Small and powerful laser diodes are getting cheaper and cheaper, and there are a few commercial products that give anyone the ability to cut paper and vinyl with a computer-controlled cutting machine.

Paper cutters can cut both ways: A really good one will make a project much more streamlined, and the end product more attractive, but a so-so cutter will add time and result in a sub-par product. But ...

While 3D printing has been a great thing all by itself, it has also made electromechanical hardware a commodity item. Instead of raiding an old printer for motors and rods of unknown provenance, you ...