Jedi Lightsaber

You are exactly right Gisteron, that is why I used my time differently.

I used my lightsaber crafting time as a way to hone my meditation skills. In the fictional Jedi, crafting your lightsaber was done mostly be using the Force to finish aligning the crystal and blade, so what I did was place all the parts in from of me, then slowly put them together while I was meditating on remaining calm and thorough. When I felt myself getting excited, I would stop and use breathing meditation to return to center.

I know it sound kind of corny, but at the time I built this lightsaber, I was new to meditation and wanted to get better at it. I have good mechanical skills so I tend to work very quickly and in turn shortcut when I should just slow down and do what I wanted in the first place. It worked out ok for my first saber, but the next one will be even better because of my meditation skills.

here's a link to the Custom Saber Shop forums

Thanks everyone, I agree with everyone you all have said, it's not something to be taken lightly and not without much research and deliberate thought. I have been reading about them for awhile, and being a gamer researched quiet a bit however fantasy to reality is a bigger undertaking.

I wouldn't even have actually considered making one, even thought I joked about one but I did have a dream/vision of building one. The same type of vision when regalia comes to me. I will treat building one the same way, I cannot afford to buy a bunch of pieces and throw them together anyway, I have to do it piece by piece. However when creating regalia or anything worthwhile it takes time and careful thought, something I very much plan to do. I don't mess around with stuff like this, all of my regalia and other personal/spiritual items have all come from the heart. I know this will come the same way.

I am a member of the saber shops forums, I've have watched a few videos about the construction the last few months as well. They are very helpful.

The last project that I did with deliberate thought and meditation was my spinning wheel. I waited for it to tell me what to do and where. I use that guide for all my art. I named it "Spell Spinner".

This guy inspires.

http://genesiscustomsabers.com/

I like his holocrons that do actually store information as well.

Madcow is a master of sound fonts and sure knows his way around a mill. From what I remember though almost all of his interiors are accessible by removing the pommel with the speaker still mounted in it. Needless to say his toys ain't for kids and my intuition tells me they'll only last for so long without maintenance or at least extreme care. I tend to prefer chassis designs with a sled where all the electronics is mounted. You never untwist and retwist wires with those but of course the access junction must then be further up the hilt. VV often do it that way, not sure about LDM or JQ... If I recall correctly, Jay-Gon did DIY sled chassis, though nowadays I've found it an arguably more viable choice ot have them printed by rapid prototyping, just because of how cost-efficient it is and because you get just about any shape you could possibly need without finding a lucky plastic tube to cut into.

Jedi_Roz, that is ONE KICKASS SPINNING WHEEL!!

Tarran wrote: Jedi_Roz, that is ONE KICKASS SPINNING WHEEL!!

:silly: Thanks. I spent a long time working with that wheel. I'm really happy with how it turned out. It might still get a few more designs added to it.......it is not done talking to me yet....

It orginally started like this

I saw the interior mounted Chassis and thought that was a really great idea. Especially if you are going to be roughhousing hard with your saber. For ease of access of the electronics and such it really is a good idea for a step up.

My husband has a wood working shop and a lot of great tools. Not to mention being a sculptor I'm a wiz with a dremel. It wouldn't take much to custom fit one for my saber.

Gisteron wrote: Madcow is a master of sound fonts and sure knows his way around a mill. From what I remember though almost all of his interiors are accessible by removing the pommel with the speaker still mounted in it. Needless to say his toys ain't for kids and my intuition tells me they'll only last for so long without maintenance or at least extreme care. I tend to prefer chassis designs with a sled where all the electronics is mounted. You never untwist and retwist wires with those but of course the access junction must then be further up the hilt. VV often do it that way, not sure about LDM or JQ... If I recall correctly, Jay-Gon did DIY sled chassis, though nowadays I've found it an arguably more viable choice ot have them printed by rapid prototyping, just because of how cost-efficient it is and because you get just about any shape you could possibly need without finding a lucky plastic tube to cut into.

Gisteron wrote: Madcow is a master of sound fonts and sure knows his way around a mill. From what I remember though almost all of his interiors are accessible by removing the pommel with the speaker still mounted in it. Needless to say his toys ain't for kids and my intuition tells me they'll only last for so long without maintenance or at least extreme care. I tend to prefer chassis designs with a sled where all the electronics is mounted. You never untwist and retwist wires with those but of course the access junction must then be further up the hilt. VV often do it that way, not sure about LDM or JQ... If I recall correctly, Jay-Gon did DIY sled chassis, though nowadays I've found it an arguably more viable choice ot have them printed by rapid prototyping, just because of how cost-efficient it is and because you get just about any shape you could possibly need without finding a lucky plastic tube to cut into.

There is nothing I know of on this earth that will not require maintenance at some point. Still, nothing I have heard, nor in my experience of ownership has needed "extreme" care.

In building my own, it was definitely inspiring as well, and raised the bar for my creativity.

No point in shooting low.

Lol, and no, they are not kids toys at all.

Still, there is a case to be made for chassis designs where you don't have to worry about ripping your speaker off if you rush it too much. Not saying that it will happen with Madcow's sabers - far from it, he knows his craft well! For all I know he will even support customers who were careless with their sabers. Still, some designs are sturdier and more secure than others, are they not?

Like I said, as an owner of a couple of his products, I havent had any problems with them being sturdy, or secure.

I am more than basing this off of observation of the design, but also by using it.

As for ripping your speaker off in rushing something, well, be careful.

I was inspired to try and construct my own lightsaber last night. A quick trip to Ace Hardware and $20 later, I had a handful of plumbing supplies that looked promising. Utilizing various bits and pieces strewn around my basement, I came up with this after about an hour. There's a flashlight inside that can be turned on by hitting the bottom of the hilt. The inside is lined with glow-in-the-dark Duck tape, so it glows when turned off.

Anyway, this is Mk I. I didn't really spend enough time on this, not really having a finished idea in mind, but just seeing where my skills (or lack of) would take me. I may end up giving it to my nephews to play with (though it's pretty heavy. Hopefully they won't hit each other on the head with it...). Still, it's given me the incentive to design something better, take my time and do (or do not).

That's pretty darn good! That's for sharing!

Thank you. After seeing some of the beautiful examples on this thread, I felt a bit embarrassed sharing. So, again, thank you.

No worries! You have to start somewhere! I think for your first crack it's pretty awesome!

I think that's a beautiful first lightsaber. I wouldn't apologize for it at all if I were you.

Thank you. It's interesting joining a new forum and gauging the community, discovering the level of friendliness. I've had a positive experience so far, I must say. I appreciate the support. I hope I'll be able to pay it back in some way in the future.

Just have fun! I am excited to get started myself.

Could be a promising enterprise, is there a market for flashlights that resemble light sabers?

Zenchi wrote: Could be a promising enterprise, is there a market for flashlights that resemble light sabers?

I know I've seen lightsaber laser pointers and umbrellas , I think lightsaber flashlights would easily be marketable (I know I'd buy one!)

That's pretty awesome! I should turn one of my surefires into a lightsaber I don't think there's any regulations on what our flashlights have to look like so I can still use it at work