Li’l Guppie
$30 crkt.com/lilguppie.html
Why the heck do I need another pocket tool? I’ve already got a
multi-tool with pliers, knives, screwdrivers, and more. Well, the reason is this: ever try to loosen a bolt without an adjustable wrench?
It’s pretty hopeless; the nonparallel jaws of pliers just don’t cut it.
The Li’l Guppie is the answer; it has an adjustable wrench on it.
Thanks to its carabiner-like form, I can hang it from my belt loop,
ready to be deployed on a stubborn bolt. It’s got a fangy little blade
that makes me nervous (I wish it locked in place), but turning the
thumbscrew to open the wrench reveals a Phillips screwdriver, an
extra clever feature. A flathead screwdriver is cast into the butt of
the tool, with a pretty serviceable bottle opener built in, too.
—John Edgar Park
HobbyCNC Pro Driver Board
$80 hobbycnc.com
I’m a mechanical type of guy. So when I decided to refurbish a
desktop CNC milling machine, I was a little nervous about the electronics, especially since the existing electronics were falling apart.
I could have tried to build a stepper motor controller, but I didn’t
want to spend all that time and money on a refurbish, only to rely
on my weakest skill at the very end to see if it worked.
Then I found HobbyCNC. You can get different levels and kits to fit
your needs. They’re easy to assemble for anyone with basic soldering
skills, and there’s plenty of support if you run into any issues. Mine
went together without any problems, and is currently “making chips.”
With a product like this, it’s only a matter of time before everyone has
a CNC mill or router in the workshop. —Brian Graham
Warning Label
Generator
Free
warninglabelgenerator.com
Do you ever find yourself in desperate need of a properly bureaucratic
security notice regarding intergalactic space travel, or the hazard of
harboring what look like snowflakes
inside your body? Then this site is
for you. The array of standard and
original symbols and templates just
has me itching to hone my skill at
making up non-sequitur warning sign
zingers, but the intrigue doesn’t end
there. Joke potential aside, it’s a free
and lightning-fast way to provide an
air of caution to any danger zone you
can dream up. —Meara O’Reilly
Bill Byrne is a multimedia artist,
educator, writer, and member of the
Painful Leg Injuries.
billbyrne.net
Brian Graham is a mechanical engineer
and robotics coach, and likes his tools
a bit too much.
John Edgar Park works at Walt Disney
Animation Studios and hosts the Maker
Workshop in the upcoming TV series
Make: television.
Ken Olsen lives and makes in
Adair Village, Ore.
Kenny Cheung is an architect and
graduate student at the Center for Bits
and Atoms at MI T’s Media Lab.
Meara O’Reilly is an intern at CRAF T.
Mitchell Heinrich is a design scientist
passionate about sustainable technologies and robots that serve cocktails.
Ross Griffith is an engineer and retired
professor of textile technology.
Ryan Beacom studies interactive media
development at Algonquin College.
Have you used something worth
keeping in your toolbox? Let us know at
toolbox@makezine.com.
Make: 183
