Ask Adam Savage: When to Make vs. Buy Something
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- Опубликовано: 3 авг 2024
- In this live stream excerpt, Tested members Austin Fischer, Dianora5 and Thomas Essonask
about when to make or buy something, recycling parts from previous One Day Builds and how Adam's appreciation for a replica design has changed after building it. Thank you for your questions and support Austin, Dianora and Thomas! Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks like asking Adam questions:
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When have you made vs. buy something?
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Are you getting the gt
Aussie fitter/machinist here,. In relation to building/modifying my 4x4's and helping mates fixing their gear, in my younger days, I made everything I needed, because I could, cost had no bearing (look what I can do- had more appeal 🙄) now in my 50's, I only machine/build what I can't afford to buy or can't get cos it don't exist or components are quicker to make than to freight here.
I had a very similar question, but not about props so much as household things. You made those gorgeous end tables a while back, but surely you wouldn't take the time to make every piece of furniture in your house? So, where is that line between "just spend a little more time using a folding table while I get it right" VS "you're right, let's just buy a kitchen table"?
I’m building a lapidary slab saw instead of buying one I just started welding this week it’s tricky to keep a straight line and bends if I weld to much but i can’t wait till it’s finished I put the saw blade on and turn it on and cut some petrified wood and agates from my area I just hope the engine I bought has the power
I think one of the most common "buy vs. make" items out there involves shop tools.
For example, the cost of a contractor's shop tools, vs. job site tools with shop-made tables/enclosures are pretty extreme.
Plus, you can customize the shop-made stuff. As a bonus, you get bragging rights for saying you built your entire shop.
I totally relate to the whole "falling in-love with your project" thing. I make trains and lighthouses for a train simulator, and sometimes I get distracted by how good the mesh looks in the mesh-editing software and can't stop staring at it.😂
As someone who plays simulators but can't mod or anything work like yours is much appreciated.
100% I agree with you. I write for fun on the side, and so many times I'll go back to a specific chapter and just have fun with it. I wrote one serialization where I released chapters as I wrote them. Now I'm writing a story without releasing anything, and it's major fun to go back and add some foreshadowing, world building, or dialogue where a scene might feel empty, or stilted.
As an illustrator, sometimes I get so excited by how good something is turning out that I can’t keep working on it. I’d either just stare at it, admiring my own work, or take a walk to calm down. I did this a lot with painting and 3d modeling because it was something I rarely practiced due to how much time it took, but because I carried over skills from other mediums, they’d always turn out way better than I expected. It’s probably tied to something genetic because my dad does it too with emails.
Yeah I do the same thing with something as simple as adding a reflective tape trim to the logo patch of my motorcycle gloves!
Taking before-and-after photos, marveling at my kinda not so precise stenciling, testing it out in the dark, ect., etc.
@@heh_boaner With emails!? 😅
Aussie here. I love that you used Tim's song writing as an analogy like that. Very true. I've seen him multiple times in concert and he's never failed to entertain immensely. At the end of the day I know whether I've chosen the right project by the amount I obsess over each detail in the planning phase. If I'm not completely obsessed by the idea during that stage I'm wasting my time persisting with it.
Reminds me of The Whitlam’s song, Up Against the Wall which has the line “She was one in a million / so there’s five more just in New South Wales”
I truly believe Very few people are as passionate or Sincere as Adam.
It depends on how long the project would take vs how valuable your time is.
If it's for a paid project, its exaclty that simple calculation.
The interesting question arises if the project is something for yourself (read: unpaid): How much worth is your own time to you minus the fun you're having while at it?
totally right, nice explained in a nutshell
Also, consider that the end product is not the only thing you're paying for, too. Think if you'd pay for a class to learn the things you would learn while making the thing, or for the experience of making the thing.
I can see how that would factor into a project for a client but for yourself, not even a thought. Currently coding out a new OpenGL wrapper for C# and well it would be easy to just grab one of the available wrappers and use it. But I didn't realize at the time of starting the project and now come to appreciate while doing it. I hadn't wrote any code in C# beyond the .Net Framework 3.1 level of features (2008ish), so much has changed for the better and it's been absolutely invaluable way to learn all those new features. Especially in context where not understanding them often means the boundary between C# (my code) and C (OpenGL's code) fails, so you really have to know what your doing to write such a thing from scratch. So I accept when I take on a personal project that it will have major benefits which I'm not aware of until I take it on.
