Fairy Ring

Vibe CAD for real things / talk, point, and it gets made

One hundred things made in Fairy Ring, knolled: tables, stools, benches, cases, finger-jointed boxes and trays, mycelium trays, and concrete, clay, wax and glow vessels

Put on a Quest and say what's in your head. “Taper the legs this much.” “Spin it like this.” The model changes live, full size in the room, while your hands show the sizes. When it's right, Fairy Ring makes it: cut files with the joints already solved, printable molds, a build plan with a cut list, a parts cart, and a job for whichever dancer in the ring can do it. Nothing is ever bought without you.

0.1 ssimple edits
2Quests
23machines in the ring
0CAD experience needed

How it works

Say it / see it / make it

01SAY IT, SHOW ITpush-to-talk on the padhands tracked by the Quest“taper the legs this much”02FAIRY RINGsimple edits: about 0.1 sanything else: Claudeboth call the CAD engine03SEE ITfull size in the roomghost preview in the Questlive on the ultrawidewords + hands0.1–0.8 s“there.” · “save this as the tall one” · undo“make it”04CUT FILESxTool, box joints05MOLDSpour, grow, wax06BUILD PLANcut list + steps07CARTSnever bought08MACHINESprinters, lasers
01SAY IT, SHOW ITpush-to-talk on the padhands tracked by the Quest“taper the legs this much”02FAIRY RINGsimple edits: about 0.1 sanything else: Claudeboth call the CAD engine03SEE ITfull size in the roomghost preview in the Questlive on the ultrawide“make it”04CUT FILESxTool, box joints05MOLDSpour, grow, wax06BUILD PLANcut list + steps07CARTSnever bought08MACHINESprinters, lasers
  1. Say it, show it. Hold the pad key and talk. Hands fill in the numbers: “this wide” reads the gap between your palms, and the edit commits when your hand holds still or you say “there.”
  2. Fairy Ring edits. Simple commands skip the AI and land in a tenth of a second. Anything else goes to Claude, which calls the same CAD tools. Every edit is a saved version, so undo is free.
  3. Make it. Cut files with box joints and kerf, molds sized to the printer bed, a build plan you walk with “next step,” carts grouped by vendor, and jobs routed to the machines below.

The two Quests

One on your head / one on the rail

AQUEST YOU WEARpassthrough: model in your roomhands: “this much”, “this way”ghost until your hand holds stillBTHE TOWERspeech-to-text on the 4090Claude agent + CAD engineUnity Preview on the ultrawideCQUEST ON THE RAILupside down, strap offits cameras watch the bench+ 2 webcams: the camera wallWi-FiUSBDANCHOR TAGS6 in AprilTag cards on the bench,machines and every blank: true scale
AQUEST YOU WEARpassthrough: model in your roomhands: “this much”, “this way”ghost until your hand holds stillBTHE TOWERspeech-to-text on the 4090Claude agent + CAD engineUnity Preview on the ultrawideCQUEST ON THE RAILupside down, strap offits cameras watch the bench+ 2 webcams: the camera wallDANCHOR TAGS6 in AprilTag cards on the bench,machines and every blank: true scale
  1. The one you wear. Passthrough puts the model in the room at true size. Hand tracking turns gestures into dimensions, with a ghost preview until you commit.
  2. The one on the rail. Mounted upside down with the strap off, it becomes a room camera. With two webcams it feeds the camera wall, so Fairy Ring can see the bench, the boards and the molds.
  3. Anchor tags. Six-inch AprilTag cards on the bench, the machines and every rough-milled blank tie both headsets to the real room, so a scanned board and a model line up to the millimetre.

Where the work goes

Fairy Ring designs it / the dancers make it

00 / Design
Fairy RingSay it, show it, see it full size. Then “make it.”
01 / Scan in
VogueScans of objects, molds and parts
02 / Cut and draw
Drag QueenVeneer cut files
Lady LinerLayout lines and templates
MortishaJoinery toolpaths
Lathe MinnelliTurning profiles
03 / Form
Queen BeeWax prints for casting
MotherGrow molds
Mud DivaClay and concrete cores
Slip KittenPlaster molds to slip-cast
Pour DecisionsConcrete and resin pours to settle
Skin TightVacuum-formed trays and covers
Cher BendBending forms cut from a curve
Bog WitchLiving moss panels
Hot FlashBake, burnout and drying schedules
04 / Finish
Flex AppealVeneer and bent-lamination presses
Honey GlazeGlue lines and finish passes
Sandra PaperSanding passes
Glow DivaGlow fill paths
Cane-DaceWeaving patterns
05 / Serve
HandmaidenPlate swaps and sheet loading
Dusty SpringfieldWhich gates to open
Moisture MadameBoards to dry and weigh
06 / Recycle
LazarellaFailed prints and wax scraps
On the road
The rigThe tower, monitors, battery and cameras in one rolling case.

