I'm a huge fan of projects that remove the rough edges from learning a new skill. I like the idea of this board, and pre-made lessons, that help with learning arduino. check it out here
Weebly is great for a hobby website such as this one. I don't post as often as I'd like and it's just a hobby, so I can't be bothered to deal with Wordpress or pay for squarespace. But there's a giant problem with Weebly's iOS app: it officially doesn't support pasting copied links into blog posts.
Completely bonkers. But that's what support told me. No support for pasting links in text fields from the iOS app. Here's me's how I fixed it: download the 3rd party keyboard Copied from the AppStore, and allow it full access. Then simply switch to that keyboard in the weebly app for a workaround to paste links. I promised projects related to the Husky 1500 lb portable workbench, and here's my first! The workbench (which still happens to be available, but who knows for how long) has integrated tracks in the top to clamp various things with. It even came with two pretty decent, if basic, blocks with long bolts and knobs to make some kind of rudimentary fence or whatever. I want to be able to use those tracks as well, so I reverse engineered the little blocks that fit in the tracks. I've made a file available on Thingiverse so you can download and print some yourself. These would also make great replacements if you happen to lose yours.
Happy Making! Christmas is an interesting time for a maker; all kinds of tool deals come out of the woodwork that you basically can't even get any other time of the year. One of those deals this year is a 1500 Lb capacity portable workbench for $50 at Home Depot. It's got integrated T-slots, and a removable router insert that should prove quite useful. I just picked one up today, and I have lots of ideas for this workbench. If you're interested too, it probably won't be around come January, so you might want to put it on your list for Santa.
I've been getting familiar with Fusion 360 over the last month or so, and there's finally a CAD package that doesn't make me miss having access to SolidWorks so much. I made several mistakes while modeling, and you'll see this was my first use of the text sketch tool, but enjoy!
I made my own custom inserts using Harbor Freight anti-fatigue floormats and inexpensive colored craft foam. It cost me about $20 to get all the supplies I needed, but I'll be able to make several inserts for that price.
I had a blast at this year's Mini Maker Faire last Saturday. There was plenty to do and see and it's awesome to see that the maker community is alive and well in Utah.
The standout display was a demo of the Oculus Rift - hands down that was the coolest new technology I've seen recently; VR is going to take off in a big way. This post is a part of my favorite tools, a regular highlight of simple objects I find noteworthy. One of my favorite tools ever is the disposable box cutter. You can usually get more than one of them for a Washington, and they're super sharp. This makes for a potent combination, since they're so cheap I don't hesitate to use them for the nastiest jobs that require a sharp blade, like cutting cardboard.
I've been vexed by a problem with my Printrbot Simple Metal since day one: The bed isn't flat. It's limited severely what I'm able to print and has meant that I haven't gotten as much use out of it as I had hoped. Printrbot even kindly sent me a second bed, with the same problem.
The way the bed of the printrbot simple metal is designed is inherently flawed. It's relatively thin gauge aluminum that is bent on the ends by a brake. The result of that process means that the bed will always have some degree of warp in it, which is no bueno for 3D printing. I have contemplated upgrading to the heated bed, but pouring money into problems usually ends badly for me, so I tried something else instead. I looked around on ebay, and found that 3/16" aluminum bar extrusion is fairly cheap to come by for about $10-15, so I bought a 6"x 8" piece from Metal Remnants Inc. on ebay. I stuck in to the original bed with some 3M VHB tape, and so far, the results have been fantastic! For about $15 my experience with my Simple Metal has improved immensely. If you have a Printrbot Simple Metal and you're frustrated with the bed, I highly recommend this simple upgrade. |
JoshI've been a maker as long as I remember. I recently decided to share. Archives
May 2016
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