Just finished reading your book for the 4th time and dude I can't thank you enough for existing and being such a wonderful pillar of the making community
To piggy back off of your answer about falling in love with something you built, you look at the finished product and get this enormous sense of pride. "I built this. I did. Not you. You didn't build this. I did and it's mine. I didn't have this before and now I do because I built it and it's better than any version of it that you can buy". I get that sense of pride with anything I do.
A good sign at your shop entrance could be: "Danger, Entering Cannibalistic Repurposing Zone. Leave No Droid, Robot, or Mechanism Unattended"😁
Mike in San Diego.🌞🎸🚀🖖
Recently found this channel, and wanted to say I am always happy to see your perspective on things. You are one of the main reasons I love science so much and sparked my curiosity for the world around us for many years.
Let the show go on!
Swapping to real hardware is always a huge boost to a props look and feel, definitely an easy decision to buy!
This is one of my favorite Q&A videos you've ever put out. You perfectly expressed how I feel every time I sculpt, build, write, or direct something - I fall in love with every creative project - and I'm glad that I'm not alone in that feeling. I really appreciated you referencing H.M.S. Beagle - I was literally sitting beside my model of Darwin's ship while watching this vid - and I loved your response to the buy it or make it question; here too, my feelings on the subject are a perfect match and I felt a bit encouraged by that fact since I often fear my search for perfect makes me less productive ... but I often cannot help myself. And you are very fortunate to call Tim Minchin a friend - I wish I knew him (I have admired his work for years as I have yours). Anyway - great video - you've inspired me and helped bolster my views on how I approach creative projects.
Always appreciate people bringing up Tim Minchin, and to see Adam perfectly showcase the point of the songs rather than the surface level is refreshing
I totally agree with the puppy love thing about my own builds. I'll just go out in the garage and look at shit I built and be like "Yeah man...That's good stuff...I did that...Look how pretty it is!"
I love that Adam moves like a real life Muppett 😊 and the song he mentioned is awesome.
My partner has a BMX bike that originally cost her $400 back in the day but fell into severe disrepair. I've seen a cheap replacement for about $200. So far I've got about $350 in paint, rims and new cables, plus some investment on her part. I find its become one of those journey vs destination situations because I'm enjoying rebuilding and making a bulletproof bike she'll have for damn near many years to come rather than throwing it out and getting something to fill the gap.
I'm a prop maker for cosplayers, i try to build most of the time, but when the props are just real life objects, i would simply buy a con-safe replica and give it a paint and weather job
Oh so glad you shared Tim Minchin with us... Adore him and you both. Thank you 🌻
Sometimes I will build something that I could easily buy for the same amount of money, if I know that the version I could make will be more exacting to my needs whether aesthetic or functional.
If it costs the same or slightly more to build than buy. I build purely for the sake of saying i built a thing
Tim Minchin is one of my favorite artists. He has a tendency to expose the hard to see beauties of "harsh truths", If I Didn't Have you exposes the extra beauty of a love beyond fate
Man I love your shows.. I miss myth busters so much… I really like how you explain how love is work not something that falls out the sky… that is a really great song
As soon as Adam said "It's almost.." at 7:50 I knew what song he was about to recommend!!
I feel like the make Vs buy question would totally involve a decision tree to run through for each part/project, starting with the question "am I capable of making this myself?" And branching to things like "is it more cost effective to make or buy?" and "can I buy one of satisfactory quality/accuracy?"
Your answer to buy it vs build it is super interesting to me! I am currently working on a couple projects that are more utilitarian than aesthetic (usable gaming accessories vs props) and have found that since I have the tools necessary, there really isn't worth in buying a product, when I just need to spend some time on the build myself. Of course, I haven't found time to build them in the last two weeks, so maybe a little bit of hypocrisy there 😁
I guess there is the added factor of being able to build a semi-original design/customize, as opposed to trying to replicate an already existing item, piece for piece
A legit arduino pro micro is like $20 but a metal usb handbrake for sims is $30 on aliexpress. Hoever i can just spend way too much time and filament making a worse one
I make something, if:
1.) the making-process itself is fun
2.) it is not available or not as quick as I need it
When considering it:
take in account, that it may not work with the first trial! Espacially when something is moving, or should do something, or it is totally different from anything you have build before.
Great ... so much passion
I recently found your channel on RUclips and im in desperate need of sources of positivity i can draw off of in my life and ive found some by way of your videos. Thank you.
While trying to decide whether or not it is easier to buy something versus make it, I've bought the item just to find out that it didn't do at all what it was supposed to do. After returning it I fell back on making it and was never happier. In short if you want something to be very specific just make it, in my opinion. Great videos Adam and tested crew.👍
Lol Best song recommendation I've gotten in years. Thank you.
