By profession I am a Performance Engineer at Rolls-Royce analysing the thermodynamics inside of large turbofan engines. As a maker outside of work, I have made a few small things but am looking for inspiration for my next project. I am hoping to start something that makes the most out of the skills of the Makers around me so that we can all learn something from each other

A few of the projects I have completed are a hat that I knitted (since lost), the base for a football display stand (the glass box over the top was bought as I don’t have the skill for that!) and a coffee table big enough for a proper poker game.

Football Display Stand – The wooden base is made from strips of wood biscuited, glued together and planed flat then a hand held router used to profile the edges. I made a simple electric circuit with a switch for the LEDs that light the ball from beneath. The stand is clear perspex designed in Autodesk Inventor and cut on the Derby Makers laser cutter.

Coffee / Poker Table – In a previous house where I hosted poker nights, I had a three seat sofa which was 1.5 metres wide but could not find a coffee table longer than one metre. Therefore, I made one. It is five pine legs screwed into an MDF board, simple. I then bought a glass panel to go over the top to provide a smooth surface for the baize cover when playing poker. My poker buddies suggested decorating it, with it ending up painted black then covered in sheet music, party popper streamers and playing cards. The glass panel was placed on several rubber spacers to hold it above the decorations giving it a great showcase effect.