Ask Adam Savage: The One Tool Adam Doesn't Have But Wants
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- How does Adam deal with producing objects in a digital vs. analog world? If he could have any tool, what would it be and why? In this live stream excerpt Adam answers these questions from Tested members Gary Staab and Steve W., with whom we thank for their support! Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam questions and watching exclusive videos: / @tested
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Matt with demolition ranch just made a 100lb tin foil ball and seen what calibre it could stop Adam would be right into this
Adam would probably enjoy spending some time visiting with Corridor Crew. They do digital effects.
While running a surface grinder one day, I realized there was something almost poetic about the first tools humans used being made with and from rocks, and that all this time later one of the most precise methods of making tools is still by using rocks.
Humans also taught rocks math! Computer chips are just rocks and minerals. It all comes back to rocks
Aka we tricked rocks into thinking
You should definitely read The Perfectionists by Simon Winchester. It’s all about the journey from rocks to today’s precision instruments.
great point, you rock
When I was introduced to the surface grinder in my early Engineering (MET) classes I was the only student that didn't crash the thing! They didn't teach us how to dress the wheels at first (that came later).
AND the Discovery of fire! Lightning hits a tree and ignites it. Primitive ancestor walks over and gets burned! After a while people figured out how to make fires in the caves from those embers and stay (somewhat) warmer. And cook food, then to actually MAKE fire instead of having to take embers with them. I absolutely LOVE the scene in Tom Hank's "Castaway" where he finally (after all his failed attempts) makes fire! And then I take my Zippo with an electric plasma-arc insert out of my pocket (I still like the traditional ones) and think, how far we have come and what comes next? 🤔
"When I clear out the display room..." Can you imagine the Adam Savage Makers' Museum as its own space, open to the public? What an amazing place that could be for MythBusters fans, Adam's fans, model-makers, and makers in general to visit for inspiration and admiration of Adam's skills and vision. I would love to see that happen.
thanks for putting the actual recording date upfront on the video
that actually matters to some of us
keep up the great content, Adam and everyone
We had a surface grinder in high school. There was a patched up window near it where, if you didn't have the magnet properly holding down your work, the work piece would go flying through the window. 😂
Didn't happen to me, but I did have occasion to use the grinder... Very cool tool indeed. Love what you do Adam, thanks so much. 😎👍
Running cnc surface grinders for 10 years making milling bits changed my perspective of both time and physical size scales. Turning a 1/4in bar into a full fluted tool at .0001 tolerances in less than a minute is cool to see.
Hold onto that, Adam. I used to weld and fabricate everything when I needed it. Once I started 3D printing... the modeling is still sort of a meditative (and cathartic) exercise but I use it ALL THE TIME and often for wholly inappropriate applications just for the challenge or, more often, out of abject laziness. I can do it all from my chair and I don't have to break out the noisy tools?!
There was a sense of satisfaction in building something with metal that's not present in the digital space. "If it's worth building, it's worth overbuilding." was my mantra.
Now I embrace elegance in design and I'm always conscious of waste and the additional time that joint's going to take to print. It's still satisfying but in a different and somehow lesser way.
8:48 This line of thinking (minus the specific nouns) is SO relatable. "I want it, but am I ever going to use it? - but if I force myself to improve, then I can get it!"
I love Adam's ‘everything’! He always gets excited which gets me excited. His humour is refreshing and fun, and his ‘pitch’ is to my level. Loving your ‘everything’ Adam!
Affordable 3d printing has changed the world (as has access to 3d file creation software). Friend needed a part designed for a project who lived 4 hours away. I was able to model it up in about 15 minutes, send him the file, and he had his part in 2 hours on his 3d printer. Even if I was able to magically make the part appear out of thin air and drove to his house, it would have still taken longer. In a sense, 3d printing has sort of created teleportation.
I love the philosophy hat digital design is just another tool, and yes being able to collaborate is amazing. I was asked to make a gauntlet for a low budget fan movie. It would have cost 40 bucks to send it to the UK form the uk but i could just e-mail the files and have it printed out near by.
