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. Scott Hanselman has some great advice I endorse whole-heartedly: Optimize for tiny victories. Making is a challenging business, and it's fraught with many disappointments.
Sometimes, the most important part of your project is the less exciting middle of it. And making sure that the less exciting middle is still optimized for periodic successes means you'll have more success in your projects. Make has a lot of great projects for a rotary tool here if you have a 3D printer. One of my favorite uses of my 3D printer is to whip up useful little enhancements for everyday life. If you're like me, you should check them out.
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JoshI've been a maker as long as I remember. I recently decided to share. Archives
May 2016
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