Last weekend, Susan and I visited one of our local metro libraries. You already know libraries lend books, and probably knew they also have CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks, but did you know they have an entire makerspace full of tools available free for public use? Susan wanted to visit the Bethany Library (part of Oklahoma City’s Metropolitan Library System) to look into reserving a room, and while there we got a quick tour of the library’s makerspace. We had seen the space once before when the library was remodeled a couple of years ago, but we wanted to see what… (read more)

There’s a running joke I make every time I 3D print something new. After figuring the cost of the the filament I used (which is usually just a few pennies) I announce the item’s cost and follow it with, “or as Susan would say,” and then I add $600 (the price of the printer) to the total amount. It’s actually kind of a dual-layer joke because Susan never actually says that. I just pretend that she does. Because most of the items I print are relatively small, the cost of the filament I use per print is pretty inconsequential. The… (read more)

Earlier this year, I replaced my computer monitors with slightly larger ones. The new monitors came with stands that don’t adjust vertically, so I bought some small shelves from Amazon to raise the monitors. The shelves had little cut outs to hold my phone and allow the charging cable to remain connected — super useful! After months of neck pain I realized the shelves make the monitors too tall. Instead of hacking them up with a jigsaw I flipped them upside-down, which lowers the top shelf by about two inches. Now they’re the perfect height… but I can no longer… (read more)

My foray into 3D printing got off to a rocky start. I originally unboxed and assembled my printer on the dining room table. Everything worked great until I moved the printer upstairs. During that process, a wire that controlled a critical cooling fan failed. When the fan failed, a pretty important part of the printer cooked itself. Fortunately, instead of buying the printer directly from China, I purchased it from TinyMachines3D, who priority shipped me a replacement part. When that didn’t fix the issue, Chris, the owner of the company, worked with me over the phone until we got the… (read more)

Last month I didn’t know anything about 3D printers, but the universe has a unique way of telling me when it’s time for a new toy. My friend Justin mentioned he could use something 3D printed. Then my friend Jeff also mentioned 3D printing. A blogger I follow, Rob Cockerham, bought a 3D printer. Then I bought a couple of 3D-printed Star Wars-related items online (you’ll have to wait until Wednesday to see those.) After recently selling my car I ended up with some spare money sitting in my bank account, and decided to take the hint from the cosmos… (read more)