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Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?

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Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?

#431

Post by bityard »

whalesalad wrote: post #151

I built a new TV stand for myself. I grew up watching my dad, uncle and grandfather do all kinds of woodworking so it was time to dive in myself. It was a lot of work, but also very rewarding and I am really glad with how it turned out. Towards the end I kinda ran out of gas and so I ended up skimping on the legs with some premade ones. I would like to redo the legs at some point. The most rewarding part was creating…

Nice result!

I've built a few things out of wood at this point, and my process is largely the same as yours... I start with an idea and a _very_ rough sketch and then just start building. I watch YouTube videos of these people who design every feature and facet in CAD before stepping foot in the workshop and I always wonder where they find the time to do that, and what they do when their plans don't match up with reality.

Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?

#432

Post by tracker1 »

leoqa wrote: post #417
tracker1 wrote: post #401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, that's the spot I'm in right now... contract rates where I live went through the roof over the pandemic and never came back down. Aside: I wish I could smack whoever did the wiring in my home. They saved a few dollars on a breaker, but if I run my AVR/TV + Microwave (in adjacent kitchen) and the lights are on in the summer, it blows the breaker. And there's a dozen spaces on the box still available even.

Can you just swap to a bigger breaker if the cable is sized properly?

It's already 20A US, no bigger option that would be appropriate without rewire.

Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?

#433

Post by owenversteeg »

I built a 35 foot steel boat that I ended up living on for years, sailing on the North Sea, and more recently throwing a bunch of great parties with. (If you're in the Netherlands and want to come to one, my email's in my profile!)

It took about 5 years to build (on and off) and I say "built" but I actually bought a large part of the hull of the boat to start; however, somewhere around 90% of the boat by mass is stuff that I've made entirely myself or worked on significantly, so I'd still say I built it.

Because the title specifically asked for cool: I've built a lot of other serious physical things in my life but the boat somehow has some serious cool power. When I started throwing parties on it I expected a somewhat modest reception - it's a medium sized steel boat, not a superyacht - but for some reason it's attracted the coolest other people: composers, neuroscientists, filmmakers, martial artists, costume designers, makeup artists for movies, a super unique crowd. Obviously you can't fit that many people on a boat the size of mine, so we're talking 10-25 people per party, but each one is unique and some nights when the music, liquor and conversations are flowing I feel as if I have constructed the International Prototype of the Cool.

Anyway, if anyone wants to come see it in person, my final boat party of the summer is this Friday-Saturday the 11th-12th in Rotterdam, my email's in my bio :)

Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?

#434

Post by TRiG_Ireland »

When I look at what my parents have achieved, I feel remarkably unskilled by comparison. Perhaps that's partly because I've only ever been a renter, not a homeowner. I've not had occasion to learn how to install ceilings, lay tiles, build fences, or fix plumbing. I suppose I should put more effort into smaller pieces. I've done some painting in the past. (One painting I did hung on my grandparents' wall for many years. They're both dead now, and I don't know where it is.) I'm making a start on making some mediaeval clothes.

Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?

#435

Post by hattmall »

pengaru wrote: post #146
kmm wrote: post #77

A few years ago I made a "string art" portrait for my girlfriend at the time. It's made from a continuous† 2 km long black thread, woven around a loom made from a bicycle wheel rim. I'm still very proud of how it turned out. †OK fine, it broke at a few points and I had to knot the ends together, but it's the principle that counts. https://imgur.com/gallery/ljoJeal I really wanted to make something creative for her, b…

Impressive creation, creepy gift.

Extremely unnerving.

Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?

#436

Post by bozhark »

I 3D printed Arno Klein’s brain from a CT Scan at the Paul Allen Brain Institute in a basement on Capitol Hill back in 2012. It captured all internal folds and was quite interesting to watch it print and see the inside of his brain.

Cheers Arno, hope your Halloween adventures are still going strong!

Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?

#437

Post by heliodor »

I'm currently putting the finishing touches on a rock climbing crag together with some friends.

While focusing on the digital realm all my life, it's nice to have something tangible that I know people will enjoy for a long time.

It's in Puerto Rico if you want to visit:

https://www.mountainproject.com/area/124580883/el-semil-vill...

Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?

#438

Post by hattmall »

owenversteeg wrote: post #433

I built a 35 foot steel boat that I ended up living on for years, sailing on the North Sea, and more recently throwing a bunch of great parties with. (If you're in the Netherlands and want to come to one, my email's in my profile!) It took about 5 years to build (on and off) and I say "built" but I actually bought a large part of the hull of the boat to start; however, somewhere around 90% of the boat by mass is stuf…

Post some pics please.

Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?

#439

Post by jacquesm »

widea wrote: post #265

A class-A, solid state, single ended headphone amplifier, not my design, turned out to be very nice sounding: https://github.com/Wanderingidea/Formula3HP-headphone-amplif...

Nice, old school, none of that SMD stuff :) Very nice case you made too, I like the idea of using off the shelf cast boxes and then making them look super nice.

Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?

#440

Post by jacquesm »

methyl wrote: post #11

My father runs a car wash and I built a vacuum cleaner that accepted coins using coin acceptor from Aliexpress and Arduino. That was fun but it lasted only a few months until the device got too dirty from open weather to recognize coins properly.

I've looked at the stuff that gets built into car washes and that's a seriously hostile environment, but the weather by itself can also be pretty nasty. Quickest way to demolish a house without any effort: open the windows and doors, maybe a small hole in the roof. The weather will do the rest.
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