Ever since the development of Desk 117 and D117 Collection, I’ve wanted to see a F117. Since they were already retired with only a few flying speculated R&D missions, the only place to see one in real life, up close and personal, is at the National Air Force Museum in Dayton OH, on Wright Patterson Air Force Base. I finally had the opportunity to stop by this past weekend and spent some time with it.
A couple of years in the making. Started out with this button mounted in a cardboard “box” so that the kiddo can press it as part of her alternative communication training; eventually made a little box out of MDF that was weighted with river rocks so that it wouldn’t move too much. A button is usually mounted to her head rest to control her AAC device but she needed something when she’s not in her chair, laying down in the living room, having a rest. It kind of worked but the kiddo got stronger and started kicking it over accidentally (sometimes intentionally). The box had sharp corners so that was not ideal. Here’s is a new housing printed with “Tough” material from FormLabs. It is weighted with stainless steel washers. It’s rounder, more streamline… let’s see how this goes.
By now we can all agree that “crazy” just doesn’t quite fully describe this year, 2020. We’ve had our share of nutty madness, which lead me to thinking about creativity and outlets for it. Since slowing down productions and orders, as well as taking a leave of absence from social media (Facebook and its products), I’ve had more time to think about what is really important in life, and what I really want to create, who I want to create for. My daughter’s medical condition has affected my life considerably. She needs constant monitoring and with a shortage of skilled nursing, even before COVID, means I do not get much sleep. She does not eat anything by mouth. She has very little control over her head, trunk and limbs. Her medical appointments, therapies and schooling peppers my day. There isn’t much left within 24 hours for creating.
Luckily, I’ve been able to do some work with help from a 3D printer. I’ve been able to draw it up while my kid sleeps and send it to print with minimal intervention. That has proven more helpful than the addition of the CNC from the previous year. On a side note, the CNC was put into good use earlier in the year to make intubation shielding boxes that we distributed to local hospitals through physician friends.
Intubation Shielding Boxes
The CNC was also instrumental in the creation of a Tandem Power Chair. A charity had given my daughter a ride on car that she could press a button to GO. It had a bluetooth remote to let a caretaker to do the steering. Unfortunately, my daughter hated riding in it. The movements were sudden and the noise from the electric motor was loud and alarming. When her rehab doctor suggested that we needed to start looking into independent mobility, I panicked a little - wondering how in the world we could possibly get her into a motorized wheelchair. One day I had an epiphany. Maybe my younger daughter would tolerate it a bit more if her sister could ride with her, maybe even hold each other’s hands. What if my older daughter could drive it, and show her how to drive it? What if I could source really quiet brushless direct current motors?
Tandem Power Chair, kid drive mode.
Tandem Power Chair, caretaker mode.
And thus, the Tandem Power Chair was born. My daughters were hesitant at first but once they tried it my younger daughter had a huge smile on her face. It was a huge relief for me; and surprising how quickly she grew accustomed to it. She didn’t love her adaptive seat though (I didn’t make that)… she looks more supported in that (at the time) than any other seat. Now that we know she can tolerate a power chair, we need to teach her how to drive one for real. Her varying muscle tone and cerebral palsy movements make operating joysticks difficult.
In the mean time, with COVID, our extended family moved in with us so our kids can play together. It was great while it lasted; and gave me the idea that perhaps if my daughter could “chase” after her older relatives, maybe she would have more motivation to work on using the joystick.
I made her a single user power chair that is height adjustable, enough to see and reach the kitchen counter, and tilt adjustable to help caretakers put her into her new seat — a seating orthosis that is strapped onto the platform.
She has happily taken rides in it but working the joystick is still problematic. I would cup my hand over hers and help her operate it. It can go on grass so when there’s enough space, like in our backyard, she loves going round and round in circles by herself.
