Eccentric Cubicle (Make: Projects) by Kaden Harris Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Eccentric Cubicle (Make: Projects)
Book Review: Crafts For Bored Cube Dwellers
Summary: 4 Stars
'Eccentric Cubicle' is a book for hobbyists who have the time to make things and want to develop fun things for/at work. Filled with 10 chapters of weird things you can make, you better have some experience or are OK with getting your hands wet fast. With over 350+ pages of content and full color the book is a nice buy but it's for a VERY niche market. One of the first projects in the book is how to build a guillotine that you can set on your table and I don't know about your regular 9 to 5 job, but I am certain that this wouldn't fly at my place of employment. Luckily all the projects aren't of a violent nature and there is no doubt some that you would be interesting in taking a look at.
If you like to play around and build stuff, this book might be right up your alley!!
****
Book Review: Tough Projects
Summary: 4 Stars
This book contains a series of interesting projects to read, however, unless you have some fairly serious Maker background, I don't imagine they would be easy to pull off (both skill and tool wise).
However, some of the included "nano projects" have applicability to making in general, not just the projects they are lumped in with in the book. Two that specifically come to mind are the foot speed control for a dremel and the pegboard clamping system.
Regardless of project difficulty, the book is an interesting read, due to the interesting subject matter and the writing style of the author.
Book Review: This book makes me happy
Summary: 4 Stars
I definitely don't have the chops, supplies or tools to make the projects in "Eccentric Cubicle," but I still love this book. It's a blast to read through the instructions for gems like this one:
"Fugly? Uh huh. Useful? Yeah, that, too. Recognizing the potential alternative uses for garden-variety stuff is an essential part of improvisational fabrication."
See, I'm pretty sure I'll never need a drill pattern for a rachet, but dang, it's cool to see how it *could* be done if I ever wanted to. I pick up this book the same way I flip through my baking, knitting, quilting books. To see what I'm in the mood for. To fill up the idea coffers. Or maybe to get some creative sparks going. If you know what I mean when I say that I don't have to start a new quilt project to need dozens of quilting books, then you'll know that you don't need a metal shop to enjoy reading "Eccentric Cubicle."
Plus, Kaden Harris' prose is clean, spare and danged funny (witness such section headings as "A Warning to Woodworking Purists" and "The Rites of Springs: Roll Your Own Boinginess"). It just does my heart good to know he's out there, thinking of ways to keep stuff out of the waste stream, and better yet, returning it to use. I almost wrote "good use," but didn't -- only because not everybody needs a mini guillotine on her desk. Seriously though, it warms my heart to think that somebody somewhere spent the time to make a desktop chopper and document the process so other out-of-the-box thinkers could follow along. That Harris was the one to do it is outright providential.
If you like the guerilla DIY style of Make and Create magazines, you'll like this book. 'nuf said.
Book Review: Very cool stuff, but you better have some experience...
Summary: 4 Stars
Following up on my review of The Best of MAKE, I also got a chance to read Eccentric Cubicle by Kaden Harris. You can think of this as MAKE magazine in overdrive. From a pure reading perspective, it's outrageously funny and very well documented. In terms of actually *building* the items here, you had better have some level of background when it comes to hacking and building things on the fly, making the rules up as you go along. And in some offices I know of, you'd probably get put on probation for having these items on your desk...
Contents:
Introduction; Active Deskchop; BallistaMail; Maple Mike; DeskBeam Bass; The Gysin Device; iBlow; Liquid Lens Meets DiscoHead; The Haze-o-Matic 3000 Fog Machine; Hammerhead Live; Homebrew Wood Finishes
There's a picture of Harris in the introduction, and he looks like someone you'd see on a show like Mythbusters or Junkyard Wars. He specializes in making incredible devices using discarded or trashed items he's found and/or scavenged over the years. I can only imagine what his house and work area must look like. All these projects, such as the guillotine and crossbow, are intricate and fascinating, and show a very high level of creativity and ingenuity to build without resorting to buying brand-new or made-to-order parts. The level of workmanship and detail that Harris puts into each one make them unique and special, especially considering that the parts are often from items that are rather mundane, like vacuum cleaners and record players. It just goes to show that looking at "junk" in different terms can open up a world of possibilities. Each project also has a little "nano-project" associated with it. These are things that are much simplier, like making a foot-controlled variable power switch from an old sewing machine pedal. A great idea if your Dremel tool needs to be slowed down a bit for what you're trying to accomplish.
While everything is profusely illustrated and documented, I definitely wouldn't recommend these projects to someone just starting into the DIY world. Harris has spent a lifetime collecting and finding a blend of tools that works well for him. Unless you are similarly equipped, you might find yourself making multiple trips to the store to pick up something you absolutely need to keep going. Of course, that sort of defeats the purpose and spirit behind the projects you find here. On top of that, I could imagine that it'd be easy to miss a step or do something "not quite right", and have the whole project fail to work as advertised. Without the experience of doing these types of projects previously, the troubleshooting could be nightmarish for a newbie. And that would be too bad, as being able to show off your own bubble machine powered by a CPU fan does have a certain amount of "geek cred" attached to it...
If you're comfortable working with tools and such, this book will be a fun stretch for you. If you're brand new to the MAKE culture, this is probably a bit beyond your initial capabilities (unless you're just plain stubborn, incredibly talented, or both). But if you're into these types of contraptions and want an entertaining read by a talented builder *and* writer, by all means go for it.
Book Review: Not for yout typical office worker....
Summary: 4 Stars
I was basically looking for some fun, quick-to-make projects that would fit in my office. However, to complete many of the projects listed in this book you have to be quite a handy man and own a few power tools. You also have lot's of spare parts and junk sitting around your garage...
As for the quality of the book, it's a well written and nicely illustrated material. Someone may find it useful.