Maker Spotlight: ProjectsInDadsGarage - "It is at That Point I Realized It Was an Addiction and Not a Hobby"
By MakerViking
Published
Updated
8 min read
Category: Maker Spotlight
For sure the biggest failure so far has to have been the collapse of my 'Business' making props and parts for another company who made cosplay costumes. From that I learned that I never wanted this hobby/addiction to become a job. I want it to remain something I do for enjoyment and an outlet for me
<h2 class="font bold" Discovery & Journey</h2 <p class="mb 2" <strong How did you first discover 3D printing, and what was your "aha" moment that made you realize this was more than just a hobby?</strong </p <p class="mb 2" I first saw it in the early 2010's but it was laser sintering type printers on some news program promising they would be how you would buy things in the future. You would just order something online and rather than it getting delivered to you it would just get printed in your 3d printer. After that false prediction of the future I next ran into them in 2018 when my son got a monoprice mini and it was at that point I wrote them off after seeing all the cheap fidget toys he had been printing but then in 2022 he talked me into getting an Ender 3 from microcenter for $100 and I was going to use it to make battle bots and other R/C cars and such a project I have yet to do by the way. I went looking for upgrades as you do and ran into the afterburner and found Vorons and so 3 weeks after having bought my first 3d printer I had bought and built myself a Voron 2.4. It is at that point I realized it was an addiction and not a hobby.</p <img src="https://api.tinkeratlas.com/storage/v1/object/public/project images/articles/70aec187 0e8f 4711 b925 a50e749f3deb/1760573018949 q10ptl.jpg" alt="" height="auto" <h3 class="font bold" <strong Walk us through your current workspace setup what machines, tools, and software form the backbone of your making process?</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" My Workspace is my Garage that is set up as both a workshop and also for streaming and content creation; two things that work together rather well but not as seamlessly as I would like at times. My workhorse printer has always been my Voron 2.4. It is my largest printer but also my most reliable printer as I try to not mess with it anymore. I have a total of 8 working printers and 2 more under construction. Tools are too vast to even dive into too much but a good set of hex drivers, flush cutters, wire strippers and crimpers as well as a decent solder station are what I believe every maker in the 3d printing hobby should buy first. For software I use Orca slicer and am very slowly learning Fusion. Then I would say OBS and Canva serve a huge part of the content creation with a little Final Cut Pro for iPad tossed in for good measure.</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong What's the project you're most proud of, and why does it stand out among everything you've created?</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" It's hard to pick just one but the type of project I love the most are the ones that either my children were involved with or were used to do something with them.</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong Describe a spectacular failure or challenge you've faced in your making journey and what it taught you.</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" For sure the biggest failure so far has to have been the collapse of my "Business" making props and parts for another company who made cosplay costumes. From that I learned that I never wanted this hobby/addiction to become a job. I want it to remain something I do for enjoyment and an outlet for me to explore the things that interest me.</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong What misconception about 3D printing or making do you find yourself constantly correcting when talking to newcomers?</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" It has been an area of personal growth for me to try to not correct people but rather try to guide them to find the truth of a situation on their own.</p <h2 class="font bold" Technical Deep Dives</h2 <h3 class="font bold" <strong What's your go to troubleshooting process when a print goes wrong, and what's the most unusual fix you've discovered?</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" Coming from a manufacturing background I find myself using the "5 Why" strategy to get to the root cause for a problem. You start at the most obvious issue and keep asking why it happened till you get to the thing that initially caused everything else to go wrong. While annoying to do the paperwork at work it is very effective in fixing a problem permanently.</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong How do you approach the design to print workflow? Do you design everything yourself, remix existing models, or combine approaches?</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" Very few things I make I have designed myself as I don't have the CAD skills to make much (again something I am working to improve about myself), but more so it's not a thing that I really enjoy anyway. I do often have to modify an existing model to work and when at all possible I try to just use tools in slicer to modify the file.</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong What material or technique do you think is underrated in the maker community, and how do you use it in your work?</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" Wood, I think oftentimes people go to designing and making something that could more easily and effectively be made with a saw, drill and hammer with a scrap piece of 2x4.</p <h2 class="font bold" Community & Philosophy</h2 <h3 class="font bold" <strong How has being part of the maker community shaped your approach to creating and sharing your work?</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" The community has very often served as motivation to try something new or just to complete a project I would otherwise quit doing just so I can share it and the experience along the way with the community I am privileged to be a part of.</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong What advice would you give to someone who's interested in making but feels overwhelmed by the technical learning curve?</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" Keep those large project goals but start with something small that you can do easily in the time you have available in a day. By starting with and then finishing that small project it will give you the drive and confidence to try the next project.</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong Where do you see personal fabrication and 3D printing heading in the next 5 years, and how are you preparing for those changes?</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" I see it, even now, becoming more and more common with the general public to have a 3d printer in the home and as such I am trying to branch out in my content creation to doing more projects showcasing what they can do with those printers and not just what they can do to those printers.</p <h2 class="font bold" Personal Touch</h2 <h3 class="font bold" <strong What's currently on your workbench or in your print queue that has you excited?</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" Currently I have been working on printing and preparing for an upcoming build of an E3NG. It is a community project that takes the parts from an Ender 3 and uses them to build a Core X/Y printer. I am going to be doing it as a Marathon Build Stream to celebrate my YouTube Channel getting monetized. I am going to be joined by other members of the community both in person here in the garage and via Discord video calls during the stream to help make it possible and have some cool things to give away during the stream. It is a milestone in my maker and content creator journey I honestly never thought would happen.</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong Outside of making, what influences or inspires your creative process?</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" First and foremost is my kids as so much of what I do is for them in one way or another.</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong If you could only keep three tools/machines in your workshop, what would they be and why?</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" 3D printer and computer aside I would keep a good multitool, set of hex drivers, and a lighter. Not much I couldn't get done with just those 3 things if I needed to.</p <img src="https://api.tinkeratlas.com/storage/v1/object/public/project images/articles/70aec187 0e8f 4711 b925 a50e749f3deb/1760573119072 dh2wma.jpg" alt="" height="auto" <h2 class="font bold" Lightning Round</h2 <h3 class="font bold" <strong Favorite filament brand and why in 10 words or less:</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" Ambrosia. Great quality, great colors, great people and friends</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong Most underrated tool under $50 every maker should own:</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" Kitchen torch</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong STL/model website you visit most frequently:</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" Printables</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong Dream tool or machine you'd buy with unlimited budget:</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" Bridgeport</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong Most played podcast/YouTube channel while working in the shop:</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" Adam Savage Tested</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong First thing you ever 3D printed vs. most recent print:</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" First layer test, Flexi Monkey</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong Slicer of choice and one setting everyone should tweak:</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" Orca Slicer Change everything to percentages rather than mm measurements so you can use the same profile regardless of nozzle diameter.</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong Biggest "maker sin" you're guilty of:</strong </h3 <p class="mb 2" Oh hoarding stuff for sure. I think I die inside a little every time I have to open and use a spool of filament.</p <p class="mb 2" <strong One maker/creator everyone should be following right now:</strong Jerry aka 3DHP on youtube if you have questions, want to share your project, or find your next project his Saturday streams are the place to be.</p <h3 class="font bold" <strong Your maker superpower in 3 words:</strong </h3 <h3 class="font bold" Refusing to follow the rules of others. Oh wait you said 3 words.</h3 <img src="https://api.tinkeratlas.com/storage/v1/object/public/project images/articles/70aec187 0e8f 4711 b925 a50e749f3deb/1760573144847 6elbi9.jpg" alt="" height="auto" <p class="mb 2" </p
