- a reproduction of Thos. Jefferson's Lap Desk in bamboo
- a collection of woodworking and machinist tools which I need to make a nicer case for, probably one modeled on the H.O. Studley tool cabinet, though I've been debating making a nice set of drawings from the typo-ridden book and making a replica of that
- the Spellbinder deck box which has my first Magic: The Gathering deck in it, which includes a play set of Tropical Islands
- a collection of books on type and typesetting which includes some of the more interesting books I did the composition on, or assisted with in some way which warranted my being mentioned
- a collection of fantasy and science fiction books, including pretty much everything J.R.R. Tolkien wrote: https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienbooks/comments/sfi4qp/over_4... (his translation of the Exodus poem really, really needs to be reprinted, ideally w/ a lengthy scholarly examination) as well as pretty much everything Michael Moorcock wrote in paperback, as well as some other authors, either in hardcover or paperback.
and as mentioned else thread, there are a couple of more traditional heirlooms I have of my forebears (milk jug, lawnmower, my father's Seiko which unfortunately has a broken date wheel and is too large for my wrist/taste anyway), and one which I don't have which I still rage about (anvil).
That said, I have made a couple of things as prototypes, mostly for archery:
- spine testing jig (had to use a bunch of washers on a bolt for the two-pound weight though)
- fletching jig
Also some small desk accessories --- a tablet stand w/ pen holder, a rack for a CD-player --- the two stacks of bricks holding up a wooden shelf are still on place though.
Probably bits and bobs for the wife's crafting projects (probably involve lots of rabbits) Custom cases for the odd bare electronic components I have. And some experiments in stylistic 3d designs.
- Vinyl decals for windows, walls, etc. On a whim, I bought a vinyl cutting machine a couple years ago and have been at it ever since. Sometimes I sell them to others, but I usually just do it for the pure enjoyment of seeing my ideas come to life. My walls are covered in vinyls now.
- Vehicles, a never-ending project. I currently have a 2003 Suburban that I've been slowly modifying for the past year. Before that, I knew nothing about cars. Now I'm pretty sure I could take it 80% apart and put it all back together. It's got a ~5" lift, steel offroading wheels, modified exhaust, aftermarket head unit, and beefy mud tires. I've given it hell offroading and had to replace too many parts to count - but that's when the most learning happens, so it's all worth it.
- Light-box? I don't even know what this is called, but I envisioned it one day and brought it to life. It's a wooden box that's 5in deep with a sheet of plexiglass on the front and a lightbulb inside. The plexiglass has a design that allows light to shine through and make really cool effects. I made one for Christmas that had a silhouette of trees and houses at the bottom with Santa and his reindeer flying above. It turned out even better than I envisioned and was one of the coolest things I've ever made.
- Most of the furniture and art [1] that I've made. I'm a very analytical person and physical creative outlets where I just create things that "feel good" really help me unwind... Even if those projects are pretty difficult for my often times rudimentary skills. There's a small gallery on my personal website.
- My own company [2] that makes titanium hand-blown glassware for whisky and spirits. They're made in Europe, so I don't personally craft them, but the glasses are my design and I learned how to 3D print prototypes - so "made" might vary based on your definition. Tangible things are just really cool and grounding.
It might be cool to include some photos and a build-log of each item being made. I think I’d like this as a shopper and it would let you distinguish your products from mass-produced stuff.
It wouldn’t have to be super-comprehensive, but I think it would be fun, especially if the reader could sorta track how the product evolves from the raw material: a knot being used as the focal point of a rustic table—-or hidden with an inlay for a fancy one, for example.
Downhill racer painted to look like the General Lee. The go cart idea famousactress suggested is great, but costly. A downhill racer costs maybe 50 bucks, or a trip to the dump or polling your friends and family for parts (old lawn mower or bikes for wheels, for example).
Tree house in the woods behind our house.
A boat. Sort of. It wouldn't float, because my friend Steven and I put thousands of nails in it...Some sort of decoration or something.
Wooden deck (this was for my mom, but it was a useful learning experience, and kids don't mind doing work, if it's kept light-hearted and easy going and they get to hang out with their dad while he's being awesome)
Numerous electronics projects using various kits from Radio Shack. Eventually ended up with a 200-in-1 kit, that I saw on reddit a few weeks ago is still in production. The radio transmitters were always the most exciting for me, though extremely complex, especially if you want to be able to hear it all over the neighborhood (you need an amp and an antenna to really break federal law properly).
Numerous computer projects. Mostly repairing old ones that we'd bought at garage sales and then reselling them.
Numerous car projects, including fixing and doing oil changes and such on my own car when I got old enough to have one.
All of these things led to me having a pretty severe DIY attitude...maybe too much so. I try to fix and build just about everything myself. This week, for example, I specced out what it would cost to take a box truck and turn it into the perfect motorhome ($29000, including a late model 17' medium duty diesel box truck with attic, and mostly new interior parts; about $9k less if most of the RV parts can be obtained through salvage sources, in case anyone is wondering).
Well you do sometimes get collections of things that are a bit...toy...rather than stuff that's actually useful in a large (in my experience) proportion of projects.
My suggestion is to get into an unrelated hobby, and you’ll find small opportunities to print things useful to that hobby. Dice shakers or holders for Dungeon and dragons, pick holders for guitar, a case for my belay glasses for climbing, etc
Sewing. First to make masks for the family. I then made sail and varnish covers for my boat. I broke my wife's domestic machine in the process (still recovering from that beating), but have graduated to sturdier machines and projects. I make a lined pouch out of up-cycled materials that seems to go over well with friends. I made a backpack that is my take on a Goruck GR1, but with a more slender profile and lighter weight while keeping the rugged exterior. I flirt with the idea of starting a cut-and-sew operation for custom backpacks at some point.
- an Ascham (archery case) for a Bear Custom Kodiak Takedown bow: https://www.lumberjocks.com/showcase/archery-case-ascham-of-...
- a reproduction of Thos. Jefferson's Lap Desk in bamboo
- a collection of woodworking and machinist tools which I need to make a nicer case for, probably one modeled on the H.O. Studley tool cabinet, though I've been debating making a nice set of drawings from the typo-ridden book and making a replica of that
- the Spellbinder deck box which has my first Magic: The Gathering deck in it, which includes a play set of Tropical Islands
- a collection of books on type and typesetting which includes some of the more interesting books I did the composition on, or assisted with in some way which warranted my being mentioned
- a collection of fantasy and science fiction books, including pretty much everything J.R.R. Tolkien wrote: https://www.reddit.com/r/tolkienbooks/comments/sfi4qp/over_4... (his translation of the Exodus poem really, really needs to be reprinted, ideally w/ a lengthy scholarly examination) as well as pretty much everything Michael Moorcock wrote in paperback, as well as some other authors, either in hardcover or paperback.
and as mentioned else thread, there are a couple of more traditional heirlooms I have of my forebears (milk jug, lawnmower, my father's Seiko which unfortunately has a broken date wheel and is too large for my wrist/taste anyway), and one which I don't have which I still rage about (anvil).
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