How to make almost anything (2019)(fab.cba.mit.edu)
fab.cba.mit.edu
How to make almost anything (2019)
https://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/863.19/CBA/people/dsculley/index.html
See also: 2020 Version with videos: https://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/863.20/
27 comments
See https://fabacademy.org/ for the version of the MIT HTMAA class open to all. It's run by Neil Gershenfeld.
Also, the class documentation itself is not where the "cool" stuff is, it's in all the student documentation. Here is a list of all the students in this past years FabAcademy: https://fabacademy.org/2025/people.html
And here are some highlights for this years final projects: https://fabacademy.org/2025/highlights.html
And what I always really liked where the weekly highlights as well (I don't have a link handy at the moment, I'd often make notes for myself of different projects.)
Also, the class documentation itself is not where the "cool" stuff is, it's in all the student documentation. Here is a list of all the students in this past years FabAcademy: https://fabacademy.org/2025/people.html
And here are some highlights for this years final projects: https://fabacademy.org/2025/highlights.html
And what I always really liked where the weekly highlights as well (I don't have a link handy at the moment, I'd often make notes for myself of different projects.)
I firmly believe that anything pre-Industrial-Revolution European peasants could do, I should be able to manage in my basement full of power tools.
This is an interesting list and it might even make you super valuable in a particular scrappy kind of startup scene, but it's far from what I'd consider a list of skills that you'd call "make almost anything."
There is a shocking lack of anything foundational or structural here. No wood-working, no metal fabrication, no plumbing, nothing involving concrete or clay. The view of "almost anything" is very, very narrow.
Someone might say that there are too many things to learn if you take a much broader view, but I think that's mostly because our tech sector culture nearly completely devalues the skills and experiences of anyone over 40.
People prop up the "stuck in his ways" greybeard trope too often. Even for software development, where having learned C on Windows in 1995 wouldn't prepare you for Rust in 2025, the particular programming language syntax is such a small part of what it means to be a software developer. But for some reason, in the last 15 years, the prevailing opinions seem to think you have no hope if you haven't been using Language X since inception, so who the hell do you think you are applying for any jobs with "only" a few years of experience in LangX after 20 years of experience building successful projects in Several Similar LangYs?
But beyond programming, there are so many skills that just don't age at all. Being good at calculus and linear algebra never goes out of style. If you know how to weld or machine metal or build things out of wood or pour concrete, that never changes. And there are huge overlaps and synergies between the "trade" skills, if you apply a fundamental physics layer underneath.
So, if you give it some time, and a certain magpie obsession with learning new things, by the time a person reaches 40 or 50, they can conceivably have a basic understanding of almost everything. At which point, they become a super-powered project manager.
“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but often times better than a master of one.”
This is an interesting list and it might even make you super valuable in a particular scrappy kind of startup scene, but it's far from what I'd consider a list of skills that you'd call "make almost anything."
There is a shocking lack of anything foundational or structural here. No wood-working, no metal fabrication, no plumbing, nothing involving concrete or clay. The view of "almost anything" is very, very narrow.
Someone might say that there are too many things to learn if you take a much broader view, but I think that's mostly because our tech sector culture nearly completely devalues the skills and experiences of anyone over 40.
People prop up the "stuck in his ways" greybeard trope too often. Even for software development, where having learned C on Windows in 1995 wouldn't prepare you for Rust in 2025, the particular programming language syntax is such a small part of what it means to be a software developer. But for some reason, in the last 15 years, the prevailing opinions seem to think you have no hope if you haven't been using Language X since inception, so who the hell do you think you are applying for any jobs with "only" a few years of experience in LangX after 20 years of experience building successful projects in Several Similar LangYs?
But beyond programming, there are so many skills that just don't age at all. Being good at calculus and linear algebra never goes out of style. If you know how to weld or machine metal or build things out of wood or pour concrete, that never changes. And there are huge overlaps and synergies between the "trade" skills, if you apply a fundamental physics layer underneath.
So, if you give it some time, and a certain magpie obsession with learning new things, by the time a person reaches 40 or 50, they can conceivably have a basic understanding of almost everything. At which point, they become a super-powered project manager.
“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but often times better than a master of one.”
That blog is the student notes from a famous MIT Media Arts & Sciences class called HTMAA. Course website: https://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/MAS.863/
Lex Fridmen has a podcast with the professor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF35Udv1DBU
Lex Fridmen has a podcast with the professor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF35Udv1DBU
the 2020 iteration (Covid times) also has recordings: https://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/863.20/
There is also the amazing MIT synthetic biology class 'How to Grow (Almost) Anything' by David Kong and George Church. I took it during the pandemic, and it was great. It's open to anyone, but requires quite a bit of commitment.
https://howtogrowalmostanything.notion.site/htgaa25
https://howtogrowalmostanything.notion.site/htgaa25
One of the things I regret from my undergrad days at Harvey Mudd was that there was a class that the engineering majors took where they made a set of tools from scratch and I kind of wish, even though I wasn’t an engineering major, that I had taken it.
