Making Mayor Clayton’s WonderLab

From Contributor Christie Miga: “Dad, I don’t want to go to trick-or-treating, I want to stay in the WonderLab!”

When I overheard an 11-year-old say these words, I knew we’d made something special with Mayor Clayton’s WonderLab. Brooklee, the incredible kid who said these words, was on her Make-A-Wish trip to Central Florida with her family and staying on the property at Give Kids The World Village, an 89-acre storybook resort where children with critical illnesses and their families spend weeklong, cost-free vacations. Brooklee was visiting from Utah, and her parents explained that she asked to visit the WonderLab every day of their vacation; she couldn’t wait to try all the daily activities. By the end of their vacation, the volunteers and I cheered as soon as she entered the building.

Mayor Clayton’s WonderLab, our six-room STEAM activity center, opened in July 2024 and the response has been incredible, with many stories like Brooklee’s — faces lighting up with excitement and a sense of accomplishment. Parents have shared that their children loved the activities so much, they plan to re-create them at home. Perhaps most impressively, even teenagers have stayed engaged for hours.

Make: Volume 96 Is Out Now!

At Make: we’ve cheered, and sometimes steered, two decades of rapid evolution in digital fabrication tools for home, hobby, and business use. But this year is an astonishing one.

Multi-material 3D printing is finally legit, with smart, tool-changing machines that don’t waste filament on purges and poops. In this issue we review Snapmaker’s U1 tool changer, plus new 3D printers from Elegoo, Flashforge, and Prusa that are packed with advanced features at plummeting prices. We also go hands-on with new lasers from xTool — the burly MetalFab metal cutter/welder and petite MOPA F2 Ultra engraver — and with desktop CNC mini mills that have achieved the trifecta of power, price, and software that doesn’t suck. 

Tool makers are innovating outside the big categories, too. For the first time ever, you can do UV printing at home! Why not try a full-sheet CNC router that stows on a shelf? Or new category-mashers like the LatheEngraver or Saltgator soft-gel injection molder? It’s a good time to succumb to your tool temptations.

Plus 15 fantastic projects, including:

• Embrace your inner mad scientist with a high voltage plasma toroid generator

• Track the position of the ISS in real time on an actual globe 

• Hack a Spider-Man–style web flinger to control it with your mind

• Learn how to use smart serial servos with the Oxocard Connect

• Use WLED to create full-color LED displays

• 3D print concrete and metal

• And more!

Pick it up in print, PDF, or subscribe to never miss an issue!

Reviewing the Shariff DMC2 Mini CNC Mill

From the latest issue of Make: magazine: Have you dreamed of a powerful CNC mill at a cost so low it’s crazy? The DMC2 Mini is a beast of a CNC mill made by Shariff, a small company in Ontario, Canada. To keep the cost down, the mill comes as a kit. Our reviewing editor Sam Freeman found out that while building it isn’t easy or quick, by the end you’ll have a very capable machine AND know how it works inside and out.

Best Dev Boards for Cosplay

From Make: magazine: Even the most gorgeous gowns and amazing accessories are static when you’re standing still. But cool cosplay can come to life with moving lights and sound effects. If you want to add LED animation, audio atmosphere, or sensors to your wearable creation, you’re in luck. These days there are plenty of great boards to choose from. Here are five to get you started.

Grit Stash: Sandpaper Storage

From Contributor Len Cullum: Sandpaper is one of those things that can be a challenge to store. Bunches of random loose sheets thrown in a box or drawer, rubbing together and losing their grit, or inside cardboard sleeves obfuscating how many sheets you have left, or worse, mysterious partial sheets with no grit numbers on the back.

Having a simple way to store every grit in its own place makes it a lot easier. This sandpaper flat file has enough drawers for all the grits I keep on hand, from 60 up to 400, a couple of drawers for the super high grits from 1000–2000, plus a drawer for sanding sticks and blocks, and one for lightly used pieces that still have a bit of life in them. And lastly a hidden bonus: the narrowest drawer is actually a straightedge tearing board for quickly making half sheets.

You can build this file in a day or two, for your own workshop or makerspace, or as a gift for anyone who does wood, fiberglass, resin, or other fabrication and finish work.

Waterlight Graffiti

From Make: magazine: French artist Antonin Fourneau’s interactive exhibit known as Waterlight Graffiti recalls a combination of two classic childhood toys: the Etch A Sketch and Lite Brite. However, to draw on Fourneau’s installation, a wall made of thousands of LED lights, there are no dials to turn or bulbs to plug in — all you need is water.

3D Printing & Fabrication

3D design, printing and fabrication continues to be a staple in the Makers toolkit. Whether you're looking to do some serious design or prototyping, or you're simply excited to play with the new technology, we got you covered in the Maker Shed!