Makers Course Week 3

Week three was primarily dedicated to working on our projects so I’ll start with…

Project update:

On Monday I checked the shipping of the bamboo veneer that I purchased and it was scheduled to arrive on Thursday. To me, building a longboard in 7 days sounded daunting, so I decided to make a prototype. After calling all the lumber yards and Menards in the immediate area I learned that you really can’t find any wood cut to less than 1/4″ thickness. With this in mind I wanted to find something more reasonable that would let me refine some skills but would actually work as a board, at least once. I went to the North Shed here on campus at Maharishi University and found some locally harvested cherry that still had a live edge. I decided to use that to prototype: first plaining the board to 2/3″, then tracing my board shape, then cutting out the shape, sanding it down, and finally adding the spar urethane clear coat. Because the spar urethane takes four hours to set I was only able to complete two coats on the front of the board, but this week I will finish it with three coats on each side.

On Thursday afternoon the bamboo was delivered and I began setting up for pressing the five bamboo sheets into one on Friday morning. By the end of class Friday I glued the sheets together and used all the clamps I could find to maintain pressure on the sheets to make one solid board. I let it dry all night and on Saturday I unclamped and was happy to find that the process had worked well, with some minor imperfections.  I worked Saturday afternoon and for about 11 hours on Sunday cutting, sanding, routing, sanding, designing the board art, painting, and doing the first clear coat of epoxy (I used epoxy instead of spar urethane because it adds structural strength).  The first issues this week was the delay in bamboo, and my need for speed while working my prototype. I was getting impatient on the bandsaw and started going quick resulting is some gouges that took me extra time to sand. The major issue though was when I was clamping my bamboo veneer. As the pressure from the clamps wasn’t even along the whole board, there were areas that didn’t press as tightly, and even some cracking along the seams of bamboo. This was very disheartening as I waited for the wood glue to dry, but when I removed the clamps and got everything shaped and sanded  I found that everything I was worried about was either mended or not actually a problem. The next major setback was what I like to call “The Routing Apocalypse of 2016” in which I successfully mutilated my board into a mess of a shape and had to spend three hours hand-sanding to fix it… but what’s a little blood, sweat, and tears if it’s for something you can be proud of?  At this point I have everything I need to complete both boards 😀

 

^My makeshift press!

^Drawing the shape!

^I knew I heard something crack!

^Slow and steady with the bandsaw!

^Taking a break from cutting to add another spar urethane coating the prototype!

^Spraypainting the design!

^Adding the epoxy coat!

^Leaving it in a safe place to dry!

Because my team mate, Danny, was sick on Friday and Saturday, I really just jumped right into the build alone (with my youtube tutorials and instructables.com to help). I really learned a lot though and I hope to pass that knowledge to Danny as he begins his build Monday.

Besides working hard all week on projects we had a few great speakers come in to give lectures. The lectures included inventions, open-source technologies, update on the recent permaculture convention, and an optional smithing lecture/demo. I really enjoyed the lecture on inventions because we really got a feel for what it takes to create something totally new and then assess the possibilities of making a profit out of it. This was necessary for me to understand the legal side of creating, while we go through this process, and I am inspired to use this knowledge to solve problems in the future as well as bring those techniques to others. I also really enjoyed the smithing demo because I feel that that is a skill that I would love to cultivate. I realized that it is not complicated but it is extremely challenging. I hope to be able to fire up the forge and play around with making a few things for my house.

I feel that this week really showed me why people make things. It is the dedication to detail, the power of the love and energy you put into it, and the fulfillment of critical thinking and problem solving. To make something is so much more than production value; making things is about all the values coming together to create a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts.  Though this is in the context of a specific thing, the lessons I am learning are a mere reflection of the totality of life. The struggles, the successes, the process, and ultimate triumph of completion is reflected in everything we do, not only in the things we make.

Makers Course Week 2

As we began week two we needed to have a clear project in mind to work on through the next three weeks of the course. Over the weekend I had researched building skateboards and longboards and decided to gather all the boards I could find and trace the outline and parameters of the board on paper.

On Monday I gathered seven boards and traced them to get a feel for what kind of board would need what kind of work.

By Tuesday I had decided on building a longboard due to the curvature requirement as well as the amount of time we have to finish the project in class. A longboard doesn’t have as many complex curves as street skateboards do and therefor is going to be less challenging to figure out as well as quicker to produce. In class on Tuesday we were divided into two groups; one group was working with a guest instructor learning how to work with sheet metal, and the other group was working with another guest instructor learning how to use the 3D printer.  My morning was spent with sheet metal, and the afternoon was spent with 3D printing.  I particularly enjoyed learning about sheet metal because it is so prevalent in everyday life.

On Wednesday we focused primarily on planning out, researching, and designing our projects, with the opportunity to go to a bread making workshop in the evening. Unfortunately I have Celiac which is an autoimmune disorder that is triggered by gluten, so I was not able to attend.

