Hello,

Any recommendations how to build this.

I'm carving crankbaits. I'm going to use this "bar clamp" to clamp a wooden dowel/board, put this bar clamp in a machinists clamp, and shave my crankbait using a "spokeshave".

To make the crankbait stay in place (which will be round on the ends), and to prevent the bar clamps from crushing the wooden crankbait, I need to insert some wood on both ends. How can I accomplish this? Also, the "anvil" is designed to move around, but I need to make this stationary.

Any recommendations?

https://preview.redd.it/n1gmcnfqaorc1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb2158c982e6813301afed223f83684b2fb3dcdb

Happy Easter 🐣🥚 Been getting to play with lots of polyurethanes at the shop lately.

Colors came out great 😃

I like making these roll-up puches / holder. I've done it for screwdrivers in the past.

Mini screwdriver holder / pouch roll-up canvas

Now I wanna make another sort of like:

Pencil holder

The tedious part is taking out the sewing machine to make a bunch of these small stitches.

Is there an easier way?

I was looking into those hand-sewing machines? I'd love a device that I can just press down and get them adhered 🤣

I'm in the planning stages of a community makerspace. Is there a "great way" to explain that I'll be doing a significant amount of prep work for every class & workshop, so I don't sound like I'm asking for Maker Co-ordinator pay(This will be 4th space, successfully deployed)?

Semi destroyed community (school burned down, etc.) And I've gotten positive feedback that money is there for a Maker Space(in local Govt).

I'm just fully aware at some point before opening there's going to be community members saying "why isn't this BAY AREA thing bringing money in?"

I'm in rural California(Calaveras). Yes they absolutely want the space, but there's a weird assumption that the "organization" or the "faire', or the magazine somehow pays for stuff. I'm certain sponsorships, etc. will happen due to our remoteness & non-franchise status. But I'll need to be paid to do that legwork. I've gotten VR headsets, 3d scanners, supplies for "free", but it's dang near a full time job to do so. I'm not going for a "for profit" space, but it's a big income ask for what the community may see as a weekend event. I've burned out of the Volunteer space as that quickly led to 50 hour weeks of every possible side & community project.

Any advice?

Hello, I want to put a small led inside a bouncy ball. Is there a mini self powered led anyone can recommend that won't break being thrown around?

I'm helping my nephew build a custom control box to play Star citizen.

I've got switches and wiring down pretty well. I have some electrical knowledge and can solder etc

I'm not sure where to post this question but I figure you guys might at least be able to point me in the right direction.

I don't know as much about how to set up the brain for this thing.

I've got the switches but I need to wire them to something that can tell the computer what's happening.

I'm figuring some sort of raspberry pi or Arduino situation. I have some experience with those things but I haven't done it to the scale yet.

Basically I've got a box of buttons and switches and I need to be able to plug that into the computer and the computer use that for controls in the game.

I've seen where it's been done and where you can buy them but they don't usually explain the details.

Any suggestions on how I could do this or if there's a better subreddit to post to?

If I have a glass of a known capacity (say 8oz) and I want to measure the liquid content periodically (without using a float or measuring weight), is there any way to do this electronically?

Hey guys,

I'm a programmer and I wanna make a shift into the physical technology world (iOT, etc) instead of wasting 100% of the time infront of my monitor.

I had already done one project with RPi, creating a fully automated plant watering & lighting system with a Dashboard Panel & Sensors inputs and stuff, but... It ended up with my RPi, burnt ={

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So... I would love to hear any sugesstions on how to get started & which parts should I purchase as I wanna make a big order containing EVERYTHING I'll need as shipping takes ages here. (from resistors, to testing leds, digital multimeter, etc...)

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Thanks in advance!
P.S: I have no knowledge at all in electronics. the project I had already done was easily done coding wise, and strictly guided by youtube for the electronic part.

Anyone been to one of these events before?

https://isam2024.hemi-makers.org

This year it’s in Sheffield, England.

Seems to be connected with HEMI, which is higher education makerspaces initiative.

Last few years it was in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Yale, Stanford, case western, MIT.

I've posted here before about this project, but i'm building a device for muscular TMJ Pain relief. Doing everything from the casing design to PCB design myself. I've been building a brand instagram page and website/blog for the last 2 months, and just this week launched a pre-order campaign to get my toe in the water of actually selling my device (even though it's just pre-orders right now). It felt amazing to actually get a couple sales. Here's a video log about what's happened so far if you're interested.

The main thing I learned though is that trust is everything. Google search ads don't work at this stage because there's no trust in my brand out of google. The sales I was able to get were either through people that have been following my instagram page already, or people that found my posts on facebook groups/reddit (which gives some social proof). That's why soon I'm going to start experimenting with UGC ads which will hopefully give that little bit of social proof as well. I'm also going to put in more effort on growing the instagram page, and the funnel that goes around it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSoor9kPFeM

Hey there--

I am throwing a party (okay, it's my wedding) and the theme is based on the faerie realm in the show TRUE BLOOD. I would love to have some Lumeire fruit as decor. I'm guessing it was all CGI in the show right? Anyone have any ideas about how to create a version? And/or know any subreddits for making party decor?