In the end I printed it and then finished it (often printing something is just the start and whilst I've seen some amazing things just come off the printer and be usable, we often have to do some sanding, paining, guilting etc.). However I sent them the files so they could make thier own stunt versions of the hero prop I gave them
Everyone has their own way of working, if you are more happy working with analog then keep it that way as much as possible. I personally am more comfortable working in the digital realm but sometimes I need to go out my comfort zone and it can be enjoyable as long as you don't have too high expectations and acknowledge that everything takes time to learn
Adam, I really love watching you grow as a maker. It's inspiring. My skills are nowhere near your level, but it gives me something to aim for, and because I'm watching you get better, I know I can too.
Adam's answer on analog vs digital was predicable. He is smart enough not to show sides. In the past he even praised shows and directors that everyone else hated.
He also is pretty open and egalitarian about the value of multiple ways of "making".
I knew it is a surfacegrinder by the moment I read the video title. GET ONE! Its so much fun.
Adam Savage…. You have been such a huge part of my life growing up with Mythbusters! I am SO happy I stumbled across your channel a few days ago! Thank you for continuing to be the you we all know and appreciate. Cannot wait to watch you build more cool stuff!
I used to use a surface grinder at work all the time. Ventilation is key for them. Even with a vacuum running when using it, I would blow my nose at the end of the day and it would be black.
What become clear to me after watching "Light and Magic" is that, despite your feelings about the updated trilogy or prequels, we may not have the visual effects we enjoy today without the pioneering vision of George Lucas.
George got a great team together and challenged them to bring something to the screen that no one had ever seen before and that is perhaps one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of movies.
A surface grinder is not only about precision. It also entails surface finished and material hardness. The finish that grinding gives is far better for mating surfaces, like in machine tools. Before fancy carbide, tungsten, and diamond tools a grinder was the only way to finish hardened parts.
I'm 53, and have been scale modeling for nearly 40 of those years, and sitting down at the table and working with my hands on physical pieces is my Zen. I consider myself a pretty good kit-basher and scratch builder, but I do have to admit that learning to integrate technology and use a 3D resin printer has elevated my game to a whole new level.
my oil paintings improved like 300% in detail and quality once i started really using a computer and tablet into my work flow. i was obstinate against it for like a decade, and now it feels like a waste to have not used very tool possible to create with. now whether im doing a woodworking project, anything in metal or composite or anything, i do digital drawing and 3D models, etc.
I would totally be okay with Tested taking on more machining content. I'm not a machinist myself but I find it intensely satisfying to watch. Though if that happens I feel like a This Old Tony collaboration needs to go in the Tested calendar ASAP.
I understand the block as a person who is trying to learn 3d modeling for 3d printing. Because I have a wonderful idea I want to push forward but it is tough not get my hands dirty and watch it form as I work.
Light and magic... it's just magical for sure! Loved it. Worth the hours spent watching it...
@tested Adam, When I draw with pencil on paper, its easier for me to conceptualize the scale of an object because I am touching all the parts mentally as I draw.
Using the computer I am no longer drawing lines, but instead defining the line endpoints and shifting those relationships.
I find the process most computer design tools use, like that of a sculptor removing parts in shapes to create a final work, but when I draw its more like a builder adding parts to create shapes.
I conceptually understand the difference, and when I am working with a physical object I can work in either direction. On the computer I loose the tactile feedback of manipulation and have trouble developing solutions.
The fun part about a surface grinder in a maker space is...everything you machine somehow winds up on the surface grinder. I do it mainly to create a finish that is highly resistant to corrosion. Also, it looks really nice compared to a milled finish.
Thank you Adam for mentioning Light & Magic, I wasn't aware of that docuseries until now.
As a musician… I might point out your mic is hot. On the verge of breaking up/ distortion. Love your channel and all the brilliant insights!
I'm wholly addicted to watching Inheritance Machining on CZcams. He does absolutely beautiful work, and definitely fills the gap when This Old Tony isn't posting.
Between that and Baumgartner Restoration and more recently Tom Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration (who has a huge archive of videos), it satisfies a place in my heart that loves the process of restoration and craftsmanship.
