Columns
Much More to Do
by Dale Dougherty
in Welcome
Five years in, MAKE is just getting started. Page 1
Mad for 3D CAD
by Saul Griffith
in Making Trouble
It’s the ultimate video game. Page 12
Who You Calling Unoriginal?
by Cory Doctorow
in Make Free
Reinventing the wheel is not mandatory.
Page 14
Tales from Make: Online
by Gareth Branwyn
in
Get Your DIY On(line)
Page 15
Reader Input
Love of lashing, kids who solder, hope, and Scout skills. Page 16
Snow Science
by Forrest Mims III
in Country Scientist
Conduct winter experiments.
Page 26
Maker Shed on the March
by Dan Woods
in Maker's Corner
Maker Shed kiosks on the march. Page 29
Made on Earth
Cranked-Up Creativity
by Laura Cochrane
Mike Adair, a 44-year-old artist from Overland Park, Kan., builds brightly colored wooden crank toys in his basement workshop.
Page 18
Bright Idea
by Megan Mansell Williams
Eric Lawrence, a web designer and former art student at the University
of Texas, Austin, made the first Styrolight built from the molded
styrofoam his new Apple computer came in.
Page 20
Emotional Aquatics
by Laura Kiniry
Axolotl is a 3D audiovisual display attracting onlookers with a
digitized squid-like creature that responds to facial recognition by
simulating a sense of interaction and involvement.
Page 21
Camper Van Bicycle
by Thomas Walker Wilson
Through the vehicular art series, the Camper Kart, Camper Bike, and
paintings of vans, Kevin Cyr hopes the Kart will stimulate conversation
about self-reliance, mobility, and shelter. Page 22
The Art of Fusion
by Megan Mansell Williams
Jared Pankin, who makes sculptures, is innovative with his use of
plywood, fake fur, sawdust, foam, model-scale trees, and other familiar
goods. Page 23
Mechanimals Menagerie
by Ian Dille
Andrew Chase welds together sheet metal, iron pipe, and used car parts to make mechanical animals, or "mechanimals.”
Page 24
In the Zome
by Bruce Stewart
Rob Bell and Patricia Algara created their own hybrid structure, a DIY greenhouse they call the Algarden Zome. Page 25
1+2+3
Cup Positioning System
by Cy Tymony
Use a cup to put you in your place. Page 30
Safe Bamboo Swords
by David Battino
Padded weapons for play-fighting fun. Page 114
Maker
Cutting His Own Paths
by Keith Hammond
Eddie Paul is Hollywood’s fastest maker. Page 32
Big Kid Bikes
by Nik Schulz
Bending bicycles with builder Greg Degouveia. Page 38
Locally Grown
by Peter Smith
Carving boards and waves with the maker of all-wood Grain Surfboards. Page 40
The Nonsense Factory
by Lisa Katayama
The Maywa Denki collective makes instruments of mass whimsy. Page 42
The Solar Catenary Reflector
by Tho X. Bui
21st-century tech using 17th-century math.
Page 43
SPECIAL SECTION: Desktop Manufacturing
The Revolution Will Be Squirted
by Becky Stern
An inside look at MakerBot Industries.
Page 46
Armchair Architect
by Colin Berry
A new way to create 3D models for Google Earth.
Page 52
DIY 3D Scanner
by Andrew Lewis
Introducing the SplineScan computer-controlled turntable.
Page 54
Your Own CNC For Under $800
by James Floyd Kelly
An overview from the co-author of the new book Build Your Own CNC Machine.
Page 60
Direct Digital Wedding Rings
by Jonathan Oxford
Create custom jewelry using CAD software and a 3D printer. Page 64
Open Source Self-Replicator
by Abe Connally
This plasma cutter promises tool inter-changeability, and synergy with its RepRap cousin.
Page 66
CNC Machine Kit
by Steve Lodefink
Meet the mighty micRo, a tabletop CNC robot kit from Lumenlab.
Page 68
MakerBeam: Lego for Grownups
by John Baichtal
An open source building system for project boxes, robots, and more.
Page 70
3D Fabbing State of the Art
by Gareth Branwyn
3D printing and desktop manufacturing innovators tell us what’s currently
on their radars.
Page 71
Projects
Traditional Cigar Box Guitar
by Mark Frauenfelder
Build this 3-string instrument that requires a minimum of tools and parts, yet sounds great. Page 76
Geared Candleholder
by Benjamin Cowden
Make an elegant, all-aluminum candleholder with a movement containing 3 handmade gears. Page 86
Reaction Timer
by Charles Platt
Use 555 timer chips to test your reflexes in this experiment excerpted from Make: Electronics.
Page 96
The Drill Rod
by Russ Byrer
Run a mini electric bike with a cordless drill. Page 108
DIY: Science
ESP/PSI Testing Lamp
by John Iovine
Watch the universe play dice, by detecting random radiation. Page 115
DIY: Imaging
Slow Down To Speed Up
by Ken Murphy
A smart, cheap setup for shooting long-duration time-lapse movies. Page 119
DIY: Outdoors
Elemental Knowledge
by Wendy Tremayne
Think you’ve mastered fire? Make and use a bow drill.
Page 123
Combo Snow Gun
by Steven Lemos
Make snow with a pro-style gun for about $90. Page 125
DIY: Home
Gourd Lanterns
by Diane Gilleland
Drill patterns into hard-shell gourds and let the light shine through. Page 128
Better Leather
by Betz White
Embellish leather using a woodburning technique. Page 131
DIY: Workshop
Automated Fan Speed Controller
by Duane Wessels
Steady temperatures in a server room, using the MAKE Controller. Page 139
DIY: Kids
Intro To Scratch
by Jeremy Kerfs
Make your own games and animations, free and easy. Page 133
DIY: Office
Magic Photo Cube
by Ken Wade
Make a fun, folding desktop photo display for about a buck. Page 136
"Glengarry" Brass Balls
by Paul Spinrad
This totemic desk toy assembles in 2 minutes. Page 138
Primer
Electroluminescent (EL) Wire
by Steve Boverie, Louis M. Brill
Bring glow into your projects by learning how to work this flexible, durable material. Page 142
MakeShift
Water Landing!
by Lee D. Zlotoff
Legs are broken and time’s running short. Page 150
Toolbox
Toolbox
A simply great calculator, laundry alternatives, a look at music, and the 3D camera you’ve been waiting for. Page 152
Toys, Tricks, and Teasers
The Chinese South-Pointing Chariot
by Donald E. Simanek
For fun or function? A Chinese south-pointing chariot. Page 160
Maker's Calendar
Maker's Calendar
by William Gurstelle
Our favorite events from around the world. Page 163
Heirloom Technology
Instant Paddle
by Tim Anderson
Here’s a better, quicker, inexpensive way to make a paddle. Page 164
Make Money
Wind Chimes
by Tom Parker
Sometimes it costs more to buy it than to make it from the money itself. Page 167
Remaking History
Benjamin Franklin’s Electrical Experiments
by William Gurstelle
Benjamin Franklin and electricity. Page 168
Aha!
Cake Decorating Conundrum
by Michael H. Pryor
Cake Decorating Conundrum
Page 175
Homebrew
My Big Fortune Teller
by Roger Hess
Build your own Zoltar Speaks vintage fortune-teller machine straight from the 1988 film Big. Page 176
