My Projects.
I have these here to showcase the work I have done. I would like to take a moment to explain the process and the thoughts that I go through during a job.
IRL Minecraft Lantern
During the winter I tend to hide out and play a lot of video games. My siblings and I grew up in what I would consider to be the "Minecraft Generation". For those who live, or rather, don't live under rocks; Minecraft is a game made up of worlds filled with pixels and blocks. You gather materials and build amazing things powered by your own creativity.
The idea for the project came to me while playing Minecraft around 2am some cold snowy evening about a month before Christmas. I dropped what I was doing and made a rough sketch of the build. I wanted it to be sourced with natural raw materials such as in the video game like wood, Iron and Glass. I did take some creative liberties such as using electricity, not indisputably found in the game. I don't think my sister would like to have to deal with a flammable torch by her bed all of the time.
The wood I wanted to buy in stores was far too expensive for what I was looking for. That's when I went full Steve and punched down a tree. Turns out my dad had some walnut he had intended to use as firewood. With a quick touch of the chainsaw, plainer and joiner, I had myself dimensional lumber. For the glass I found a mirror in someone's trashcan. I cut it down and made glass beds for my 3d printer. Using the rest on this project I etched the copper film off of the back with strong acid - nasty stuff! (I DO NOT RECOMMEND).
I had the steel cut on a buddy's awesome Homebrew CNC Plasma Cutter! Fitment and joining of all of the pieces together took a while. But I really like how this one turned out!
My KLR 650
Day 1 of KLR Ownership Bliss.
Looking back, I should have left it the stock color. I guess the original color scheme was sort of rare. Oh well... Here's to you guys out there with now an even more rare paint scheme!
My 1st Gen KLR 650. Stripped Down and rough. Just the way I like it!
Long story short. I've had a few nice motorcycles in the past and my biggest concern was keeping them nice. I spent more time worrying about keeping them nice than actually riding. When I found my KLR, all of the criterias were met for me! Cheap, simple and dual sport for off road shenanigans.
Both the Headlight Mount and Skid plate were cut on my CNC Router out of 3/16" Aluminum plate. First time welding aluminum and I think it turned out pretty well! Still holding up to the abuse and with no cracks! And yes, it is in my bedroom.
I saw someone else do this, where they would take a Lidar Scan of a complex part. Reference the size in a few places and then model sheet metal and other parametric parts into place. This is how I made both my headlight and skid plate.
I made the slots and rocket design just big enough for the 1/4" endmill on my router. It's a fun exercise in designing to your machine's capabilities and tooling. Unlike 3d printing where it's pretty much design whatever you want as long as it fits inside the build plate.