Making a “Trammel of Archimedes”

12 Pages·2013·0.31 MB·English

Making
 a
 “Trammel
 of
 Archimedes”
 (2012)

Examining
 Consequences
 of
 Making
 Something
 Useless1

Robert
 E.
 McGrath

Champaign
 Urbana
 Community
 Fab
 Lab

Urbana,
 Illinois

July,
 2013

Making
 is
 a
 process
 of
 materializing:
 realizing
 a
 concept
 via
 knowledge
 and
 materials.

Making
 is
 never
 without
 consequence.

 This
 essay
 considers
 the
 making
 of
 a
 simple,

useless
 object,
 using
 contemporary
 digital
 fabrication.

 The
 object
 and
 its
 fabrication
 are

found
 to
 be
 linked
 to
 deep
 historical
 and
 mathematical
 roots.
 The
 object
 is
 also

significant
 for
 the
 social
 context
 surrounding
 its
 creation.

Background

It
 began
 as
 one
 of
 a
 series
 of
 small
 projects.
 In
 early
 2012,
 the
 Champaign
 Urbana
 Community

Fab
 Lab
 ([5,
 25,
 40])
 obtained
 their
 second
 3D
 printer
 (one
 that
 actually
 works).
 Lab
 volunteers,

including
 myself,
 began
 to
 learn
 how
 to
 use
 the
 UP!3D
 printer
 [7]
 by
 making
 a
 variety
 of

objects.

 Many
 of
 the
 results
 can
 be
 viewed
 on
 the
 CUCFL
 web
 pages
 [6]
 and
 in
 the
 lab,
 and
 the

volunteers
 have
 contributed
 to
 tutorial
 materials
 to
 help
 others
 learn
 to
 use
 the
 3D
 printer
 [4].

Since
 that
 time,
 I
 have
 executed
 more
 than
 a
 dozen
 projects
 using
 the
 3D
 printer,
 some

succeeded
 and
 some
 failed.
 Together,
 other
 volunteers
 and
 I
 have
 learned
 the
 strengths
 and

limits
 of
 3D
 printing,
 our
 specific
 device,
 and
 some
 of
 the
 design
 principles
 underlying
 its
 use.

But
 this
 essay
 is
 not
 a
 technical
 tutorial,
 nor
 is
 it
 about,
 “gee-­‐whiz,
 look
 what
 I
 can
 do”.
 Instead,

I
 focus
 here
 on
 one
 case
 study
 of
 a
 particular,
 to
 discover
 the
 context
 and
 connections

surrounding
 one
 object
 and
 its
 making.

Most
 of
 the
 projects
 I
 have
 made
 in
 the
 Fab
 Lab
 are
 fairly
 trivial,
 certainly
 not
 original
 art
 works

or
 practical
 machines.
 So
 what
 are
 these
 objects,
 and
 what
 is
 their
 importance?
 What
 is
 the

meaning
 of
 making
 (indeed,
 re-­‐making)
 a
 well-­‐known
 object?

 What,
 indeed,
 is
 the
 meaning
 of

making
 a
 trivial
 or
 even
 useless
 object?
 Does
 making
 ever
 lack
 consequences?

I
 focus
 here
 on
 one
 case
 study,
 to
 evoke
 not
 the
 technology
 but
 the
 context
 and
 connections

surrounding
 one
 object
 and
 its
 making.
 This
 object
 itself
 is
 not
 especially
 important
 or

interesting;
 but
 I
 think
 that
 how
 it
 was
 made
 is
 very
 important.
 A
 Fab
 Lab
 is
 about
 “making”,
 so

this
 story
 gives
 insight
 into
 one
 of
 the
 ways
 “making”
 can
 be
 done
 there,
 what
 it
 may
 mean
 to

the
 “maker”,
 and
 what
 this
 process
 and
 these
 spaces
 may
 mean
 to
 our
 human
 culture.

1
 This
 essay
 was
 prepared
 as
 a
 response
 to
 critiques
 of
 an
 abstract
 submitted
 to
 the
 Digital

Humanities
 2013
 conference.

 It
 is
 a
 partial
 answer
 to
 the
 question,
 “what
 does
 this
 have
 to
 do

with
 humanities,
 digital
 or
 otherwise?”

1
This
 paper
 opens
 with
 a
 description
 of
 the
 project.
 An
 explanation
 of
 how
 the
 object
 was
 made

is
 central
 to
 understanding
 the
 piece,
 so
 the
 process
 will
 be
 sketched.
 In
 this
 case,
 the
 project

illustrates
 design
 reuse
 via
 digital
 distribution
 of
 design
 knowledge
 and
 how
 3D
 printing

redistributes
 the
 skill
 needed
 to
 product
 objects.

I
 will
 show
 that
 the
 piece
 has
 plenty
 of
 meaning.
 Part
 of
 the
 meaning
 stems
 from
 an

understanding
 of
 how
 this
 concept
 used
 to
 be
 made,
 using
 the
 “high
 tech”
 tools
 of
 past
 eras,

compared
 to
 how
 I
 made
 it
 this
 year,
 with
 contemporary
 “high
 tech”
 tools.

