The Build Log

Who can make it, and what will they charge?

Station 2 of 5 on the road every made thing goes down. Find the shop and the materials, and agree a price.

How long
As long as you like. Nothing here is timed.
You need
Three people · One job to price · Paper · A kitchen scale · Somebody to search with you
Messy
No.
Crayon drawing of a stamped envelope flying through the sky toward a small red barn workshop with a stack of logs against the wall.
Station 2 of 5 · Source · a grown-up calls it sourcing

Where the two things stand here.

  • The JumboHere nowRFQs out to the makers · waiting on Max
  • Max — Mascot Figure LampStuckLock the 5 V E12 filament bulb · waiting on Dan
  • LarryNot yetFind somebody who sews · waiting on Max

Try this at the table.

One for each object. A greyed-out one is not us being lazy. It is a thing that cannot honestly be done until somebody clears the gate written on it.

1The Jumbo

Ask three shops the same question.

The same drawing goes to three Wisconsin shops. They will quote different numbers for identical work, sometimes by a lot, and we will show you the spread and which one we picked.

You needThree peopleOne job to pricePaper

IdeaA quote. Same work, different prices, and the cheapest one is not automatically the answer.

2Max — Mascot Figure Lamp

Help us find a bulb that does not exist yet.

Max's head is a light bulb, which was the whole joke until it became the whole problem. We need one that runs on five volts so it is safe to hand a person, looks like an old filament bulb, and is not heavier than sixty grams or he tips over. We have not found it. This is what being stuck looks like, and it is why no wood has been cut on him.

You needA kitchen scaleSomebody to search with you

IdeaRequirements. One rule is easy. Three rules at the same time is why this is stuck.

3LarryLocked

Find out who near you sews.

The other two things on this bench are wood, and we know shops that cut wood. Larry is cloth, and sewing is a completely different trade with completely different people in it. We do not have anybody yet. Ask the grown-ups near you who mends things, or who has a machine in a cupboard. That is the same question we are asking.

You needSomebody to ask

IdeaA maker is a person with a skill, not a factory. Different material, different person.

Opens when: Find somebody who sews · Max

That is the end of this one

The word for what you just did is sourcing.

Sourcing is what a grown-up calls this station on a resume. It is one of five, it always happens in this order, and skipping it does not save you the work. It only moves the work to a later station where it costs more.