this post was submitted on 17 Apr 2025
258 points (98.5% liked)

I Made This

3357 readers
35 users here now

Did you make something? Do you want the fleeting rush of endorphins that come with affirmation from strangers? Do you think what you made is neat? Share it here!

Paintings, movies, music, drawings, models, gardens, houses, snowmen, sandcastles - if you made it, you can post it.

RULES:

Some things you make are not to be shared. These include:

Do not be a jerk.

- No racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, classism, or bigotry of any kind.

- Don't try to sell stuff unless people ask. You can post your Etsy (or similar) if someone prompts you. No spamming self-promotion.

<3

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
tymon@lemm.ee
258
Little weapons (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 4 days ago by MacAnus@sh.itjust.works to c/imadethis@lemm.ee
29 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

For packing joints.

I made a little baseball bat years ago for that purpose and recently had fun making more different ones for friends.

As you can see I used a piece of rebar for the bat.
I "turned" it using a drill and angle grinder then going through different grains of sanding:

The lightsaber's hilt was made the same way, using a dremel tool to get more control on the details.
The "blade" is made of Corian, a synthetic stone commonly used for countertops.

The sword required a lot more precision to make and ended up okay but looking closely nothing is really symmetrical or straight...
I grinded it from a random stick of metal, the pommel is made from aluminum and the grip is two layers of sewing thread soaked in superglue, sanded, then superglued again.
A cross-guard would have added a lot of character but I didn't find a nice and easy enough way to do it, and I was short on time...

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] litchralee@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Thank you for the kind words! All of the tools I used were things that were laying around. I'm marginally better at woodworking than metalworking, so that's why the jig holding the bar was all wood.

I did think about attaching the motor from a disused drill press to spin the bar, but that seemed like it would invite all manner of complexity.

Lathe is in my future, but I kinda want a CNC first. But a CNC lathe would be god-tier.

[–] MacAnus@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Well I am a woodworker myself and I gotta say that bench looks clean af, nice job!

I also think about that sort of things every time I need a lathe and have tried repurposing old motors, but i haven't yet made a semi decent one.

I feel you, I crave so many tools...

[–] litchralee@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Well, since I've already linked to two of my not-quite-a-lathe projects, I might as well link to the one which started it all: https://sh.itjust.works/post/16087080

This one does have a motor, but not a conventional one at all. And this only worked because the thing I'm turning would need a center hole drilled through anyway.

[–] MacAnus@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago

Woaw now that's a nice jig I'm going to keep in mind for later use!

I love the multitude of solutions people can think of to get to their goals.

Props on making your own stuff!