This time, he hacked a picture frame into a video monitor displaying the live image from a webcam.

Have a peek.

Ryan from New-Zealand send us a nice writeup about his custom-made kitchen computer that apparently made his wife real happy.

Check it out.

Usual disclaimer: Please remember that as with any project involving mains power, make sure you know what you’re doing and  do it safely, or don’t. Also respect your local laws and building code.

As a fellow DIYer I am always looking for ways to save money on projects that I’m working on. Often when I work on projects I need tools that I don’t have. Sometimes those tools make sense to buy, other times I feel like it can be a waste of money to buy a tool that I may only need once or twice. So I decided to start a website called Share Some Sugar. It’s an online service that finds someone in your neighborhood who is willing to lend you something that you need.

I thought that Share Some Sugar might be something that would interests your blog community members. They can go on the site and post tools and items that they are willing to share and also find tools that they would like to borrow, all in their own neighborhood or community. There is feedback on members profiles so people can see their neighbours’ sharing history. There is also a security deposit feature and a contract to protect both parties.

I look forward to connecting with you to help you and your blog readers save money through sharing tools.

Thanks,
Keara

This cool project turns a boring Ikea lamp into a theremin-like synth. Pretty cool. I really like the updated instructions — but real instructions would be nice too. I guess this is more a show piece than a how-to. Nonetheless, it can still inspire someone so I’m posting it anyways.

One thing I’d add is a switch so that the lamp can still be used as a plain lamp. Flick the switch and it would turn into a noisy monster.

Sunnan Synth / ikea hack from Jan van Nuenen on Vimeo.

Alan Kaufman wrote a nice introduction-to-the-tools-of-sewing piece on ThreadBanger.

A few weeks ago, the good folks over at Black and Decker sent me a ReadyWrench to review. I wanted to use the tool a few times before writing about it. This week I saw that they started promoting it as a christmas gift idea so I decided that it was time to write the review before the holidays are over!

Let’s get down to it. What is this thing? Basically it’s a handle with 4 box wrenches on each end. To select which size you want to use, just turn the boxes at the end of the tool. The packaging says there’s 16 different sizes, but in reality, it’s 8 sizes which are close-enough matches between SAW and metric: This means that your half-inch box is really a 13mm (0.51 in.) box. A notch every 45º prevents the box from spinning and jerking off the bolt while you’re using it. That mechanism is well done.

The tool feels good in the hand: it’s not too light and doesn’t feel flimsy, although I wouldn’t whack it with a mallet to get a stubborn bolt unstuck. The plastic grip is comfortable, but I feel they could have went with a higher quality material. Also, I didn’t see any markings that would indicate which grade steel alloy it’s made of. In my opinion, at 30$, it should be high quality chrome vanadium steel. Then again, it’s not designed to be a heavy-duty tool — which is fine since it isn’t pretending to be.

I’ve tried it around the car and I must say that it was frustrating at times: without ratcheting action and with 60º teeth, the tool needs a lot of space to work — space that wasn’t always available under the hood of my Volvo. For working on the car, nothing beats a good set of box wrenches.

Around the backyard and in the shed, the ReadyWrench felt more at home. As much as I love to use my extensive tool set when I work on the car, as much I hate taking it out just to tighten a few bolts in the backyard. That’s where the ReadyWrench really shines.

Sure, I have other tools that tighten bolts. But, I don’t leave those in the shed. Having the ReadyWrench handy when you need it is really practical. In fact, the Ready Wrench prompted me to assemble what I call a “satellite tool kit” that I leave in the shed. Nothing fancy, just a multi-bit screwdriver, some pliers, a utility knife and the ReadyWrench. That way, I don’t need to run to the house when I need to tighten a bolt.

So — where does this tool stand?

What they got right:

• Handy all-in-one design
• For noobs, less likely to strip a bolt than an adjustable spanner
• A nice addition to any toolbox
• Lifetime Warranty

What can be improved:

• Somewhat ill suited for tight spots (a 30º bend would help)
• Better quality plastic grip
• Plastic Blister Packaging is annoying

The verdict:

The ReadyWrench is a good addition to any tool kit. For beginners, it’s easier to use than an adjustable spanner. If you’re a seasoned DIY person with a full toolkit, don’t dismiss it too quickly: you can always use it in a secondary toolbox that’s closer to the action! At around 30$, it’s the perfect stocking stuffer.

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Paul Overton posted this nice tutorial on how to make papercut portraits on his blog, DudeCraft. The best thing about this paper cutting technique can be applied to many medias and derived, like stencilling a T-Shirt.

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A nice USB to Serial Converter that you can build in your projects instead of using standalone external converters.

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“Ring light is basically a light that is placed around the objective. In close-up and macro photography it covers the subject with even light that seems to come from all around the lense. This removes all the shadows from the surface of the object. A great thing if you are shooting a photo for a ring that you want to sell on ebay or some hardware close-ups for a review article.”

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Ok, let’s face it. The result is pretty lame. However, I chose to post this link because the technique shown can be applied to many other things, like making furniture, miniature models, etc.

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How to make a macro lens from an old slide projector.

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Thinking of building the Moog VCF I posted yesterday? You might want to check out this post about using Cupric Chloride to etch PCBs.

Usual disclaimers apply.

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Robert Moog, may he rest in peace, invented a legendary voltage-controlled filter (VCF). It’s the low-pass filter that gives the MiniMoog its characteristic sound. YUSynth has published the schematics, parts list and PCB layout for the MiniMoog VCF.

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Scott Holden built this amazing tauntaun costume  and put his build log online. Don’t know what a tauntaun is? Learn to Empire Strikes Back.

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“Artists Chris Reilly and Taylor Hokanson appear to be getting some impressive results from their DIYLILCNC. They certainly aren’t the first to develop an open source CNC mill, however their build looks particularly nice. They claim that the whole thing can be assembled for around $700, including the stepper motors and drive electronics. Want to get in on the action? CAD drawings for the parts and build instructions are available on their site, under the Creative Commons license.”

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Inspired by sundials, Taufeeq created a “Circle of Light” bulbdial clock. that uses shadows instead of hands to show the time. In theory, if you could use LEDs that have a perfect diffusion pattern, you could end up with a clock that has a white face and three hands: one cyan, one magenta and one yellow. In practice, you still end up with something that looks cool.

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David Long wrote me to tell me about his and Antoine Morris’ project called “The Mobile Office”. Together, they form “The Practice of Everyday Design”. The Mobile Office is part bed, part work area, all Frankenstein.

The Mobile Office was constructed from discarded materials within a one block radius from the site. All the material was transported to the site with our bikes and a makeshift dolly. The only purchased items were the hardware used to hold it together.

Sorry, no instructions. I guess you need to take whatever materials you can find and go from there.

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And they ride fixed-gear bikes too!

I also changed the layout. Hope you like it.

A few weeks ago, I swapped out the driver’s seat in my trusty Volvo 850 because it had an electrical problem. I definitely don’t want to throw out the old seat because it’s a super comfortable leather seat. It’s in my basement, waiting for me to make something with it.

Here’s something that I could do with it if I was a gamer and had some room: an arcade-style racing console.

Since I don’t nearly have enough room for something like that, I’ll probably just convert mine into an office chair.

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