 Searching
 for

meaning
 also
 leads
 to
 the
 deep
 connections
 of
 this
 object,
 as
 it
 is
 found
 to
 be
 tied
 first
 to

elegant
 mathematics,
 then
 to
 ancient
 practical
 trades
 and
 folk
 traditions,
 and
 finally
 to
 whimsy.

In
 itself,
 the
 object
 is
 not
 beautiful,
 useful,
 or
 original.

 But
 the
 project
 illustrates
 how
 making

can
 be
 (and,
 I
 believe,
 always
 is,
 if
 you
 look
 hard
 enough)
 connected
 to
 deep
 historical
 and

cultural
 roots;
 the
 understanding
 of
 which
 can
 add
 pleasure
 and
 meaning
 to
 the
 making.

Finally,
 I
 return
 as
 I
 always
 do
 to
 the
 importance
 of
 being
 part
 of
 a
 community
 of
 makers,
 and

the
 value
 of
 a
 community
 space.
 The
 social
 context
 in
 which
 this
 object
 emerged
 is
 important,

both
 for
 itself
 and
 because
 it
 harks
 back
 to
 humanistic
 practices
 of
 earlier
 ages.

The
 Project

This
 project
 is
 the
 creation
 of
 a
 useless
 object,
 executed
 at
 the
 CUCFL
 in
 December
 2012.
 The

object
 is
 a
 small
 (approximately
 10
 cm
 x
 10cm
 by
 4
 cm)
 “3D
 Rotating
 Toy”
 [36],
 printed
 using
 a

3D
 printer
 [4]
 using
 of
 ABS
 plastic
 [43].
 This
 toy
 is
 based
 on
 a
 classic
 “Trammel
 of
 Archimedes”

[44],
 which
 has
 been
 made
 in
 various
 forms
 for
 thousands
 of
 years.
 The
 completed
 piece
 in

question
 is
 on
 display
 in
 the
 CUCFL,
 and
 illustrated
 in
 Figure
 1.

“Making”
 is
 a
 process
 that
 converts
 design
 ideas
 into
 physical
 objects.
 A
 full
 account
 will

consider
 the
 sources
 of
 the
 concepts,
 materials,
 and
 techniques
 for
 manipulating
 the
 materials.

One
 of
 the
 important
 lessons
 is
 that
 the
 same
 object
 can
 be
 realized
 more
 than
 one
 way,
 often

using
 alternative
 materials
 and
 techniques.

 I
 note
 that
 a
 search
 of
 Thingiverse
 itself
 returned
 at

least
 seven
 versions
 of
 this
 device
 in
 addition
 to
 satoshi’s.2

 In
 this
 case,
 we
 can
 directly

compare
 the
 twenty
 first
 century
 methods
 to
 earlier
 techniques
 for
 making
 the
 same
 object.

How
 I
 Made
 a
 Trammel
 of
 Archimedes
 In
 2012

I
 made
 this
 object
 using
 digital
 fabrication,
 specifically
 a
 3D
 printer.

 This
 technology
 is
 definitely

the
 flavor
 or
 the
 month
 this
 year,
 featured
 in
 many
 gee-­‐whiz
 stories
 [17,
 20,
 28,
 29].
 This

project
 is
 a
 representative
 example
 of
 how
 this
 technology
 actually
 works,
 which
 may
 be

compared
 with
 popular
 enthusiasm.

2
 The
 search
 was
 done
 on
 June
 23,
 2013.
 The
 search
 can
 be
 repeated
 via
 the
 URL:

http://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=trammel&sa

2
Figure
 1.
 A
 Trammel
 of
 Archimedes
 in
 white
 ABS
 (assembled),
 sitting
 on
 the
 bed
 of
 UP!3D

printer
 at
 the
 Champaign
 Urbana
 Community
 Fab
 Lab.
 Note:

 the
 pieces
 were
 fabricated

individually,
 then
 assembled
 by
 hand.

To
 begin
 with,
 I
 did
 not
 design
 the
 object
 myself.

 I
 found
 it
 on
 the
 Internet,
 specifically
 on

Thingiverse
 [21].

 Thingiverse
 is
 a
 web
 site
 run
 by
 Makerbot
 Industries,
 which
 “is
 a
 place
 for
 you

to
 share
 your
 digital
 designs
 with
 the
 world”
 [22].

 Thingiverse
 has
 thousands,
 tens
 of

thousands,
 designs
 for
 objects,
 most
 of
 which
 are
 meant
 to
 be
 made
 with
 a
 3D
 printer.

 Most
 of

the
 designs
 can
 be
 downloaded
 and
 then
 fabricated.

 For
 example,
 on
 Thingiverse
 there
 are

dozens
 of
 designs
 for
 coffee
 cups:
 you
 could,
 in
 principle,
 “print”
 a
 new
 coffee
 cup
 every
 day,

for
 quite
 a
 while.

