A recent trip to the Thunder Dome (our steel recycling center) yielded this amusing photo. Yes, that is a heaping pile of tape measure blades. Yikes.
Tag Archives: Tools
Laser Scissors!
A few weeks ago the ladies of the costume shop found the latest and greatest leap in scissor technology ever. At some point during the laughter, they bought it and are now planning to use it’s terrible powers for theatre-wide domination. Just be careful, you could put an eye out with that thing.
Secondhand Monopod
I like to take detailed pictures of the scene designer’s model for each set we build. Inevitably the director and stage managers want the model in rehearsal, and it becomes difficult to share. Things get really hairy when the scenic charge wants a piece of the action.
Obviously, the stiller the camera, the clearer the picture. I set out to find a secondhand something I could use as a monopod. Let this be a lesson: ask a prop person for a monopod, and you’ll get a showerhead. Thanks Billy! Its the best free showerhead I’ve ever received, I’m glad I didn’t waste money on a monopod. After making a quick & dirty adapter to fit the camera, this baby can perform more wacky positioning and tilting maneuvers than the “actors” on those scrambled channels. (You know the ones I’m talkin’ about.) For those curious folks, the adaptor is a 1/4″ flat head bolt epoxied into a pipe-to-hose adaptor. Since the items were in stock, it was mighty cheap.
Rotary Table – in Pieces!
Learning TIG
There’s a great instructable on how to TIG weld on the loose. Those who’ve already mastered any other welding process will probably enjoy it. While you’re at it, check out Cheap Welding for Punks.
Additional Porta-band Thoughts
Quick thought on the porta-band stand described in an earlier post, mounting the saw to the vice-mount takes a couple of minutes. You could make a smaller custom foot that always stays on the saw and “dovetails” into the vice mount. A single machine screw could be used to secure the small foot to the mount. This way the saw could go from case to vice (and back again) in under 30 seconds.
Porta-band Stand on the Cheap
Ian made this custom foot for the Porta-band that clamps into the vice this past week. Its 3/8” cold roll plate with a bit of scrap 1x box tube welded to the underside. A spring clamp on the trigger acts as a low tech on/off switch.
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The LevelMug®
I love coffee. I also love levels. What would be better than a coffee-mug level? The LevelMug® is the perfect mutli-tool intended for spot checking scenery & frustrating your carpenters between production meetings. Once filled with coffee or tea LevelMug®’s proprietary precision ground MugMarks® allow you to quickly estimate level to within 2.5 degrees.
Note: Only use the LevelMug® in the vertical and horizontal planes. Especially when it’s filled with hot coffee. You know, like that time you dropped by the MacDonalds drive thru for a quick cup of joe. You won’t put that in your lap again, will you?
I’m sending in the patent application this very moment.