See every machine, with parts and files →

One piece, start to finish

A walnut stool / from a sentence to a finished piece

  1. Say it. “A three-legged stool, 18 inches tall, walnut seat, splayed legs.” Fairy Ring builds it live in the room.
  2. Show it. Hands set the seat width and the splay. “Thinner.” “There.” Every change is saved.
  3. See it. Walk around it at full size. Sit on a real chair beside it to check the height.
  4. Make it. Fairy Ring writes the cut list, the leg tenons for Mortisha, a seat veneer pattern for Drag Queen, layout lines for Lady Liner, and a cart for the walnut.
  5. Build it. Mortisha cuts the joints. Drag Queen and Flex Appeal lay the veneer. Honey Glaze glues and oils it. “Next step” walks you through the rest.
  6. Keep it. Vogue scans the finished stool for the site, and every offcut is logged for the next piece.

Hands

Six gestures / show the size instead of saying it

Span gestureSpantwo hands

“Make it this wide.” Hold both hands up. The gap between your two index fingertips becomes the size, taken literally. Turn your hands upright for “this tall.”

Pinch gesturePinchone hand

“Taper the legs this much.” Open your thumb and index finger. Closed is the smallest the setting goes and 4 3/4 in apart is the largest.

Drag gestureDragone finger

“Move it this way.” Point and slide your index finger. The part follows the fingertip.

Twist gestureTwistone wrist

“Spin it like this.” Turn your wrist. Turning it flat spins the model; rolling it sets an angle such as leg splay.

Hold still gestureHold stillcommit

A ghost of the change follows your hand live. Hold still for under a second and it commits.

Say “there” gestureSay “there”commit

Or say “there” or “done” to commit right away. Say “undo” to take it back.

Keys and dials

Two 6 × 5 macro pads and a dial pad / every key, and what it does

Left pad / shape it

Talkhold
Part ←
Part →
All parts
No part
Undo
Height −
Height +
Width −
Width +
Depth −
Depth +
Thinner
Thicker
Fewerflutes, fingers
Moreflutes, fingers
Version ←
Redo
Fillet −
Fillet +
Chamfer −
Chamfer +
Version →
Mirror
Draft −cast pieces
Draft +cast pieces
Duplicate
Deleteselected
Save version
Therecommit

Right pad / see it and make it

View 1hold to save
View 2
View 3
View 4
View 5
View 6
Spin
Stop
Explode
Collapse
Zoom in
Zoom out
Checkfit, walls
Parts list
Cut files
Make mold
Print it
Add to cartnever buys
Step ←
Step →
Which step
This tag?
Cost
Send to ring
Drag Queenveneer
Mortishajoints
Queen Beewax
Mothergrow
Mud Divaclay
Voguescan

Dial pad / walk the build

Talkhold
Therecommit
Save view
Check
Step ←
Step →
Undo
Redo
DIAL
Big dial, turn
Nudges whatever you last changed, one small step per click: about 3%, rounded to 1/16 in.
Big dial, press
Cycles what it nudges: height, width, depth, thickness.
Left touch strip
Slide to zoom. Tap to stop a spin.
Right touch strip
Tap for the next saved version, hold for the previous one.
Space bar
Push to talk, same as the Talk key.

Every key works on any model. When a key doesn’t fit, Fairy Ring says so (“This model has no repeating pattern”). Red keys talk and commit; tan keys flip saved versions.

Things you can say

A cheat sheet / plain words, no menus

“Make it 20 percent taller.”Scales one direction.
“This wide.”Reads the gap between your hands.
“Taper the legs to an inch at the foot.”Named part, named size.
“Round the edges a quarter inch.”Fillets every outside edge.
“Box joints on all four corners.”Solves the joints for the sheet and the kerf.
“Show me it in cherry.”Swaps the material look.
“Undo.” / “Go back three.”Every edit is a version.
“Make the mother mold.”Writes a Mother grow mold for the shape.
“Print it in wax.”Sends it to Queen Bee with the casting blend.
“What does it cost?”Parts and material total, nothing bought.
“Next step.”Walks the build plan.
“Send it to the ring.”Splits the job across the dancers.

