I saw a great DIY project idea on Kickstarter the other day – “Stacks,” which are 1-inch metal cubes for stopping laptop and other charging cables from sliding off your desk.
I’m thinking that I could make something like this myself, maybe even from wood or acrylic.
I wonder how hard it would be to add a ball bearing inside a piece of wood for more weight. A plunged ball end router bit would do the job, right? Maybe there would be two halves glued or epoxied together?
So… yea… they’re selling these metal cubes. But they’re not organizers, they’re works of art. Here are some more of the maker’s words from the Kickstarter campaign:
“We believe that your office/home decor influences your lifestyle. Its elegance inspires refinement, its functionality inspires productivity, and its innovation inspires creativity. We want STACKS to be your agent of inspiration.”
The 1-inch cubes have 1/4″ x 1/4″ channels machined into one side, the edges are eased, and sides appear to have a brushed finish. They’re available in both stainless steel and brass.
(1) cube “reward” requires a $20 pledge, (2) require a $35 pledge, (4) require a $60 pledge, and there are further per-cube discounts for higher pledge and quantity amounts.
Ignoring the Hipster-targeting marketing speech for a moment, Stacks do look like a simplistic but functional solution to common cable movement problems. You can stack 2 on top of each other, or place them side by side, for taming multiple cables.
To be honest, I think that the campaign is really well done, although it sort of betrays the simplicity of the product. Take away the images and the video, and imagine what it could be they’re talking about.
With a router, a saw, and some sandpaper, you can make a couple of these from a wood or acrylic pen blank. If you’ve got a mill, you can do the same with metal. I can’t think of another way this could be done in metal by hand or with less tools than a milling machine – can you?
Part of me wants to poke fun at the people who bought into this, but not everyone has the tools, time, or know-how to make something like this themselves. And although simplistic, the design is growing on me and I aim to make something similar at my first convenience.
I might have bought something like this if it were $8 for a pair Stacks cubes. Who wouldn’t want some functional art on their desk? Did I just say functional art? Oy.
Here’s the promo video:
More Info(via Kickstarter)
Campaign ends: Oct 10th, 2015 at 9:02 am ET
I have some great ideas on Kickstarter, a fundraising platform, I have seen some truly bad ideas, and products (such as the Coolbox tool box) that I can’t believe people are actually buying into.
It is increasingly becoming more about what you can sell, rather than what you’re selling. The people who created this Stacks campaign could probably slice up a tree branch, call it an inspirational cup rest (coaster), and sell it to hundreds of people (if not more).
Although it sounds like I’m being hard on the Stacks campaign and its creators, I do think it’s a good product, or at least a good design. The marketing language and imagery is also very well done. I don’t know many people who could successfully sell something like this.
Weekend Challenge: Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to design or make a desktop cable and cord stop or tamer of your own. You can share it with us here, or through Facebook, Twitter, or email.