This
 paradigm
 of
 “discover,
 download,
 and
 use”
 is
 familiar
 to
 us:

 it
 is
 precisely
 analogous
 to
 the

way
 images,
 music,
 video,
 and
 so
 on
 are
 shared
 via
 the
 Internet.
 Thingiverse
 is,
 in
 fact,
 exactly

the
 same
 idea
 as
 Flikr
 [46]
 or
 YouTube
 [47],
 except
 that
 it
 serves
 3D
 designs.
 (Indeed,
 on
 the

inside,
 these
 services
 all
 use
 much
 the
 same
 technology.)
 The
 analogy
 is
 quite
 broad,
 and
 tells

us
 a
 lot
 about
 what
 to
 expect
 as
 the
 capability
 to
 download
 and
 “play”
 objects
 (e.g.,
 a
 coffee

cup)
 becomes
 ubiquitous
 [26,
 31].

3
The
 designs
 for
 a
 3D
 printer,
 from
 Thingiverse
 or
 any
 source,
 are
 digital
 files
 that
 can
 be

manipulated
 with
 design
 programs
 to
 modify,
 adapt,
 or
 combine
 them—in
 short,
 they
 can
 be

remixed.
 Thingiverse
 also
 has
 apps
 that
 enable
 simple
 customization,
 e.g.,
 adding
 your
 own

name
 on
 an
 object,
 which
 you
 can
 then
 download
 and
 print
 [19].

In
 this
 case,
 I
 found
 the
 design
 at
 the
 URL
 http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:32043,
 where
 it

was
 posted
 by
 someone
 who
 uses
 the
 on
 line
 alias,
 “satoshi”
 [36].
 From
 this
 URL,
 anyone
 can

download
 files,
 which
 are,
 literally,
 the
 design
 for
 the
 trammel
 machine.

 There
 are
 seven
 parts,

which
 are
 downloaded
 in
 five
 files
 encoded
 in
 the
 widely
 used
 STereoLithography
 (STL)
 format

[9].

 These
 STL
 files
 are
 input
 that
 can
 be
 used
 with
 3D
 printers
 or
 for
 design
 programs,
 as
 well

as
 for
 other
 software
 and
 machines
 (e.g.,
 for
 visualization
 or
 milling
 machines).

 In
 short,
 the

download
 is
 a
 complete,
 executable,
 plan
 for
 creating
 (or
 rendering)
 the
 object.

Once
 downloaded,
 the
 files
 can
 be
 loaded
 into
 a
 3D
 printer.
 The
 Champaign
 Urbana
 Community

Fab
 Lab
 has
 one
 such
 device,
 which
 can
 read
 STL
 files.
 Not
 every
 file
 from
 Thingiverse
 will
 work

with
 a
 given
 printer,
 and
 some
 may
 be
 too
 large
 or
 complicated
 to
 be
 practical
 for
 a
 given

device
 to
 make.
 For
 this
 reason,
 I
 had
 to
 use
 the
 printer
 software
 to
 check
 over
 the
 STL
 files
 and

set
 up
 the
 job
 for
 the
 specific
 printer.
 In
 this
 process,
 the
 pieces
 were
 arranged
 on
 the
 working

area
 of
 the
 printer,
 and
 several
 parts
 were
 combined
 in
 a
 batch,
 depending
 on
 their
 size
 and

how
 much
 time
 needed
 to
 make
 them.

Once
 the
 design
 was
 loaded,
 the
 execution
 was
 prepared
 using
 the
 “print
 preview”
 menu,

which
 allowed
 me
 to
 adjust
 a
 variety
 of
 options
 which
 control
 the
 fabrication,
 including
 the

vertical
 density
 of
 the
 material
 (i.e.,
 how
 think
 each
 layer
 is),
 the
 density
 of
 internal
 fill,
 and
 the

amount
 of
 support
 structure3.

 For
 this
 project,
 the
 default
 settings
 were
 used.

 The
 print

preview
 also
 indicated
 the
 amount
 of
 material
 to
 be
 used
 and
 the
 time
 the
 fabrication
 will

require.

 In
 this
 case,
 the
 object
 took
 a
 couple
 of
 hours
 to
 complete,
 using
 approximately
 30

grams
 of
 ABS
 plastic.

When
 ready,
 the
 object
 is
 fabricated
 by
 selecting
 “Print”.

 The
 printing
 itself
 is
 fully
 automated.

When
 completed,
 the
 parts
 are
 removed
 from
 the
 printer
 and
 excess
 plastic
 is
 peeled
 away.

Finally,
 all
 the
 parts
 assembled
 to
 form
 the
 finished
 object.

Q.E.F.

How
 A
 Trammel
 of
 Archimedes
 Used
 to
 be
 Made

Long
 before
 digital
 fabrication
 was
 invented,
 the
 Trammel
 of
 Archimedes
 was
 realized
 in
 a

number
 of
 variations,
 using
 wood
 and
 metal,
 employing
 hand
 tools
 or
 power
 tools.

 In
 2013,

Google
 images
 and
 YouTube
 presents
 dozens
 of
 variations
 of
 this
 concept.

3
 For
 more
 technical
 details,
 the
 reader
 is
 referred
 to
 the
 excellent
 tutorial
 material
 prepared
 by

Jeff
 Ginger
 at
 the
 Champaign
 Urbana
 Community
 Fab
 Lab
 [4].

