Prototyping to Prevent Project Failures
Last Modified: June 2024
Have you ever been close to finishing a project, but a piece is too short or a feature didn’t work out as planned? This happens to ALL OF US, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. Fortunately, there are three things we can do to help lessen the chances of running into issues and potentially ruining a finished project.
All three items incorporate lessons I learned last year when I took Mark Rober’s online engineering course.
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1 - Get Your Ideas Out of Your Head
This can be anything, including sketches, a detailed note on your phone, flashcards of features (one of Mark’s methods), or a scale 3D model. While each method has its strengths and shortcomings, the specific process isn’t as crucial for our purposes. The key is to get your ideas out of your head so you can spend less energy remembering what you want to do and more time processing how you will do it.
I use a combination of methods to keep track of ideas. This combination allows me to provide varying levels of detail as project ideas form and evolve over time.
My project ideas live in a master list within ClickUp, a project management tool. ClickUp syncs to an online database, always available on my phone, computer, or online. Each project has additional details such as how plausible it is, the type of project, a priority, any details I want to include for the project, and many other tags to help me keep track of content. ClickUp is excellent if you want to keep track of many details for a project (specifically content), but if you want a simple list, it’s overkill.
I am starting to use Mark’s flashcard technique when identifying what problems I want projects to solve and how to solve those problems. He goes in-depth, along with examples from his videos in the course. At a high level, though, once I have a type of project in mind (and usually a master problem to solve), I list every feature I can think of for that type of project. The good ones get priority, then I think of the most creative ways to solve each. For the features and solutions, I try to be as creative as possible and only pull it back to reality when looking at everything together.
Once I know what project I am working on, the features to include, and how to solve them (this usually consists of some of Steps 2 and 3), I typically make a scale model in Fusion 360. Fusion is helpful because it is mathematical modeling based on the parameters you enter. One of the biggest strengths is that you can change these parameters, and your model will automatically update to reflect those changes (as long as the model is built correctly).
2 - Make a Physical, Small-Scale Prototype
For more complex projects, building a small-scale, physical model can be helpful. The model doesn’t need to be anything complex and only needs to function the same way the full-size project will loosely. Seeing and touching a model will often allow you to see areas you need to approach carefully or come up with additional ideas for the project.
I made a simple prototype for the flip top that stands out of popsicle sticks. When looking at the model, I immediately realized I needed to make sure the base and flip top were square, and the holes for the pipe needed to be straight. Otherwise, the top fill sticks to the base when being flipped. The prototype also highlighted the open space on the sides so I could add additional features. While these could be anything, I decided to add some extension cord storage to one side and a folding table to the other.
3 - Prototype Specific Features
For even more complex projects, I like to prototype specific features individually. I find I do this more often than making even small-scale prototypesTherere are two big things we can prototypfor the flip-top stand e before we start building anything: the vertical clearance the tools need to flip and how much weight the center bar will support. We can often test each independently of the other for specific features, then combine everything for the final build.
Flip Top Height Clearance
While you could make a scale digital model, you can also use scraps or some cardboard to get an immediate idea of what dimensions you need to work with for clearances. I cut some cardboard to the width of my planer and the height of my sander. I nailed this cardboard to some scrap clamped to my workbench to simulate the tools flipping. If my pivot point were too low, the corners of the planer and the top of the sander would rub on the bottom, preventing smooth flipping (and potentially damaging the tools). By adding a couple of inches of height, I avoid both problems before risking my tools.
Center Bar Weight Test
When researching the project, I found some debate online about whether cheap, thin aluminum EMT conduit would be strong enough to support the tools or if the more expensive, thick steel rigid pipe was necessary. Instead of risking costly tools, we can stress test the weight capacity of both.
I weigh more than the tools and any material on top of them, so if the pipe can hold me, it will bear the weight of my tools. I also set two workbenches a little further apart than the flip-top base and put my weight on the center of each pipe. This ensures we’re testing each pipe under more stress than it will be under in reality.
The EMT conduit bent almost immediately, but the rigid pipe didn’t budge. This confirms that we do need to use the thicker pipe, even though it is more expensive. Performing this test is less expensive in the long run, though, because the pipe is less expensive than repairing or replacing my tools. It's better to know now than risk it later.
Because I took some extra time to prototype my project head when starting the build, I ran into almost no issues with the build, which is fantastic! The only problem was some back-ordered hardware, but there was no good way to test that beforehand. The flip top allows me to put two largely stationary tools in the same space and have them readily available at all times instead of pulling them out, setting them up, and then using them. It also allows me to put them on casters to move quickly and put both tools in the same space.
Making efficient use of my shop space is essential since I work out of my garage. I also effectively used otherwise wasted space when I built some hanging Wall Control panels in front of my Tool Wall. Check out that project here.