My Younger Daughter in her manual chair, seating orthosis, and communication buttons
One of my daughter’s therapies is working on augmentative and alternative communication. To start with, she would need to learn to press a button with the least amount of movement. She would need to be as consistent as possible. It is easy for most people; not for my daughter though. This button controls a device (an iPad for now) to communicate with us. This button can also help her interact with adapted devices such as toys or even a power chair; however a power chair would need 3 buttons for forward, left and right.
So now, I need to bridge this gap… adapting our home-made power chair, have her practice, so when she gets a real power chair she can operate it.
A post shared by David Hsu (@nzer922) on
As 2017 comes to a close, I am thankful for all the people I have met this year. There was not enough time to get to everything I had set out at the beginning of the year but I suppose it’s an inevitable consequence to always trying to improve and satisfying the creative mind. None the less, it has been a challenging year. I was hoping to increase production and expand product offerings but life just does not always go as planned. We did take on some interesting projects we had not done before — learned new things: some interior design, some consulting, and some rendering.
My wife and I welcomed our second child in the middle of the summer. Unfortunately, as some of you have seen from my Instagram feed, not long after birth, she was transferred to a neonatal intensive care unit. She was diagnosed with some brain trauma and has a condition where she cannot take anything by mouth. After almost two months in the hospital, we finally brought her home. She is doing better but requires constant monitoring. I always knew the importance of good healthcare but this experience highlighted the importance of good healthcare access for all.
As a result of life's uncertainties, I scaled back production and turned to more flexible work that I can do in the office while I keep watch of the new addition. I am not sure how long this will last but in the coming months I might try to head back into the workshop again on a project by project basis. Let's see how 2018 goes, shall we?
Facebook friends- we need your help to determine a winner. Fourteen area furniture makers created a custom piece which features pallet wood from our back dock. Comment below to vote for your favorite piece. Voting ends 4/28 at 5pm. Winners will be announced at the charity event at our showroom this Friday night. Black Hound Design CompanyDavid Hsu Design Zeh's Custom Design FurnitureColorado Barrel DesignsBrian Arbuckle40 North DesignsEthan Hutchinson WoodworkerPrestige Custom Furniture LLCRiggo DesignThomas Brothers WorkshopJames Davis DesignsFine Ideas Furniture Susie RiepleGerspach Handcrafted Woodworks LLC.
Posted by D'Amore Interiors on Monday, April 24, 2017
Our stores, warehouse and offices are closed until September for a much needed summer sabbatical. Any orders received will not be processed until we reopen. Until then, you can still find some of our products on Amazon.
Festool OF1400 and MFS adjustable templates to the rescue!
It's been a pretty full year so far as we expanded our horizons with new materials and finishes. We've just finished "Luigi", which challenged us to make circular shapes larger than the ones for the "Saucer".
And working with live edge slabs of wood for the "Y Side Table" reminded me of the joy and frustrations of working with 1 to 1 drawings, and hybrid woodworking.
Here's me standing over the 1 to 1 drawing of the Y Side Table, making sure the feet is sympathetic to the table top, as well as finalizing the location of the V legs.
Speaking of live edge, we started working with a local store, in Colorado Springs, named Avier. They are currently hosting our Colorado Series, which includes the "Colorado Table", "Aspen Benches", and "Three Pine Tables". These pieces are our first time working with wood native to Colorado and also our first time creating outdoor furniture.
Another project that had been under major development was the "Slats Side Table" and I know there will be continued development as times goes on. Again, there's a departure in material choice, Ambrosia Maple. It works very similarly to hard maple but its natural coloring makes it less modern or, for a lack of a better word, cold. It seems slightly more rustic and perhaps approaches contemporary with the use of a limestone marble top.
Not a bad start to the 2016 year but there will be more to come in the fall. Many thanks to those who supported us through Etsy, Amazon, and of course through this website.
Dragonfly Mechanicals Men's T-Shirt
Sheep says
Wabbit with Magnifying Glass Kids T-Shirt