4
Examining
 the
 design,
 we
 can
 see
 that
 it
 is
 clearly
 modeled
 after
 pieces
 that
 were
 carved
 from

wood.
 For
 example,
 it
 is
 easy
 to
 recognize
 the
 use
 of
 dovetails,
 which
 would
 be
 familiar
 to
 any

carpenter,
 shipwright,
 or
 woodwright.
 I
 am
 told
 that
 this
 object
 is
 a
 popular
 project
 for

hobbyists,
 and
 is
 thought
 of
 as
 a
 test
 piece
 for
 craftsmen
 to
 demonstrate
 their
 mastery
 [41].

Carving
 this
 toy
 out
 of
 wood
 would
 require
 significant
 skill
 with
 basic
 wood
 carving
 tools.
 The

slots
 must
 be
 perpendicular,
 smooth
 and
 precisely
 cut,
 and
 the
 sliders
 must
 precisely
 match
 the

slots.

 The
 beveled
 edges
 must
 be
 true
 and
 dimensionally
 correct.
 Realizing
 this
 precision
 would

require
 competence
 with
 tools
 such
 as
 chisels,
 saws
 and
 planes,
 as
 well
 as
 an
 understanding
 of

the
 specific
 material
 used,
 specific
 piece
 or
 pieces
 of
 wood.

The
 Deep
 Story

This
 project
 is
 not
 complex
 in
 itself,
 but
 it
 can
 be
 found
 to
 have
 deep
 historical
 connections.
 To

begin:
 its
 name.
 The
 archetype
 concept
 is
 known
 by
 a
 number
 of
 names
 over
 many
 centuries:

“Trammel
 of
 Archimedes”,
 “ellipsograph”,
 “nothing
 grinder”.

 (The
 latter
 terms
 depend
 on

whether
 the
 device
 is
 equipped
 with
 a
 writing
 device
 (to
 draw
 an
 ellipse)
 or
 not
 (to
 do

nothing).)

The
 term
 “Trammel
 of
 Archimedes”
 is
 a
 reference
 to
 one
 of
 the
 greatest
 thinkers
 of
 antiquity,

reflects
 the
 fact
 that
 drawing
 ellipses
 was
 studied
 and
 understood
 more
 than
 2500
 years
 ago.

Whether
 or
 not
 Archimedes
 himself
 invented
 anything
 like
 this
 specific
 object,
 we
 know
 that

the
 mathematical
 concepts
 surrounding
 ellipses
 and
 drawing
 ellipses
 were
 known
 at
 that
 time.

Attaching
 his
 famous
 name
 to
 this
 device
 may
 or
 may
 not
 be
 historically
 accurate,
 but
 it
 a

reasonable
 evocation
 of
 the
 age
 and
 importance
 of
 the
 knowledge
 it
 is
 based
 on.

The
 mathematical
 foundations
 of
 ellipses
 and
 methods
 for
 drawing
 them
 have
 studied
 ever

since
 Archimedes,
 and
 the
 knowledge
 has
 been
 elaborated
 as
 part
 of
 the
 development
 of
 a

theoretical
 understandings
 of
 analytic
 geometry,
 part
 of
 the
 rich
 theory
 of
 contemporary

mathematics
 (e.g.,
 [2,
 30,
 34,
 35,
 45]).

The
 word
 “trammel”
 also
 contributes
 to
 a
 feeling
 of
 archaic
 significance.
 Trammel
 comes
 from

old
 English
 out
 of
 Old
 French
 and
 Latin
 roots
 [8,
 11].

 References
 indicate
 that
 the
 source
 words

are
 terms
 about
 ‘nets’
 and
 ‘constraints’.
 Shakespeare
 uses
 an
 analogy
 to
 fishing
 nets
 in

Macbeth4:

Macbeth:
 If
 it
 were
 done
 when
 'tis
 done,
 then
 'twere
 well

It
 were
 done
 quickly:
 if
 the
 assassination

Could
 trammel
 up
 the
 consequence,
 and
 catch

With
 his
 surcease
 success;
 that
 but
 this
 blow

Might
 be
 the
 be-­‐all
 and
 the
 end-­‐all
 here,

4
 It
 is
 interesting
 that
 I
 had
 already
 written
 that
 “making
 always
 has
 consequences”,
 and
 then

discovered
 this
 speech
 from
 Shakespeare.

5
But
 here,
 upon
 this
 bank
 and
 shoal
 of
 time,

We'ld
 jump
 the
 life
 to
 come.

Macbeth,
 Act
 I,
 Scene
 VII

Not
 commonly
 used
 in
 America
 today,
 in
 nineteenth
 century
 England,
 ‘trammel’
 was
 used
 to

describe
 social
 or
 political
 constraints,
 for
 example:

“…by
 freeing
 the
 land
 of
 England
 from
 the
 trammels
 of
 a
 bygone
 era.”

Joseph
 Chamberlain,
 1876,
 quoted
 in
 [3],
 p.
 14.

