pencils are his side project. He uses razor blades, sewing needles, sculpting knives, and mad skills. My mind is officially blown. [Thanks, Markle!]
Displayed at this year's Brickfair conference in DC, this lovely viola is the work of AFOL Cindy English. [Photo by Joe Meno of Brickjournal.]
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I'm very happy to announce the availability of Jeff Potter's Cooking for Geeks in the Maker Shed. I met Jeff while he was making ice cream with liquid nitrogen at a party sometime last year. I don't think I've been more excited about a cookbook in my life. If you were ever curious about what you eat beyond the ingredients and recipe, then Cooking for Geeks is for you.
More than just a cookbook, Cooking for Geeks applies your curiosity to discovery, inspiration, and invention in the kitchen. Why is medium-rare steak so popular? Why do we bake some things at 350° F/175° C and others at 375° F/190° C? And how quickly does a pizza cook if we overclock an oven to 1,000° F/540° C? Author and cooking geek Jeff Potter (@cookingforgeeks) provides the answers and offers a unique take on recipes--from the sweet (a "mean" chocolate chip cookie) to the savory (duck confit sugo).
This book will help you:
- Initialize your kitchen and calibrate your tools
- Learn about the important reactions in cooking, such as protein denaturation, Maillard reactions, and caramelization, and how they impact the foods we cook
- Play with your food using hydrocolloids and sous vide cooking
- Gain firsthand insights from interviews with researchers, food scientists, knife experts, chefs, writers, and more, including author Harold McGee, TV personality Adam Savage, chemist Hervé This, and xkcd
"There's really no book out there like Cooking for Geeks--it's science textbook meets cookbook, written to appeal to anyone who's curious about how the details work in the kitchen," says Potter. "And it's not just for technical geeks--anyone who wants to do more than just follow a recipe will enjoy the book."
It also just so happens that Jeff was one of Today's guests on NPR's Science Friday with Ira Flatow.
In the Maker Shed
Cooking for Geeks by Jeff Potter
Sometimes, good hacks are dog simple. Here, a food can, some cement, some stick-wood, and some spring clamps are used to create photography light, reflector, and backdrop mounts.
Stick in a Can Poorman's Solution for 3D Lighting
Makers are getting involved, taking to heart our call to help build this new Make: Projects wiki, and the results are great. We're building up a nice library of projects, technique, and primer articles; they come from projects we do ourselves, from the magazine, and from the greater maker community. Thanks to everyone who's checked us out and chipped in.
And if you haven't checked it out yet, please do. It's a wiki, so it's thirsty for content. If you're an expert in something, share it with us by fleshing out a topic area. If you have a project, please share that. After you build one of the projects, hit the "I did it! Success!" button, and let us know what you learned via the Notes feature. And remember, you can amend projects, so if you've figured out a better way to do a step, have better pictures, have variations on the project, submit them.To whet your appetite, here are a few of the projects we're excited about this week.
From the Magazine
Gyrocar
Outfit a toy gyroscope with an electric motor to make it run continuously, and add an adjustable drive wheel that lets it chug along a monorail, balance on a string, circle the rim of a pot, and perform other tricks. Featured in the current issue of MAKE, this exceptionally fun electric gyrocar runs for as long as its AAA batteries hold out, and it's easy to make. So get out there and buy a gyroscope at the toy store and get hacking!
User-Contributed Projects
Periodic Elements Cabinet
It's an ongoing problem for any element collector, how to properly store and display your collection of elements. Sean Michael Ragan set about building his own snazzy display case for smaller element samples (which are cheaper, easier to get, and less radioactive in some cases). He shows you how to make your own case, which is something like a spice rack, but in the shape of the periodic table. Enjoy!
Techniques
Food: Bourbon Chicken Wings Recipe
With just a few more weeks of summer vacation for my kids (and a rumbling tummy as I write this), my thoughts have turned to food. Particularly grilled and barbecued food. Luck for me, Andrew Lewis has posted this amazing Bourbon Chicken Wings recipe. To tempt you, he writes:
The slightly smoky taste of the bourbon works well in this recipe, blending the sweetness of the Demerera sugar and the salt of the soy sauce. The mustard and garlic work together to give the wings a fuller flavor, meaning that they can compete on equal terms with the spicy red meat dishes that are so often served at barbecues.
