Projects

As this workshop has grown, I’ve relied on Copilot as a thinking partner and a second set of hands. Somewhere along the way, I got tired of referring to tools, systems, and subsystems by long descriptions—so I started giving them names.

I don’t name every tool in the shop. The drill press is just the drill press. But when there are two lasers, two CNC routers, or a system with multiple subsystems, names help keep the roles straight. They turn a pile of hardware into a constellation of collaborators I can think about clearly.

That’s how Amanda, Rae, Smokie, BRAINS, and POWER came to be. Their names aren’t for whimsy—they’re for clarity. Each one marks a specific function in the workshop’s ecosystem. Smokie, for example, is the three‑drawer electrical cabinet that houses the power supplies and motor controllers. Her name comes from the old electronics joke: everything runs on ‘magic smoke,’ and if you let the smoke out, the equipment dies.

Naming only happens when it reduces ambiguity or defines a role. It’s how I keep a growing workshop organized, maintainable, and expandable without losing the plot.

Amanda

Shop

Explore modular builds and workshop projects from Red Knoll. Each project carries legacy clarity and creative craftsmanship.