Needles

I found this package of needles in a treadle sewing machine base my grandma bought at a yard sale. I felt like I should photograph the package before it gets torn up in my sewing kit. They've made it a long way.

I also made another paper patterned piece with the ruling pen:

Intermission

I haven't been posting often lately because I'm about to move again. I packed up my tools and am avoiding getting too deep into projects. I'm still making things, most are pretty simple though. Here is a felt lightbulb I made. The pattern was sketched out in maybe two minutes. It might show, but it's fun to look at anyway.

Yesterday I tried making honeycomb paper cells like they use for lightweight laminated structural panels. I cut out a plastic glue stencil which would alternate positions on strips of paper to produce the honeycomb. It didn't work. The glue quantity must be very accurately regulated, and an $0.68 paintbrush wasn't the tool for the job. I thought about airbrushing it on, but I really wasn't keen on the idea of putting glue in the airbrush. Also, If it was thin enough to spray, it would be too thin to fill the gaps between paper fibers. I'll leave honeycomb production to bees and machines.

I decided to make the next closest form I could. I'm sure it has a name, but I don't know it. It would probably produce a very strong panel, stronger and heavier than honeycomb. An automated machine that could make this by forming would absolutely blow my socks off. It must be possible, but unless I've overlooked some beautiful elegant solution, it would be a very complex machine. It's a lot more fun to play with when not sandwiched into anything. I drew the lines by hand with a ruling pen. The drafting machine will be perfect for this sort of thing.

A math professor by the name of Will Webber at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington pioneered shapes based around this construction, if I remember correctly. I met him when I was about ten, and he showed me how to make it.

I don't have any large sheets of paper, so this is it for now.

After I move, I will likely have space for oxy/acetylene apparatus, a bandsaw, a drill press, and a table saw. There are bigger things on the horizon. 

Phone Case

There might be a rev. 2 which will eliminate the bare fabric end on the inside. It was cut on the bias though, so it probably won't fray. I tapered the seams on the shell inwards because the seams on the corners of previous versions were awkward and bulky. This works well.

Birthday Box

Birthday box for Mom:

I used the awl to stitch the chain to the cardboard. Since the chain and the jewelry piece probably won't be crushed, it prevents the next worst thing, scratches. 

Head Drawing

The idea is to put the scales on, hold the square to them and snug them up. Then the rules can be adjusted for parallelism with the axes with a reference point on the board and the thumbscrew on the bottom. The hinge part allows work up to about 1cm thick. I keep imagining using a dial indicator to true the rules, but some things you don't want to know. I'll probably just tape a stick to the board.

There's a little screw on the bottom (I forgot to draw in) which will make sure the rules aren't canted up off the board by the weight of the hinge. I worry that it might want to catch or drag on the paper, so I will put masking tape over it if I have to. See, tape is already a theme and I haven't even built it yet.

The parallelism adjustment thumb screw is sitting in spherical washers. So I can sleep at night.

There are two stainless ball knobs. The big one on the left locks the Y axis; the small one on the right locks the parallelism. I don't think there will be a lock for the X axis, since it will be sticky enough as-is.

I can feel the late hours filing already... two A.M., the awkward space in the notch by the top is looking back at me, and I'm wishing I would have used 303 instead of 304 stainless.

Update: "Machinable" 304 SS, what I used, isn't half bad. It does seem to work harden a little bit, but it only got in the way of the jeweler's saw. Stick wax lubricant helped with the hacksaw. Sawing 1/4" plate is not typical jeweler's saw work anyway.

Bed Frame

I made this for Dad. I used a router, a block plane, a handsaw, and a drill. The slat assemblies are from Ikea.

Drafting Machine Sketches

I don't think I'll be able to make this for another year. I'll have to tolerate the floppy t-square and out-of-square drawing board for a while. If I'm still as enthusiastic about it next summer, the design will be further refined. I will make some better, more detailed drafts to make sure things don't collide.  They will look nice on the wall too.