Materials in the ring

What Fairy Ring knows how to make things from

Hardwood
Walnut, maple, cherry, oak. Joinery on Mortisha, finish on Honey Glaze.
Veneer
Figured and rare woods, cut on Drag Queen, laid in Flex Appeal.
Plywood
Baltic birch for jigs, carcasses and the rig.
Beeswax
Printed on Queen Bee, for objects or for casting.
Mycelium
Grown on Mother, for shapes, packaging and insulating forms.
Clay
Printed on Mud Diva, as pots or as reusable formwork.
Concrete
Fine cement paste, printed or poured into clay.
PETG and HIPS
Vacuum-formed by Skin Tight for trays, covers and molds.
PLA
Printed parts, and back to filament through Lazarella.
Acrylic
Cut on the xTool for cradles, guards and display.

Recipes for wax, mycelium, clay, concrete, glue and plastic are on each machine →

How mycelium works

The living glue behind Mother / from one thread to a fairy ring

The body of a fungus
The body of a fungusThe mushroom is just fruit. The fungus is this mat of white threads.
It glues as it eats
It glues as it eatsFed, it knits loose grounds into one solid piece. Mother does this.
Threads called hyphae
Threads called hyphaeEach thread, a hypha, is one cell wide and grows from its tip.
The forest's recyclers
The forest's recyclersIn leaf litter the same threads break dead wood back into soil.
Cables between meals
Cables between mealsBundled into dark cords, hyphae travel between food sources.
Trading with plants
Trading with plantsHyphae grow into plant roots and trade minerals for sugar.
A fairy ring
A fairy ringIt grows outward from one spot, so it shows in lawns as a ring.
The dancers come up after rain
The dancers come up after rainAfter rain the ring fruits: Marasmius oreades.
Fruiting on purpose
Fruiting on purposeGrowers colonize a bag of substrate, then add humidity and air.
Gills hold the spores
Gills hold the sporesThin gills under the cap carry billions of spores.
A spore print
A spore printLeft on paper overnight, falling spores draw the cap.
Some of it glows
Some of it glowsFoxfire: wood full of fungus that glows green in the dark.
Grown, not cut
Grown, not cutPacked in a mold and dried, it becomes a light, tough material.
Big enough to stand in
Big enough to stand inGrown blocks stack like bricks into a building.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons, left to right: 1 Tobi Kellner (CC BY-SA 3.0); 2 Tobi Kellner (CC BY-SA 3.0); 3 Emilio Bosch (CC BY-SA 4.0); 4 PerytonMango (CC BY-SA 4.0); 5 Lamiot (CC BY-SA 4.0); 6 Rajarshi Rit (CC BY 4.0); 7 Edward O. Uthman (CC BY-SA 4.0); 8 Karel Adriaan (CC BY-SA 4.0); 9 Chatama (Public domain); 10 Kieran Roy Powell (CC BY 4.0); 11 The High Fin Sperm Whale (CC BY-SA 3.0); 12 Bruce McAdam (CC BY-SA 2.0); 13 Mycobond (CC BY-SA 2.0); 14 SnowFire (CC BY 4.0).

How bees make wax

The material behind Queen Bee / from flower to block

Wax starts as flowers
Wax starts as flowersForagers bring nectar home. Honey is the fuel bees burn to make wax.
Made by the bee's body
Made by the bee's bodyYoung workers secrete wax as tiny clear flakes from glands under the belly.
Building in the open
Building in the openClustered for warmth, they chew the flakes soft and press them into cells.
A head start
A head startBeekeepers hang a pressed wax sheet so bees start straight.
Why hexagons
Why hexagonsHexagons tile with no gaps and use the least wall for the most space.
Capped and ripe
Capped and ripeRipe honey gets a fresh wax cap. Those cappings are the cleanest wax.
Rendering
RenderingCappings and old comb are melted, strained and poured into blocks.
What Queen Bee prints with
What Queen Bee prints withBeeswax melts near 145 °F and sets in seconds. Queen Bee prints with it.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons, left to right: 1 Krigore (CC BY-SA 4.0); 2 Waugsberg (CC BY 2.5); 3 Oshadhi Jayasena (CC BY-SA 4.0); 4 AxelHH (CC BY 3.0); 5 Øyvind Holmstad (CC BY-SA 4.0); 6 Joska16 (CC BY-SA 4.0); 7 Simon A. Eugster (CC BY-SA 3.0); 8 Mauro Cateb (CC BY-SA 3.0).

