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3D printing, CNC & maker projects: videos Hacker News recommends
Digital fabrication: 3D printers, CNC machines, laser cutters, maker projects, hardware prototyping, DIY builds, mods and hacks, hobby engineering, Hackaday-style projects. Below: every video in this topic that at least three HN users linked with real commentary, in at least three different months (33 demos, 9 tutorials, 5 explainers), best-scored first, with the comments on each video page.
- Aviation & aerospace engineering 124
- Cars, EVs & motorcycles 171
- Transit, cities & urban planning 174
- Civil engineering & construction 70
- Mechanical & precision engineering 141
- Manufacturing & industrial processes 69
- Woodworking, metalworking & workshop skills 34
- Home, DIY & practical skills 61
- Cooking & food 41
- Ships, submarines & maritime 24
- Engineering & making (other) 27
- 9 HN recommenders 8 months 2020–2025Whenever HN discusses seasonal affective disorder, myopia, or bright home lighting, people point to this as the most convincing buildable example of sunlight-like illumination.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2016–2023Recommended as a fantastic talk on code-driven CAD and custom keyboard design, linked in threads on OpenSCAD and keyboards.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2023–2025A Ancient · demoHN finds the miniaturization mind-blowing and cites it as a standout example of surreal hobbyist technology.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2015–2022Recommended as a gold-standard free course for anyone learning to build precision mechanical things.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2011–2020J Jaimie Stuff · videoHN commenters point to it as the start of a gripping, wonder-inducing build saga by a prolific maker of ambitious mechanical projects.
- FreeCAD 0.20 For Beginners | 1 | Setup , preferences and navigation | Easy Tutorial for Learning CAD3 HN recommenders 3 months 2023–2024M MangoJelly Solutions for FreeCAD · tutorialHN recommends it as an excellent beginner series that fills FreeCAD's gap in learning material.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2017–2025D Dobson Astro-Initiatives · tutorialRecommended to anyone interested in telescope making as a guide from Dobson himself.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025M MangoJelly Solutions for FreeCAD · courseHN users recommend MangoJelly's thorough tutorials as the best way to learn FreeCAD properly, since trial and error doesn't work.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2025HN points to it in threads on artificial sunlight, as a buildable and surprisingly convincing artificial window.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2025HN commenters point to it as a build guide for cheap DIY speakers that sound as good as expensive ones.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023Z Zack Freedman · explainerHN finds the project-scoping rubric useful for programmers too and recommends it on finishing side projects.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2022HN people recommend it, along with the Lock Picking Lawyer's response, as an engaging look at lock design and how clever mechanisms get bypassed.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2026Whenever eye contact in video calls comes up, commenters point to this as the cheap homemade teleprompter-style solution.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026HN commenters recommend it as the physical-machine take on replicating handwriting, with plenty of explained iteration.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2024Z Zack Freedman · demoHN points people to it as the original explanation of what Gridfinity is and why it exists, in threads about the project and its catalogs.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2023It comes up as a great explainer on magnetohydrodynamic drives and pumps in threads about silent submarine propulsion.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2023HN recommends the series as a fascinating, practical course in precision prototyping, with the flexure episode singled out as especially impressive.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2026S scottbez1 · demoHN people hold it up as a polished solo hardware project and the go-to example of haptic knobs, including in discussions of physical car controls.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2025Recommended to people who like building things, as part of Hunkin's body of practical engineering explainers.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2025M Maker's Muse · demoRecommended in cockatoo threads as a fun and remarkable demonstration of the birds' problem-solving ability.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2024HN recommends it, and the whole series, for practical mechanical design insight such as how structures achieve stiffness.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2025HN mentions it as the famous, kid-delighting demo of fluidization, especially in sand battery and industrial process threads.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2025N nickkallen1 · explainerCited in CAD threads as a rare plain-spoken comparison of commercial geometry kernels and their limitations.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2024Commenters point to it whenever 3D-printed metal parts come up, as a clear explanation of why they have poor fatigue life and material defects.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2025Linked whenever the Curta or mechanical calculators come up, as a look at a working 3D-printed version.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2025–2026L LightningOnDemand · demoHN users suggest it to anyone who enjoys extreme high-voltage projects and big capacitor-bank discharges.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2025Cited as a marvel of absurd precision in home-built machine tools, and a pointer to Gelbart's other videos.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2023Pointed to by hobbyists interested in building flat-panel DIY speakers from cheap materials.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2023HN admires the maker's engineering and cites it in accessibility discussions, especially for the limits of sensory resolution versus perception.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2026W Wesley Kagan · demoHN commenters cite it as an impressive hobbyist project and as an example of open-source engine control enabling freevalve retrofits.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2015–2025Used as an example of Applied Science pushing the limits of garage engineering, in DIY microscope threads.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2015–2021HN cites it as the example of Google's open-sourced linear book scanner design when discussing book digitization.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2022N Naomi Wu · videoHN cites it as a concrete example of a maker helping save someone's life, and as evidence of Wu's work when she was omitted from press coverage.
