So Close!!!
almost 6 years ago
– Sat, May 16, 2020 at 10:19:02 PM
So, COVID has impacted us in ways we didn't expect, interrupting more our daily lives than our professional lives, but of course one feeds into the other.
HOWEVER, we're still working, and we have a final list of the styles that everyone will be able to choose from, including a few surprises.
So, start thinking about your favorites because the backerkit surveys are nearly done!
Stain Options Ready!! Backerkit coming very soon!
almost 6 years ago
– Sun, Apr 26, 2020 at 01:04:10 AM
We're on the last steps for the backerkit and we have our final selection for stains! Check out the chart below! Another update coming soon with ink options! Be sure to let us know what you think as we finish these last steps!
Quick update and a sneak peek at a new design!
almost 6 years ago
– Sat, Apr 25, 2020 at 01:45:30 AM
So, we're almost done with the backerkit, which means our surveys will be going out soon! The great news is that we've refined our production setup in our workspace, and frankly gotten a LOT faster at making the Nautilus! We are confident that even with the delays from recent events, we'll be able to stick with our production deadline for all backers!
Also... here's a sneak peek at a new design!
Granted, my circuit diagram is a bit sloppy and I took a bit of liberty with the connections on the 555 and 4026 circuits....
...but this is a functioning circuit diagram for a random number generator. :)
I do love the little details.
Backerkit Update and More
almost 6 years ago
– Thu, Apr 16, 2020 at 06:48:06 AM
So, two bits of news, first a quick update and then a short spiel we posted on our other kickstarter as well!
The first news is about the Backerkit surveys. We're behind schedule, which hopefully is neither a disappointment or a surprise with everything going on ("Everything Going On" is the official Southern U.S. term for COVID, if you didn't know). We are, however, still making progress. We're a home based decentralized manufacturing facility with two live-in designers, so we're still able to get a lot of work done despite "Everything Going On". Right now in our space there is a table full of pre-stained wood waiting for a final coat before going into the laser, and we also have a bunch of example "20" panels that we are staining and inking. The goal is to get photos of every color of stain, color of inked numbers, and style of D20 so that you can better choose the options for your Nautilus in the Backerkit. We're also working on a few bonus items that we want to include as add-on items from our growing collection.
The other news is something a few of you may already be aware of. Along with using our laser to cut cloths for masks we have been making at the request of local healthcare providers, we've also been using our laser to cut a simple wooden Tablet/Nintendo Switch stand. The concept was simply to have something to do with our scrap wood that could at least be a little bit helpful in these difficult times, especially since a lot of people are stuck at home and, let's face it, keeping yourself entertained during a quarantine is as essential as any other need, and people tend to forget that.
We posted this to multiple yard sale groups in our local area, encouraging people to swing by and take one of the stands from a sterilized box attached to our mailbox.
The response was incredible. We even had people leave us gifts and letters of appreciation, for something that literally cost us pennies to make (if that, since a lot of the wood was scrap pieces) and almost no labor (aside from brushing off the pieces and bagging them, the hardest part is pressing a flashing button on an automated laser when it's ready).
We realized that, with very little effort and almost no expended resources, we had made a difference in a way that is often overlooked. We provided an essential need that isn't talked about very much, we made some people smile and appreciate something in the middle of a crisis, and honestly we've been buzzing from that ever since.
So, we're gonna keep doing it...
The decision was made on March 23rd, 2020, that Dragon's Claw Tabletop will function, at least in part, as a post-scarcity manufacturer. We are still going to make and sell tabletop accessories including our planned future kickstarters, and make our living using our CNC Routers, 3D printers, and Lasers to produce quality gaming accessories, but we're going to use the downtime on these machines (which is extensive) to produce various small items from artwork to household goods.
We don't know what all we will be making, since we're having to completely re-think our business model on this one. We never would have made a Nintendo Switch stand before because, to be honest, it's not worth the small amount of profit to try and sell such a simple low-cost item. In order to sell it I'd have to price it around $2-3 at the most, and that's just not worth the effort to promote as a product. But, by giving it away, I no longer think of it as a product I have to try and *sell* and suddenly it's just this simple little thing that makes people happy and costs me practically nothing!
So, we're currently working on a collection of simple items that we can create on our machines with minimal labor (things that don't require a lot of assembly effort or spotchecking) and we'll be posting them in a section on our website as completely free items, not add-ons (you do not have to buy something from us to get it) for either local pickup or at-cost shipping.
Again, these are things that cost us practically nothing to make, they will be made in batches on our machines through automation and with mostly scrap materials, so this is absolutely a "why not?" for us.
Machines like ours sit idle a lot of the time, especially during a crisis like this one, and it's absolutely brilliant that so many people would fire them up to make things like masks and face shields.
We're hoping that in even a small way we can demonstrate that it doesn't take a crisis to turn on a machine if it can provide something for our communities.
#PostScarcityNow
IMPORTANT UPDATE!
about 6 years ago
– Tue, Mar 24, 2020 at 11:07:35 PM
Okay, so, the good news is, we're still healthy over here. We're also still working on the backerkit (specifically getting the artwork examples ready for everyone to be able to choose options like stains, designs for your trays, etc...)
The... "bad" news (if you want to call it that) is that we're spending a lot of our resources right now helping out in our community, which is slowing us down a bit on this work.
We know all of you will understand, and we want you to know that it is your support of our company and our campaign that is making this possible. Thanks to all of you and all our other customers, we have financial security through this crisis, and we know that is a very precious thing right now.
So, we're spending a lot of our quarantine time making things for our communities. The laser is currently cutting wood for Nintendo Switch stands (for people stuck at home with nothing to do but play Animal Crossing) and tablet stands (for students suddenly finding themselves in online-only classes). We're making and distributing these items for free since they are very low cost for us to make. We are also using spare time on our laser to cut cloth for handmade cotton masks requested by local healthcare providers. We don't have enough people to sew them all ourselves, but people are bringing us cloth to cut in bulk using the laser, and then taking it to people with sewing machines. It's actually pretty amazing!
We're still making the examples so that we can get the backerkit out soon, but we want all of you to know what we're doing with our downtime, and to remind you again that your support of our work is the reason we are in a position to do this for free for our community.
We are currently planning to continue these efforts, since the community has responded with such amazing gratitude, even after the pandemic has passed. If a simple wooden stand for a phone or tablet can make someone smile this much, why wouldn't we give it away when it only takes a few minutes of laser time on a computer controlled machine?
We'll have more details on our plans for how to continue these efforts after everything has passed, but please take pride in knowing that supporting us as a company is what gave us this opportunity.
Plus... we just ordered two 3D printers, and we already have our new CNC router.
Look forward to more kickstarters as well as hearing about more simple items we are going to be producing for free.
Backerkit should be sent out by April 10th. There will be extra goodies for every backer as our thanks for this opportunity.