Honarable mention to Ted Woodford because I haven't missed a video of his in years.
I would love to ask Adam a few questions. I'm not sure of asking them publicly is the right way to ask. A little bit about myself I was an expert on three episodes of mythbusters so some of my questions might reveal stuff from behind the scenes.
In the words of John Lasseter, “the art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art.” ❤
The one thing that always trips me up when designing is scale. When designing something from scratch you don't always have something to scale it against except for a tape measurer.
Ah yes, I’ve been wanting to know the answer to this question and now it totally makes sense. And I agree I do almost all my making in cad with a 3d printer. And still every once in a while I have to go back to doing things by hand and its always so much more relaxing and can be more gratifying.
there are grinders which use the edge of the grinding disk to form highly precise shapes in the material they're grinding...see, jet engine High Pressure (HP) blade production grinding processes for example.
Absolutely mind blowing.
I'm sorry, I got a bit distracted when Adam bumped the clamp holding his phone.
As it danced its little jig, it totally reminded me of a Skutter, and started me wishing Adam would fabricate one! lol
I know, I know... it's no R2D2 but it would bring me great joy, personally. 😂
We use a surface grinder at work for rev-cut anvils for reverse tears for our cutting dies for the packaging industry. Also for making custom height combo rule.
I'd get a German surface grinder. They're often small, BUT, they're 3 orders of magnitude more precise (and well made) than the rest of the competition (for same square meter). Something between 1970's and 1990's, preferably that's been shown to not have a worn path (so the price will bite there), because nobody is ready to do a repair on one of these when they don't know what they're supposed to do.
IMO the cost per quality is well worth it and the machine will outlast you at your current rate of use (which i estimate to be just above hobby in terms of hours). If you manage to score one, in good condition, you'll never need another if you're ok with the size, and for a small shop like the Cave, that's more than enough, IMO. I'd tap Tom Lipton on this one, he's well aware of which and what machine you should try for.
Adam, you are a skateboarder at heart. You may just not know it. The tool you want that you don't have is therefore a skate tool.
In a similar parallel topic - I worked in high end custom car shops for a couple decades, and before that I worked in a small engine manufacturing plant. I frequently use both CNC and manual machining tools / software / etc. I built my first 3D Printer over 8 years ago (PrintrBot kit!) and have been enjoying using that process since. What I always found hilarious is the people who are insistent on devaluing the efforts of "digital" creators and CNC machines insinuating that they are nowhere near the skillset of the manual machinist. Usually these people, since they don't understand the "digital" side of things are overcompensating for their lack of understanding through being destructive and it is really ignorant. Both sides require the same knowledge - material, tooling, math, measurement, etc. There have been more than a few times when I was 3D modeling something, then having a CNC do it's thing - when someone would be like "Yeah, but lets see you do that on a manual machine - you would be lost" then I happily will pull out all the stuff I made on those manual machines, and then ask them to hop on the computer and do the work. The usually quickly slink away in their self-defeat. I get the same level of accomplishment and enjoyment from both "sides." Steve Morris just did a great video on his new Rottler 4 axis CNC for engine machining. Really shows how the "old" skillset is still required by the "new" technology - the CNC just makes it more cost/time effective with less margin for error. End of the day, we can all be creators - and that is what is important. Doesn't matter if you spend the effort making molds and hand painting, if you are behind a keyboard modeling, loading filament or bar stock - just get out there and make some stuff and appreciate the efforts of your fellow humans.
Ha! I was just telling my shopmate how much I want a surface grinder too and there are some for sale locally that I could just about afford but we simply don’t have space in our garage shop. When my wife asked what a surface grinder was for I pulled out my 123 block and explained exactly the way you did what it does.
Another benefit of a surface grinder.
Flatness and surface finish.
Surface grinders can achieve a surface finish far smoother than milling.
Lapping is another type of grinding.
Your comments on moving from building things to creating them on a computer were interesting. My first job, in high school, was as a draftsman detailing parts for mass production machinery for the auto industry. I also worked as a draftsman for civil engineers and land surveyors.
