I finished the first couple marble run blocks this week. Introduced them to see how the play factor would work. A little bit advanced for my audience. But still interested in them.http://hugh.thejourneyler.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/img_8053.movhttp://hugh.thejourneyler.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/img_8050.mov
Tag Archives: Woodworking
CA glue…
This is my first project with CA glue. I have a set of shelves in a dark hallway. My idea is to add LEDs as under lit area under each shelf. The task has been to embed the LEDs in the wood shelf. And then to cover them with plexiglass. Are used CA glue to attach the plexiglass to the finished wood shelves.
One thing I did not know about CA glue was how it’s offgassing would etch the plexiglass. This seems to be corrected if we use the CA glue curing excelerator.
CNC Laser
Continuing on my thoughts about woodworking, I was looking at laser engraved wood and CNC machines. Here are a couple of DIY videos from YouTube.
There is a company here in Eugene which specializes in this.
Here is a DIY project page: http://davidegironi.blogspot.it/2014/07/38mm-x-38mm-laser-engraver-build-using.html
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/PCB-milling-machine-CNC-2020B-DIY-cnc-wood-carving-machine-mini-engraving-machine-3050114A/32428314987.html
It also seems that andrio or bananna pi are also used. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_Pi
Life drainers…
I have been struggling for the last few months with an addiction... an IKEA addiction. An addition that I am not sure I was completely responsible for creating, but more on that later.
It is a habit which, I really had to learn the hard way, that I needed to kick. Here is my problem: Their product line has a really powerful draw. Their products all look like they fit together (with each other). This gives the impression of harmony. Meanwhile many of their products look like they are minimalistic in design. That is, they are smooth and sexy and and visually simplistic. I say look minimalistic, because most of the products from IKEA have a well designed (short) life span. That is, the products simply do not last beyond the first intended use - and this is by design. The way I understand the product is that in the IKEA business model, the products are not what create the business money, rather it is the service of distributing the products which is viewed as the money maker. So, the business metrics are set up as: "How many products do I distribute?", not "How products do I sell?". While both metics are important, The first puts an importance on the distribution, the second puts an emphasis on the monetary value of the sale, or the value of a lasting product (value presented to the customer). This is why I suggest that the IKEA product's life cycle is also designed. I have had to learn that the hard way. I like the look, but beyond that "IKEA life" seems to be designed to bring the customer into a consumer relationship with IKEA, such that the customer must buy multiple products due to short life spans. Consider the difference between the IKEA Expedit series and their KALLAX series (several differences are exposited well by Peter Robinson). Expedit was a series with solid construction and a production run of several decades. However, The Expedit product had a fantastic secondary market because they lasted and were hearty. The Expedit series was replaced by KALLAX. A less hearty, physically lighter product series.
Consider the following review from YouTube.
From a management perspective, IKEA has applied design principles not only to the product but also to the acquisition process and to the life cycle of the product. They have put new design requirements on the life span, causing a redesign of the product. In a way, this de-emphasizes the product and elevates the need for service mechanism of delivering the product - The service has been assessed and re-designed. For a good book about applying these principals to your business read: Service Design Thinking. Or for a quick check Service Design look at Wikipedia.
My distain for IKEA rivals my distain for Facebook. They also have an interesting product, but one is never sure where the platform is going. This makes the product life span (as a user understands it) quite susceptible to uncertainty. Apple products could also be similarly considered to have gone through this design phase. Consider when Apple started soldering RAM to the motherboard (because their secondary market has been limited by making certain parts "non-upgradable").
I have been plotting my escape from life drainers. This means that I need to be able to find solutions elsewhere with other products. I think I found my solution to the IKEA wormhole on a DIY site or two: http://www.ana-white.com , and http://designsbystudioc.com.
There are several projects I have been looking at doing. One is a shoe rack for my front door area. These sites were a good place to get ideas and example plans - to see how things go together. Another project in progress is a coffee table on casters for my living room.