Paying for others to do custom metalwork ultimately made me learn to weld.
Adam's point at the end reminds me of the line from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran: "Work is love made visible."
I love that you and Tim Minchin are friends. Have you ever worked together on a project? Would you?
I'll buy if build will be time prohibited. I just started casting metal, I've had the materials to make my own casting sand, but I haven't, so I bought some to kick start me otherwise I'd have never started at all.
Enjoy your videos and always learning new things...wondering if you have or have made any Bond gadgets, if so ,what are your favorites...thanks again.
Great song Adam nailed it
Adam Savage recommending Tim Minchin?! My day is made! I grew up in the same city and went to the same Uni as him.
"If I didn't have you, somebody else would do."
Tim Minchin is a treasure.
As a side note to building something with your own two hands, often when I want to make or design something I'll deliberately avoid doing any research into existing products. I've found sometimes getting ideas from other's work can limit my own creative juices.
I’m personally interested in the “Human love: It involves unpleasantness as well as the highest degrees of pleasantness” shirt.
My brother and his wife played If I Didn't Have You at their wedding for those exact reasons :)
I think that the value of expanding an skill can justify the time even when the cost would be trivial.
In business we do a make vs buy decision on several factors. The major factors are : does what we want already exist? Can we make it for less than it costs if it exists? Does it align with our core competencies to make this thing (ie do we have the chops for it) ? Would buying be faster than making and is that a problem if it takes longer?
There's no one answer, but those are the major things we look at. There are times when I've been sure we'd make something ourselves because it would be vastly cheaper, but we decided to buy simply because it was faster and time outweighed cost.
There are 3 things to consider: Material, skill and time. Material: do you have the tools and materials to do the job? Skill; are you confident or at least, have access to information to help you with the necessary skill to do the job. Time: do you have the needed time available to do the job? Those are what i mainly consider if i will buy or make. Others like Saving: is it cheaper to make this or just buy is also taken into consideration but for me those are just secondary considerations.
I don't have a lathe or mill or even a table saw and so most things I make are purely out of wood. As a result, watching Adam's build videos is an usually an endless series of "How could I do that with what I have".
I got myself a Bosch nanoblade (Through reward points from work) with different feet so I can now (Kinda) do floating bottom draws by using the feet to make a slot for the bottom. Also, other things like the big brass nut and bolt, I did some research about thread taps and compounds to use for cutting threads in wood, to see if I could replicate Adam's work it in wood. I'm going to order myself a set of wood thread cutters but given their costs, it will be a while.
To be honest, I prefer wood. Not to quote the bad guy from the 'new' "Gone in 60 Seconds" movie, but "...Wood is warm. Clean. Provided by Nature. To see a piece of furniture take shape. Its like watching a child grow”.
This really resounds with me for some reason. I love working with wood. Looking around at the end of a session at all the dust and shavings is like knowing that that can never be put back together, and what I'm making can never be made the same ever again. Like the balls from Minority Report, no two are ever the same. It really resonates with me for some reason.
Having been a long time fan of both Adam and Tim Minchin, it was really cool to suddenly find out that they're friend.
As easy as it is to fall in love with a project, I find myself falling out of love with them at a similar rate. I probably have 15 things I started making ad just stopped. It's not that it got hard or I couldn't figure it out, it's just that I got bored with it.
It happens to me also
Love how you have a bundy ginger next to you. If you ever brew beer they are great for that.
It's funny how making things is such a similar process for people - many years ago when I needed to come up with a handle online and had cycled through so many that were already taken, I turned to my archaic English dictionary and found a word that described the pain and pleasure of not only finding a word that worked because it was so obscure, but also of the creation process and art in general, which I have used as my company since then.
Cann status on fighter aircraft is a thing, because being down for depot mx for a month means the aircraft doesn't need everything on it.... and the supply system is sometimes not as quick as pulling a working part from something else. Just order the replacement to the cann bird and pop it in when it shows up.
I find when you don't have the tools is the main reason to buy. Knowledge can be learned, experience can be earned. Even if sometimes its not cost effective to make my own, I make it, because I made it. But if I don't have the tools and can buy nearly exactly what I want , I buy it
I'm also always in love, or at least obsessed over my latest creations.
But once finished.. the love is usually a lot less, because the way things looked inside my head and the way things turn out in practice are usually not a complete match.
When i'm making a track, i do listen to it over and over, also because that's just the way you make tracks, you have to listen to it a lot to "know"/feel what will come next.