The rig

The PC on its own isolated chassis, two new monitors (a 34 in ultrawide and a 15.6 in camera screen), a battery and the cameras in one rolling flight case

The rig open: ultrawide in the lid, camera-wall screen on the right, the Quest and webcams on the rail, the Pocket 3 on its arm

One white box on four casters. Closed, it straps into the back of a Jeep. Open, the lid swings up with the ultrawide already in it, the camera-wall screen clips on the right, the camera Quest 3S and webcams sit on the rail across the top, and the macro pads drop into pockets at desk height. An Osmo Pocket 3 on a magic arm films your hands and face from the right, and the DJI Mic 2 is the speech mic; both charge in a deck dock while the case is closed. The battery is a UPS: unplug it, roll it to another room, and the tower never shuts down.

$2,971parts, before tax
38 × 25 × 36 inclosed
~2 hFairy Ring on battery
180 lbloaded

How it works

Closed: a flight case / open: a workstation

Closed and latched
Inside: PC chassis right, battery bottom left
  1. Closed. Four draw latches, gasketed seams and down-facing hoods on every opening. Drip-resistant, not waterproof. Recessed D-rings strap it to the Jeep's tie-downs.
  2. Open. The lid rises on two gas struts to 100°. The camera-wall screen drops into two receivers, the Quest and webcams screw onto the lid rail, the Pocket 3's arm screws into a socket at the front-right corner, the pads sit in the deck.
  3. Rolling. The Anker SOLIX switches over in under 10 ms. A travel router under a rear hood keeps the same network in every room; home Wi-Fi, a phone or Starlink just feed it.
The camera Quest 3S upside down in its acrylic cradle
The deck: two 6 × 5 pads, the dial pad and the DJI dock
The lid rail: Quest 3S between the two webcams
The Osmo Pocket 3 on its magic arm, at chest height off the right side
The PC on its own 3 mm aluminium chassis, floating on rubber isolators
Chassis from the rear: IO flange, cable pass and power button

Models in these renders: Meta Quest 3S by og_matter and casters by vector6, both CC BY 4.0 via Sketchfab.

What to buy

45 lines / $2,971.30 before tax / estimates from the design pass

Displays17%$499.00
Power23%$670.99
Network4%$128.00
Cooling7%$202.00
Frame9%$269.97
Skins9%$255.00
Wood4%$120.00
Hardware11%$327.54
Shock3%$82.00
Mounts2%$47.80
Capture3%$75.00
Chassis (SendCutSend)7%$220.00
Chassis2%$74.00
Parts total$2,971.30
Every part, by section (53 lines)

Displays

LG01LG 34WQ650-W 34in UltraWide$319.00Flat (fits a flat lid), white, VESA 3.937, 32.15x14.38x1.791 in and 6.0 kg without stand, 2560x1080 IPS, USB-C. Unity Preview.View on LG →asus.com02ASUS ZenScreen MB16ACV 15.6in USB-C$180.00Camera wall. 14.09x8.85x0.413 in, ~0.9 kg, one USB-C cable for power+video from the tower.View on asus.com →

Power

ankersolix.com01Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 (1024 Wh LiFePO4)$529.992000 W AC (3000 W peak), <10 ms UPS switchover, 15x8 3/16x9 5/8 in, 11.3 kg. Sits plugged in as a UPS; unplug the cart and roll. Test a pull-the-plug switchover with your PSUView on ankersolix.com →neutrik.com02Neutrik powerCON TRUE1 TOP panel inlet NAC3MPX-TOP + NAC3FX-W-TOP cable to NEMA 5-15$45.00Weather-sealed (IP65 mated) mains inlet on the rear service plate, feeds the battery's AC input.View on neutrik.com →One Beat short flat-plug power strip, 6 outlets, 15 A03One Beat short flat-plug power strip, 6 outlets, 15 A$20.00Battery AC out to tower + ultrawide + fans PSUView on Amazon →anker.com043-port 100 W USB-C GaN charger (Anker Prime or similar)$60.00Under the deck dock, fed by the battery AC strip: charges the Pocket 3 and the Mic 2 case through two short right-angle USB-C leads that come up through the dock foamView on anker.com →Amazon0511 13/16 in right-angle USB-C cables$16.00Qty 2 · Dock charging leadsView on Amazon →