Don't hesitate! There are lots more projects and recipes to be had. Sign up and get started at Make: Projects today.
Honestly, they had me at "glowing balloons." I've got a box on a shelf in my closet that houses my past, failed, experiments to make floating, glowing party balloons. The group at Carnegie Mellon that produced this Instructable makes it work by using weather balloons which are bigger and can provide more buoyancy. That the LEDs they use are tri-color versions that change to reflect the ambient air quality is just icing on the cake. [via Boing Boing]
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From the Thingiverse blog:
Rhys Jones's set of tweezers consists of PLA and silicone, printed in one run. KeanuWoah!
A couple of days ago, we needed another set of tweezers for the RepRap lab. Naturally, rather than going and buying a pair I thought I'd RepRap them. After a quick search around Thingiverse for inspiration, I thought we could do something a bit more fancy using the new multiple material setup. So I designed the following pair, where the top of the tweezers consists of a PLA inner section for rigidity/stiffness, which is then encased in silicone for added grip, and printed in one shot.
PLA & Silicone Tweezers on Thingiverse.
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Want to be part of Burning Man, but can't make it to the Playa this year? Well, if you like making pixel art, you might want to check out Illuminatrix! by Ben Delarre and Scott Saunders. They're constructing an RGB display to be shown at the festival, and are looking for people to contribute some art:
Illuminatrix is a project we've put together over the last few months for this years Burning Man festival. Its a 2D array of 16x16 ping pong balls, each of which contains an RGB LED that can be coloured any colour of the rainbow at any time. It will be displayed in the entrance to the More Carrot theme camp and to give it a bit of a twist we've decided to make it possible for everyone to contribute to the animations we'll display on it.Read the Full Story » | More on MAKE » | Comments » | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this!
Maker Faire heroes i3Detroit are hosting a Maker Mixer at their space next month, to give everyone who was too wrapped up in running their events a chance to relax and socialize. This should be a great way to catch up with everyone in the area and get involved in the DIY scene in Detroit:
Detroit's first Maker Faire was a smashing success by all accounts, bringing together hundreds of exhibiting makers, scores of awesome creations, and tens of thousands of onlookers and makers-to-be. It was educational, entertaining, and most of all, busy.So busy, in fact, that many makers spent the whole weekend in their booths, with little opportunity to meet each other. And while the spectacle was great for short-term attention, the synergy is where long-term gains stand to be made. To that end, i3Detroit will host an event we're calling the Maker Mixer. On September 4th, anyone who's interested in DIY (and especially anyone who exhibited at Maker Faire) is encouraged to come down to Ferndale and spend the afternoon at i3Detroit's shop.
Maker Mixer
Saturday, September 4th, 2010, 2pm+
i3 Detroit
1481 Wordsworth, Ferndale, MI 48220
Free!
In the first post of this series, I chronicled my experiences purchasing, transporting, and assembling Delta’s DP350 bench top drill press. You might want to go back and read it if you haven’t already. In this post I’ll look at the specifications and features of the drill press.
One of the first dimensions to look at when buying a drill press is what is the widest piece of stock the machine can drill into the center of. For some reason, manufacturers use this measurement rather than the more practical distance from the column (or back of the machine) to the center of the chuck. It makes the machine sound twice as big as it really is. So a drill press like the DP350, which claims to be a 12″ drill press, actually measures 6″ from column to center of the chuck.
Another critical factor in choosing a drill press is how deep a hole can you drill with it (quill stroke). Usually the longer the quill stroke the better. Delta claims the DP 350 has a quill stroke of 3-1/4″, but for the life of me I couldn’t get a stroke of any more than about 3-1/8″ no matter how I measured it. Then I figured it out. They installed a 1/8″ thick rubber ring on the quill, presumably to prevent the depth stop from banging into the head if you let go of the handles. This rubber ring prevents the quill from fully retracting, so if you need that extra 1/8″ of stroke you’ll need to remove it.