With drawings, i like to look at it and think of the possibilities to add to it, which i also do while in bed, putting it as my background on my phone and stuff like that, to keep it fresh in my 'creative brain' part.
But it is a pity that i don't quite have the skills to translate it completely from the thing in my head.
One day, we will be able to link our brains to 4D printers and music software and create EXACTLY what was in your mind.
Yep.. You put in the work.. And it becomes the love.
"I rebuilt the Thunderbolt Grease-Slapper as a ." Tom Slick understood the cannibalization ethic of the shop.
Every time I see that bottle and label of whatever it is you're drinking, it reminds me of Hoppes no. 9 nitro powder solvent. 😆
For me, if I can find something that suits my need or want, that fulfills my requirements and expectations, I don't need to make it myself. Unfortunately I run into a lot of scenarios where I find two or more variations of something I want that have only a few different criteria each that they meet. In that case I will definitely try and make it.
I'm the same way with painting, when I've studied a face and body long enough to reproduce it as a portrait I fall in love with the person. If I didn't I don't think I could finish the portrait, it takes wayyy too much time for something I hate.
Tim Minchin is the best. You Grew On Me and The Fence are the best songs. Also, his commencement address that he gave at his alma mater was so good I actually send it to people sometimes.
I have too many shirts, but a "A Good Shop Involves a lot of Cannibalism" t-shirt would be an irresistible temptation to own
What about make vs buy when it comes to tools or jigs?
Also I agree with Tim Minchin and that song and especially that take on love.
Such a good question!
Personally, I have a quality I want out of my props and costumes. If I can make something to the quality I want, I'll do so. If I can't make something to the quality I want, I'll buy it.
The interesting bits come when I feel something I want at the quality I want is just within or out of reach. That's stuff I do tend to make myself, so my skills are ever-evolving :-)
I usually consider the time, tools, and materials. Because I will always want to make something if I have the tools and materials on hand. But sometimes I just don't have either, the cost to invest exceeds--it's just easier and cheaper to buy a part.
Adam says: “Thank you so much for your lovely questions.” while the rest of us are thinking: “Thank you so much for your lovely answers!”
I love that I was litterly just listening to a bunch of Tim Minchin just before watching this video. Adam is amazing! And I'm jealous hes friends with Tim.
I get stuck starring at a amazing harness I built. I do Biomedical engineering and my electrical set ups with shrink tubing and perfect cuts get my excited
The fun analises yes! Thats the most important one for me. If its fun to build then I can live with a bit of extra cost or lost time any day 😏
Canto Arms makes a nice DL-44 blaster chambered in 22. Get some tracer rounds and have fun at the range!
I think that the Tim Minchin song is taken from a Voltaire letter.
I might be misremembering the author, but I’ve read something very similar in the past.
Regardless, it’s a very clever song idea.
The other aspect is time. If you are working on someone else's schedule can you afford the time involved in making a thing that could just be bought and mailed to you saving you all those hours to then spend on other aspects of the build or project. Not necessarily the completed item but components of an overall build. And yes, Minchen is a genius.
For anyone discovering Tim Minchin now, you MUST watch/listen to "Storm" and "Prejudice".
God this man has talent.
I am 100% up for that cannibal shirt :D
We need that shirt, Adam !
I can certainly attest to the concept of putting time and effort into something builds an appreciation for it. There's a starship in Star Wars I've always hated; the Starlight-class freighter. But I joined a Star Wars pencil and paper RPG, and the crew ended up salvaging said ship. As the engineer of the party and also wanting to learn Blender, I used making a 3D model of that ship for some references for the group as my method to learn Blender. If I do a terrible job, no loss, right? But as I worked with it, I began to love the ship. Sure, I maybe embellished things in a nature I like, but it's pretty faithful to a Corellian ship and the artwork that exists.
So yes, once hated, now that I've spent dozens of hours learning Blender by making this ship, I now love it in so many ways. And now I know the ship in our game as the ship's engineer should.
I love the Bundaberg sodas :D
I've lost track of the things I have made I could go out and buy something not quite as good for the same materials cost, for instance I am making a heat treat oven/furnace, I'm about £150 in so far, yet it has a much better volume capacity than £250 items, and I get the satisfaction of designing it how I want it!
Tim Minchin is amazing, definitely a great recommendation!
I so want that shirt!
*_As Albert Einstein once said, “ life is like riding a bicycle, in order to keep your balance you have to keep moving.”_*
@@-XtraCredit- sometimes life is like knocking someone off a bicycle with a baseball bat. you never truly lose the knack..
Ray Bradbury aligned his creative life to a charge he read on a police blotter: Drunk, and in charge of a bicycle.
