On Jan 19th, I will showcase student projects at Houston’s first Mini-Maker Faire. Come see a student-build geodesic dome and participate in a woodworking demonstration lead by student-experts! Maker Faire brings together families and individuals to celebrate the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset and showcase all kinds of incredible projects. At Maker Faire, you’ll find artsContinue reading “Community Watch: Houston Mini Maker Faire”
Tag Archives: maker culture
Community Watch: Build A Box!
Eight students, six boxes built and finished. It was a long day in the shop – nearly seven hours with only a few breaks for liquids. I can think of a number of great moments: the first box getting nailed together, the last coat of shellac being applied, the look of what-have-I-got-myself-into as the students tackledContinue reading “Community Watch: Build A Box!”
This Week in the Classroom: Try Squares
My new “little” project obsession: try squares. These guys mark boards square. That’s it. All they do. The try, not tri, comes from the act of “trying” an angle to see if it’s square, not three, or tri. This slideshow punctuated by a few of my favorite song titles, puns and lyrics in noContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Try Squares”
Come Build the Simple Tea Box @ TX/RX Labs Dec. 1st
The good folks at TX/RX Labs invited me back for another weekend of teaching woodworking. This year, I’ve asked to build some Christmas gifts. We are building the Simple Tea Box – and I’m sending one to the winner of my “First to 30” likes raffle on WoodshopCowboy’s Facebook Page. So like WoodshopCowboy on Facebook,Continue reading “Come Build the Simple Tea Box @ TX/RX Labs Dec. 1st”
This Week in the Shop: Plywood Storage & Lights & New Workbench
Since I moved into my new digs in April, my shop has undergone a number of changes. I blogged about the move-in and of course I went and changed it immediately. First, a couple bright spots. Not long after I unloaded everything I realized two very important things about home ownership. One, you can putContinue reading “This Week in the Shop: Plywood Storage & Lights & New Workbench”
This Week in the Classroom: Boomerangs and Chalkboard Slates
Two projects really took off this summer – chalkboard slates and boomerangs. The boomerangs, of course, took off a little bit more. Back in the fall I built a bike barn. It’s more of a third-world shanty, but it housed the bikes and kept them sort of organized. Either way, I picked up a largeContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Boomerangs and Chalkboard Slates”
Making A Makerspace: Top 10 Tools in a Maker’s Classroom (2012)
This year was a big year in the STEaMworks (STEM focus, art driven, work/project centered: the STEaMworks), my self-styled Maker classroom. We (and the Math/Sci Team) built a lot of projects: rockets, rocket cars, derby cars, catapults, simple robots, box-making, bench-making, bridge-building, sail-testing, music making, spirographs, pendulums, 3D prototyping, CAD models, Arduino projects, Alice computerContinue reading “Making A Makerspace: Top 10 Tools in a Maker’s Classroom (2012)”
This Week in the Classroom: Art Car
For the past three spring semesters (way back to my work at Citizen Schools) I have led a team of students in the design and construction of an Art Car. An Art Car, if you don’t know, is an embellished vehicle of some sort. Last year, I ran a sharkcar, the year before, a gatortruck.Continue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Art Car”
Community Watch: GE Garages
GE Garages. Houston makers, woodworkers and crazed tool-lovers – GE is putting on quite a show at Rice University this week. I went down on Saturday and got to check out some 3D Printers, Epilogue Laser Cutters, CNC Mills, Injection molders, welders, grinders, sheet metal benders and shapers, Arduinos and more. A great learningContinue reading “Community Watch: GE Garages”
This Week in the Classroom: Diddley Bows
Make: Projects has great instructions on how to build your own diddley bow. Make it safe & keep the rubber side down.
WSC Designs 