Shoe Racks
http://www.ana-white.com/2011/01/shoe-dresser
http://www.ana-white.com/2011/06/shoe-organizer
http://www.ana-white.com/2015/08/free_plans/grandy-sliding-door-console
http://www.ana-white.com/2015/02/free_plans/wall-cubby-crate-shelves
http://www.ana-white.com/2011/03/entry-shoe-bench
http://www.ana-white.com/2012/07/big-crate-shoe-box-test-bri-wax
http://fixthisbuildthat.com/adjustable-shoe-storage-bench/
http://www.ana-white.com/2013/04/shoe-bench
http://www.ana-white.com/2011/08/shoe-cabinet-aka-my-kitchens-best-friend
Coffee Table
http://designsbystudioc.com/diy-plans-build-westport-coffee-table/
http://www.ana-white.com/2013/01/plans/chalkboard-produce-crate
http://www.ana-white.com/2010/09/vintage-crate-carts.html
http://www.ana-white.com/2011/08/shoe-crates
http://www.ana-white.com/2010/03/plans-simple-spa-bench-inpsired-by.html
Dinning room table
http://www.ana-white.com/2015/07/free_plans/2x4-truss-benches-alaska-lake-cabin
http://www.ana-white.com/2015/07/free_plans/2x4-truss-table-alaska-lake-cabin
Laundry Basket solution
http://www.ana-white.com/2011/01/sausha%E2%80%99s-washerdryer-pedestals
kitchen Ideas
http://www.ana-white.com/2015/12/free_plans/diy-apothecary-style-kitchen-cabinets
Other Stuff
http://fixthisbuildthat.com/diy-wooden-drink-coasters-plans/
Some interesting links about Apple and design:
http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/apples_products_are.html
http://www.idgconnect.com/abstract/10261/design-guru-don-norman-slams-apple-ease-disservice
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3053406/how-apple-is-giving-design-a-bad-name
http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/16/9743996/apple-designer-interview-bruce-tog-tognazzini-don-norman
These are here because I talk about Apple designing the life cycle of their products. I don't link to them because they are not a major thrust of this post.
Home Built CNC
I would like to make a home made CNC.
- Can I use it and control it using Android, iOS, linux, Arduino, or RaspberryPi?
- Can I do it cheaper than a purchased option?
What things have I seen? Who else has done this?
Findings:
http://www.homofaciens.de/technics-machines-cnc-v2_en_navion.htm
Build your own mini-CNC artbot for $70
And Also a Playground
So, if I am going to do a shed in the front yard, then a playground should fit there too.
What kind of plans or ideas are out there, that I can draw from?
Here is a list of links with some helpful materials:
http://www.detailedplay.com/SwingsetPlans.htm
http://www.toolcrib.com/blog/2009/03/25-free-backyard-playground-plans-for-kids-playsets-swingsets-teeter-totters-and-more
http://www.totalplaygrounds.com/blog/28-free-diy-playset-plans/#diy
http://www.moneycrashers.com/build-wooden-outdoor-kids-playground-equipment/
http://www.ericsoutdoorfurniture.com/705-princes-exercise-station-play-set
http://www.maeshedandplayground.com/collections/accessories/products/air-pogo
http://lasgd.blogspot.com/2015/02/10-x-8-pent-shed-plans-gable-roof.html
Shed:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/garden-yard/garden-shed-plans-zm0z11zgri.aspx
http://www.thegreenden.co.uk/products/playground-storage-shed/
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/how-to/a178/1276536/
http://www.todaysplans.net/free-storage-shed-plans.html
http://www.shed-plans.biz/
http://freebies.about.com/od/homegardenfreebies/tp/free-shed-plans.htm
http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/resources/index.php?search=FREE%2010%20X%2012%20SHED%20PLANS
http://shedas.blogspot.com/2015/03/5x7-shed-plan-info.html
Homemade shop-vac dust collector
I started looking at some homemade shop-vac projects.First I did some googling, then I searched YouTube.
I found that there are different ideas and terms covering the shop-vac solution space.
The two most informative videos I found were:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRgM0iiRhVc
- How to make a dust collector with a wet/dry vac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weQOy1D_8HI
Some of the basic questions I am asking are: which shop-vac should I get and how should I evaluate other options? There are people who do review shop-vacs. And I found that C.F.M. measures are really the most important. I also learned that if one adds a cyclone dust separator to the shop-vac that the filter stays much cleaner. The next question is how should I make a cyclone dust separator?
