One problem with having such a disparate collection of equipment and interests is that every time a particular tool or bit of machinery is called into use, the time taken to clean, adjust, sharpen and check that nothing has fallen into one of its working parts ready to be flung out at the speed of sound when it's first turned on, is often longer than it takes to do the job.
Sometimes I give myself the impression that I've been idle for a year or two, that absolutely no progress has been made on anything, but I don't think that's actually the case.
The 3D printer has cranked over 2000 hours in the past year, and everything I touch in the workshop seems to have a reminder of just how far into the future we are living, and it's astonishing.
Those magnetic connectors for the dust extraction setup for instance solved a twenty-year problem, enabling instant decoupling of equipment and recoupling of other bits. It's an absolute marvel.
Whenever a problem arises, one only has to think of a solution, draw it using one's new-found computer skills, and print the result. The very same afternoon (if one has a ready stock of tiny magnets to hand or the foresight to order them months before having an actual idea) a brand new, never before thought of part or even an entire assembly can be pressed into service.
Now if only I could build a printer big enough to print a chair...
4 comments
Golly! You are living in a future I doubt we shall ever see, Peter, and I'm not just talking about Australian time. I've never even seen a 3D printer, let alone used one!
Ahh Val, it's the most wondrous of things.
There doesn't seem to be an end to the problems it can solve. Sometimes we just look at the end result in disbelief!
I am so impressed, would love to see it and you in action. Maybe as the "dreaded, that which will not be named" continues to restrict our travels to lands across the sea, we will make it up to your land and visit you and it.
I find it as awe-inspiring as I remember finding the fax machine when it first came onto the market. They are both machines that have changed the way we live. Amazing!
Post a Comment