Thursday, May 29, 2014

Building Weeks Day 8 - Finishing Touches

Everything has an end, and after 8 days we had to close the workshop for the holidays. The projects are coming together and a few of them already looks like completed.

Its our intention to have the prototypes in a state that the students are able to finish the last bits and pieces without the need of the bigger tools in the mobile workshop. This goals was achieved and we are looking forward to the finals in 4 weeks.

With a group effort we were able to clean , sort and take down the whole workshop and clean up the tent. It always feels odd to have a look in the empty tent…

Thanks to all the students for their great effort, and help.













Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Building Weeks Day 7 - Bratwurst or when it all comes together

Day 7, this time a bit earlier due to some holidays at the end of the week …our traditional BBQ one day before the tent is gone. After a perfect sunny first week, the rain was unstoppable today. The students rushed towards the finish line and all the project coming together.

Dr. Bucky Lab once again used all his connections to get a fresh load of german Bratwurst across the borders ( Thanks to Claudia and Ulrich Knaack …you just don't walk into a shop and buy 200 sausages …) and at 16.00 the BBQ went on fire. Bout organised some snacks and brought the plates and cups and the beer was already chilled with ice from the ketelhuis.

We had to celebrate the multiple victories of our last semester projects. 3 prices on the Bold and Beautiful award in Rotterdam against a belgium, dutch and german field of competitors and just last week the 2nd price for the International Velux Design Award ( we already reported on this blog )
So the last semester students joined the current group and we had quite a time and even the weather wasn't able to stop us… As Marcel always says: Not every drop hits !

The BBQ is not only for the students but also for our great supporters. Thats our way of showing the workshop in action, give them a sneak peak into the current projects and talk tools. Wouter Beck partner of the current daylight semester project joined and was curious about the progress the students made. Peter Stouthamer from Raaco  was astonished about our Heco Car we equipped with a nice set Raaco Boxxers to give our screws a ride bucky lab style.

Karst Duermeijer from Heco was also pleased  about the mobile solution and already mentioned that a few types of screws are missing …The experts from Hettich weren't able to join, business in the headquarter in Germany …ok even better Bratwurst there, we assume …Frans van Dijk from festool already stopped by in the morning with a colleague to show the mobile workshop and had to excuse himself for the party, he had to run a tool workshop with a big team from breur, thats also the reason why Frank van Oosterhout wasn't able to join, but we know from experience that festool also serve a damn good dinner during their workshop and we are sure they talked about our toolhouse we made last year in the training centre in Waddinxveen. Even Bart Groot himself, the inventor of the Walko workbenches our multi functional workstations joined the BBQ, its always nice to get to know what Bart is developing right now, he never stops having good ideas !

And in the end it all comes together when Dr. Bucky Lab got a small gift from Heco, two compact screwdrivers which are actually made from Wiha our partner for everything about pliers and screwdrivers and bits. That he handed one over to Hugo from Facility Management of the TU Delft was a truly action of honour, these guys made the impossible possible, to set up a tent and let us have a place to make the most innovative prototypes.

Its all about these partners we are so proud and grateful of, they made the Bucky Lab what it is: The worlds best mobile workshop, equipped with the best tools to make everything you can imagine !

Thanks ! We are proud to carry your names on our boxes !



































Monday, May 26, 2014

Building weeks Day 6 - Code Yellow

Today we got the news from the radio that a rainstorm with code yellow is awaited, so we all flew into the tent, it starts raining but it was more dropping than stormy conditions at all.

Well rested from the weekend we took up the pace from last week and the prototypes are growing rapidly. Today we learned a lot, for instance:

- its more fun to sand together then alone while the team mate is just holding the work piece
- that a router with a clever jig becomes the best drill press ever and having two routers is always better
- that a nice paint job needs more then one layer of paint
- that Kees always smiles even when it rains
- that Dr. Bucky Lab is able to test 3 different methods within 4 minutes and still fails …luckily the science center had the right tools for the job.
- that our yellow Wiha screwdriver for the router seems to be on holidays …
- that a hot coffee from our new coffee car tastes even better than before :-)

All in all a nice day even with rain in the second half, but have a look by yourself: