or seat, stepstool, endtable, coffee table, poster bed, nightstand, etc. Just as versatile as it's electronic component integrated circuit counterpart, use cardboard or "card" in the UK, to make this dandy piece of furniture. Besides being appropriate for electronic musicians, this is the geeky thing to have as a conversation piece in the living room, den or hackerspace. Try your hand first at the Giant Fn Computer Key to get some Fn practice in building with cardboard. This takes it a another step with engineered cardboard components to give it strength.
I think I might need a giant 20 megawatt soldering iron to solder this in place.
The idea was from seeing this scaled up 555 timer chip footstool. It was made from lasercut plywood panels and glue laminated together. 1. I do not have a lasercutter. 2. Not the most efficient use of materials, especially cabinet grade plywood to form a chunky solid mass. So what do we do? 1. Make it bigger. 2. Build it out of cardboard which is plentiful waiting to be recycled. 3. Demonstrate cardboard can be engineered in structures for great strength.
Maybe a giant transistor or LED cardboard barstool is my next project.
I think I might need a giant 20 megawatt soldering iron to solder this in place.
The idea was from seeing this scaled up 555 timer chip footstool. It was made from lasercut plywood panels and glue laminated together. 1. I do not have a lasercutter. 2. Not the most efficient use of materials, especially cabinet grade plywood to form a chunky solid mass. So what do we do? 1. Make it bigger. 2. Build it out of cardboard which is plentiful waiting to be recycled. 3. Demonstrate cardboard can be engineered in structures for great strength.
Maybe a giant transistor or LED cardboard barstool is my next project.
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You need lots of cardboard boxes to use.
Try to salvage the boxes that have a good thick coating paper and don't compress too much or are not squishy. Thicker heavy duty boxes are more rigid. Don't try to use cardboard that have a glossy printing or surface on them. Rip off all packing tape, labels, and just discard the stapled seams.
For this project you need about a quart and a half of glue.
I use carpenter's glue which is tackier and sets up faster than white glue. It might help to have some spring paper clamps or real clamps to hold some parts where the cardboard wants to flex out and not stick on. Stapling with a heavy duty stapler seems not to work too well as there is no solid surface for the staples to really bite into.
I also had some white glue to mix with water 50/50 to use for papier mache.
Have a ream of coverstock paper or 50lb weight rated thin cardboard. I find it better than using old newspapers since it gives a more solid finish and you don't need that many layers to bridge a gap in papier mache. I use pieces as glue tabs to help the cardboard pieces get clamped in place while the glue sets up.
You will need some material to make the cushion. Maybe about a yard of fabric in a dark color. I found this cool techno looking houndstoothy micro-dotted fabric.
I used two old pillows folded in half and stuffed side by side in the seat cushion cover. You can also get seating foam but that might be expensive for a nice 4 inch thick chunk of foam.
I used a serger to just seam my seat cushion cover. It is really a big pillowcase. A simple straight stitch sewing machine would also do the job or take your time and hand sew it.
You will need some black paint, gray paint - or mix it up with back and white paint, and I used some fabric first aid bandage tape to do the lettering on the chip. Caitlin banned me from raiding her fabric paint stash.
And lastly, have your assortment of cutting tools like utility knives, scissors, shears, etc to cut the cardboard.
CAUTION: Utility knifes and other blades are sharp. Be aware it can cut through and damage something under the cardboard like yourself. Do not force it through the material. Know how to use your sewing machine and serger safely. Know how to paint without making a mess. And peel off the glue from your fingers every once in a while.
Try to salvage the boxes that have a good thick coating paper and don't compress too much or are not squishy. Thicker heavy duty boxes are more rigid. Don't try to use cardboard that have a glossy printing or surface on them. Rip off all packing tape, labels, and just discard the stapled seams.
For this project you need about a quart and a half of glue.
I use carpenter's glue which is tackier and sets up faster than white glue. It might help to have some spring paper clamps or real clamps to hold some parts where the cardboard wants to flex out and not stick on. Stapling with a heavy duty stapler seems not to work too well as there is no solid surface for the staples to really bite into.
I also had some white glue to mix with water 50/50 to use for papier mache.
Have a ream of coverstock paper or 50lb weight rated thin cardboard. I find it better than using old newspapers since it gives a more solid finish and you don't need that many layers to bridge a gap in papier mache. I use pieces as glue tabs to help the cardboard pieces get clamped in place while the glue sets up.
You will need some material to make the cushion. Maybe about a yard of fabric in a dark color. I found this cool techno looking houndstoothy micro-dotted fabric.
I used two old pillows folded in half and stuffed side by side in the seat cushion cover. You can also get seating foam but that might be expensive for a nice 4 inch thick chunk of foam.
I used a serger to just seam my seat cushion cover. It is really a big pillowcase. A simple straight stitch sewing machine would also do the job or take your time and hand sew it.
You will need some black paint, gray paint - or mix it up with back and white paint, and I used some fabric first aid bandage tape to do the lettering on the chip. Caitlin banned me from raiding her fabric paint stash.
And lastly, have your assortment of cutting tools like utility knives, scissors, shears, etc to cut the cardboard.
CAUTION: Utility knifes and other blades are sharp. Be aware it can cut through and damage something under the cardboard like yourself. Do not force it through the material. Know how to use your sewing machine and serger safely. Know how to paint without making a mess. And peel off the glue from your fingers every once in a while.
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now the next step would be a breadboard floor and a 24DIP IC for the bed. maybe some giant LEDs for lighting and an electrolytic capacitor for a night stand...
Or possibly a giant Stylophone...