When it comes to summertime activities, few things beat a lazy ride around a lake or down a creek in a canoe. And while today you can fetch a decent newer model for anywhere from $500-$2000, nothing beats the beauty and craftsmanship of a traditional dugout canoe. And if you’ve ever wanted to make your own, look no further than this 18-minute documentary on Latvian woodworker Rihards Vidzickis. Created from a single tree trunk using traditional hand tools, Vidzickis’ canoe is the perfect example of how—especially in the age of advanced digital manufacturing techniques—older really can be better: Rihards started as an apprentice before receiving his Master degree in Latvian…

When it comes to some of the more exciting developments in product design, oftentimes it comes down to simply looking at new ways of manipulating old materials rather than seeking out new ones. Such is the case with ‘Tenderwood’, an experimental new bench design from Taiwanese industrial designer YenHao Chu. Using a combination of Japanese ash wood, sponge, and veneer, Chu has effectively created a bench that looks like it was made entirely from carved wood, but includes a discreetly built-in sponge cushion in the seat hidden by a matching layer of veneer. “Wooden chairs are usually elegant and neat; however, it is difficult to sit on them for too…

What do you do with your pennies? Do I even need to ask? Look, I know everyone loves blasting a few penny out their nose, but like your grade school financial planner told you, “Your nose is gushing blood! You should be saving those pennies!” Maybe saving pennies would be easier if we could do it using an, oh, I dunno, ARMOURED PIGGY BANK that looks like an ARMOURED PIG and goes by the name of MR. PIGGLESBY. And yes, it does exist. Time to gather those snot-soaked pennies, because Louise Driggers has done what no one else has done – created an amazing, multi-part 3D printed armored piggy bank…

“You know the thrill of walking down a back alley in hopes you might find something amazing? I fucking live for that.” This is how US traveler Scott Allen opens up the About page on his website devoted entirely to hardware hacking and documenting his strange-but-true stories straight out of the world of technology and manufacturing. “Shenzhen, China is my new obsession,” he explains. “I’ve been spending a ton of time here in the past year and a half. I feel like I’m just starting to scratch the surface. It’s been called the workshop and factory of the world. There is so much to discover tucked away in corners of…

We’re back! If you’re familiar with some of my other projects or subscribe to my YouTube channel, you’ll notice two new videos. Those are the the first of an eight part video series on building product prototypes. The series captures the process of creating a working prototype for a solar charger power bank – The Solar Vox Ultra. (Nice name, huh?) We’ll go over the design process I follow to design and refine the concept into the final product and build a working prototype of the device. I hope you’ll join me! Here are the first two videos of the series. Part 1: Inspiration & Ideation This episode is about concept…

This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist knocks you in the pop sockets with head-boppin’ groove tuneage to help propel you through the work week in style. Whether you find yourself inking markers until they’re dry, grinding material through a bandsaw, or working that 3D geometry all day, consider these fresh tracks as a tool for your process. This week we’ll start things off with “Melted Rainbow” from Mr. Gnome and work our way through tracks from Whitney, Foxygen, Black Books, Youth Lagoon, Jim James, and others before wrapping up with “White Gloves” from Khruangbin. Have suggestions? As always, let us know what you listen to, what you want to hear…