Going from pencil and paper to the computer is something that is hard to conquer. It is easier for me,, personally to create at a drafting table than it is on a computer.
for many years I did manual drafting, then I went to school, learning CAD, AutoCAD was up first. I told the instructor that what I needed to learn was, what and how to tell the computer to do, in the computer, what I already knew how to do on paper. In that is the difference between analog and digital, I also learned (engineering),3D modeling and a little 3D studio Max, along with other Adobe and Autodesk programs. Some were easy, most were not so easy.
Your case, Adam. is similar, taking everything from being an actual item to being a virtual item. Many people have great difficulty doing so, and the reverse is similar.
Look around for a Blanchard Grinder, I've seen them work to .0001 a lot, in the past. ;-)
I resisted doing anything digital until I got my iPad, and then suddenly I had a limitless sketchbook, with every effect, and layers that I could work in independently… and it felt like my creativity leveled up after years of a kind of stasis.
As a lifelong computer guy, I can tell you there is a BIG difference between making on a computer and making with physical tools. They are both worthy skills/crafts, but the ambience and essence is completely different. One can draw satisfaction from both, but you shouldn't ever expect it to be the same satisfaction.
My own tool/building experiences are from my hobbies - model rocketry and auto racing. Friend of mine is an engine builder for a road racing series that has very specific rules about modifying the motors. He uses a surface grinder to modify cylinder heads to the very last percentage allowed by the rules. I asked him once how he liked it, he said "Best 'sanding block' I've ever had!!" 🤣 Go get one, I think you'll love it. My buddy practices by throwing scrap in it and seeing how thin he can get it before it burns holes in it.
If you're considering a computer dedicated just to running your 3d printer or similar machines, please also consider getting a NAS or other networked storage. Give yourself the ability to create your 3d models from a comfortable desk, and then just run the software from the computer in the workshop instead of having to design on it too.
I saw this question (or similar) in another place: Do you have a tool you really like, but rarely have the oportunity to use?
Adam, I love your answer. Thanks
Thanks for reposting the lives in bite size form , it really helps in the learning process.
Dude! Sculpting and model making in VR is going to be incredible
A dedicated computer for fdm and resin printers is huge for workflow. It makes it a self contained creation station, not too dissimilar from other benchtop tools.
My Dad uses a surface grinder which he takes down to 2 microns in accuracy, very particular jobs for that accuracy needed. Pretty cool
7:01 - catching the measuring stick tattoo in daily use without thought, that is great :-)
You've given me two thoughts with this clip.
The first is a direct response: as I work on my R5-D4 I've become adequate with Fusion 360, and I agree there's satisfaction with designing something in the digital space - especially if you can then use a printer (2d or 3d) to convert that to a physical object. And yet, the pleasure from a nice clean design where I get the workflow exactly right and am able to easily iterate the small tweaks needed to make the design really work is somehow far less than the pleasure I get from gluing a bunch of random things on a rubbermaid tote and painting it yellow to make a Scrubber Droid. There's just something more powerful about the tangible building experience. I don't know what it is. I don't say this is true for everyone - I *know* people for whom digital work is vastly more satisfying than physical building - but it is for me.
The second is a tangental response to Adam's plans to expand the shop. I'm about a month from completing another solar orbit, and that puts 50 in sight, and I've been feeling a lot of "man, I'm running out of time to do all the things" lately. But Adam, who is about a decade older than me, is full of plans for things to do in the future. And he shows both an awareness that these things won't happen right away - and a confidence that they'll be worth doing whenever they can get done.
That's a really useful perspective and a reminder that I'm probably less than half-way through my life and it doesn't take a whole lot of effort to stay physically and mentally capable of doing hobby-level building. Next time I'm feeling like I've used up all my chances, I'll try to bring Adam's energy back to my thoughts and see if that drives the blahs away. So, thank you!
Joiners are surprisingly handy in a shop that does woodworking. For a small one they’re pretty cheap too, the space it occupies is the real expense.
Once you have a lathe and a mill a surface grinder is the next logical step. Mind you, if you work on larger stuff a shaper would be cool. There is something very satisfying in watching a shaper at work.
the question over digital Vs real...I get the same sorta feeling when it comes to coding.
