Ask HN: Do you make physical prototypes? Of What?
I am very visual and prototypes help me design things. For largeish projects I have been having trouble finding material; most recently to model a small building and roof redesign.
I was thinking about how great it would be to have home Depot materials at 1/8 scale but have only found pretty expensive balsa wood at local craft stores.
Is there a Lego type product that is meant to be representative of real world materials?
4 comments
[ 3.3 ms ] story [ 21.7 ms ] thread- plywood
- 2x4s and 1x3s
- currogated metal
- PVC Piping
- roofing material
- garage door & track
I am thinking about biting the bullet and buying materials and milling my own as well as experimenting pouring concrete in small amounts and maybe making a drywall type material. Idk if other people would even want this, or similar stuff; but it's like $100 for some lousy balsa wood stuff and for that money; I'd rather cut and mill wood myself w/ calipers for proper scale
Edit: I also mean a bulk set to actually make something large. The bulk orders I have seen of full sized material go to a job site are for example; 2x4s arriving as a pallet of 104 pieces of lumber (stack of like 13 8 beams high) which could lay a lot of 16" on center walls. Each piece at AC Moore/hobby lobby is at best about 0.50 so just that is like 50 bucks!
Use an exacto knife to cut the shapes out of the foamcore, then assemble with glue, small tacks, paper hinges, etc.
* http://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Super-77-16-75-fl-oz-Multi-Pur...