- 2 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2025Q Quint BUILDs · demoHN commenters cite it as an entertaining reality check on home gravity storage, showing the yield is tiny compared to household needs.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2025HN cites it as an example of computational mechanism design, especially in threads on gears, linkages and animatronics.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2023–2024W Wenting Channel · demoHN points to it as an example of advanced DIY hardware, specifically a camera using an affordable Kodak CCD sensor with global shutter.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2023S Simone Giertz · comedy videoHN mentions it as a favorite homemade EV pickup, often as an honorable mention in electric truck discussions.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2025B BPS.space · demoHN cites it as the landmark example of a hobbyist landing a rocket, and recommends the channel for following that progress.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2024Commenters cite it as a well-made, practical example of USB-C conversion when they discuss hacking USB-C into devices.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2022Raised in lock-picking threads as a related attempt at an unpickable lock, and for novel anti-picking mechanisms.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2024HN brings it up as the obligatory link whenever package theft or booby-trapped parcels come up.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2022P PeterSripol · demoCited as an example of a hobbyist building and flying a real human-carrying electric plane, and as a channel worth following for DIY aircraft builds.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2025I Integza · demoCited as an approachable hobbyist look at RDEs in threads on detonation-powered rockets.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2024Cited in porch-pirate threads as the definitive revenge-engineering project, praised for its impressive engineering.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2024Pointed to as a clear explainer of Relativity Space's fully 3D printed rocket approach when rocket manufacturing or additive manufacturing comes up.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2026Pointed to as proof that you can weigh micrograms cheaply at home, and as a clear breakdown of how such a scale works.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2016–2022R RimstarOrg · tutorialHN recommends it as a clear explanation of how lifters and ion wind propulsion work, mostly in threads about exotic propulsion and flying saucers.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2023Brought up whenever wearable cooling or heat extremes come up, as a real worked example of a pumped-coolant cooling suit.
- cited 4× 0 months 2018–2024S SeanHodgins · demoHN mostly cites it as evidence that Hodgins built the glitter bomb Mark Rober presented as his own, and says he deserves credit.
- cited 3× 0 months 2022–2023HN mostly mentions it as an example of an extreme maker project, not as a recommendation.
- cited 6× 0 months 2015–2022D DAISHIN SEIKI大槇精機 · demoHN uses it as a go-to example of impressive 5-axis machining and CAM-controlled toolpaths.
- cited 3× 0 months 2024–2025B Breaking Taps · documentaryHN points to it as an example of hobbyist, at-home integrated circuit fabrication.
- cited 3× 0 months 2020–2026E element14 presents · demoCited as 2012 prior art for analog keyboards when newer analog-key products and patents come up.
- cited 3× 0 months 2022–2023Commenters link the glitter bomb series whenever package theft comes up.
- cited 5× 0 months 2017–2025A Allan · demoHN references it as prior art whenever solar sintering, sand printing or sunlight-based manufacturing comes up.
- cited 3× 0 months 2018–2019Cited as a concrete example that 3D-printed houses already exist and are cheap.
- cited 3× 0 months 2020–2024HN commenters cite it as a fun real-world example of Spot hauling a passenger whenever Boston Dynamics robots come up.
Questions
What is the most recommended 3d printing, cnc & maker projects video on Hacker News?
Building a realistic artificial sun (for dark winter days) by DIY Perks: Whenever HN discusses seasonal affective disorder, myopia, or bright home lighting, people point to this as the most convincing buildable example of sunlight-like illumination.
How is this 3d printing, cnc & maker projects list ranked?
By HackerTube's score: the number of distinct months in which an HN comment recommended the video, plus half a point for every month with a strong recommendation. One viral thread counts less than steady recommendations over years.
Where do the videos come from?
From every Hacker News comment between 2007 and 2026 that linked a YouTube video, labeled by an AI model as a recommendation, a citation, a joke or a criticism. The list is published by HackerTube under ODC-By 1.0; this edition adds indexable pages and the comment context.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.