MSRaynsford

I was inspired by some end grain chopping boards I saw on you tube to try and recreate some of the techniques with the laser cutter. This coaster was made by cutting the basic outline with the laser and then cutting across it with the ribbon pattern. The cut was made in two lines removing a chunk 0.8mm wide, a single layer of veneer was inserted into the gap and then the coaster was glue shut again. The second set of ribbons (overlapping the first) were cut once the glue had dried. The second line of veneer was inserted and the whole thing sanded up to a nice finish. ( svg here ).

I've had this chopping board in my garage for at least a year and I figured now was the time to finally put something on it. I found a nice illustration I liked online and converted it into a line drawing for the laser. I think the style works well even if the subject and item is a little dated. I'll be sure to use it next time I'm doing fondue though. ( svg here )

We're doing a bit of decorating which means we shuffled rooms round too and Kim is now studying in a room without a lampshade. It's never been a high priority until today so instead of traipsing into town just to settle on a lampshade we don't really like I made one instead. It's made from 0.8mm white polypropylene and I'm a bit peeved because I over cooked it and you can see the burn marks through the plastic. I'll clean it up eventually but it has gone into service today and it seems to be doing an acceptable job.

I should have known that the master of woodwork Matthias Wandel  would have also built a counter and he did it much better than I did. This counter has a Geneva drive  between the digits so the upper digit only moves 1/10th of a rotation each time the lower digit passes zero. My counter is a bit flawed, the tolerances weren't tight enough so it gets a bit sticky as it increments. I can rebuild it so that the parts overlap in a better way and avoid snagging. I took a short video of the two different counters in action but for some reason my camera was only letting me take 4 seconds of video at any one time. I improved the counter wheels, each number has a tab which fits into the end wheel, this ensures even spacing around the wheel and that the numbers are all square.

I have combined all my tips and tricks for making a good kit into this one new design now available for sale in my store . You've seen this shark pop up a few times recently but I've now turned it into kit form. It varies from the original shark after Sam from Shiny Shiny  wisely suggested that I put a flex section in the tail. The kit itself numbers each part on both sides of the slots so part 1 fits into slot 1 etc, but when they are slotted together both numbers are hidden from view. Each part is held into the framework by very small 0.8mm wide tab which can be easily broken (so no need for a knife) and each tab is pointed at by an arrow so you know where to snap. I have redrawn the Just Add Sharks logo to be a Hershey text font which makes it much faster to cut and I have also included a little illustration of an assembled shark which will also aid building. Buy one from the store or cut one for yourself. ( svg here )

I want to keep track of how many times I've performed a task with a little mechanical counter so I built this prototype. This was intended to prove the gear ratios work and demonstrate how bad the numbers go onto the wheel. The next iteration will have a ratchet to click round one number at a time, the numbers will be done differently too, finally I'll add a third wheel so I can count to 999.