Apr 21 2020

New 3D Prints Website

Most of my time has recently has been used creating and publishing models for 3D printing. At first I was publishing them on Thingiverse.com, but as the site has become more and more unstable, I have created my own site for publishing the models: 3D Prints at Electronsmith.com

Permanent link to this article: http://workshop.electronsmith.com/content/new-3d-prints-website/

May 19 2016

How To Not Lose Your INKZALL Marker

I’m really bad about organizing my tools as I use them. I’ll grab a tool from the place it lives, then just leave it where I last used it. Five minutes later I’ll spend ten minutes trying to find where I left the tool. As I’ve been re-organizing my shop I’ve tried to actually plan …

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Jan 31 2016

X-Carve: On Router Bits

One of the many mistakes I found that I made when I ordered my X-Carve was not taking advantage of Inventables pricing on a 1/4″ shaft, 2-flute HSS spiral upcut bit for $10. This s a pretty good price on this bit and ordering it separately from Inventables will incur a shipping fee of $7.50. …

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Permanent link to this article: http://workshop.electronsmith.com/content/x-carve-on-router-bits/

Jan 26 2016

X-Carve: Organizing Before Assembling

For the last few big projects I’ve built, I’ve started using the Harbor Freight Parts Storage Cases to keep all the small components and tools organized. Rather than try to locate small bags of hardware packed in bigger bags like most kits come with, I find that having them all in a bin …

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Permanent link to this article: http://workshop.electronsmith.com/content/x-carve-organizing-before-assembling/

Jan 04 2016

A Better Way To Make Small Chain

I really love my 6 foot Stanley key chain tape. I use a small carabiner to clip it to a belt loop and slip it into my pocket as I described in my ToolGuyd post. Unfortunately the split link chain that they put on the tape just can’t handle …

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Permanent link to this article: http://workshop.electronsmith.com/content/a-better-way-to-make-small-chain/

Dec 20 2015

X-Carve: Programming The Arduino Uno

Rather than checking the X-Carve Arduino/gShield Motion Controller Kit option when I bought the X-Carve, I supplied my own Arduino (which I had lying around) and I purchased the gShield with $50 gift card I got for ordering the X-Carve over Black Friday weekend. This saved me $120, minus the shipping cost …

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Permanent link to this article: http://workshop.electronsmith.com/content/x-carve-programming-the-arduino-uno/

Dec 16 2015

X-Carve: Finding Your Own Wiring And Terminal Blocks

  Like I mentioned in the ordering post, I though I had some 18/4 shielded wire lying around, and even if I didn’t how expensive could it be to purchase some? Well, I scavenged through all of my stuff and only found a whole bunch of unshielded …

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Permanent link to this article: http://workshop.electronsmith.com/content/x-carve-finding-your-own-wiring-and-terminal-blocks/

Dec 16 2015

X-Carve: Choosing To Make Your Own Wasteboard

For the 1000mm X-Carve, the wasteboard costs $128. I figured I could save most of that money by making my own. From what I figured I’d need a 4×4′ sheet of 3/4″ MDF, which would be less than $20. Instead of using threaded inserts and special hold downs, I’d cut …

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Permanent link to this article: http://workshop.electronsmith.com/content/x-carve-choosing-to-make-your-own-wasteboard/

Dec 15 2015

X-Carve: My Configuration As Ordered

One cool thing about Inventables is they let you customize the machine you are buying. For instance, if you have a bunch of NEMA 23 stepper motors lying around, you can remove them from your order and save yourself some money. So I started out by choosing the basic …

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Permanent link to this article: http://workshop.electronsmith.com/content/x-carve-my-configuration-as-ordered/

Dec 14 2015

X-Carve Series Preview

The weekend of Black Friday I took the plunge and purchased an X-Carve. They were having a promotion where you got $100 off the X-Carve and when you completed the purchase you got a $50 gift card to Inventables.com. It seems like Inventables has been giving away X-Carves to …

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Permanent link to this article: http://workshop.electronsmith.com/content/x-carve-series-preview/