So I came across this here challenge and thought some of you folks might be interested.
Using their Easel program, the goal is to make something awesome that gets cut in an hour or less. More time for finish work is accepted (gluing, painting, etc.). I’ve seen plenty of awesome creations here so perhaps some of them were cut under an hour and they could win an X-carve. Another cool thing for those not cutting yet is you don’t even have to make it. The design itself is what’s getting judged. Easel has a cut time simulator and that’s what determines your cut time, so keep the parameters realistic and your good to go.
Made me think Maslow should do a challenge once a month or so, similar to flat pack and one sheet challenges, giving away kits, Maslow swag, or commonly replaced parts. Lets get more Maslow creations out there!
Good luck for all that enter. Maybe share your designs after judgment, you have til the 1st of July to enter.
BTW, I am not affiliated, I just started using Easel and saw others here do to, its silly easy to use.
We could make one PotW a month be a challenge. We’d need to announce themes ahead of time. If we did so, I would definitely want help coming up with the themes. Probably do the default Maslow thing and let the community come up with the themes.
PotW winners win bragging rights and router bits from Bar and Hannah.
Just my two cents: I’d be willing to spend time and resources to create and cut something for a prize worth hundreds of dollars. Not sure I would want to do this for little to no reward and every month. I’m not sure the amount of participation you’d get. There are only a handful for the PotW. These kinds of challenges are more a publicly stunt than anything to help encourage a platform or product.
I have seen those but that’s weekly and technically not a challenge. I like it but that’s more for showing off personal projects it seems.
Each month could be a new theme/challenge where we/you/who decide the winner at the end of the month. Any PotW submission can be entered as long as they stay in the guidelines for that months challenge.
Exactly why I brought this to your attention, you don’t even need to cut, just design it. For a $1500 grand prize value and a handful of gift cards to win. There’s plenty to justify putting a little effort into it.
Another reason I brought this up is because Id like to see more projects posted here. And not just random projects we work on around the house (don’t get me wrong, sometimes those are the best), but an actual challenge that makes us think creatively. Sometimes having a challenge fuels the creativity. seeing what multiple people come up with for the same challenge may be very interesting.
Yes, It is obviously a marketing tactic which is why I figured a larger challenge and prize at Maslow may draw more contestants/customers here. If challenges like this are publicized, it does convert to more engagement, which for us could mean more Maslows and more collaboration amongst Maslow owners. I would never spend $1500+ on an Xcarve but you can bet your booty ill submit a design to try and win one. Some people may feel that way about Maslow due to the DIY aspect, but if they could win one, it may change their perspective and turn out to be the next Da Vinci lol
There’s a pretty big difference in scale here. Inventables is orders of magnitude larger than MaslowCNC. The weekly prizes that Bar and Hannah offer are generous, but also reflect that difference. They’ve donated many Maslow kits to schools and makerspaces, and I’m content with that approach to expanding the community.
A challenge is an interesting idea, though. What kind of limits/parameters/requirements make the most sense for a community spread across the globe, with all manner of experience and interest?
Scale seems irrelevant for a challenge imo. Anyone can host a challenge and offer a prize big or small to gain awareness of their brand. Obviously its up to the financial officers to approve the type of generosity they provide and how advantageous it is for them, which btw nobody is contesting anyone’s generosity here. I this community. Im sure IF this came to fruition, whatever the outcome, it would be both generous and feasible.
Limits/parameters/requirements can be similar to challenges we are already aware of. The one sheet challenge comes to mind due to Maslow’s size capabilities. Nothing crazy, don’t want to deter contestants with overly complicated rules. maybe have an entry prerequisite of posting a link or 2 to the challenge on social media, creating a nearly free marketing campaign (ex. I have a challenge entry but need to post a link on tweeter/faceback/instaham, etc. to be a valid contestant) and could be judged by 40% creativity/originality, 40% Use of space, and 20% execution/final result, by Bar and Hannah themselves. Or an accumulative social media vote?
Im just spitballing ideas here so I apologize if Im over reaching. Just trying to come up with more excuses to use my Maslow.
Another, perhaps more Maslowian, approach would be to set up a Community Garden project every once in awhile to form a team to participate in challenges outside the Maslow community. This community is really good at working a problem together to come up with a compelling solution.
Yup, let’s start the ‘calibrated and dialled in’ challenge first . Who cuts the most accurate in the corners?
What is hundreds of dollars worth, compared to the pride and being honoured and the community contribution to a big step forward. My 2 1/2 cents.
Agree. I cut the same shape 6 times all out of the center of the Malsow for my project this week. Each time it came out a different size depending on the way it was rotated. Would love to challenge the community to tighten up accuracy.
are you referring to the ring system/sled rotating? I just ordered one and was concerned about this, gotta get that ring centered with the bit mucho precise. Id love to see the range of accuracies we all get, maybe solve some issues along the way with the new data if we note all our setup measurements too. I’m still rockin the original quadrilateral set up and have yet to test it at the extreme corners. I can slide the sheet to be cut in either direction to keep the cuts in the center of the maslow to retain accuracy. I’m guessing that wont be allowed in the challenge lol.
So what should the rules be for this one? Everyone cut the same single-file-cut? maybe incremental plunges and cuts around the perimeter? I imagine a Morris-code pattern. Plunges without cuts to consider z-accuracy too? my calipers are ready!
No, the ring system keeps the bit centered. I am referring to the orientation of the piece that I am cutting. If I rotate the piece 90 degrees so its vertical, the dimensions will be different then if I cut it horizontal.
Those cuts would yield different dimensions even though they were the same(image is not accurate)
we have the accuracy benchmark that cuts squares in the 4 corners and a couple
other marks to check distances, until we find something better, that should be
what we use.
lol
this community. Im sure IF this came to fruition, whatever the outcome, it would be both generous and feasible.
. Who cuts the most accurate in the corners?
lol.