“Comes
 a
 train
 of
 little
 ladies

From
 scholastic
 trammels
 free,

Each
 a
 little
 bit
 afraid
 is,

Wondering
 what
 the
 world
 can
 be!”

(“Chorus
 of
 Girls”,
 from
 Act
 1,
 The
 Mikado
 (1911)
 [37].

So
 the
 word
 ‘trammel’
 generally
 implies
 a
 ‘constraint’,
 perhaps
 as
 in
 a
 ‘constrained
 system’.5

In
 the
 case
 of
 the
 Trammel
 of
 Archimedes
 there
 are
 several
 dimensions
 of
 ‘constraint’:
 there

are
 two
 pieces
 constrained
 to
 slide
 in
 perpendicular
 slots,
 and
 the
 motion
 of
 the
 beam
 is

constrained
 by
 its
 attachment
 to
 the
 sliders,
 and
 so
 on.

The
 term
 ‘trammel’
 has
 been
 used
 for
 a
 class
 of
 tools
 used
 by
 wood
 and
 stone
 workers
 for

drawing
 and
 measuring
 curves,
 all
 of
 which
 work
 by
 similar
 principles
 of
 ‘constraint’.
 This

context
 is,
 no
 doubt,
 the
 direct
 source
 of
 the
 term
 for
 this
 object.

Alternatively,
 this
 device
 is
 sometimes
 referred
 to
 by
 the
 generic
 term
 “ellipsograph”,
 i.e.,
 an

ellipse-­‐writer.

 This
 reflects
 the
 fact
 that
 the
 end
 of
 the
 crank
 traces
 an
 ellipse:
 attaching
 a
 stylus

or
 pen
 to
 the
 crank
 makes
 it
 possible
 to
 scribe
 or
 draw
 an
 ellipse.
 This
 precise,
 yet
 generic,
 word

gives
 us
 a
 technical
 term
 that
 reveals
 a
 possible
 practical
 use
 for
 this
 concept.

 The
 term
 also

tells
 us
 that
 the
 device
 bridges
 from
 the
 theoretical
 (ellipse)
 to
 the
 practical
 (writing).

The
 same
 device
 without
 a
 stylus
 or
 pencil
 still
 “works”
 (i.e.,
 the
 crank
 turns
 in
 the
 same
 way),

but
 produces
 no
 practical
 result.
 In
 this
 form,
 it
 has
 been
 called
 a
 “nothing
 grinder”,
 or
 one
 of

many
 “do
 nothing
 machines”.

 Note
 that
 these
 are
 not
 even
 “toys”,
 since
 they
 do
 not

necessarily
 produce
 fun!

 Whatever
 pleasure
 they
 produce
 is
 certainly
 in
 the
 making,
 not
 the

using.

 These
 terms
 also
 evoke
 a
 nineteenth
 century
 craftworker
 feeling,
 and
 to
 me,
 a
 Barnum-­‐
esque
 spirit
 of
 skilled
 and
 deliberate
 nonsense.

What
 Is
 New
 Here:
 What
 It
 Took
 to
 Make
 It

5
 The
 association
 between
 nets
 and
 constraints
 is
 echoed
 in
 mathematics:
 systems
 of

constraints
 can
 be
 represented
 mathematically
 as
 systems
 of
 equations,
 but
 also
 sometimes
 as

networks.

6
One
 reason
 this
 project
 is
 interesting
 is
 because
 it
 is
 a
 recent
 addition
 to
 what
 we
 know
 are

many
 ways
 to
 create
 this
 object.
 Making
 the
 Trammel
 with
 a
 3D
 printer
 realizes
 a
 concept
 that

has
 been
 around
 in
 some
 form
 for
 millennia,
 using
 contemporary
 materials
 and
 techniques.

How
 does
 this
 contemporary
 process
 compare
 to
 older
 techniques,
 such
 as
 woodworking?
 In

particular,
 what
 knowledge
 and
 skill
 is
 needed
 to
 3D
 print,
 and
 how
 does
 that
 compare
 to,
 say,

carving
 the
 same
 object
 out
 of
 wood?

To
 make
 this
 concept
 in
 wood
 requires
 plans
 (typically
 on
 paper),
 tools
 (e.g.,
 a
 knife
 or
 chisel),

and
 material
 (suitable
 pieces
 of
 wood).
 It
 requires
 considerable
 knowhow
 and
 manual

dexterity,
 to
 measure
 and
 place
 the
 perpendicular
 slots,
 cut
 the
 dovetails,
 and
 make
 all
 the

pieces
 precisely
 enough
 that
 they
 hold
 together
 and
 move
 smoothly.

To
 make
 this
 concept
 in
 ABS
 with
 a
 3D
 printer
 uses
 plans
 (in
 the
 form
 of
 one
 or
 more
 computer

files),
 tools
 (the
 3D
 printer,
 plus
 an
 internet
 connected
 computer),
 and
 material
 (ABS
 plastic

spooled
 suitable
 for
 input
 to
 the
 printer).

 It
 requires
 considerable
 knowhow,
 but
 little
 manual

dexterity.

