Progress in the studio

I still have a lot of sorting and organizing to get done, but I've made some progress since the last posting.

These plastic bins suit my organization 

A few more layers for these shelves are on the way

Most of the peg board will be cover with more shelving but leaving some of it exposed will be helpful 

Small Discoveries

With a studio space rented and ready to set up,  a workbench is one of the essential things to put in place. Harbor Freight sells a bench that looks pretty good.

It looks better in the picture than it does in  person. It certainly did not feel sturdy enough to justify the $160 price.

I discovered a Habitat Restore that I had not been to before. They sell donated items to financially support Habitat for Humanity. I would rather hand them my money than Harbor Freight anyway, so I was pleased when I found three drawer stacks and a section of counter top.

The whole setup for only $50 

When assembled it is strong enough to hold an anvil and everything else I can imagine stacking on it. 

+++++++++++++++    

Then I discovered that not all microwaves are alike.

Since a microwave oven is a good source for a synchronous motor, I snagged an old discarded microwave. When I started dismantling it I discovered it didn't have a synchronous motor but it did have ...

... a nice assortment of contact switches  

... permanent magnets on a turntable

AND ...  a speed reduction direction change gear box.

With these little treasures, its okay with me that I didn't find a synchronous motor.

I Have Space

I have rented a room called "Studio 1710" in the same building that Cyberia is in. It is much smaller than what I thought I was looking for, but with all the tools just down the way, that greatly reduces the space I need. This is at least a starting place.

On my first inquiry, I was told the 200 sq. feet would cost $200 per month plus electricity. After some very easy negotiating, we settled on $150 per month with electricity included.


A plain rectangular room with peg board walls is hardly worthy of a picture, but you can count on seeing one when I get some shelving and inventory in place.

Learning piece #1 nearing completion

I'm pretty excited about the way this has turned out. Many components are different than the original image in my head, but in most cases it was a change for the better.

It is still in need of some finishing touches and those are coming soon..

I've noticed old motors, steam boilers  and the like often have a label kind of like this one:

If I can produce something like this I think it would be a nice addition.

This video was a bit rushed, but being a kinetic sculpture it seems important to show it's kinetic nature.

Making Adjustments

From this point

I imagined the saw blade tripping a lever to transfer the motion to a counter. To that end I assembled this piece.

When I added it to the assemblage it did not give me the "teeter-totter" result I was looking for. After a good bit of trial and error I finally decided to abandon the lever. It's a little tough to throw away a "good" idea and find another one to replace it. The new idea became making the connection from the saw blade to the counter with a spring.

I'm kind of pleased with the way it's looking

Pictures from Cyberia

My project bench

Pottery Kiln and Mig Welder and Plasma cutter.

3 in 1 sheet metal machine 

Metal lathe and one of the milling machines

The wood working area

Large format CNC machine under construction

Laser cutter

A couple of 3D printers

 and a bench just full of interesting.

Estate Sale

Step 1. Cut an interesting shape using a plasma cutter.

Step 2. Decide that shape is not sufficiently appealing and that a rusty saw blade would be a better choice.

Step 3. Find an estate sale where circular saw blades are available.

Step 4. Go shopping at the estate sale. Leave behind only  $10

Step 5. Come home with two saw blades and plumbing plugs

and aluminum tubing 

and spray paint

and baby food jar full of set screws

and copper wire brackets

and shrink tubing

and switches

and many many more things.

Frankly, it was a surreal experience. It was kind of like looking through my work shop after I abandoned it. The shop was similar to mine down to the drill press that had funky wiring.

Step 6. Put a saw blade in salt so it will rust up quickly.

Step 7. Wait for rust to happen.

After a couple of days setting in salt, it took on an interesting mottled appearance. It looks more interesting than the orange rust coating I was expecting.

Drilling the hole that would allow me to add a bearing was more difficult than I anticipated. The blade was very hard steel.