Latest Project

Future Plans

Projects put aside or planned for later

Handmade Kids Vehicles

My little nephews are going to need some serious farming and construction vehicles.

Build a Canoe

To paddle your own canoe, you first have to build one.

Endless Climbing Wall

Building one would be a nice opportunity for some chain driven mechanics.

Bouldering Wall

I have a 45º ceiling and some climbing holds. This seems inevitable.

Learning Fusion 360

This is much more powerful than Sketchup for mechanical design and engineering.

Handmade Shoes

I've always wanted to make my own shoes. I might even try to mould my own rubber soles.

Woodturning

To make perfectly symmetrical shapes with wood I will need to get into turning.

Lighting Design

With low voltage, high efficiency RGB LEDs, heat management and safety issues are easily avoided.

Welding Table

A combined welding cart and table, with locking casters and storage for MIG welder, gas, and tools.

Automatic Sliding Door

My office is going to need a door. An automatic motorised sliding door with sound effects.

Powder Coating

A dry finishing process that is baked on and results in a durable coating.

Laser Powder Coating

By using a laser to heat the powder in specific areas, selective powder coating is possible.

Wooden Knives

Making a knife out of wood presumably involves many of the usual techniques.

Pepakura Welding

This would allow fabrication of complex shapes from 3D model data with sheet metal.

Fibreglass Pepakura

Combining the powerful papercraft technique with fibreglass makes complex shapes durable.

LED Fresnel Spotlight

A high-CRI, fully dimmable light with variable flood/spot would be great for photography.

Cockpit Chair

No sci-fi office is complete without a motorised task chair with illuminated buttons.

Industrial Table

Heavy duty hardware and reclaimed wood would make for a nice coffee table.

Modern Backpack

A modern hardshell backpack could be moulded from fibreglass, silicone rubber and EVA foam.

Handmade Chef Knife

The challenge will be to create a balanced knife that allows delicate accuracy and rugged stability.

Custom Workbench

The best workbench is designed to be adaptable enough to last a lifetime.

Spoon Carving

This traditional craft requires few tools and turns a little bit of wood into something unique.

Concrete Casting

This material is easily formed into complex shapes and pigments or aggregates can be added.

Electrochemical Etcher

Marking and etching steel is surprisingly possible by using DC and AC current at low voltage.

Vacuum Former

This invaluable machine can be made from inexpensive parts and still get good results.

Stonewashing Tumbler

Abrasive media in a rotating drum will soften steel edges and roughen the finish.

Homemade Laser Tag

Experimenting with sending and receiving long range infrared signals.

Throwable Floodlight

An exercise in high power lighting, extreme durability and waterproofing.

Robotic Water Turret

An experiment in sensor-driven motion control, with automatic target acquisition.

2 x 72 Belt Grinder

This essential knifemaking tool eats through steel with ease. Making one will be very educational.

Modular Sofa-bed

The thing I want probably doesn't exist. Also sofas are expensive. Time to build one.

Knifemaking Gas Forge

To get steel up to forging temperatures, I need a blown gas forge with a PID controller.

Automatic Target Range

It shouldn't be too difficult to make targets appear randomly.

Etching Steel

By using a resist and an electrochemical etcher, all sorts of things could be etched.

Electronics Lab

Sealed from workshop dust to protect sensitive equipment and computers.

Raclette Grill

Freshly melted raclette is incredible. Commercial grills far too expensive.