When I get it right and it works consistently well, it's quite satisfying...also, as there are many different ways of achieving the same thing, typically speaking, it'll also be somewhat of a unique item of work.
I am a wood worker of moderate skill level. I have made some fine furniture but that isn't where my real enjoyment comes from. I prefer to do "finish carpentry" around my home. It is more forgiving and I get a lot of bang for the buck. With that said..... get a jointer and have someone talented show you what it can do for you. You won't be sorry.
The meaning of life is to learn..to evolve in consciousness
For me, making is like riding a trusty old bike...you don't have to think about pedaling or balance, you just hop on and go! The bike seems to vanish and you are flying!
Same-same with me and makers tools...it could be digital design & 3d printing or hand-made from raw materials and napkin-sketches...it's all flying!
Having the 'thing' clearly in mind suggests the tools that I need to use, not the tools defining what things I can make.
How are y'all doing today?
It’s funny, my high school wood shop had a Jointer, but not a Planer, we had to hand plane and sand boards after squaring them up on the Jointer and Table Saw. It was really awful since the hand planes were abused by other students all the time, so your nice top could end up gouged and shredded if you didn’t remember to look at the cutting edge of the plane FIRST.
I’d like to offer a suggestion: you might try designing and 3D printing features instead of entire models, working them into your physical models by hand.
Love to see you adding metal working machinery. Love the videos! Would love to see the space one day.
I remember using a grinder tool in highschool to make our mini press as close to tolorance as possible. That has to be 34 years ago now.
For turning out simple models for jigs and simple tools OpenSCAD fits my brain perfectly.
I only watch occasionally but - as luck would have it - the last video I saw was "Epiphany on the Science of Measurement". I have been down this rabbit hole! I got an ancient Boyar-Schultz surface grinder a few years ago and spent the next 6 months grinding beat up old parallels flat and parallel to within a tenth. I would excitedly show friends videos of checking them on my surface plate with a 0.0001" indicator, and the needle barely moving. I guess I'm saying I understand your fascination with this stuff, lol.
If you're looking for 3d printers with a good workflow that's easy to go from digital to physical, look at Ultimaker and Prusa printers. I personally prefer Prusa printers because they're cheaper, more reliable (IMHO) and Prusa uses their own printers to make their printers. I also really appreciate that they use iterative design, their workhorse printer the Mk3S+ is just a steady iteration over time to improve the printer and make it better.
Always enjoy your videos Adam. Makes me want to be more passionate about my own work. Take care
Per your comments on a digital versus hand crafted projects. Have you ever used 3D printing to build a full scale prototype of your desired maker project?
Interesting how ILM placed a low threshold for physical artists to transition to the digital arts. It never occurred to me until Adam said such, that had that not happened, all the movie model making body of knowledge would have been lost.
Adam,
When you eventually get a surface grinder, invest in diamond wheels. They are worth many times more than their price.
I wish I would of grown up around a man like Adam, The amount of knowledge & Skill this man has is mind blowing. I see all these machines in his videos but have no idea what they do haha. Great video like always adam!
Fortunately we're always still growing!
Did you know Jamey Wheeler? I believe he worked for ILM for a while he was an artist. He’d be in his late 50s now.
I also want a surface grinder. I was looking into rails and 3d printer DIY parts where I could make a light duty automated surface bed to move back and forth and across the work area. Dangerously close to light duty, say, casting blanks CNC machining.
Regarding analog VS. digital: the difference is really in your head. They both can produce the same results. It's just a matter of what tool *YOU* prefer to use. For instance, I prefer an analog lathe because the work I'm doing doesn't have to be super precise. But if I was making something that needed really tight tolerances then I would opt for a digital tool because it's more precise than my hands can be. And no, don't look here for me to argue one way or the other regarding the battle between those who prefer vinyl VS. those who say CDs are just as good. Even Thunderdome can't contain that fight!
3:33 "... succeeding, and failing, and failing..."
forgot the last step of "accepting failure as success" such as The Samaritan's spin clack
Consider also enabling the clone feature to post to Utreon.
