All things MakerBlock: RepRap, MakerBot, Cupcake CNC, open source, and plastic building toys!
Seriously, why “Tweet”? 1
If I had never known about Twitter and were asked to start a company exactly like it, I would have called it “Bleeter” instead. Anything you said in 140 characters would be a “Bleet.” And, best of all, the phrase “Follow me” would just make SO much more sense when you’re talking about sheep.
A fair number of people I polled are waiting to buy MakerBots not because of money, but because they are waiting for the technology to mature.1 Is this you too?
If so, let me ask you this – would you be willing to spend $235 right now to play with a current “immature” technology MakerBot for an entire year before buying a full price MakerBot that’s more “mature” next year?
If you said yes, you need to buy a MakerBot today.
I bought my Batch 9 MakerBot in late November 2009. In the nearly 10 months since then MakerBot has come out with a $50 heated build platform and the brand spanking new 2 more reliable $185 Plastruder MK5. 3 The only “difference” between my MakerBot and one you buy today with all the upgrades is that I got to play and experiment with a MakerBot for 8 full months more than you for an extra $235. On top of that, I have all the parts for a complete Plastruder MK4! 4
$235 is a small price to play with a MakerBot for nearly a year.5 6 7
The question is, “Should MakerBot hire MakerBlock to blog for them?”
So far the responses are as follows:
[pdrpiechart data=”Yes. Ill even donate a dinosaur. Or laser.=19|Only if they promise to make him blog LESS. =1|No freaking way. I hate that guy.=0″]
Vote now to skew the results!!! (The poll is to the right)
I’ve posted about other people’s MakerBot work space set ups,1 but not much about my own yet.
Right now there’s a bunch of junk2 in the way so no pictures of the setup for now. My MakerBot – “Bender,” a laptop3 , and a large long cardboard box with a wooden dowel running the length with badly cut cardboard spools holding what was once a 5 pound coil of black ABS4 , a very nearly 5 pound coil of clear PLA5 , and a full pound of white ABS I’ve never used. 678
All of this resides in our living room on an enormous former-library card catalog. For those of you youngsters out there, a library card catalog is the kind of thing you see in the background scenes of Warehouse 13. Imagine a huge chest about four feet tall that has lots of small, deep, drawers. It is what libraries used to use to store information about their collections – an analog database. Frankly, I didn’t realize the one I bought was quite so large. 9 It’s literally big enough for about six identical MakerBot/laptop/plastic coil setups to the one I have. 10 The drawers beneath the area where my Makerbot resides are devoted to tools and spare parts. Right now the surface is covered in a number of unfinished projects and some totally finished projects.
Library card catalogs are super handy and useful ways to incorporate storage and a raised level surface for working. The only problem is that these things are absolutely enormous and way way heavier than they look.
Several months ago I made an impulse buy at the local hardware store. I picked up a utility knife that came with 6 blades for $1. It was a good deal, if even for just the razors, and I couldn’t find my usual $3 knife.
Here they are, side by side. My trusty Stanley utility knife on top. This knife has a good heft, stores a few extra blades in its handle, and is slightly wider, making for a more comfortable grip. The two sides also interlock as well as screw into one another. Clicking the blade out another notch requires a small amount of force – just enough so you’ll never do it by accident – and so that it will stay in each notch as long as you don’t intentionally depress the button.
On the bottom is my no-name brand knife. It’s lighter, slightly thinner, rattles with the extra blades inside, and the button to extend/retract the blade has a little bit of wobble and play to it. Also, there’s no interlocking between the two halves.
I discovered that the seams between the two halves of the cheapie utility knife left a lot to be desired. While using the knife I felt a sharp poke in my palm. Turns out that some of the spare razor blades were poking through the incomplete seam.
So, if you’re headed to the hardware store, invest the extra $2 in the better knife. :)
Tony Buser, my origami laser dinosaurs accept your challenge.
Oh. Dang. That did not appear to go well for Team Buser. 1 You probably didn’t realize the scale of those origami dinosaurs before issuing your challenge. See, that’s a laser canon, not a laser pointer.
Also, sorry about your robot dinosaur. I’ll print you a new one. :) 2
There’s a new poll to the right. Basically, “Should Makerbot hire MakerBlock to blog for them?” So, take 5 seconds and cast your vote. Then, on to pictures of dinosaurs with lasers!!!
The guys at MakerBot just posted a job opening for a MakerBot blogger. As if their list of qualifications wasn’t daunting enough, the tweet that follows… Well, I’ll just let it speak for itself.
MakerBot Blogger Wanted: http://bit.ly/dur4vK (also: dinosaurs with lasers wanted)
You want a robot obsessed dinosaur with lasers? 1 What kind of a job posting is that?
Dear lovely wife,
I never meant for this to happen. It just sort of happened. It all started so innocently – reading about the RepRap project, going to the MakerFaire, buying a MakerBot, starting this blog, extra plastic here and there… and then MakerBot advertised for a blogger.
Tell the kids I love them, don’t forget to feed the dog, and there’s a post-it on the dresser for my boss.1
If you need to reach me, I’ll be camped out 87 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217 until they let me in and hire me.
Love,
MakerBlock
I just redesigned the printable screwdriver in order to make the parts fit together better and be more printable.
It should be easier to see how these parts go together.
Basically, you take the “mid-handle” at the far end of the build sheet, turn it upside right, clamp the two “lower handle” pieces on either side of it, and slide that bottom ring onto the lower handle.
I still need to redesign the upper handle, hollow out the mid-handle, and make sure there’s enough room inside for the GoodFET / electronic sonic screwdriver guts.
Now I’m wondering if it is also possible to make this a piece of MakerBot origami – and make it printable on one build sheet…
