I'm Making Something This Weekend

Come hell, high water or something truly nasty, I will be making something this weekend.

Friday - Establish What it is That I Will be Building
Here is a link to a site that appears to have good step-by-step instructions on how to build things:
http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/resources/index.php?cat=102

A coat hanger or a shoe rack would work well at my place.

I do not really need a desk but this one is really well built.  I like that it appears to have plenty of leg room and a nice clean, flat surface:

Via this website that has a really good looking design

Most likely whatever I build will not be nearly as cool as this guy's machines:

Look, a Working Archimedes Screw!

Saturday - Get to Home Depot / Lowe's if Need be and Build The Thing!

Sunday - Post Results or Progress on my Clean Sheets and Dirty Girls blog (CS&DG)

This is a really aggressive schedule given that I have other things I do as well.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Plan B
Visit San Diego MakerPlace and check out their

4 axis CNC mill  manual mill metal lathe pipe notcher brake (16 gauge) planishing hammer English wheel TIG welder gas welder MIG welder shear (16 gauge) metal belt sander horizontal band saw metal and wood bandsaw permitted paint booth wood belt sander 3D printer (abs plastic) Corner Notcher Shrinker/ Stretcher

35 Ton Press Brake Grinder/ Polisher metal and wood drill presses shaper Saw Stop table saw 15" planer miter saw panel saw cnc router with vacuum table assorted hand tools integral sawdust management VIC Engrave Corel Software Suite EagleCAD, Rhino Fritzing, Alibre Mach3, V CArve Pro Cut 3D, SketchUp Buzz 2 Stitches Arduino, PCB 123

large format laser cutters laser engravers oscilloscopes function generator variable power supplies multi-meters soldering irons large format vinyl cutter industrial sewing machine 6 needle embroidery machine large format inkjet printer CNC router sand blasting cabinet free wireless internet service conference room w/projector 4 color silk screen and dryer and much more...

Playing with Concrete

Concrete You Eat Off Of

At first glance, I really like the look of these concrete dinnerware pieces from Ivanka Concrete Works.

The food on them, not so much

I imagine that once they have developed too many oil spots from your cooking,

you can use them as stepping stones outside

What concerns me about these is the possibility of what they might do to my teeth.  I remember going on a field trip as part of my public school education in Southern California.  During the trip, I learned about Native American people who would process the staple of their diet by grinding acorns against large rocks in the American Southwest.  These people were effectively using a mortar and pestle system in which one large rock would eventually become pock marked with dozens of holes that served as pestles.  These large rocks can still be seen sprinkled all over the landscape in California.  What stuck with me about this was the revelation that the small bits of stone ground off from the rocks during the grinding process would, over many years, wear down the teeth of the Native American people of the Southwest to nubs.  I worry that the same process of slowly grinding down my teeth might occur when I scrape a metal spoon against these concrete bowls, use a steak knife to cut through a T-bone and inevitably score the concrete plate beneath, etc.

Is that guacamole with a sliver of sour cream in it?

Ohh, I wanna put a chip in that!

While I worry slightly about what eating regularly from these dishes might do to my teeth, we all have to eat and drink from something.  I'm sure I've ingested my share of minute amounts of plastic, porcelain, wood, metal and other materials transferred to my mouth from the dishes I've eaten from and the cups I've drank from during my years on this earth.  But as long as I'm not drinking water delivered to me in pipes made of lead (I'm looking at you Ancient Rome) I probably won't wind up as mad as Carroll's Hatter.

How is a raven like a writing desk?

Also, I like the looks of these concrete bowls from Port Living Co., which come with cork bottoms and an air tight canister lid:

Finally a Place for Your Pepper Collection

To my eyes it appears that the manufacturer has really mastered the art of pouring and setting concrete because these look smooth and I don't think you can get concrete much smaller without adding a support structure like wire mesh inside.

What I don't like is the price on these containers.  The $75 they want to charge for these could buy me a lot of air tight plastic food containers.

TL:DR: You can check out some kitchen things made out of concrete. 

Put It In There!

Things to go inside your dwelling, Part 1 - Clocks:

I often see things that catch my eye and make me think "that's something I would like to have when I grow up and have a place of my own".  Well, I am grown up (physically, not so much in terms of maturity) and I can put whatever the hell I want to inside of my place.  Unfortunately, this thought is often soon followed by sticker shock so I typically don't buy any of these things.  

Part one of this compelling series on things I would like to own and may someday make myself in order to get exactly what I want at a price far lower than what a retail store would charge me explores the fascinating world of wall clocks.  Here I will compile photos and links to products that I would like to either purchase or better yet knock off and construct by myself.  

Why do I bother thinking about making my own clock you ask.  Well here is how it plays out inside my head:

Any girl ever: "Nice clock."

Me: "I made that myself using parts salvaged from an old steamship."

Same girl: "I must have sex with you right now."

Anyway, I'm pretty sure that's how this will play out.

Also, clocks are easy to make.  There are lots of stores out there that would be happy to sell you the mechanical devices that power the hands of an analogue style clock around in circles.  The challenge is to find the right display to go with the store bought clockworks.

Below are some of my thoughts on existing clocks available for purchase these days:

I'm not sure why the image of the American Flag appears to be painted on a piece of old wood.
Our Flag tends to be, well, you know, a flag.  Also, having the numerals overlay with the stars
on the flag bothers me.  I think the designer could have just used dots to indicate the hours.
Found here

Black and white goes with anything so your future girlfriend
probably won't insist on throwing this away when the two of you move in together.
Still, the chunky 12, 3, 6 and 9 marks just strike me as being wrong somehow.  Why
make these marks bigger?  Why are these marks even present since the hours
are designated with circles instead of dashed lines?  I find this very busy for a 
minimal design.
Found here

Apparently it's time to eat
Found here

Apparently it's time for more hallucinogens

Found here

It lists an address in London so you know it's fancy
Found here

At the risk of being labeled a steampunk nerd, I'll admit that I kinda like this.  
The problem I see is that the metal hands don't really stand out from the metal back 
of this piece, which, if I have to stare at it for more than a few seconds to tell the time, 
kills the functionality of the clock.
Found here

Again, I would like to see more contrast between the hands and the dial behind.
Found here

Why have three clocks all in the same place that all
tell the exact same time?
Found here

Do I add them up and divide by three to get the average current time?
Found here

I like the metal look.  I like that the hands contrast with the multi-colored backgrounds. 
It would bother me to have the 5 and 11 angled the way they are when all the other
numerals aren't angled at all.  Also, the multiple colors on this one might not gain the 
above mentioned significant other seal of approval.
No product page available

Pic used as a category shot but 

doesn't exist in their catalog

To summarize, I prefer Roman Numerals over Arabic in most cases.  The idea of having three clocks all done as part of one display piece intrigues me but only if they can be set to the time in three different areas, say the U.S.'s East Coast, West Coast and some foreign city.  I like the idea of constructing such a clock out of metal.  Gears are being used everywhere these days to make clock dials, which is a good enough look but I bet one could go further in sourcing materials from which to make a good looking clock.