Speaking of quill travel, the DP350’s quill lock seems a bit anemic. It has a plastic handle and feels sloppy, like you’re going to strip the threads every time you lock it down. It hasn’t failed to hold the quill in place for me yet, but it doesn’t have the solid feel it probably should.
The DP350 spindle has a Jacobs 33 taper. Delta supplies a vanilla 1/2″ three-jaw chuck that uses a chuck key. The provided key has one of those annoying springs that you have to compress to use the key so you don’t accidentally leave it in the chuck and turn the drill press on. The Jacobs 33 taper is pretty common, so you can always upgrade to a better chuck later.
The depth stop is attached to the quill rather than located on the quill handle. This type of stop is usually more accurate and easier to set. It features a quick adjust nut, so rather than wasting time screwing and unscrewing the stop, you can press the release on the stop nut and slide it into position. You can still spin it up and down like a real nut for fine adjustment. Out of the box, my depth stop was loose on the quill so I fixed it by tightening the bolt that holds it on the quill. Also, the stop nut wasn’t squarely hitting the angle bracket they use for a stop. I think a little shim will fix that nicely.
The built-in lamp is a nice add-on. It can be turned off and on independently of the drill press and can be positioned just about anywhere on the left side and front of the press. At first I had a problem getting it to stay where I put it — the flexible arm seemed loose and the lamp would sag no matter what position I tried. To fix the problem I ended up straightening out the lamp and turning the head counter-clockwise one rotation; this seemed to tighten the flexible arm a bit. After that it stayed exactly where I put it.
To get a better look at the variable-speed mechanism, I pulled the top cover off the drill press by removing the 6 screws. Six rubber pads isolate the cover from the rest of the drill, presumably to reduce any vibrational noise. With the cover off you can see the two variable diameter pulleys. When I replaced the cover, I had trouble threading the screws back in the holes. I then noticed the four corner bolts have machine threads and the middle two have tapping threads.
The 1/3″ HP 120V motor attached to Delta’s variable speed mechanism will drive the chuck from 500 to 3,100 rpm. Interestingly, they only label the most extreme speeds on the speed control dial: 500 RPM and 3,100 RPM. Some Amazon customers have taken measures into their own hands [What’s This?], but doing so accurately will require some sort of tachometer or stroboscope. As I have not built, bought, or borrowed a way to measure the speed yet, I’ll leave that for a later post.
At 9-1/2″ wide by 9-7/8″ deep, the table actually is a little bit wider than Delta’s stated 8-1/2″: an extra inch for free! The table doesn’t have a flat bottom; rather it has tapered supports, which makes it much harder to clamp things to it. You can crank the table up to 1-1/2″ below the chuck to about 13″, depending on exactly how far the chuck’s jaws are extended. The only way I can think of that Delta got the 14-1/4″ chuck to table capacity is if they measure to the taper. From chuck to base measures 18″. Again Delta gives you 19″ in their specs.
I loosened the table locking bolt with a 3/4″ hex socket — I should have used a 19mm socket, but I didn’t have one handy. Then I removed the table alignment pin to test how far I could tilt the table. Delta claims you can turn the table from 90° left to 90° right, but in actuality the table spins 360° around the table locking bolt. The scale riveted to the base of the table only reads from 45° left to 45° right. There is a hard-to-see witness mark on the table that you’re supposed to line up with the scale, but given that a) the witness mark is 1/2″ above the scale, and b) unless you spin the table around the column to one side or the other the chuck gets in the direct line of site, I don’t see the scale being very useful.
Finally, let’s get a feel for how big the machine actually is. If you read the specs on the Delta website and look at the drill press you might get a little confused. They seem to confuse the terms height and depth. Naturally you’d think height would refer to how tall the machine stands and depth would be related to how much space you need to clear out in back of the machine to get it to fit on the bench. Delta seems to have these two reversed. Anyway, the press stands 37″ tall and measures 22″ front to back. The machine measures more or less 11″ wide, depending on whether you take the pinion shaft handles into consideration.