 The
 necessary
 knowhow
 includes
 operation
 of
 the
 computer,
 Internet
 browser,
 and

3D
 printer
 software,
 as
 well
 as
 the
 3D
 printer
 machine.

Clearly,
 a
 different
 set
 of
 knowledge
 is
 required
 for
 these
 two
 methods.

 It
 is
 not
 my
 purpose
 to

claim
 that
 one
 or
 the
 other
 is
 “better”,
 or
 anything
 like
 that.
 The
 different
 approaches
 produce

similar
 results,
 and
 each
 would
 be
 useful
 in
 particular
 circumstances,
 and
 for
 certain
 purposes.6

I
 have
 found
 that
 understanding
 many
 ways
 a
 concept
 can
 be
 materialized
 leads
 to
 a
 deeper

understanding
 of
 the
 concept,
 and
 of
 the
 alternative
 techniques,
 and
 may
 provide
 the

additional
 satisfaction
 that
 comes
 from
 broader
 and
 deeper
 understanding
 of
 a
 simple
 object.

The
 Social
 Context:
 Where
 It
 Was
 Made

While
 technology
 and
 knowledge
 stands
 in
 the
 foreground
 of
 this
 story,
 there
 is
 a
 pervasive

background
 that
 must
 be
 recognized:
 this
 project
 was
 realized
 within
 a
 distinctive
 social

community,
 this
 Champaign
 Urbana
 Community
 Fab
 Lab.

 (Please
 see
 [15,
 25,
 40]
 for
 more

detailed
 discussions
 of
 the
 community.)

The
 Fab
 Lab
 is
 where
 I
 learned
 how
 to
 operate
 the
 3D
 printer
 and
 of
 the
 existence
 of

Thingiverse.
 While
 I
 could,
 in
 principle,
 have
 obtained
 the
 technology
 myself,
 and
 made
 a

Trammel
 alone,
 most
 likely
 I
 would
 never
 have
 attempted
 the
 project
 without
 the
 creative

culture
 at
 the
 Fab
 Lab.
 Equally
 important,
 I
 have
 improved
 and
 cemented
 my
 own
 learning
 by

helping
 others
 learn
 to
 use
 the
 3D
 printer.

6
 I
 skip
 over
 other
 comparisons
 that
 might
 also
 be
 important.

 For
 example,
 the
 raw
 materials

and
 tools
 have
 their
 own
 stories,
 which
 each
 may
 have
 ethical
 components.
 For
 example,
 the

sources
 of
 the
 wood
 or
 plastic,
 the
 provenance
 of
 the
 tools
 and
 computers,
 and
 the
 amount
 of

waste
 generated
 by
 fabrication
 are
 significant
 considerations
 for
 each
 method
 of
 making.

7
The
 CUCFL,
 like
 hundreds
 of
 other
 local
 Fab
 Labs
 and
 Maker
 Spaces
 ([10,
 16]),
 is
 a
 volunteer

operated,
 open
 workshop,
 that
 provides
 access
 to
 computer
 controlled
 design
 and
 fabrication,

including
 tools,
 materials,
 and
 knowhow.

 The
 Fab
 Lab
 also
 provides
 an
 environment
 that

fosters
 creativity
 and
 active
 learning.

 The
 diverse
 community
 of
 volunteers
 provides
 many

perspectives
 and
 different
 expertise,
 and
 we
 share
 ideas
 and
 learn
 from
 each
 other.
 The
 Fab

Lab
 is
 a
 place
 where
 everyone
 has
 “permission”
 to
 create
 whatever
 they
 want,
 and
 which

inspires
 visitors
 to
 try
 new
 ideas
 and
 take
 chances.

Looking
 at
 the
 historical
 precedence,
 I
 note
 that
 carving
 the
 Trammel
 in
 wood
 could
 be
 done
 by

a
 lone
 hobbyist
 or
 craftsman,
 but
 surely
 most
 often
 skills
 were
 nourished
 by
 teachers
 and

mentors.
 Indeed,
 many
 expert
 woodworkers
 learned
 in
 multigenerational
 workshops,
 not
 so

completely
 different
 from
 a
 Fab
 Lab.

 These
 days,
 such
 local
 communities
 are
 also
 connected
 to

each
 other
 via
 the
 Internet,
 which
 facilitates
 the
 exchange
 of
 knowledge,
 as
 well
 as
 markets
 for

tools,
 materials,
 and
 products.

Historically,
 European
 humanist
 traditions
 have
 grown
 in
 the
 workshop
 of
 the
 artist,
 armorer,

and
 alchemist
 [12].
 There
 was
 little
 distinction
 between
 the
 workshop
 of
 Leonardo’s

apprenticeship
 [27],
 the
 laboratory
 of
 Isaac
 Newton’s
 investigations
 [42],
 and
 the
 remarkable

social
 network
 of
 workshops
 of
 the
 Lunar
 Society
 [39].
 Only
 in
 recent
 centuries
 has
 the

workshop
 differentiated,
 to
 become
 distinguished
 according
 to
 the
 supposed
 commercial,

scientific,
 and
 artistic
 goal
 of
 the
 workspace.

