Builderati

Free to a good home

tim — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 20:59:28 +0000

This custom conveyance was built for the FrankenBike competition organized, but later cancelled, by the Museum of Science. Without the deadline pressure, the project was never quite finished. I needed the space in the garage so that I could do the welding workshops for Boston Burners. The bike has two front wheels which need to be joined with a bike chain to synchronize steering. The rear wheel drive is functional, but the deraileur system needs some work to get multiple gears. The steering wheel was salvaged from the bus chassis used for the Busycle Project. The wiring harness is in-tact and can easily be united with a battery and some lights, horn, or other fun addition. It should be easy to put in shape by someone with a little bit of bike mechanics skill.

Gasoline Powered Blender

tim — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 17:13:48 +0000

This go-anywhere blender brings the horsepower to power through those frozen drinks. An inspired build from the maker of the The V8 Snowblower.

Wooden iPod Case Mod

tim — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 15:51:35 +0000

Joshua Driggs -aka- ZapWizard documents his project to create a real wooden case for an iPod. His work is beautiful as you can see from the many pictures that he provides with his project log. Check it out.

Animated Engines

tim — Mon, 26 Dec 2005 17:43:18 +0000

Matt Keveney maintains Animated Engines, a site with very clearly drawn animations of all of the major (and many minor) variations of mechanical engines. Check-out Matt’s site for the full listing of engine animatinos and a clear step-by-step, pictoral explanation of the workings of each engine design.

Make a Jacobs ladder.

tim — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:44:13 +0000

DIY Jacobs Ladder project that uses the power transformer from a neon sign to create the climbing electrical discharge featured in many a B-movie matinee. It is a simple rig with some dangerous effects, so use caution.
There are numerous well-documented projects to follow.

A thorough, though picture-free
project plan written by Samuel Goldwasser.
Special Effects electrician, Big Clive from the UK leaves more to the imagination with his Make a Jacobs ladder.
An alternative project site with nice pictures can be found here at Deep Fried Neon. This site also features a project that used the transformer to build a Tesla Coil.
Kenneth Sweet shows the harvesting of a suitable transformer from an oil furnace that he uses in his design.

If you are wondering where to get a suitable neon sign transformer, check out this site offering a new transformer offering the XL1035 providing 10kV @ 35mA for about $60. They also sell kit versions of Jacob’s Ladder, Telsa Coil, and a Van De Graff Generator.

Marsette Vona: Boogie Bass Hack

tim — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 13:09:24 +0000

From MITer, Marsette Vona comes an inspired hack of a very hack-worthy object. Everyone who ever received a Billy Bass as a gift has wondered what to do with it after the initial chuckle subsided. See the “official” project site for details for Billy Bass hack.

“The Billy Bass Hack adds a 20 second re-recordable “special” message to the Billy Bass talking fish made by Gemmy Toys. The movements of the head, tail and mouth are also re-recordable, and the original factory messages are still available.”

Windjammer - Umbrella Holder

tim — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 17:22:38 +0000

My complexion demands the belt-and-suspenders approach to sun protection: SPF 30+ & shade. Since New England beaches are blustery on the best of days, I spent more time clutching my umbrella than enjoying the surf-sounds. None of those wimpy plastic screws could hold the umbrella fast in the face of the wind. Windjammer is a simple metal fabrication project that solved a problem that I experienced all summer–beach umbrella blow-down.

To make Windjammer

cut two dorsal fin-shaped blades from a mid-gauge sheet metal (I used 10 gauge steel) using a plasma cutter (as I did), a bandsaw, or cutting torch.
heat the blades using an oxy-acetylene torch (as I did), a smithing forge, or maybe even a propane torch. [heavier hammer work could substitute for heating]
hammer the blades into a propeller-like, curvy shape that presents the tip of the fin as opposing points (make them mirror images rather than identical — [hint: flip one over]).
cut a 2.5-foot section of steel tube or pipe with something like a 3/4″ - 1″ interior diameter (this needs to be big enough admit the shaft of your umbrella). I used tubing from a chopped-up bicycle.
cut a 3-foot section of 1/4″ steel rod or bar stock (maybe a piece of rebar?)
drill a 1/4″ hole about 2-inches from one end of the tube. (make sure that the hole does not weaken the tube structure significantly but allows the bar stock to enter easily).
now drill & tap a smaller hole through the tube about 2-inches below the first hole to allow you to screw in wing-capped screws (recommend drilling them through east-west if you view the first hole as north-south) [if the tube is too thin to tap effectively, you can also weld on a nut to the outside of the hole]
weld the flats of both blades at the other end of the tube on opposing sides. Position them so that the tips of both will engage the sand at something like a 30-degree angle.

Who is the “Amazing Carpenter”?

tim — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 16:16:06 +0000

I recently got an email forward containing these pictures of the unique art/engineering work. A little research turned up more information. The creator is Livio De Marchi of Venice, Italy. His unique take on high-tech automotive is not only eye catching but functional… well at least it floats. Read more about him.

Burning Man: Not just for hippies anymore.

Administrator — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 22:41:13 +0000

For those unfamiliar with the Burning Man event, it is a week-long festival of self-sufficiency and engineering art held in the Black Rock Desert of California (or is it Nevada?). The participants are known for ingenuity and alternative thinking.

MIT FAT Friday Chain Reaction

JBo — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 16:53:25 +0000

Kinetic sculptor and uber-builder Arthur Ganson hosted the annual FAT Friday at MIT this past Friday-After-Thanksgiving creating a Chain Reaction