Peter Brown's ShopTime

In this episode of the ShopTime YouTube channel, Peter sets out to create a Star Wars clock using a laser cutter and electroforming .  However, he faces a series of unexpected challenges along the way. His decision to have struggles along the way in this project mirror the very struggles of the Rebellion to break free of the evil clutches of the Empire.  Peter is always striving to connect to his projects on a number of levels and this one proved no different!  The video begins with Peter attempting to cut a quarter-inch piece of maple plywood using a X-Tool laser cutter. He has a simple design in mind, which includes the Rebel Alliance logo, a small hole and a large circle as a backing. However, he accidentally cuts the wrong design due to a software error. After fixing the issue, he discovers that the piece of wood is too large to fit in the laser cutter’s frame. There is no need to Force it Peter! Peter then successfully cuts the wood down to size and applies conducti...

The original idea was born in Harbor Freight with the stretch wrap in my hand, so I needed to try it! I agree a better head would make a huge improvement, but it WORKED. I not going to pretend to be anything short of excited about that. It's fun to see a crazy idea come together....  

Okay, I've got a lot of things going on in this box. First I wanted to give my copper pipe to sheet another go. I think I'm getting the hang of it! This is easier than the first time! I like the finished project. My only do-over would be the green paint.

This is actually the second box I made this weekened. The first one came out great, but I had a major allergic reaction to it. So much that I had to toss the wood and wait a day to get back in the shop to make a second. As good warning, some woods are more prone to this than others... So I ended up using my leftover from my wine barrel blank . As such the shop smelled strongly of wine during most of the build. I suppose I can pretend that is the reason for me acting a bit silly on film! The copper was just a 1" copper pipe from the hardware store. Cut open, pounded flat and heated with a torch. I also got to try mixing epoxy with coffee grounds. I helped fill some gaps in my copper inlay, and also smelled quite nice. Although I forgot to film it, I did spray the box with two coats of lacquer. I guess I just got a little ahead of myself!  Thanks!