All in all, my criticisms are minor. I’m frankly amazed Delta can produce a tool like the DP350 so cheaply, even if it is made overseas. If the drill press would have had the Festool name and the accompanying $600+ price tag, I would have expected everything to work perfectly right out of the box.
If I missed some features you’re interested in, let me know in the comments and I’ll either add them to the last part of the series or respond directly to the comment. The last part (for now) in this series will be my impressions after using the drill press for a while.
Price Update: Recently I received a Rockler flyer in the mail. They’re selling the DP350 for $200 until August 27th, 2010. Rockler’s current online price is $220, whereas Amazon currently lists it as $270. So much for getting better deals online.
Shopmaster DP350 [Delta]
DP350 Explosion [Dewalt ServiceNet]
Shopmaster DP350 [Rockler]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Becky spotted this delightful improvisation from Dutch artist Helmut Smits. Now we need somebody to put a printer in a windshield wiper blade that can paint graphics across the windshield and/or wipe them off on command. Or maybe a windshield wiper POV display? [via CRAFT]
More:
The Real Thing - Clean water filtered from Coca-Cola
I love Abraham Neddermann's Dice Creator's Blog, full of his experiments with gaming dice. His most recent creation is a lovely hollow twenty-sider he calls Larry Niven's d20.
Today's post, can be described as a truly "Concept Die", like the concept cars you see on many auto shows. It comes as a solution to "The D20 question", which is, more or less, the unpracticality of a barrel type D20. You know, as you increase the faces number with a constant face width, diameter of the die also increases.
A few days ago, Abraham had tried to make a ">solid version, and it ended up weighing in at 37.5 grams (about 1.3 oz) -- this one seems more practical! So much so that he's adopted it has his personal d20.
More:
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Gearbox's smartphone-controlled ball looks quite cool, offers much potential for creative game ideas -
So basically how HTC/Android/Apple make smart phones, we make smart toys. Our first smart toy is a robotic ball that you can move by tilting your phone in the direction you want the ball to roll. We are then leveraging the connectivity and computing power of the phone to create a fully interactive experience for the user. Our first app for the ball is Sumo. I throw my ball on a table, you throws yours on the table and then we can try and sumo each others ball off the table.Very cools - definitely a ball you'll want to avoid getting stuck in a tree/roof/traffic. More info and more example app ideas on Gearbox's site. [via TechCrunch]
[…]
Aside from the games we produce we are also opening up the APIs for the ball so any app developer with no hardware knowledge can build their own games or applications and bring them to the real world.
Okie from LeafLabs got down with some experimental signal processing using Leaf's speedy Maple board and a custom shield -
Real-time audio processing is an example of an application where Maple really shines in comparison to Arduino. Maple has 12-bit ADCs with sample rates up to 1MSPS and PWM fast enough to clear ~11.8 bits of resolution (log2(72MHz/20kHz)=11.8) at a frequency twice the Nyquist frequency of the upper end of the bandwidth of the human ear (20kHz). And there’s a lot of clock cycles to do all kinds of really awesome stuff to the signal (e.g. echo, distortion, octave, harmony, equalization, flange, phaser, fuzz, ring modulation, and complete new imagined effects)!The EAGLE schematic/PCB files, code, audio samples, and further explanation can be harvested over on the LeafLabs blog.
The Maple's STM32 chip seems to be begging for more audio exploration like this. I imagine a basic music synth would be relatively easy to implement in comparison to effects processing.
Hmmm … must find more time for hacking.
More:
Just when you thought Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots couldn't get any cooler, makers Zachery Shivers and Anne Flinchbaugh go ahead and add a bunch of servos, a custom controller board, and some fancy sensor-laden wireless watches from TI to allow you to control your robot remotely. As an entry to the Texas Instruments Co-op Design Challenge, the souped-up game uses sensor readings from a pair of Chronos watches worn by each opponent to control their respective robot. [via BotJunkie]
Ghost of a Dream via NOTCOT.
Dream Car 2008 $39,000 worth of discarded lottery tickets, cardboard, cast plastic, wood, steel, and mirrorRead the Full Story » | More on MAKE » | Comments » | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this!