Network

gl-inet.com01GL.iNet Slate AX (GL-AXT1800) travel router$120.00The rig's own network, same name in every room and outdoors. Lives outside the aluminium skin under its rain hood on the rear; tower on Ethernet through a grommet, QuestsView on gl-inet.com →StarTech 0.5 m slim Cat6 cable (+ 25 mm rubber grommet)02StarTech 19.69 in slim Cat6 cable (+ 0.98 in rubber grommet)$8.00Tower to router through the rear skinView on Amazon →Bingfu RP-SMA bulkhead extensions 30 cm, 2-pack (fallback only)03Bingfu RP-SMA bulkhead extensions 11 13/16 in, 2-pack (fallback only) (optional)$15.00Only if the tower must use its own Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet to the router: the aluminium skins block radio, so its antennas have to come outside.View on Amazon →neutrik.com04Neutrik etherCON NE8FDX-P6-B feedthrough (optional) (optional)$20.00Wired Ethernet through the service plate when a cable is availableView on neutrik.com →starlink.com05Starlink Mini (optional, for sites with no Wi-Fi or Ethernet) (optional)$400.0011.75x10.2x1.516 in, 1.1 kg, 25-40 W typical (spikes higher), 12-48 V DC or 100 W USB-C PD with Starlink's USB-C cable. Rides on the lid top in 4 SLS clips + strap. Needs oView on starlink.com →starlink.com06Starlink USB-C PD to Mini power cable (or the DC car cable) (optional)$35.00Power the Mini from the battery's USB-C (100 W) portView on starlink.com →

Cooling

noctua.at01Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-2000 IP67 PWM$160.00Qty 5 · 2 tower-bay intakes (right side), 2 tower-bay exhausts (rear, over the plenum), 1 battery-bay intake (left). IP67, high static pressure for filters+hoods.View on noctua.at →140 mm stainless-mesh fan filters, aluminum frame, 2-pack025 1/2 in stainless-mesh fan filters, aluminum frame, 2-pack$30.00Qty 3 · On the 3 intakes only, behind the hoods. Run intakes ~15% faster than exhausts for positive pressure (dust stays out).View on Amazon →noctua.at03Noctua NA-SYC1 PWM Y-cable x2 + NA-EC1 extensions$12.00Run the body fans off a motherboard fan header with a temperature curveView on noctua.at →

Frame

us.misumi-ec.com012020 aluminium extrusion cut to length (see frame_cut_list.txt)$90.00Qty 54.5 ft · Misumi HFS5-2020 or 80/20 20-2020; ask for cut-to-length. ~0.5 kg/m.View on us.misumi-ec.com →VXB022020 corner brackets, 20-pack with T-nuts and screws$149.97Qty 3 · Frame jointsView on VXB →M5 T-nut and screw kit for 2020, 300 pcs03M5 T-nut and screw kit for 2020, 300 pcs$30.00Qty 1 pack (300) · Skins to frame (holes are in the DXFs) and all accessoriesView on Amazon →

Skins

google.com010.12 in white ACM (Dibond/Alupanel), 4x8 ft$180.00Qty 2 sheets · Body + lid skins, ~4.1 m2 incl. doors. Have a sign shop CNC-route the panels_dxf files (most stock white ACM).View on google.com →local sign supply020.16 in white ACM, 4x4 ft$60.00Qty 1 sheet · Two doors (or use 0.12 in + the aluminium angle edge)View on local sign supply →homedepot.com030.591x0.591x0.059 in aluminium angle$15.00Qty 16.4 ft · Door edge stiffenersView on homedepot.com →

Wood

local lumber yard010.47 in Baltic birch, 5x5 ft$85.00Qty 1 sheet · Floor (casters bolt through it) + divider + tower cradle. Seal with polyurethane.View on local lumber yard →local lumber yard020.35 in Baltic birch$35.00Qty 1/2 sheet · Shelf + sub-deck under the pad pocketsView on local lumber yard →

