Monday, December 16, 2013

Homemade Portable Bandsaw Stand - Cut off & Vertical

In this video I built an aluminium stand to attach a portable bandsaw too, which can be used in conjunction with a vice as a cut off saw or raised into an upright vertical position to be used as a typical bandsaw, and when necessary removed to be use freehand. 

I got my hands on this bit of kit for £50 and it's as rough as they come.  It sounds quite coarse but will save me having to cut large stock by hand.  The aluminium all together cost be about £25 whilst I had all the fixings and scrap sheet of ply. 

Initially I wanted to be able to cut various angle from the top but realised to do this, the chopping tilt had to be above the blade rotation.  I made it the other way which means the only adjustment I can make is to at 90 degree cut.  As it is now, any rotation to the left or right would mean the edge of the blade would make contact with the material to be cut instead of the teeth.  I don't plan to make any compound mitre cuts, so will focus on true square cut.  And in any case I could always rotate the vice.

For now I used a cross vice which I clamped down to hold a piece of mild steel box tubing when testing the cut.  It seems quite accurate but I am hoping to build a vice.  I will also make a larger detachable bed for the upright position, a means of clamping the saw while upright and maybe a spring to slow the drop while using it as a cut off saw.


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How to Fix a Warped Skateboard

For riders and builders alike, having a warped deck can be very frustrating. Skateboards (like any piece of wood) can warp over time as the fibres in wood expand and contract with seasonal/temperature changes. Decks can also be affected by moisture and inconsistencies in the glue between layers.

When you are not using your board, keep it stored in a controlled environment whenever possible. Try not to leave your board for extended periods of time in places that can be subject to extreme heat or cold, like your garage or the trunk of your car - and always keep your board dry! This will help control the moisture content of the wood and prevent unnecessary expansion and contraction of the veneers.

Now, we know that's not always possible... sometimes you just gotta take your board out in the rain and get your greezy slides on, or throw it in a jammed trunk for a long road trip. Either way, if you find yourself with a warped deck, we've got a relatively easy DIY solution to try and fix it.


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The White Home Screen

The White Home Screen

Android: Sometimes, less is more. That's the approach My Color Screen user udikas took when creating this white, minimalist home screen.

The layout features music player controls, weather, a fancy clock and a simple RSS reader. If you want to rebuild the look, here's what you'll need:

As a side note: the image above has been slightly modified from its original version on My Color Screen. The original theme contained a slightly NSFW image that was removed to be featured here. Everything else is unaltered.

Do you have an awesome, tweaked-into-oblivion home or lock screen of your own that you'd like to share? Post it in the comments below, or on your own Kinja blog with the tag "home screen showcase" (no quotes). Be sure to include a description of how you made it so we can feature it as the next featured home screen.

White | My Color Screen


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How Do You Change Your Routine to Keep Life Interesting?

How Do You Change Your Routine to Keep Life Interesting?

We've talked before about changing up your routine to help spur on creativity and get your brain moving. What changes do you make, though?

Our days are filled with routines. Most of them are pretty good! They help us deal with a large number of complex tasks. If we stick to them too closely, though, we get bored. Fortunately, there are plenty of things we can do to mix things up. As productivity blog Pick the Brain suggests:

"So, next time you find yourself dreading your next morning run, go a different route in the evening. Better yet, find an exercise buddy to come with you as you explore your town on foot! Okay, so maybe you’re not an avid runner. Just gather your family for a random night of board games, movies, and popcorn. Everyone, including yourself, will thank you later."

What kind of things do you do to change up your routine and keep your life interesting? How effective are those things at getting your brain energized? Has anything in particular not helped?

How to Shake Up Your Life | Pick the Brain

Photo by Liz West.

Track-and-explode wolf collar...

Don't worry! First, this is a rebuild out of a movie so it won't explode for real and it won't be worn by a real wolf.
However there is fursuiting for which I am a big fan of and my own character (fursona) is a wolf and lives in a world of technology and total military control. This collar will give the image if you would step out of line, you will be severely punished.
(a future nobody wants to be part of, yet it is happing in the "world" of my fursona) 

So much for my own background story and motivation....
This idea excally came out of the movie "the running man" when in the beginning the collars are being shown in action, preventing prisoners from escape and later on being a problem when they needed to disable the "sonic deadline" before they could run away. However I wanted mine to be a lot nicer and have some real functionality and more in the animal spirit (and again!, no real explosives are used, I like my head for some reason…)

Check video link below to see it in action...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfpaGMmhLAA

Sorry I could not get the embedded thingy to work here....   me apologizes for now.... (will try again later)

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Reeder for iPhone Adds Support for Feedly, Is Currently Free

Reeder for iPhone Adds Support for Feedly, Is Currently Free

iOS: Reeder is our favorite news reader for the iPhone, and as of today it's adding support for Feedly and Feedwrangler since Google Reader is now closed. The app is also free for now.

Reeder's a nice, clean app that makes reading RSS on your iPhone a pretty enjoyable experience. This update means you can now sync Reeder up with Feedly or Feed Wrangler. According to the developer's site, iPad and Mac updates are on the way, but they'll take a little more work. For now, grab Reeder for iPhone from the link below.

Reeder | iTunes App Store