The branch of the tree twisted down to the trunk. Grooved deeply and large enough the three of us could walk side by side. If it hadn’t appeared we might think the quakes surfacing it from the forest floor from another source, but it was all to apparent, the cause, was these links. Robert Chew…
Few things could be as satisfying as the primal act of burying yourself deep in the Latvian woods for the winter season making knives by hand, yet the talented crew at John Neeman Tools lives this reality every day. Their mission? To use their blacksmith and woodworking knowledge that’s been passed down through many generations of Latvian toolmakers to create the best—and most original—woodworking tools and knives on earth. In this three-part series, the crew at Neeman takes us behind the scenes into their small workshop to show us the knife and toolmaking process that’s just as relevant today as it was generations ago.
Whipping out a full size monitor willy-nilly whilst travelling the tube may get you banned from public transportation, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it anyway. Why stop at one monitor though? How about three or four? Especially when you can fit them all in your backpack. Able-HD is a 17″ portable HD 1080p resolution monitor, 3 times slimmer than the slimmest LED screen, that weighs less than an iPad. It’s a DIY project that launched on Kickstarter with a $5,000 goal. With one week to go, they have nearly $70,000 pledged from 560+ backers and the interest of everyone who could use an additional monitor for home or travel.
Brought to you by five ounces of auditory meatloaf spraying from the oven at 320 beats per minute, be sure to check out the all new episode of Cool Tools of Doom n’ Stuff! By the way, we love our SolidSmack readers! Have something cool you’ve come across and want to share it on SolidSmack? Don’t hide it in your neck skin! Send it on in to
While there are plenty of books on the various methods of fabrication techniques, a select few ever appear on the subject of modelmaking and protoyping for product design purposes. Sure, there is value in learning dovetail joints and proper bandsaw maintenance, but the core values of these existing books tend to veer into ‘shop class’ or machine shop essentials territory without getting to the what, why, or how of modern prototyping practices. Prototyping and Modelmaking for Product Design is the first of its kind in that it takes various methods of modelmaking techniques and precisely puts them in context to the modern day product design process. Whether you’re bouncing on the upper echelons of your professional career or just starting from scratch, this book is an invaluable resource for staying fresh in the model shop.