In 2019, I bought a second-hand, wood-pellet-fired Ooni pizza oven. As a way to meet our new neighbors, I used it to host weekly pizza nights in the backyard of our 1-bedroom apartment, and it was a hit.
But I was annoyed at how much time I was wasting by adding pellets and waiting for the oven to heat back up between each pizza. The pizzas came out slower than I wanted, and instead of getting to chat with friends, I was always managing the oven.
So in the summer of 2020, I cobbled together a cardboard hopper, a Traeger auger, a motor rescued from the garbage, and an arduino to automate the pellet feeding.
Since then, I’ve designed, built, and tested 3 more prototypes, and I’m now getting ready to manufacture the world’s first automated, wood-fired pizza oven (like a Traeger combined with an Ooni or Gozney).
A few engineering highlights:
Built 4 generations of prototypes in 2 years
Ensured production-intent design is feasible and cost-efficient by building relationships with manufacturers and contractors
Managed BOM for large assemblies
Designed and manufactured 100s of sheet metal components
Conceptualized and implemented a unique, closed-loop temperature control
You can learn more about the oven and our Kickstarter launching later in 2023 at modernpizzaproducts.com.
The first unofficial prototype of an automated wood-fired oven: a cardboard hopper, a Traeger auger, a motor, and an arduino.
Testing an early version of the burner assembly
The 3rd prototype oven, with a more complex control system and all sheet metal components built and designed by me
The fourth and most current prototype, and the first prototype shared with potential customers to gather feedback. All components were custom designed and built by me. This oven finally works exactly how I want it to work.
Render of the production-intent design. Improved user experience, aesthetics, and production-cost efficiencies.
While working at 3D printer company Markforged, two of my major projects were as an R&D engineer and then as a mechanical engineer.
As an R&D engineer, I worked on the early-stage product development for a metal 3D-printing system. We had a small multidisciplinary team to quickly figure out the product’s viability.
As a mechanical engineer, I worked with a large team of engineers to bring a large-format printer (FX20) to market. I was responsible for design, prototyping, and validation of the heated chamber’s thermal control.
FX20 printer I helped design while at Markforged
Heated chamber of the FX20 printer that I helped design and validate
With two old bikes, some metal, and a few YouTube videos, I designed and built a bucket bike from scratch. I cut each bike in half and put the front of the child’s bike and the back of the mountain bike onto a frame jig that I built out of 8020. I then welded a structure to connect the two bike halves and built a steering mechanism, wooden cargo box, kickstand, and car seat mounts.
You can read more about the process here.
I was one of two employees assigned to the SmartWinch project, where I designed, prototyped, built, and tested a smartphone-controlled 2,000-lb. winch for an ATV.
I developed a unique mechanical system for line management that allowed for an innovative single-wrap design; designed, tested, and built an auto-shifting gearbox with speed, load, and size constraints; collaborated with manufacturers to create an application-specific synthetic rope; helped design a brushless motor, lithium-ion battery pack, and sheet-metal frame; and successfully built four prototypes on a tight deadline to showcase at CES 2017.
Smart Track is building a suite of modular smart-garage products that mount to a single track and are controlled through an app.
I helped generate new ideas for products to add to the suite, including a security camera and outlet module. I also designed injection-molded parts, built and tested prototypes, interfaced with electrical and software engineers, and sourced parts for several of the products—primarily for the parking-assist laser.
For four years, I worked at Novatek, a research-and-development company for the oil and gas industry, later purchased by Schlumberger. I started there as an intern and then moved up to the number-two position in the engineering department.
I played a key role in several projects, including designing an indexing drill bit (pictured), developing both a synthetic high-pressure medium and a high-pressure hydraulic pump for the diamond press, and developing a CNC laser for finishing synthetic diamonds.
A work in progress of rebuilding a 1971 Yamaha XS 650 into a bobber.
So far I've added a hardtail kit and machined new parts to replace the forks. I'm currently designing and machining custom motor mounts.
I wanted an efficient and convenient way to feed my flock of chickens sprouted grains year-round, so I designed a solar-powered, hydroponic, sprouting system.
The system is easy to build, and all of the components were purchased on Amazon. It uses a solar panel to charge a battery, which powers both a pump and a timer to water the seeds every three hours. I'm continually adjusting the watering schedule to get it as efficient as possible.
This 3-pound fighting robot, affectionately known as Baby Bot Back, was a personal project that I built to enter into a local robot-fighting competition. The remote-controlled robot has a single-piece aluminum frame, three-tipped spinning blade, high-power brushless motor, and lithium-polymer battery.
I designed and machined all of the robot's parts, including the single-piece aluminum frame, and used a plasma cutter and welder to make the steel-plate armor. I also sourced all of the electronic components, which included drive motors, a brushless motor for the weapon, motor controllers, a receiver, and batteries.
Even though I was eliminated in the first round (after battling the eventual champion), I loved creating within the competition's constraints and pushing my design and machining skills.
I've had these two hobby-grade 3D printers—which I use for prototyping parts for simple, personal projects—since 2013, when the company I worked for purchased them for employees to introduce 3D printing into their design processes. I immediately took the time to learn the machines and then taught the rest of the department how to use them.
Since then, the company has purchased several professional-grade 3D printers that I've learned to use as well, including Stratasys, Markforged, and Formlabs.
I enjoy working with 3D printers because they offer a fast way to develop, iterate, and test ideas. I also enjoy playing with the settings to try to get the best print possible.
Over the last several years, I've worked to build my personal set of tools to better facilitate my creative pursuits. Starting with the hand tools I inherited from my grandpa, I've built my collection to also include a lathe, CNC mill, welder, CNC router, 3D printers, plasma cutter, and more.
I acquire these machines to both provide myself with more opportunities to learn and to help my many ideas move from my head to the real world.
I got my first snowmobile when I was 14 years old for $100. It didn't run and didn't have skis, so I had to learn how to fix it before I could ride it. Since then, I've owned and worked on about a half-dozen snowmobiles. In Winter, I try to spend as many weekends as I can riding in the mountains.
