Tell us a little bit about yourself and Inventables.
Inventables is a small startup company in Chicago. We sell all the tools and materials you need to make pretty much anything, including digital manufacturing tools like 3D printing and 3D carving, and laser cutting.
What was the inspiration for the Shapeoko 3D Carving Machine?
The Shapeoko 3D Carving machine was created by Edward Ford, who ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the project. He wanted a DIY, affordable carving machine for his home and figured that other people did too. The response was immediate and very enthusiastic. Edward joined forces with Inventables to bring Shapeoko to a wider audience and has been selling the kits since 2012.
How long did it take to create your project?
Shapeoko was created in 2011, and version 2 was released in 2013. We released the companion Easel software in March of 2014, to make it easier for anyone to get started making their own ideas out of real materials.
As a maker, what inspires you?
Everyone on the Inventables team is a maker, and we all come at it from different angles. Some like to make jewelry, others build musical instruments and electronics, some build skateboards and go-carts and miniature rollercoasters. We’re constantly tinkering in the workshop and helping each other with our ideas.
What are you most looking forward to at Maker Faire Detroit this year?
We’re really looking forward to letting people try their own hand at 3D carving! We’ll be running hands-on demos all weekend to let people make their own bottle openers out of wood and aluminum. And also we’re fielding our own go-kart in the power wheels racing series.