Hardware

mcmaster.com01Stainless piano hinge 3.3 ft (36-40 in), 1.5 in open width$30.00Lid hinge along the rear top edgeView on mcmaster.com →Lokatall 200 N gas struts, 2-pack (check stroke against the lid)02Lokatall 200 N gas struts, 2-pack (check stroke against the lid)$30.00Qty 2 · Lid lift; lid is ~12 kg with the ultrawide. Fit, then tune N.View on Amazon →RUYUFE lid stay with soft close03RUYUFE lid stay with soft close$12.00So the lid can't drop on hands if a strut fadesView on Amazon →BokWin padlockable twist latches, 4-pack04BokWin padlockable twist latches, 4-pack$32.00Qty 4 · Lid to body, 2 front + 1 each sideView on Amazon →Penn Elcom05Penn Elcom L905/915K medium recessed butterfly latch$25.94Qty 2 · Doors (check the cutout against panels_dxf/door_*)View on Penn Elcom →mcmaster.com06Door hinges (stainless butt or 23 5/8 in piano)$24.00Qty 4 · Two per doorView on mcmaster.com →Parts Express07Penn Elcom H7159EZ spring-loaded recessed handle$10.60Qty 2 · Left and right sides; cutout in the DXF is 5x3 3/8 in placeholder, match it to the handle you buyView on Parts Express →mcmaster.com084 in polyurethane swivel casters with total lock (>=100 kg each)$100.00Qty 4 · Plate 4x4.5 in, bolt pattern 3-5/8 x 2-5/8 in (in floor_ply.dxf). Quiet room-to-room, unbolt for the Jeep if height is tight.View on mcmaster.com →Uline09Uline H-11364 recessed tie-down D-ring$48.00Qty 4 · Strap the cart to the Jeep's cargo tie-downs (casters locked + 2 ratchet straps)View on Uline →PATIKIL EPDM D-seal 9 x 8 mm, 20 ft10PATIKIL EPDM D-seal 0.35 x 5/16 in, 20 ft$15.00Qty 32.8 ft · Body top edge (lid seal), door openings, hatchView on Amazon →

Shock

Uline01Uline S-13719 pick-and-pack foam sheet 24 x 24 x 2 in$23.00Quest + webcams + controller stash on the shelfView on Uline →316 stainless cam buckles for 1 in (25 mm) webbing, 2-pack02316 stainless cam buckles for 1 in (0.98 in) webbing, 2-pack$15.00Qty 3 · 2 around the tower + cradle, 1 over the batteryView on Amazon →mcmaster.com03Rubber bobbin isolators M8 male-male, 40 dia x 1 1/2 in, ~40A$24.00Qty 4 · Chassis tray to floor. Rated ~25 kg each in compression; the whole computer chassis is ~12 kg, so they sit soft and soak up Jeep buzz.View on mcmaster.com →Amazon041 in (0.98 in) PE foam plank 2.2 pcf$20.00Pad pocket floors and DJI dock liner (the computer no longer needs foam blocks)View on Amazon →

Mounts

SmallRig01SmallRig 2948B mini ball head, 2-pack (3 heads needed)$37.80Qty 2 · Quest cradle + 2 webcams on the lid accessory railView on SmallRig →1/4-20 stainless 4-prong tee nuts (+ 3 mm EVA and velcro strap)021/4-20 stainless 4-prong tee nuts (+ 0.12 in EVA and velcro strap)$10.00Qty 2 · Quest cradle socket and linerView on Amazon →

Capture

store.dji.com01DJI Osmo Pocket 3 (assumed: the DJI camera you own)ownedOn a magic arm from the deck front-right corner, at chest height, looking back at the operator. Stows and charges lying flat in the deck dock. Pairs straight to the Mic 2View on store.dji.com →store.dji.com02DJI Mic 2 (assumed: 2 TX + RX + charging case)ownedThe rig's speech mic (it is the lavalier the studio setup already uses). The case lives in the deck dock and charges there. The RX plugs into the tower over USB-C, and thView on store.dji.com →store.dji.com031/4-20 adapter for the Osmo Pocket 3 (DJI mini tripod/battery handle, or a third-party clamp)$30.00Puts the Pocket 3 on the magic armView on store.dji.com →smallrig.com04Articulating magic arm, about 11 in, 1/4-20 both ends, with a center lock knob (SmallRig or Manfrotto 244 Mini)$35.00Puts the Pocket 3 at chest height off the front-right corner of the cart, so it films the operator's hands and face from the side; the gimbal and ActiveTrack do the movinView on smallrig.com →Amazon05USB-C extension 3.3 ft (male-female)$10.00Mic 2 RX from the tower rear IO to the deck dock, so the receiver lives in the dock and plugs in without opening the tower bayView on Amazon →

