Tool Design Challenge

Posted on by Carl Stevens

Ever see a YouTube video of someone making something and have an immediate need to make one for your-self?  Happens to me all the time.  Last week I saw this video from creator Steven Bennett.  In it he designs and builds a fume extractor designed to look like a Makita power tool.

It seamed like a fun design exercise and I have been doing a lot of soldering at home any way.  I choose to make my fume extractor in the style of Milwaukee Tool for obvious reasons.  This is not my first project that adopts the over molding look of a red and black power tool.  SO it was also a good opportunity to have another go at DIY over molding using resin printed molds.  Resin is the way to go here for a couple reasons.  First the material come in clear, this means that when filling the mold it is easy to see when and where it is filling up.  Second, no sanding is necessary on the interior of the mold.

 

I am using a Smooth-On urethane rubber colored with black pigment.  On a side note the inside of the mold needs a heavy coat of mold release if you want to remove it with the part intact.  I may or may not have learned that the hard way.   The mold shells are held on with some clamps and then the edges are sealed with modeling clay.  After the urethane is mixed it can be injected with a small syringe into a hole in the mold shell.

Celebrate First Contact Day with Milwaukee Makerspace!

Posted on by Carl Stevens

Did you know that April 5th is First Contact Day? It’s a fictional date from the Star Trek universe that commemorates the first meeting between humans and Vulcans in the year 2063. While we may not have made contact with extraterrestrial life yet, we can still celebrate the spirit of discovery and exploration that First Contact Day represents.

One way to celebrate is to watch the movie Star Trek: First Contact, which tells the story of how humans achieved warp drive and made first contact with the Vulcans. If you don’t have a copy of the movie, don’t worry – it’s available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and other streaming services.

Another way to celebrate is to create a 3D printed model of “The Phoenix”, the spacecraft that made the historic first warp drive flight. You can find the model on Thingiverse at this link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2147368. Print it out and proudly display it in your home or office as a reminder of the ingenuity and curiosity that led to the historic first contact.

Of course, there are many other ways to celebrate First Contact Day. You could attend a Star Trek convention, practice your Vulcan greeting, or share your own first contact stories with friends and family.

So on April 5th, let’s celebrate First Contact Day and all the possibilities that the future holds for us as we continue to explore the final frontier. Live long and prosper!

 
 

 

Plywood Chair

Posted on by Carl Stevens


Last month I was in Phoenix for work and our day off I made a trip to Taliesin West.  On our tour one of the items that stood out most was a set of plywood chairs.  At the time plywood was a relatively new material.  The chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright was made from a single sheet of plywood.  Obviously I designed my own version the minute I got back to the hotel that night. 

It was a fun exercise and I highly recommend.  On my list of constraints was all the parts would need to fit on a single sheet of plywood and it would need to be assembled with out glue or screws.  So far I just have a 1/6 scale model made to test the concept but the finished size is designed to be 48 inches tall.  If you want to see the rest of my photos from the tour for your own inspiration there is a gallery at the link below. 

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XSHxen5H8rgrx5jAA