There are several interesting projects which I found. The guys in the video had some really good solutions too, including a $15 cyclone, and blast gates which can be purchase on Amazon.com. I also found the following interesting homemade solutions:
- http://lumberjocks.com/projects/19069
- http://www.woodturnersresource.com/extras/projects/cyclone/Cyclone.html
- http://home.comcast.net/~prestondrake/Stuff_Workshop_Cyclone.htm
Blast Gates:
- http://www.homemadetools.net/blast-gates
- http://lumberjocks.com/topics/41990
- http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip020726ws.html
Silence: around the shop-vac
A Noise block around the vacuum.
Building Wooden Trains
The potential to build my own wooden trains as recently been observed. That is, the idea does not seem soooo far fetched any more now that I own a router and a router table. Towards that end I have started to amass some ideas and some links. Some additional thoughts are that I could use a CNC machine. I would like to make my own CNC machine. To that end I have started another post about ideas for building my own CNC machine.
Some places to order router bits:
- http://www.amazon.com/MLCS-Train-Track-Bit-piece/dp/B000GG09R2
- http://www.rockler.com/train-track-router-bits-and-free-plan-individual-bits
- A review of router bits.
A second way to approach this would be to use a tool like a CNC Shark. This has a lot of appeal for replication of items. However, at nearly $4K (at Rockler) that is a lot to start out with. Better to get some experience first. Learn where I can source my supplies from etc.
Some plans for cutting track:
- TrainTrackPlan.pdf (for cutting and routing track)
- All the different types of BRIO track which have been made.
- http://www.woodenrailway.info/track/images/track_id_guide_2000.png
- http://magicref.tripod.com/trains/woodrail.htm
- Some general word-working plans including train tracks
- Some Thai blog with cool Brio train layout.
- Plans for track widths
Tutorials on how to make curved track:
- Simple tutorial for curved track
- Another tutorial, but this one is older and only in the WayBackMachine. (This one includes design plans.)
Some Places to get components for rolling stock or rolling stock:
- Diesel Engines
- http://shop.woodentrain.com/Union-Pacific_c26.htm
- E-bay shop for componets
- Shop Wooden Trains Rolling stock page.
- BigJigs Trains
- Lionel Wooden Trains
- Plans for Locomotives
- Cupler pins
- Wheel Pins
- Ceramic Magnet with hole
- Rare earth Magnets with holes.
- More Magnets from Rockler
- Help Needed in Finding Plastic Wheels for Brio trains...
- Wood burning units for signing track and stock
- Here is a tutorial on building rolling stock: http://workshop.electronsmith.com/content/flat-car-prototype/
- Here is the shape for 3D printing a plastic wheel.
- Find Nails to hold Magnets
- More Nails
- Discussion about magnets on rolling stock
- Magnets on Ebay
- More Magnets on Ebay
- Again More Mags
- 50 Count of mags
- Whistleline sales on Ebay
- http://store.woodenrailwayadventures.com/madeinusa2.html
- http://store.woodenrailwayadventures.com/make-your-own-train-page.html
- General discussion of needed parts: http://lumberjocks.com/topics/42083
- More discussion of parts needed and where to get them: http://www.wtrak.org/construction-locomotives.htm
- http://ask.metafilter.com/108944/Where-to-find-modular-wheel-assemblies-for-kids-magnetic-trains
Some places to learn about child safe paints:
- http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/finishes-for-wood.html
- http://www.rockler.com/how-to/seal-toy-project-shellac-paste-wax-acrylic-paint/
- http://www.rustoleumspraypaint.com/idea/paint-childrens-toys/
- http://www.paintwoodentoys.com/
- http://www.toymakingplans.com/website/ToySafety.html
Some places to order manufactured sets
Some places to get a custom branding tool or wood etcher to sign the pieces I make.
- Branding tool with Inter-changeable letters, the 1/4 inch size looks about small enough, but this requires further investigation.
- There are also custom branding irons like those sold here.
Accessories:
Research Parts
- Research Brio here: http://www.woodenrailway.info/
- Research Modular wooden track tables here: http://wtrak.org/
- Research on various wooden train manufacturers, list of manufacturers: http://www.choochootrack.com/.