Maker
The Maker State
Safe working practices give you the freedom to attempt
projects on the edge. By William Gurstelle
WHEN MY SON ANDY WAS 12 YEARS
old, he entered his junior high school science contest. His challenge was to invent
something new and useful. He badly wanted to win,
but inventing something useful is hard, especially
when you’re 12.
After various aborted attempts, he came up with
a self-buttering toaster. What a brilliant idea from
such a young person! (I readily admit my fatherly
bias.) The device was intricate yet simple: a wood
and steel construction that held a slice of bread
at an angle in front of a carefully wound matrix of
nichrome wire heating elements. While the bread
toasted, the heat from the wires melted a glop of
butter on a perforated metal holder positioned over
the bread. The butter dripped through the holes
34 Make: Volume 11
and onto the toasting bread. Voilà! There was a slice
of automatically buttered toast. By my lights, this
was a pretty terrific invention for a sixth-grader.
The evening of the fair approached, and Andy
and I looked forward to a night of glory. The judges,
a collection of teachers and parent volunteers,
methodically walked up and down each aisle. They
asked questions, measured things with rulers, made
notes on clipboards, and generally maintained a
judge-like demeanor. When the judges came to
Andy’s table, the toaster worked perfectly. With
self-assurance and a smile, he handed each judge a
slice of warm, buttery Wonder Bread for a snack.
But when the winners were announced, Andy’s
name wasn’t called. Crestfallen, he approached the
judges and asked, “Why didn’t I get a ribbon?”
Photograph by William Gurstelle
