Ham-made

Hey F7!I was also lucky enough to grow up having a rad dad with a rad shop and now as I teacher I've come to realize that fewer and fewer kids have access to spaces like we had. That's why accessible 'ibles like yours are significant because with only a sheet of styrene, razor blade, metal rule, and a bottle of plastic cement, you can get incredibly far as a young maker with little more than the square footage of a desktop. Also, great tip for modifying a squeeze clamp to be received by a jigsaw in order to shake up those little bottles of paint! I usually just gaffer tape two bottles to a reciprocating saw blade (one to each side) and shake 'em up that way, but taping and un-taping the bottles is a bit annoying if you're shaking up a few different colours. I prefer your approach! Cheer...

Hey F7!I was also lucky enough to grow up having a rad dad with a rad shop and now as I teacher I've come to realize that fewer and fewer kids have access to spaces like we had. That's why accessible 'ibles like yours are significant because with only a sheet of styrene, razor blade, metal rule, and a bottle of plastic cement, you can get incredibly far as a young maker with little more than the square footage of a desktop. Also, great tip for modifying a squeeze clamp to be received by a jigsaw in order to shake up those little bottles of paint! I usually just gaffer tape two bottles to a reciprocating saw blade (one to each side) and shake 'em up that way, but taping and un-taping the bottles is a bit annoying if you're shaking up a few different colours. I prefer your approach! Cheers!Mr. Ham

Thanks chienline!I was trying to make a game that was equally as accessible as it was fun and challenging! I didn't want anyone to be limited by not having access to a 3D printer or other desktop manufacturing processes. Cheers,Mr. Ham

Hey elvisecrevisse!Thanks for coming back for the video! I was worried I had over-promised and under-delivered but I'm stoked to hear that you loved it!Cheers,Mr. HamP.S. Thanks also for spelling my name right! -ë

You should be receiving their membership cards through your letterbox any day now! AND What a great idea! Video to follow...if I can manage to round up other musicians. From experience, I can tell you that a one person flash mob isn't all that effective.

Great question PeterM520! So far, I've found that heavier weighted paper works best. Cardstock (even light cardstock) tends to rip during the crumpling process, creating irregular, soft, and rounded corners, which make it nearly impossible to stack the pieces. Regular coloured construction paper contains too many post-consumer recycled fibres and won't hold its crumpled shape as well (slowly expands). Post-its work surprisingly well, come in a variety of colours and are already close to the right sizes! I hope you're able to find some suitable paper to challenge your friends and yourself! Cheers,Mr. Ham

Thanks!

Cheers Audrey!Mr. Ham

HA! Myfurniture started a therapy group to try and cope, your dining room chairs arewelcome to join! I’ll come home and walk into a room to find them all huddledin a circle… As for the video, it’s a mere glimpse into my quotidian. Youshould see me walk down the aisles of big box stores tapping and flicking everyitem that looks like it could potentially have a good sound. As a closingstatement, I always tell my students that there’s a reason why you can closeyour eyes but not your ears.

Thanks PeterTheUnGreat! It's more madness than anything! The video confirms it. Cheers,Mr. Ham

Thanks so much attosa!Check out the performance video, it's now up!Cheers,Mr. Ham

In the spring! Dates coming soon!:)

Thanks Matlek!You shall not wait any longer! The video is up! Cheers,Mr. Ham

Cheers technovative! I’ve found that having 4+ piezos wired in parallel boosts the signal enough (by reducinginstead of increasing the impedance) to eliminate the pre-amp circuit. I completelyagree that a pre-amp circuit is necessary with a single piezo and prefer itscleanly boosted signal in most situations…however, when making a Ham-made RockingChair, you want it to hear its gutteral squeal and satiate your appetite for delicious feedback!Speaking of feedback, I really appreciate that you took the time to contributeto the dialogue, so thank you! I’m still learning how to best play the chair,but I assure you the video is on its way…I might even double down on the ampstacks…

Much appreciated elvisecrevisse! I assure you, the video is in the works! To answer your question, the hinged part of the seat isn't connected to any strings, it's simply hinged to the back of the chair so it can remain loose enough to be smacked against the front rail of the chair percussively and always return to the same place. The whammy effect is created by wiggling in the chair! You've inspired me to add an explanation segment following the performance part of my video, so I can walk through the parts that aren't adequately explained through the pictures. Thanks for the feedback!

Hey EpixAndroid,Depending on your region, certain hardwoods may be easier to source than others. If you're planning on making your own chair, you're going to want a hardwood that is easily worked. I recommend using traditional hardwoods used in chair making such as hard maple, white or red oak, hickory, ash, or elm. Depending on the amount of stress that you're planning on putting on the chair (tension of the strings), you'll want a hardwood with tight grain. My personal preference is hard maple. Chairs can also be made out of soft woods such as pine and spruce (IKEA chairs) but they won't sound as good, they'd have a deadened sound. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Thanks Folded Shirts!