Thursday was dedicated to more project work as well as a drone demonstration. This was an awesome, eye opening experience, that really showed how innovation can change the fundamental reality of how things are done. Also that there are pros and cons to each technological enhancement and though they might seem wonderful, they could be used for not so wonderful means.

         

On Friday we went to 4 different makers spaces around town and got to experience how different each personal expression can be. One was an amazing artist, having made a unique experience for the observers. The next was a sheet metal maker who taught us about radio waves and communications, the next was a metal smith that showed us the art and skill to making useful things, and the last was an amazing wood worker who specialized in Japanese wood plaining, creating a finish better than sanding or varnish with simple hand tools.

On Saturday we presented our project scope for the class as well as any challenges we are facing as well as our progress.

This week was important because it helped me relate the makers movement to sustainability as a whole, as well as the spiritual and individual implications of making. Our society is so used to going and buying everything and the makers movement not only forces you to slow down and think about what each thing means and how they do together, but to put your awareness and love into each thing you create. When there is awareness, positivity, love, and passion behind an object, people can feel it. When you make something you are inspired, active, and proud of it. Even if it turns out not as expected you still have a sense of connection far above buying the perfect thing. We might just end up with something we could have never imagined, but it might just become the best possible solution.

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a model that makes the existing model obsolete. ”     ~Buckminster Fuller

 

Project Update:

After some research (online, the local lumber yard, and calling Menards) I came to the conclusion that using bamboo was the best, most sustainable option, and that I needed to order it offline due to limited access. I placed an order for 10 sheets of 1/16″ single ply bamboo veneer from http://www.roarockit.com/ for $89.99 including shipping. I plan splitting that with my project partner, and only using 5 sheets for the board. Over the weekend I was gifted some hand-me-down trucks and bushings, which allowed me to spend a little extra money on some nice wheels and bearings that will last me forever (or damn close to it). The one problem I am worried about is how soon the bamboo will get here, and I have decided to go to Menards and get some other wood to begin a prototype with before the bamboo arrives. The wood is the only resource I need before I can complete a board. I am lucky to be doing a individual project with my friend Danny who is also building a longboard. We have been working great together, bouncing ideas off each other and sharing research. I am thankful to be able to make my own decisions, but have another brain to help with brainstorming and research.

The Makers Course Week 1

According to Techopedia “The maker movement is a trend in which individuals or groups of individuals create and market products that are recreated and assembled using unused, discarded or broken electronic, plastic, silicon or virtually any raw material and/or product from a computer-related device.

The maker movement has led to the creation of a number of technology products and solutions by typical individuals working without supportive infrastructure. This is facilitated by the increasing amount of information available to individuals and the decreasing cost of electronic components.”

https://www.techopedia.com/definition/28408/maker-movement

 

As a student at Maharishi University of Management we are given the opportunity to take a one month intensive course on becoming a Maker. This course teaches students “(just) enough to make (almost) anything”.

 

As promised, the first week I gained the skills to make almost anything.

Day 1- Monday, 22 February: On day one we had a nice course overview fallowed by an introduction to our shop and makers spaces.  We then broke up the class into three groups for the rest of the weeks skill training.

Day 2- On day two we began our skill training with metal. We covered cutting, grinding, drilling, and joining (welding).

Day 3- In the morning on day three we took a break on our skill sets and watched a short movie called Crafted, about masters of the maker movement. We then began brainstorming possible projects and things we would like to make. In the afternoon we worked as a class learning the basics of Sketchup.

Day 4- After watching a few instructional videos the night before we dove into lighting up an LED on an Arduino. I was so excited about this, and was very inspired to learn more as I could now see the endless possibilities for solving world problems with this software. In the afternoon we learned basic household wiring, plumbing, and soldering.

Day 5- On day five we were learning about wood. We learned to drill, screw, join, glue, assess, cut, and sand wood.

Day 6- On Saturdays we only have morning class, so we dedicated ourselves to thinking harder on what project we would like to make as a final project. Through the two hours I narrowed it down to building a longboard, celtic harp, and hang drum. Thinking over the weekend I also wanted to explore the possibility of making wind chimes as well.

 

This week of experience was very empowering for me. As my teacher explains: we are doing things that for most of peoples life, they have been told not to do because it is dangerous. We are using an array of dangerous tools and techniques that most people have not learned how to use or do safely and are therefor unaware of the power that knowledge holds. When you learn these skills you begin to see the world a bit differently. Now when I think of something I need I don’t think about ordering it online, or heading to Walmart or Goodwill to pick it up, but rather the what resources and how much time it would take for me to make it myself.  I feel that I am, for the first time, initiating my connection to my environment in a very specific way. Not only do I know that the cute shirt I want from Forever21 is contributing to slave labor in other countries, but I can relate to the people that made it. I am beginning to see and feel what people go through to bring me the items that I often take for granted. This is a very profound realization and has effected me very deeply this last week. I encourage everyone to start your journey to becoming a maker, because I think that this might just lead to a social revolution and understanding.

I plan on researching and planning my project further this week.