From
 this
 perspective,
 we
 can
 view
 a
 Fab
 Lab
 or
 Makerspace
 as
 harking
 back
 to
 earlier
 eras

when
 multipurpose
 and
 multigenerational
 workshops
 were
 vital
 parts
 of
 a
 local
 community.

 Of

course,
 we
 do
 not
 reproduce
 these
 earlier
 practices
 wholesale
 or
 unconsciously.

 Fab
 Labs
 are

firmly
 embedded
 in
 contemporary
 society
 (for
 better
 or
 worse).
 We
 consciously
 eschew
 some

historical
 “humanist”
 traditions,
 embrace
 others,
 and
 have
 our
 own
 unique
 additions.
 We
 no

longer
 sell
 our
 children
 into
 servitude.
 We
 welcome
 all
 our
 children,
 including
 girls
 and
 women.

At
 the
 same
 time,
 we
 are
 navigating
 among
 many
 competing
 visions
 of
 society
 and
 Fab
 Labs.
 A

Fab
 Lab
 has
 many
 “purposes”,
 which
 appeal
 to
 different
 participants.
 Fab
 Labs
 have
 been
 hailed

as
 important
 for
 promoting,
 for
 example,
 Economic
 revolution,
 Social
 Capital,
 Community

Building,
 Cultural
 development
 and
 Personal
 empowerment
 [25].

A
 Fab
 Lab
 can
 be
 a
 pragmatic,
 eclectic,
 communal,
 and,
 literally,
 hands
 on,
 exploration
 of
 these

important
 issues.
 In
 this,
 I
 believe,
 we
 are
 recreating
 some
 of
 the
 best
 traditions
 of
 humanist

learning,
 learning
 by
 doing,
 working
 together
 [24,
 32].

Implications

This
 object
 described
 here
 is,
 by
 its
 very
 design,
 “useless”
 (as
 is,
 perhaps,
 this
 essay).
 But
 I
 think

it
 is
 far
 from
 meaningless.
 We
 humans
 are
 makers,
 and
 it
 would
 be
 unlikely
 to
 the
 point
 of

impossibility
 to
 believe
 that
 humans
 act
 without
 meaning.

8
Making
 is
 a
 process
 of
 materializing;
 realizing
 a
 concept
 via
 knowledge
 and
 materials.
 Most

concepts
 can
 be
 realized
 in
 more
 than
 one
 way,
 using
 different
 materials
 and
 techniques.

Indeed,
 one
 of
 the
 joys
 of
 making
 is
 the
 consideration
 of
 these
 alternatives,
 and
 learning,

discovering,
 and
 trying
 them
 for
 yourself.
 The
 ‘trammel’
 concept
 can
 be
 materialized
 in
 many

ways,
 and
 over
 the
 years
 it
 has
 inspired
 many
 realizations,
 in
 wood,
 metal,
 and
 plastic.

The
 process
 of
 making
 a
 physical
 object
 is
 never
 without
 consequence;
 if
 nothing
 else
 there
 is

inherent
 pleasure
 and
 empowerment
 in
 creation,
 however
 trivial.

 This
 is
 just
 as
 true
 when
 the

object
 is
 created
 by
 downloading
 a
 computer
 file
 and
 clicking
 “print”
 as
 when
 the
 object
 is

carved
 from
 a
 block
 of
 wood.

 These
 pleasures
 are
 multiplied
 when
 embedded
 in
 a
 community

of
 makers.

Making
 is
 personally
 empowering
 for
 each
 maker.
 Making
 is
 a
 quintessential
 human
 act
 and
 can

be
 argued
 to
 be
 a
 critical
 aspect
 of
 full-­‐fledged
 “digital
 literacy”,
 necessary
 for
 full
 participation

in
 the
 twenty
 first
 century
 [1,
 13,
 14,
 38].
 Creating
 even
 simple,
 “useless”
 objects
 requires

knowledge,
 skill,
 and
 persistence.
 In
 the
 process,
 the
 maker
 must
 bridge
 from
 mind
 to
 the

physical
 world
 and
 back,
 in
 a
 way
 that
 validates
 his
 or
 her
 personal
 agency
 and
 self
 worth.

The
 pleasure
 is
 multiplied
 when
 it
 is
 shared.
 For
 me,
 there
 is
 no
 greater
 thrill
 at
 the
 Fab
 Lab

than
 when
 a
 young
 person
 smiles,
 holds
 up
 her
 creation
 in
 her
 hand,
 and
 says,
 perhaps
 for
 the

first
 time,
 “I
 made
 this”.

 Putting
 tools
 in
 the
 hands
 of
 the
 workers?
 Yes,
 we
 can.

 And
 we
 must.

What
 exactly
 is
 being
 learned
 and
 taught?
 Contemporary
 computer
 aided
 fabrication

“redistributes”
 but
 definitely
 does
 not
 eliminate
 the
 knowhow
 and
 techniques
 required
 to

achieve
 the
 creative
 goal.