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thanks in advance <3

https://trueblood.fandom.com/wiki/Lumiere_fruit

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I've used sketchup and publisher and on shape and tinkercad.

And those work well for 3D modeling for me.

But oftentimes I need to design a template that's in 2d.

Right now I'm making box with buttons in it and I want to lay out where I should drill all the holes for the buttons.

Then print that out and use it as a guide to drill the holes in wood.

Publisher seems to be the easiest for this for me, but it's not something that everyone has so if I share the design it can get weird.

Are there any programs that seem to be better for this than others?

The 2D layout in sketchup is cool but I can't figure out how to print it. That might just be me.

I wish there was a Google version of publisher. But it seems Google is focused on virtual design and not printing. Which makes sense. But if I want to print the design on a piece of paper it doesn't work as well from what I've seen.

TLDR - what is a good program to use to make a template that I can print on a piece of paper, glue to a block of wood and drill holes?

I have an abundance of old telephone poles any cool or fun ideas to do with them. I have about 20

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Can I use two 9 volt transformers to run this motor? Do I put them in series? Any pointers or gotchas I should be aware of?

Started using these guys 2 years ago, they were amazing compared to Ponoko in pricing and how fast they are. Orders would take about 7-10 days.
Anyone using them lately having trouble getting orders done in that time frame? Last couple have taken over a month to get.
Anyone know of alternatives that are similar?

I'm planning on making a book safe using these plans. They simply call for magnets to hold it closed.
I thought it would be cool to build in a hidden locking mechanism - more in keeping with the object's stealthiness, and more secure against accidental opening. But, I'm not great at coming up with mechanisms. I'm thinking something still using magnets, but they would need to be manipulated with another magnet from outside the safe... and that's where I've run out of ideas.
Anyone feeling inspired?
(And could you draw a picture if it gets too complicated?)

Are there any free aerodynamic simulation softwares out there? Preferably one that can take stl files? Or conversely, are there any cad softwares that can do some aerodynamic simulations? I want to potentially do a project with my cad class where they design a simple car, 3D print it, and race them, but it'd be nice to show them some sort of aerodynamic simulation

I want to make small clear acrylic parts to add to 3d printed models. They need to be 100% optically clear. I tried UV resin but that was not clear.

From my research, my best options appear to be either

1. a basic CNC machine and cut/mill from acrylic panels

2. casting my own acrylic in moulds

Is that right? Option 2 would avoid having to invest in an expensive Cnc router. The parts are small, like 10x10cm max.

Any pointers much appreciated, thanks.

hey! so im building an ink rack to go into a cabinet. originally i got some mdf and tried to holesaw/spade bit holes for the ink bottles. it did not go well. so now im looking for alternatives. the ink bottles are going to lay flat through something so you view the bottom of the bottles. they are about 1.3" so i was looking for some sort of grid idea to place them in. i thought about fiberglass pit grating but alas the tolerances are toooo tight. any suggestions?

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thank you all for any ideas you bring to the table i greatly appreciate you!

I need a sound to play whenever a small foam ball falls into a hole. The ball is very lightweight. I wrote a python program last week to play a sound on any keyboard press and was planning on setting an old keyboard underneath the hole so when the ball falls through, it would land on the keyboard, any key, and play the sound file. The problem is that the ball isn't heavy enough to consistently register the key press on the keyboard. So I likely need to change the input from a key-press to something more reliable as the item that will trigger the key press will likely not always fall onto the keyboard with enough force to trigger the script to play the sound file.

Ideally, I would set up some kind of optical trigger, like garage door sensors or something, that when the light beam was broken, the sound file will play. I just don't know of any way to use a third-party item as an input device to a windows computer to trigger the script.

I've tried searching for USB trigger devices and a ton of other search terms that do not return anything useful.

Any ideas? I have some old keyboards and mice I could possibly use if that helps. Maybe a script that would play the sound on any movement of the mouse?

Please help and Thanks in advance!

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Hello fellow makers,

I’m jumping into creating of custom electronic musical instruments and I’m on the hunt for information about advanced control components. While I have a grasp on basic components like potentiometers, encoders, buttons, and sensors thanks to beginner tutorials, I’m looking to explore more sophisticated options. For example, I’ve found commercial products with controls that offer dual functions, like knobs that also act as buttons, and other cool features not commonly found in entry-level guides. Moreover, even simple controls come in an infinite number of variations. How does one even begin to get a grip on all the options available?

Although I’ve managed to unearth some of these components through sites like DigiKey, the process feels inefficient. I’m wondering if there are more streamlined resources or strategies for discovering and learning about these types of components.

Do seasoned makers have any go-to resources or tips for quickly learning about such topics? Is this knowledge primarily gained through experience, or are there shortcuts to finding out about these things? Know any youtube channels, dedicated forums, blogs?

Any advice or pointers to resources would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help!