Chassis (SendCutSend)

sendcutsend.com010.12 in 5052-H32 aluminium chassis: tray, board plate, rear IO/PCIe flange, radiator plate + 14 bent L-brackets$220.00Qty 1 set · Upload the 5 DXFs in cut/sendcutsend_5052_3mm. Add 9 PEM SO-M3-6 (1/4 in) standoffs to the board plate's 0.165 in holes, M3 tapping on the flange's 7 small holes, a 90 deg View on sendcutsend.com →

Chassis

mcmaster.com01M4 x 10 button head screws + M4 nylock nuts + washers (stainless, 100 pc)$18.00Qty 1 kit · Joins the 4 plates through the L-brackets, PSU clamps and SSD caddy to the trayView on mcmaster.com →
offcut02M5 x 12 screw + 7 7/8 in 2020 offcutGPU brace post (tap the 2020 centre hole M5 at both ends); from the frame stock
mcmaster.com03Neoprene snubber pads 1 9/16x1 9/16x0.79 in with M5 stud$24.00Qty 6 · 2 at the top of the board plate facing the divider, 4 at the tray edges; 0.079 in off the frame so they only touch in a hard knockView on mcmaster.com →Amazon04Brush-strip cable pass 5 1/2x2 in$12.00Rear skin, under its own rain hood: the computer's IO cables leave here (DisplayPort/HDMI, USB, Ethernet, power)View on Amazon →Amazon055/8 in momentary push button (IP67) + 2-pin power-switch lead$12.00The case's power button goes with the case: this one sits on the rear service plate and plugs into the board's PWR_SW headerView on Amazon →Amazon060.12 in EPDM rubber sheet, small$8.00Pads on the GPU saddle and under the PSU clampsView on Amazon →

Computer

the maker01NZXT BLD PB1-3PR09-WH-002 parts, out of the H9 Elite caseownedRTX 4090 Gaming OC, ASUS Prime ATX board, Kraken Elite 360, NZXT C-series PSU, T-Force RAM. The empty case (13.1 kg) stays home.

What to cut and print

ACM skins by a sign shop / acrylic on the xTool / SLS nylon sent out

Every cut part on one sheet
ACM skins, 12 panels0.12 in white Dibond, CNC routed from the DXFs with every hole and cutoutquote
Plywood floor, divider, cradle, shelf, sub-deck0.47 and 0.35 in Baltic birchin house
Acrylic, one sheetQuest cradle, camera-wall tray, arm and hooks, 0.24 inxTool
Rain hoods ×8SLS PA12, openings face down~$200
SSD caddy, rail adapters, receivers, Starlink clipsSLS PA12~$55
2020 frame, 26 pieces, 54.5 ftCut to length by Misumiin buy list

Print prices are rough per-part figures; Xometry will quote higher than JLC3DP. The sign shop needs a quote.

Build steps and numbers
  1. Measure first: the macro pads, the Quest visor height and the PC parts. Every size is a parameter at the top of rig.py.
  2. Have a sign shop route the ACM panels; cut the plywood parts from printouts.
  3. Assemble the 2020 frame with cast corner brackets. Body first, then lid.
  4. Bolt the casters through the floor, then the 0.12 in aluminium PC chassis on its rubber isolators.
  5. Skin the body with M5 button heads into drop-in T-nuts; fit the EPDM gasket.
  6. Mount fans, filters, hoods and the powerCON inlet; run the fans off a motherboard header.
  7. Hang the lid on the piano hinge with gas struts and the locking stay; mount the ultrawide.
  8. Laser cut the acrylic; glue the Quest cradle with Weld-On 4.
  9. Battery in its bay. Move the PC parts out of the NZXT case onto the chassis: board plate, GPU saddle, radiator and PSU clamps.
  10. Pull the plug with the PC under load and check it rides through.
~4 h
Idle with both monitors, about 200 W.
~2 h
Fairy Ring running, about 400 W.
~1.2 h
GPU flat out, about 700 W.
106 CFM
About 54 °F over room air at 700 W.
30.2 in
Deck height. The casters unbolt for the Jeep.

