Outside of my main engineering work, I usually have a few quick hardware or fabrication projects running on the side. This section is a collection of one-off weekend builds, repairs, and small commissions designed to solve practical problems or just use up scrap material around the shop.
- Marina Dock Slip Markers: Outdoor vinyl cutting
- CNC Marina Sign: Machined two-color marine HDPE
- Chesapeake Race Awards: Batch laser-cut wooden keychains
- Wing Foil Pump Adapter: Reverse-engineered 3D-printed nozzle
- Hardwood Coasters: Laser-cut from shop scrap with cork backing
- RTIC Jug Vent Retrofit: 3D-printed vent plug to stop pouring air-lock
Marina Dock Signs
I made a set of high-visibility signs for my local marina to make it easier for visiting boaters to navigate the slips. I laid out the vector graphics and typography in LightBurn, then cut the final decals from all-weather outdoor vinyl using a Cricut plotter before mounting them directly to the wooden dock posts.
CNC-Machined Marina Sign
Following the success of the slip markers, I was commissioned to design and fabricate a primary, weather-resistant entrance sign positioned to welcome boat traffic approaching the marina from the water.
The 2D vector artwork was developed in LightBurn and transitioned into Autodesk Fusion 360 to generate a complete 3D CAD model incorporating mounting pocket reliefs and bevel profiles. The sign was machined from dual-color, UV-stabilized marine-grade sign plastic on an industrial CNC router; the subtractive routing operation cuts through the top UV layer to expose the contrasting core color, guaranteeing high legibility without paint.
Final weather-resistant entrance sign installed on marina pilings facing water traffic.
Wing Foil Pump Adapter
When I couldn’t find an off-the-shelf adapter to inflate my wing for foil, I decided to just print one.
I took some caliper measurements of the proprietary valve and the pump hose, then modeled a high-pressure nozzle in CAD with a tapered barb to ensure a tight seal. I printed it solid (100% infill) in PETG. It worked perfectly in the field and easily handles the sustained inflation pressures without leaking.
Scrap Hardwood Coasters
To keep scrap waste down in the shop, I started repurposing the high-grade hardwood cutoffs left over from my laser-cut map runs.
I laser-cut the scraps into blanks and engraved them with local maps and wildlife designs. To speed up the cork backing process, I 3D-printed a quick alignment jig that holds the wooden disks securely, making batch assembly fast and perfectly registered every time.
Chesupeake Paddleboard Race Keychains
I race paddleboards weekly on the Chesapeake Bay during the summer, so I offered to make some custom awards for the top finishers in the local Chesupeake SUP community.
I converted the organization’s event branding into vector artwork, then set up a batch production run on the laser cutter. The logos were etched directly onto hardwood keychain blanks, resulting in solid, practical end-of-season awards for the podium.
End-of-season podium presentation for the top-finishing racers.
RTIC 1-Gallon Jug Vent Mod
Standard RTIC one-gallon water jugs glug terribly because the lid doesn’t vent air properly, creating a vacuum that restricts the pouring flow rate.
Since I couldn’t find an aftermarket fix, I modeled a vent plug in CAD and printed it in food-safe PETG. The plug adds an internal air channel that completely breaks the vacuum, cutting the pouring time down to seconds.
Demonstration of the functional vent plug installed on the RTIC lid, completely eliminating the pouring vacuum.