Author Archives: Navarre Bartz

Goniometer Gives You an Edge at Knife Sharpening

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Two goniometers sit on a table. One is an open wooden box with a long piece of plywood along the bottom. A laser distance finder rests on the front edge and a printed angle scale has been attached to the back side of the box. To the right of this box is a much smaller goniometer made from an orange pipe cap with a small strip of paper serving as the angle scale inside the interior edge. It is attached to a wooden handle that looks vaguely like a V. A laser pointer can be inserted from the bottom where a hole has been drilled through the wood.

Sometimes you absolutely, positively need to know the angle of the cutting edge on a knife. When you do, the best tool for the job is a laser goniometer, and …read more Continue reading Goniometer Gives You an Edge at Knife Sharpening→

Solar Powered E-bike Replaces Car Trips

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A white longtail cargo bike sits on grass with fenced-in planters behind it. The bike has a basket made of black metal tubes on the front and a passenger compartment behind the rider seat for children made of similar black metal tubes. A white canopy is above the passenger compartment and a solar panel sits atop the canopy.

E-bikes can replace car trips for some people, and adding a solar panel can make the fun last longer. [Luke] did some heavy modifications to his RadWagon to make it …read more Continue reading Solar Powered E-bike Replaces Car Trips→

Wooden Smartphone Sleeve Keeps You on Task

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A grey smartphone sits inside a sleeve made of light brown wood veneer and a black felt interior.

Smartphones are amazing tools, but sometimes they can be an equally amazing time suck. In an effort to minimize how much precious time goes down the drain, [Lance Pan and …read more Continue reading Wooden Smartphone Sleeve Keeps You on Task→

Ambient Display Tells You if Borealis is Coming to Town

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A wooden box sits on a darker wooden table. The box has a red, glowing number 8 on it.

For those times when you’d rather not get sucked down another internet rabbit hole when you really just wanted the weather, an ambient display can be great. [AlexanderK106] built a …read more Continue reading Ambient Display Tells You if Borealis is Coming to Town→

Toroidal Propellers Make Drones Less Annoying

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A black quadcopter sits on a grey surface. In place of traditional propellers are four figure eight propellers with sharp tips where the top and bottom of the eight would be.

Despite being integral to aviation for more than a century, propellers have changed remarkably little since the Wright Brothers. A team at MIT’s Lincoln Lab has developed a new propeller …read more Continue reading Toroidal Propellers Make Drones Less Annoying→