Soon makers from across the country, from Massachusetts to Colorado and everywhere in-between, will head to Wichita for Make48’s national competition.
Tool techs have been an essential piece of these competitions. All the teams who compete have an equal shot of winning Make48, and that is due to our amazing tool techs. They allow everyday people to compete because the techs can make anything they think of.
Throughout the competition, many of them connected with the teams in the short 48 hours. They provide invaluable prototyping ideas and help create their products using a variety of tools including; 3D printing, cnc machining, laser cutting, textiles, epoxy/resin, metal fabrication, and more.
Teams will have tool techs and mentors onsite throughout the competition. Tool Techs will come from previous Make48 competitions and our sponsors will send their experts to help the teams including; GoCreate, Onshape, ShopBot Tools, Airgas, Glowforge, Spirit Aerosystems, Textron Aviation and The College of New Jersey.
In 2021, we invited a handful of DIY makers to each of our city events to be tool techs, and a few of them are returning to nationals. Let’s get to it and meet Make48’s Makers!
Wes Lewis
We had to have Wichita’s premiere woodworker back. Wes Lewis is the owner of Wichita-based furniture company James Wesley Furniture. His heirloom quality furnishings are timeless, and every piece custom-made. Wes volunteered his time as a Tool Tech last year, at our first city event in Wichita, and we loved how much he got involved. He assisted with the team's prototypes and stayed late into the night, helped create the trophy, and even built the frame for the Koch Industries gift. Make48’s VIP night at Nationals will be held at Wes’ brand new woodworking shop and we can’t wait to see it!
Dre Fandetti
Dre Fandetti is returning to Make48 after her first event in Hartford! Dre is a brand ambassador for TotalBoat and Makerpoxy, who loves her maker community. She and her partner, Lucas Mann D’Angelo, recently kicked off Make48’s Make For Good Challenge, where Makers have 48 hours to build a project that will then be donated to a nonprofit or family in need. We’re excited to have Dre work her resin epoxy magic for the teams!
Lucas Mann D’Angelo
Lucas Mann D’Angelo is also heading to Wichita! Based in Massachusetts, Lucas grew up with makers around him. He currently works with woodworking, metal fabrication, and restoring vintage machinery and tools. Lately, Lucas has been tackling a few projects with his new Lincoln Electric gear, restoring his 1958 South Bend Heavy 10 lathe, creating for Make48’s Make for Good Challenge and he will be assisting teams at Nationals!
Whitney Manney
This will be Whitney’s THIRD Make48 event! Whitney Manney is a Kansas City-based designer who creates ethical garments and textile designs under her independent label WHITNEYMANNEY. Manney's work has been featured in major Kansas City press outlets and numerous art/fashion blogs and most recently her work was featured in the Bel-Air reboot series on Peacock. In 2020, she was one of 20 recipients to receive Joann’s minority creative grant.
Andrew Klein
A tinkerer at a young age, Andrew Klein has always had a curious mind. A Purdue alumni who graduated with a degree in chemical engineering, Andy is the vice president at Magswitch Technology, a leader in switchable magnetic technology. A maker, entrepreneur and inventor, Andy has five woodwoking patents. Some of his inventions include the Twin Turbo Vise, the FKA Wood Whisperer Thread Taps and the Miter Fold Dado set (sold at Rockler) just to name a few.
Ethan Carter
Ethan Carter is a self-taught maker who’s best known for his woodworking and exceptional leather designs. A relative newcomer to content creating, even after a few short years Ethan has made an impact in the Making community. Whether it’s a #RocklerHobbyChallenge on YouTube for his leather ping pong paddle video or creating a dog bed hammock using Maker Pipe connectors, Ethan has a project for anyone getting into leather work or woodworking design.
Jay Flores - Emcee
Meet our Make48 emcee Jay Flores! As a keynote speaker, Jay is masterful in connecting STEM to everyday life and motivating students to become tomorrow’s innovators. Previously, Jay led the STEM team at Rockwell Automation as their Global STEM Ambassador and has teamed with the global robotics nonprofit FIRST. You can find Jay on his educational, kid-friendly YouTube channel, It’s Not Magic, It’s Science, that encourages big fun with science experiments that are great for the whole family.
We’ll also have some seasoned Tool Techs, like Stan Fernald and Travis Putman. Lead tool tech, Stan Fernald, will be back to take the reins. Stan has been a tool tech since 2015 and Travis Putman, our CAD expert, has also volunteered with Make48 since 2015. Tyler Isaacs is also returning! Tyler is an engineer with Blue Origin, and assisted teams in Hartford. John Kuiphoff is heading to his first Make48 event. John runs a makerspace and teaches digital fabrication, product design, creative coding and physical computing in the Department of Design and Creative Technology at The College of New Jersey. Follow us on here and social media to see more exciting things to come!