While I was building the Robot Bartender for Two Bit Circus, I had to figure out an adequate backdrop for Gearmo. Our strengths lie with fancy LEDs, but how do we fill a space behind him. I had to find a solution that would be dazzling enough, yet do so on a budget. Someone in …read more
I found myself in need of making my own gears. Either the stock gears available didn’t have the proper dimensions or they were just way too expensive. Making one’s own gears is a freeing step for a machinist and someone who builds kinetic sculptures. I already had my old bridgeport mill, and I even had …read more
The fence around our backyard was old and the paint flaking off. It wasn’t worth repainting, mostly because it just needed replacement! I was in a little bit of a rush because our grapevines were starting to wake up. I wanted to give the grapes something firm to weave through and around. The established grapevines …read more
My wife and I were remodeling our house and decided upon putting in a custom bar top. We thought it’d be fun to burn a Lichtenberg fractal pattern into the wood. The first thing I did was measure out the size of the required board and make the bartop out of 3/4″ plywood. I had …read more
Bob Potts has alerted me that he’s installing his art at the M.A.D. Gallery in Geneva Switzerland. I’m sure it’s not easy to haul a bunch of delicate art pieces around the world. The M.A.D. Gallery included some great photos and a fantastic interview. Check it out! Congratulations, Bob!
One of the most important tools a welder can have at his disposal is a decent welding table. In general you should have the biggest, flattest, sturdiest table you can muster. Of course, shop size can be a limiting factor. I decided to invest in a 4’x4′ table on wheels. We don’t do too much …read more
Bob Potts has just put out another fantastic video of his amazing art. Here is two of his pieces from 2012 and 2013: “Ascension” and “Synchronous Cycle”. I can watch this stuff on repeat for hours. Keep it up, Bob!
A friend came across a project known as a Flame Speaker. Â The similarities to a Rubens Tube resonated with me and I was immediately intrigued. Â Some of the best information we could find about it where documented in a 1960s Popular Electronics magazine. Â Apparently hobbyists were making these things in their basements around the country, …read more
I just recently bought a new (to me) Plasma Cutter, so I thought I’d give it a whirl. Â It’s always best to practice with a project in mind so I set out to makes some holes in steel that I can fill with copper and practice some metal inlay techniques. Â Along the way I decided …read more
In our conference area at work we had a rather interesting table. Â It was a huge poster of James Dean sitting on top of a piece of wobbly antique furniture. Â It was time to upgrade the desk to something more usable and fitting of serious meetings. Â Clients don’t like to sign expensive contracts on a …read more