Anchor tags

Engraved and cut on the xTool / 24 cards

Rowmark LaserMax 2-ply, white over black, 1/16 in (part LM922-204), 12 x 24 in sheets12 · 24 anchor-tag cards at 8 x 10 in, two per sheet. Engrave on the xTool P3$144.00
Woodpeckers 1/8 in Baltic birch 12 x 24 in, box of 66 · Stiff backing for the bench, floor and machine tags$24.00
Scotch-Mount clear double-sided tape, 1 x 125 in1 · Laminate to ply backer$8.00

Black fill is the tag, red hairline is the cut, and the black square must measure exactly 6 in.

Waste less

Six rules the whole system is built around

  1. Make it once. Seeing a piece full size in the room before cutting anything catches the wrong size, the wrong proportion and the wrong wood. The best scrap is the one never made.
  2. Cut what you need. Fairy Ring nests parts on the sheet and writes the cut list from the model, so boards are bought to length and offcuts are tracked.
  3. Grow, don't buy foam. Packaging, inserts and insulating forms come from Mother instead of polystyrene.
  4. Loop the plastic. Failed prints and trimmed vacuum-formed sheet go to Lazarella. Brims and wax scrap go back to Queen Bee.
  5. Wash the formwork. Mud Diva's clay molds are slaked and reused, so the only waste from a concrete pour is the water.
  6. Small machines, small power. Every dancer is a desktop machine. The whole ring at once draws less than one shop dust collector.

The research

Studies behind the materials

The numbers behind those rules, from published studies.

8%of global CO₂

Cement is the binder in concrete, and making it releases about 8% of the world's CO₂. That's why Mud Diva prints thin, only where the part needs it, into clay formwork that is washed off and reused.
Chatham House, Making Concrete Change (2018) →

Grownnot made

Mycelium composites are fungal root grown through farm waste like hemp hurd. Reviews find them low-energy to make, light, insulating, and compostable at the end of their life, with weak points too: they soak up water and aren't structural. Mother uses them for shapes, packaging and insulating forms, sealed when they'll see water.
Jones et al., Materials & Design (2020), engineered mycelium composites review →

How you grow itchanges what you get

How the mycelium is fed, packed and pressed changes how strong, dense and water resistant it ends up. That's why Mother packs every mold by weight, and why the drying is tested.
Appels et al., Materials & Design (2019) →

3 to 80%+less energy

Turning waste plastic into filament at home, rather than making new filament in a factory, saved from 3% to over 80% of the energy, depending on where you live and how the power is made.
Kreiger, Mulder, Glover & Pearce, Journal of Cleaner Production (2014) →

½the energy

Pairing a recyclebot with a 3D printer in the same shop, so failed prints become new filament, cut the embodied energy of the parts in half and their cost to pennies. Lazarella is that loop.
Zhong & Pearce, Resources, Conservation & Recycling (2018) →

~9%of plastic is recycled

Only about 9% of the world's plastic waste is recycled. The rest is burned, landfilled or leaks into the environment. Keeping shop plastic in a loop is a small piece of that.
OECD, Global Plastics Outlook (2022) →

Thingoes further

Simple arithmetic: a 1 in board resawn as solid stock gives two faces, but sliced into veneer about 0.024 in thick it gives dozens of leaves, each one a full face. Figured and rare woods go furthest that way, which is why Drag Queen works in veneer.

Poundsnot tons

A hive makes only a pound or two of wax a year, and bees eat a lot of honey to make it. Queen Bee's wax is precious, so every brim and failed print gets remelted, and casting work leans on the 80 / 20 blend.
FAO, Value-added products from beekeeping →

Questions

The ones people ask first

Do I need to know CAD?

No. You talk and point. Fairy Ring turns that into a real CAD model with exact sizes. If you do know CAD, the model exports as STEP, STL and DXF.

Does it buy things on its own?

Never. It builds the cart and the total, and you decide.

What does it run on?

A gaming PC in the rig, two Meta Quest 3S headsets, and Claude for anything that isn't a simple command.

How exact is it?

The model is exact. Hand gestures land within a few millimetres, and you can always say the number instead.

Can the machines run while I'm away?

Some can. Handmaiden swaps plates and loads sheets so printers and the laser can work through a queue. Nothing with a flame or a spindle runs alone.

Is it safe?

Each machine has its own safety notes in its recipes. The rules everywhere: a fire extinguisher by the laser, gloves for cement and hot sheet, a mask for dust and grows, and never leave heat or a spindle running alone.

Is any of it built yet?

The software runs. The machines are designed with full parts lists and files, and they're being built now.

Meet the dancers →