Adam, have you ever tried to find out how many layers of lead paint would stop the rads from a uranium sample?
Asking for a friend, I guess?
I'm not Adam, but anyway: that depends on the sample. How much U235 vs. U238 is in it? How big is the sample? How diluted by other materials is it? Are there moderators or reflectors around it? ETC. This all determines how much radiation of what kind it emits. Then you can calculate how much lead (or water or sand or whatever) you need to reduce this radiation to normal background levels.
Tell your friend: if he doesn't know how to calculate this before he got the sample - to call someone professional to get rid of the sample. If he has to ask he should not play with it.
While your friend is waiting for confirmation that he does (not?) have radiation sickness: he could enjoy Kyle's channel. Adam is the wrong Mythbuster to ask about radiation.
@@KonradTheWizzard Creaky Blinder did a debunk of this nitwit who thinks lead paint was banned because it was blocking radiation and the "gummint" wants us all to get irradiated for secret reasons. it got me wondering just how many coats would it take to do the same job as metallic lead.
Thanks.
Why stop at a surface grinder, why not go for optical levels of precision?
have you looked at the surface grinder attachment for the belt grinder alec steel uses?
Don't forget your heat treating furnaces to go along with the grinder
the beauty of the digital world is you can iterate faster. the problem in the digital world is the sense of scale.
Watching a surface grinder can be almost hypnotic.
I feel the same way about my cnc. I use my 3d printer way more because its right next to my computer.
Light & Magic was great but I wish they had addressed any of the fallout from the special editions as part of the move from practical to digital effects. All of that model work being replaced by CG must have had an impact on morale in the shops but it was completely skipped.
Answer at 6:07
Digital modeling, while satisfying in some ways, also robs one of the experience of holding something real in your hands. In my personal experiences it feels like there's no reward for all of your work when you can't hold your finished product and feel its weight and texture. An image on a screen can't give you that.
Adam, sounds like you're saying you like (prefer?) to work with things in the physical world and not much of a virtual/computer model guy. Nothing wrong with that! 😎
It is kind of weird that Adam doesn't have a laser cutter or 3D printer in his Shop, though he does have access to them via the Tested studio. Those tools are more of a gateway into 3D computer modelling than just sitting down and learning Blender et al, because of their requirement of a 3D modelling interface just to get the tools working.
I have a galaxy note so I can edit pictures on snap chat to use the color picker and block street signs and license plates but I need copy paper on a clip board for any real intensive drawing or writing
Try HGR Industrial Surplus for used stuff.
How about a Track Saw? Its my favorite carpentry tool.
what glue will work to glue neoprene rubber to aluminum sheet/plate
Ironically, Without knowing what you were going to talk about, I watched your video during a lunch break from mounting a VFD and DRO on my new-to-me surface grinder in my home shop. I think we´d all love to have a grinder like Stefan´s but ...$$$-gulp!. I´d recommend getting a 3D printer when you decide to go digital -- the visceral pleasure of modeling something then having a tangible physical thing in your hands a short while later cannot be overstated -- I got ours for making model horses for my daughter but have found it useful for all sorts of shop/life hacks..by stay away from thingiverse..no, don´t go in that briar patch...don´t do it..nothing to see there....;ˆ) Have fun!
Hey.
Physical vs computer. Here's something to chew on.
Physical models exist in a way computer ones don't. They can be curated and created, rarified, surface in estate sales (or under Adam's desk) years after being thought destroyed. They also have to be kept and kept up; they take up space, degrade, need special care and display.
So a strength and weakness of physical things is the physicality of those things.
Let me throw my name in as a remote working Mechanical Designer/ drafter for anything you want to build or have built. Could be a fun way of making a poster for the Samaritan
The only reason I don't have a 3D-printer is because I can't afford one, and I don't have the floor-space I can dedicate to setting one up. But boy howdy, would I LOVE to be able to 3D-print minis and greeblies and all the rest.
I hope someone offers you a surface grinder. I made my own 1,2,3 blocks some years ago. Still have them.