Always a (giant) crowd pleaser for any LEGO fan – making gigantic ‘things’ out of LEGO—this time it’s a Chevrolet Silverado pick up truck. Agreed it’s only because of a movie partnership – “The LEGO® Movie 2: The Second Part” – no less, we can all do with a little bit more of the bricks to play with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTw8MHmPKUI The students of the Oxford Community School’s FIRST LEGO® League and Detroit’s Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary’s A World in Motion Program created this first-ever full-size LEGO® Silverado — unveiled in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. What makes the whole exercise even more impressive is that the…

Don your favorite bathrobe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this week’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. The Weekend Reader features a handful of the most interesting articles featured on the ‘Smack over the past week ranging from tips and tricks to inspirational designs, processes, and more. So lay back, relax and take a load off while reading the top stories on SolidSmack this past week. Oh and uh…don’t forget to shed some much-needed sunlight on your face, too. Going to SOLIDWORKS World 2019? Here’s What You Don’t Want to Miss. Wow. Doesn’t it feel like the first SOLIDWORKS World was waaaaay back in 1998? It was. And here we are…

Few shop tools—yes, we’ll call it a “tool”—are as indispensable as a reliable work apron. While not a “tool” in the traditional sense, a good, durable apron can serve many purposes ranging from tool organization to even psychologically making yourself ‘present’ in the workshop. But no two aprons are alike—and striking the balance between functional and economical isn’t always easy. Which is why we like the Cross Back Adjustable Apron from Hudson Durable Goods. Made from thick and durable waxed canvas, this stylish work apron features design details that are as carefully considered as the long-lasting materials they’re constructed from. Additionally, the cross-back (X-back) straps ensure that weight from tools…

E3D-Online has nearly completed its beta test of an unusual tool-changing 3D printer. The UK-based company is most well known for their powerful and reliable hot ends and extruders, which are used in countless 3D printers made by dozens of manufacturers worldwide. But they’re also working on an advanced 3D printer. Their “tool-changing” 3D printer is very unusual in its approach to achieving multi-color / multi-material prints. While most current concepts involve using multiple print heads in a fixed line on the 3D printer’s motion system or some form of single-nozzle-but-multiple-input-feeds system, E3D’s concept is very different and it overcomes the problems with these approaches: Multiple hot ends can interfere…

We’ve featured many woodworking workshops before on SolidSmack—but they’ve always been stationary; idle abodes usually found in garages where woodworkers can live in isolation to work on their craft. While these isolated environments certainly enable many artisans to concentrate better, it doesn’t leave them with a lot of flexibility to work on projects further from home. In an attempt to make woodworking a more mobile occupation, Nissan and UK-based design studio Studio Hardie have collaborated to turn one of the car company’s newest vans, an NV300, into a bonafide mobile woodworking workshop. The converted NV300 van contains a vast array of woodworking tools, from chisels and hammers to power saws…

Founded in 1927 in Centralia, Washington by the Geier Brothers, the Geier Glove Company has been churning out some of the world’s finest work gloves for heavy wear and tear. Made from Elkskin, which is more rugged than deerskin, these gloves can stand up to just about anything you can throw at them—from nasty wood splinters to cold steel bars. Heck—they even make great winter gloves whether you use them in the shop at all. Made in the USA, you can’t go wrong with this Western staple in your workshop. Geier Glove Elkskin Gloves — $58.99 Features: Men’s elkskin gloves in a slip-on styleRugged and tough for work or ridingMade…