Our pal Dave Jones of the EEvblog has teamed up with Chris Gammell to do a yet-unnamed electronics podcast. Their first two productions, Episode 1 and Episode 2, are finished and available for download. Dave's really entertaining to watch on video, and if the topics they cover in their second are any indication, it should be a great show:
[via hacked gadgets]
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Thanks to everyone who entered the MAKE/Design News Gadget Freak Design Contest sponsored by Alibre, Allied Electronics, and Texas Instruments. We had lots of great entries and were really splitting hairs among the top five or so, but after careful consideration we are now pleased to announce the winners:
Grand Prize: Infrared seeking sentinel
Rick Prescott outfitted a Nerf® Vulcan EBF-25TM foam dart shooting machinegun with an array of Devantech TPA81 thermopile sensors, all controlled by an ATmega168, to create this wicked Aliens-style heat-tracking autocannon:
An idea sparked in my mind one day while walking the toy gun isle in a store with my kid and later that evening learning of the workings of a thermopile array while surfing the internet. The result is this infrared seeking sentinel which joins a realistically priced infrared sensor to a realistically operatable Nerf® machine gun to create a slightly less deadly yet still highly deterring automated machine. Personally I have grand plans to deploy the infrared seeking sentinel facing the entrance of my work cubical in order to speed interaction with less desirable visitors.
Rick has won $1,000 and a storefront in Makers Market with 6 months of free service. Congratulations!
Second Prize: GPS bus notifier
University of Florida student Miles Moody used a WizNet Ethernet module wed to an Arduino Nano to scrape and parse HTML from a local web service that reports the real-time GPS coordinates of the bus that takes him to school every day:
The program compares the location to where my apartment is located and depending on where it/they are, the device will light up one of three LEDs: red if no bus is close, yellow if a bus is somewhat close, and green if the bus is coming and I need to hightail it out of my apt. For the green case, a piezo buzzer also sounds so I dont have to be looking at the device all the time. It also twitters the current location of the busses every five minutes. This allows me to check via text message the bus locations when I am on campus.
Miles has won $500! Congratulations!
Third Prize: Not lazy Susan
MAKE buddy, occasional guest author, and all-around wondergal Dustyn Roberts built a custom board and enclosure from scratch to create this hands-free Lazy Susan for the dinner table that rotates with just a wave of the hand:
In this project, we'll use at lazy Susan (also called a turntable or thrust bearing) to create a rotating platform. To make things interesting, we'll use an infrared LED and phototransistor to make the table rotate with just a wave of your hand. You can use this as a table to magically serve food to dinner guests, or to make a fun interactive centerpiece for the next wedding you plan.
Dustyn will receive one of two $100 gift certificates redeemable at the Maker Shed. Congratulations, Dustyn!
Third Prize: Magic 8 ball mod
Mariano Alvira replaced the message die in a standard "Magic 8-Ball" toy with a blue OLED display that can be wirelessly programmed from outside the ball:
The steps outlined here will show you how to modify a standard Magic 8 Ball to replace the normal message icosahedron with a OLED screen, and how to add wireless microcontroller, and accelerometer. The screen is submersed in the normal Magic 8 Ball goo so that all the original aesthetics are preserved. The messages can be reprogrammed wirelessly without having to open the 8 Ball. The accelerometer detects when the 8 Ball is in use (e.g. tipped from resting to looking through the Magic Hole) and signals the microcontroller to turn on screen and fade in the messages.
Mariano, as our other third-place winner, will receive one of two $100 Maker Shed gift certificates! Congratulations, Mariano!
Thanks again to everyone who entered!
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Last weekend, at Maker Faire Detroit, I had the chance to meet Jules Pieri of Daily Grommet, birthplace of the term Citizen Commerce. From the site: "If you share the belief that the products we all buy are a powerful force in defining the world, then Citizen Commerce means that each purchase is actually an act of citizenship. (Good, bad, or indifferent)" Daily Grommet makes it their job to find fresh, new products, research them thoroughly, pick the best ones, and tell the stories behind the products and their creators. They pick and feature just one quality product a day.