As an artist I almost never love what I’ve just made. I’m satisfied that I have achieved a high level but for the most part I leave the studio not loving what I’ve made. When I see it on the wall of a gallery months later I am often surprised at how I have made something quite special.
Is it a perspective thing? Because when i do sketches, or other drawings, all I see immediately are the slight imperfections. However I recently found a 2 year old sketchbook, and i shocked myself with how the all details and how clean my coloring came out.
@@MexicAnime Of course. No matter how proficient we are there is always more. When you come back to a picture afterwards you are seeing it in it's totality so what were perceived as flaws become unimportant or even better they contribute to the picture in a way that you could never have crafted.
@@charlie9ine Hmm, its completely understandable. We are our own harshest critics. But even then we can at least look back and say, "Hey, i did great. I'm proud of myself from back then. And i know future me will be proud of current me."
Good luck on your future artworks.
I think what you were trying to convey, about any thing you've made is: it's become an entity of its own, and therefore, you care about it irregardless of your sentiments beforehand. 😁
If I can buy exactly what I want for a sum of money that I'm willing to part with, I'll just buy it.
If I can buy something that's pretty close to what I want and is easily within what I'm willing to pay, I'll just buy it.
I usually make something either because I can't get anything even close to what I want, or I'm not willing to spend even remotely what I'd have to to buy it (and have the skills and tools to make it or can acquire what I need for a reasonable sum of time and money)
I also "fall in love" with many projects. Most are small and each piece usually spends a couple days to a week on my desk at work to admire and fidget with in time gaps.
Functioning helicopter - buy it
Exploded helicopter - build it
forgot about if i didn't have you, hope the people that haven't heard/seen it watch the long version (~13min) for the commentary at the end. For those that are new to tim, also watch tony the fish (not related to the making question, but still great).
My buy vs make is when I know it’s beyond a level of detail I can make or materials I definitely cannot work with and wouldn’t be of a level I wouldn’t be satisfied with, sometimes I can try to work with it but in a pinch I’ll buy it
And if making it exceeds the buy price to such a point
Man with Bridgeport speaks truth!! 😁
Question for Adam - I can't look at replicas from the challenger program. It just... Sucks something out of me. Are there subjects you can't build for reasons like that?
Take your canvas bags to the supermarket.
i never would have guessed you were friends with Tim Minchin but its not really surprising lol he is hilarious!!!!
Omfg I want that cannibalism comment on a t shirt NOW
I often make a mess but have never bought one
Tim Minchin is the best. White Wine in the Sun is the best Christmas song
Think you guys could put out a sample of those unedited working in the shop videos? I'm considering becoming a member just for that reason. I love background noise while I'm designing.
When you can't find the gizmo or tool that you need. You make it.
It also depends on what you are building, vs the availability of something.
I've had to fabricate some interesting things, but never props.
Everything I have had to build or repair winds up in use, and if it doesn't work the first time, I beef it up to the "stupid proof" level.
Sadly I never build anything for me unless I feel i need to make it. It is much easier to build for someone else. I want to build it because it is my hope that it will bless their life in some way or another. So I do my best regardless of what I am building or why. Do I fall in love with what I build, not sure but I certainly have a greater appreciation for things like that. Even simple things are much more complex than you would imagine them to be. It is not enough to build something just because I want to develop my skills in that area, I build it because I need it. I marvel at those who can build just to build.
I couldn’t buy a collimating ring for my GSO RC8 telescope, so I got hold of a chunk of aluminium and made one. It would have cost me about 100aud to buy one (if anyone had stock), and if I cost my time properly, it cost me about 400aud to make it. But I made it!
I learned from one of your other videos, that Han Solo’s DL-44 blaster was built with a scope made in my hometown. Was there a reason to use that specific scope other than it was available? Or was it the specific look?
Unless I’m mistaken, that looks like Corbin Dallas’ blaster in the pictures on the right. Is that the upcoming thing you built and fell in love with?
Question 1:Can you realistically make it to the level you desire? Question 2: How hard will it be to make? Question 3: Is there something out there that already fits your needs exactly or else can be easily modified? Question 4: How expensive is the thing if you go to buy it vs how much time and materials you would put into it? These are the basic things.
For me it depends if the quality of the ‘replica’ or purchasable one is movie accurate. If not then I’d rather build myself or go without, then it’s the price and also do I have the equipment to build the thing to begin with
Depends on how much fun "make" seems like it would be :-).
What was your favorite Phoebe joke in Afterlife?
I would love to see you make the Chrystal Skull from raiders