It's never too late. Fond resources to do it now (YouTube, your college's syllabi,etc.). Document your journey. Put it on YouTube. Heck, I'll watch what you did and try to do it myself. Serious.
This course looks like a lot of fun. I've been thinking about how this is a golden age for makers ever since I read Neil Gershenfeld's book Fab.
I think Gershenfeld was a little early, but high quality, sophisticated personal fabrication is here.
I think Gershenfeld was a little early, but high quality, sophisticated personal fabrication is here.
The "Week 8: Molding and Casting" link 404s.
This is important because bioplastics are so tensile.
Ideas for another week of material?
Programmable matter, nanoscale self-assembly, AI material design
This is important because bioplastics are so tensile.
Ideas for another week of material?
Programmable matter, nanoscale self-assembly, AI material design
I took this class with D. in 2019! Was a great whirlwind through digital fab and microcontrollers.
[deleted]
Aw. Reminds me of the TechShop days.
This is like one of those 10 countries in 10 days tours of Europe. The next step is to get good at one of those skills, which takes weeks to months. But time is too tight in college for that.
This is like one of those 10 countries in 10 days tours of Europe. The next step is to get good at one of those skills, which takes weeks to months. But time is too tight in college for that.
It is exciting to see this course addressing the biology space and the chemistry space, but the final frontier is the space space.
I never majored in engineering, but I just got into PCB designing with KiCad.
The price of getting custom PCBs from China plummeted in the past decade, but just now exploded in price due to tariffs. Nuts!
Would be a great opportunity for a US startup to fill the gap!
The price of getting custom PCBs from China plummeted in the past decade, but just now exploded in price due to tariffs. Nuts!
Would be a great opportunity for a US startup to fill the gap!
From the outside, feels like the tariff situation is way too volatile for that "great opportunity" to amount to more than gambling with dice.
Thanks HN, that looks like a lot of fun.
This was my favorite course in college!
Any course on making "almost anything" that doesn't include sewing is short-changing its students.
And given that I see neither woodworking nor welding, I'd argue that the course should be renamed to "How to make some things (most of which require a computer)".
And given that I see neither woodworking nor welding, I'd argue that the course should be renamed to "How to make some things (most of which require a computer)".
Sewing feels so underrated to me. Nobody talks about it.
I had a little stint doing sewing projects and I found that I could make totally legitimate, durable, functional outdoor gear in a single weekend (~15 hrs) from zero experience. As functional and close to as attractive as something you'd buy at REI. I think the nice industrial machine I was on helped, but still!
I had a little stint doing sewing projects and I found that I could make totally legitimate, durable, functional outdoor gear in a single weekend (~15 hrs) from zero experience. As functional and close to as attractive as something you'd buy at REI. I think the nice industrial machine I was on helped, but still!
Good tools are very important. Especially for things like woodworking, metalworking, sewing. A good machine has decades or centuries of trial and error and has systmatically eliminated pain points and possible mistakes.
Refurb sewing machine prices on eBay are comparable to mobile phones, quite the bargain for long-term value.
I took this course recently! The class is mostly digital fabrication, but when working through it, you end up learning a lot of other techniques through your own work, the TAs, and seeing what your classmates bring.
In recent iterations, they have a choose-your-own week which included embroidery machines (which while admittedly barely scratching the surface of sewing, fits easily in the digital fabrication theme!) I also learned a fair bit about woodworking in the CNC week! The class is a whirlwind, but I left the class not being afraid of many types of fabrication, even if I was well aware I had a lot to learn.
In recent iterations, they have a choose-your-own week which included embroidery machines (which while admittedly barely scratching the surface of sewing, fits easily in the digital fabrication theme!) I also learned a fair bit about woodworking in the CNC week! The class is a whirlwind, but I left the class not being afraid of many types of fabrication, even if I was well aware I had a lot to learn.
FabAcademy which is the course taught by the same professor, but not part of MIT, includes a "wildcard" week where you can choose what to do. Many students will do embroidery using a embroidery machine. A number of final projects will also include sewing/textiles.
A friend of mine final project: https://fabacademy.org/2022/labs/charlotte/students/nidhie-d...
Also, as someone already mentioned, see fabricacademy.
Edit:
What about making a cast iron skillet from scratch? https://fabacademy.org/2024/labs/dilijan/students/shushanik-...
A friend of mine final project: https://fabacademy.org/2022/labs/charlotte/students/nidhie-d...
Also, as someone already mentioned, see fabricacademy.
Edit:
What about making a cast iron skillet from scratch? https://fabacademy.org/2024/labs/dilijan/students/shushanik-...
Well, there is the Fabricademy (an offshoot of HTMAA / the Fab Academy) for all sorts of things related to textiles: https://textile-academy.org/
But yes, generally speaking, the focus is on digital(ish) fabrication which is probably not entirely surprising - it's a course by the Center for Bits and Atoms.
But yes, generally speaking, the focus is on digital(ish) fabrication which is probably not entirely surprising - it's a course by the Center for Bits and Atoms.