What makes a good Grommet? The site lays out these parameters:
"• It's a wonderful product still waiting in the wings, just ripe for discovery.
• It has great utility, or style, or invention. Or, very often it has all three.
• It comes from a designer, or inventor, or artist, or manufacturer who is clearly passionate about what they create. Someone who loves to share their creations and talk to people about why they do what they do.
• It comes from a company that treats its customers well.
• Finally, like any intelligent or beautiful product, it has a great story, ready to be told."
Jules presented about Daily Grommet on the MAKE stage in Detroit (and was graciously patient with the AV issues that came up). Thanks Jules! Time.com just ran a piece by Jules, a Detroit native, titled "Innovation at the Detroit Maker Faire."
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The quality of craftsmanship and the attention to detail on these papercraft models of the band Queen are truly stunning. [via DudeCraft]
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Phil Shapiro (Takoma Park, Md.) sent us this video of solar cookers being built and deployed by villagers in Darfur. Amazing to think what impact some cardboard and foil material can have on the health and well-being of tens of thousands of people. [Thanks, Phil!]
40,000 solar cookers in Darfur
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Last summer, a commenter on my tutorial about how to make one of these from a shampoo bottle said, "instead of drilling a hole in the bottom of the bottle, you could cut off the bottom, flip the bottle upside-down and voila - hole." Don't know if there's any causal link between that tutorial and/or that comment and/or this anonymous photo recently submitted to ThereIFixedIt, but in any case it does look like an easier way to skin the cat. [Thanks, JP!]
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Looking to take a break from tinkering on your latest project this weekend? Here are some fine maker events to check out, from The Maker Events Calendar. Wish your event was on the list? Add it to the calendar!
Coming up this week:
Learn to solder with Mitch Altman! @Site 3 coLaboratory
Toronto, ON
Thursday, Aug 5, 2010, 7pm - 11pm
Glass Hacking @HeatSync Labs
Chandler, AZ
Thursday, Aug 5, 2010, 7pm +
Arduino! @NoiseBridge
San Francisco, CA
Thursday, Aug 5, 2010, 6:30pm +
Bot Builders Meet up
North Pompano Beach, FL
Saturday, Aug 7, 2010, 5:30pm - 10pm
Public Night @theTransistor
Provo, UT
Saturday, Aug 7, 2010, 6pm - 9pm
Anniversary party / the launch party @Freeside Atlanta
Atlanta, GA
Saturday, Aug 7, 2010, all day
Made By Hand: Mark Frauenfelder @Machine Project
Los Angeles, CA
Saturday, Aug 7, 2010, 8pm +
Annual Make:Philly BBQ featuring Wondergy
Philadelphia, PA
Sunday, August 8th, 2010, 1pm - 3pm
Flamethrower Theory and Practice @Madagascar Institute
Brooklyn, NY
Sunday, Aug 8th, 2010, 1pm - 5pm
Make:SF @reMake Lounge
San Francisco, CA
Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010, 6:30pm - 8pm
Take Apart Tuesdays @Crash Space
Culver City, CA
Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010, 9:30pm - 10:30pm
Processing (with Jesse Kriss) @Baltimore Node
Baltimore, MD
Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010, 7:30pm - 10pm
DIY Beverage Night @FUBAR Labs
Highland Park, NJ
Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010, 8pm +
Start planning for:
Inkscape for Laser Cutting @Metrix Create: Space
Seattle, WA
Thursday, Aug 12, 2010, 7pm - 9:30pm
Starry, Starry Night: Art & Astronomy Slumber Party
Saratoga, CA
Friday, Aug 13, 2010 - Saturday, Aug 14, 2010, 8pm - 8am
Arduino 101 @Austin Hackerspace
Austin, TX
Saturday, Aug 14, 2010 - Sunday, Aug 15, 12pm-4pm
Intro to Chiptunes: Making music with Game Boys @Site 3 coLaboratory
Toronto, ON
Sunday, Aug 15, 2010, 1pm - 5pm
Thingiverse user Conrad2468 suffered damage to his anemometer during a hailstorm, so he designed new cups, printed them, and glued them on. Excellent!
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