 A
 rough
 balance
 sheet
 would
 show
 that
 digital
 fabrication
 requires

less
 manual
 skill
 than
 woodwork,
 more
 knowledge
 of
 computing,
 and
 about
 the
 same
 skills
 at

visualization
 and
 design.

One
 way
 that
 digital
 fabrication
 surpasses
 older
 technology
 is
 that
 it
 can
 enable
 sharing
 and

remixing
 via
 digital
 networks.

 The
 design
 for
 the
 Trammel
 of
 Archimedes
 I
 used
 was

represented
 in
 a
 computer
 file
 that
 is
 not
 only
 a
 portrait
 of
 the
 object,
 it
 is
 an
 executable

program
 that
 can
 create
 one.
 In
 other
 words,
 the
 digital
 file
 represents
 the
 knowledge
 for
 how

to
 make
 the
 object
 in
 a
 very
 detailed
 and
 direct
 form,
 much
 more
 literally
 than
 plans,
 photos,
 or

instructions.

Thus,
 when
 I
 discovered
 the
 project
 on
 Thingiverse,
 what
 I
 discovered
 was
 the
 capability
 to

reproduce
 the
 object,
 just
 as
 discovering
 a
 music
 track
 on
 the
 Internet
 give
 me
 the
 capability
 to

reproduce
 a
 version
 of
 the
 musical
 experience.
 The
 downloaded
 file
 can
 be
 shared
 or
 sold
 and

adapted
 or
 re-­‐mixed.

 These
 actions
 are
 precisely
 analogous
 to
 the
 familiar
 uses
 of
 digital
 music

or
 video.
 From
 this
 analogy
 we
 can
 draw
 the
 implication
 that
 simple
 3D
 objects
 will
 soon
 be

created
 and
 consumed
 just
 like
 blogs,
 music
 clips,
 and
 videos
 are
 today
 [1,
 25].

Finally,
 this
 project
 inspired
 me
 to
 investigate
 the
 history
 of
 the
 object
 I
 was
 making.
 I

discovered
 deep
 connections,
 a
 long,
 romantic
 history,
 as
 well
 as
 deep
 and
 significant

9
mathematics.
 Learning
 about
 these
 ramifications
 provided
 my
 project
 with
 additional

satisfaction,
 beyond
 personal
 and
 immediate
 social
 gratification.
 This
 was
 not
 a
 bad
 haul
 for
 a

simple
 toy,
 with
 no
 particular
 purpose!

Let
 us
 “Trammel
 up
 the
 consequence”,
 indeed,
 and
 catch
 success.
 But
 isn’t
 it
 so
 often
 true
 that

our
 “toys”
 and
 “games”
 are
 far
 more

 important
 than
 we
 let
 on
 [18,
 23,
 33]?

Acknowledgments

This
 project
 was
 made
 from
 the
 design
 files
 posted
 to
 Thingiverse
 by
 ‘satoshi’
 on
 October
 12,

2012,
 available
 at
 http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:32043.

This
 project
 was
 executed
 at
 the
 Champaign
 Urbana
 Community
 Fab
 Lab
 [5]
 using
 the
 UP!3D

printer
 [4].

 Thanks
 to
 all
 the
 volunteers
 and
 mentors
 who
 have
 taught
 me
 so
 much
 in
 the
 last

few
 years.

References

1.
 Anderson,
 Chris,
 Makers,
 New
 York,
 Random
 House,
 2012.

2.
 Apostol,
 Tom
 M.
 and
 Mamikon
 A.
 Mnatsakanian,
 A
 New
 Look
 at
 the
 So-­‐Called
 Trammel
 of

Archimedes.
 The
 American
 Mathematics
 Monthly,
 116
 (2):115-­‐133,
 February
 2008.

http://authors.library.caltech.edu/15512/1/Apostol2009p335Am_Math_Mon.pdf

3.
 Bérard,
 Victor,
 Foskett
 and
 Herbert
 William,
 British
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London,
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4.
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 2013,
 http://cucfablab.org/book/3d-­‐printers.

5.
 CUCFL.
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 Urbana
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 Fab
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 2013,
 http://cucfablab.org/.

6.
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 http://cucfablab.org/book/example-­‐creations.

7.
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8.
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9.
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http://www.ennex.com/~fabbers/StL.asp.

10.
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11.
 Farnex.
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 2013,
 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/trammel.

12.
 Field,
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scholars,
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 modern
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University
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13.
 Gauntlett,
 David,
 Making
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 social
 meaning
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 creativity
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 DIY
 and

knitting
 to
 YouTube
 and
 Web
 2.0,
 Cambridge,
 Polity,
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14.
 Ginger,
 Jeff,
 Digital
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 Emerging
 Maker
 Spaces,
 C.-­‐U.C.F.
 Lab,
 Editor.

2013.
 http://cucfablab.org/blog/digital-­‐literacy-­‐resources-­‐emerging-­‐maker-­‐spaces

15.
 Ginger,
 Jeff,
 Robert
 McGrath,
 Betty
 Barrett,
 and
 Virginia
 McCreary,
 Mini
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Capacity
 for
 Innovation
 Through
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 Fab
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 Fab

Conference
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 NZ.

10