Follincraft - Chris Follin

Portrait of Chris Follin, fabrication shop manager

Hi, I'm Chris - I like designing things and making them work.

Based in Phoenix, AZ, I’ve spent over 20 years shaping metal into lasting designs and coding tools to make life easier. From custom fabrication to outdoor adventures, this site showcases my work, gear, and favorite campsites. Dive in to explore or connect!

Metal Fab & Welding CAD & 3D Modeling Web Design Graphic Design Coding Camping & Outdoors

See Projects → Contact Me

Projects

These projects cover a mix of skills I’ve picked up along the way — building, restoring, wiring, and designing. What connects them isn’t polish or perfection, but the process of figuring things out and making them work. Each one of them taught me something, and that’s the part I value most.

How I Work

SHOP RULES

Safety glasses - every time, all the time
Sharp blades save time and fingers
Do it right or do it twice
Leave the place better than you found it

PERSONAL RULES

Integrity is what you do when no one is watching
If you're not early you're late
Treat people the way you want to be treated
Don’t waste money on junk — buy once, cry once

Code & Scripts

Step into the digital side of my workbench, where I’ve spent years crafting code to streamline shop operations and fuel personal projects. From lightweight JavaScript tools that calculate material weights on the fly to Google Apps Script solutions that keep my shop’s schedule on track, this collection highlights my evolution as a coder—blending practicality with a passion for efficiency.

How I Code

CODING PRINCIPLES

Keep it simple, no over-engineering
Test in production, not just theory
Document as you go

TOOLS & HABITS

VS Code for everything
Git for version control
Break problems into small functions

Camp

A running log of places I’ve camped and would camp again. Real conditions, honest notes, and the little details that make or break a night outside — wind, shade, water, and what to pack if you want to be comfortable.

Camp Gear

The gear that actually earns its place in the pack. I’ve tried ultralight, overbuilt, and everything in between — these are the pieces I’d buy again, organized by category so you can find what matters for shelter, cooking, lighting, tools, and camp comfort.

Resources

Field-tested references and quick calculators I actually use. The fabrication section covers gauges, pipe, and layout planning; the camping section keeps trips simple with checklists and cooking notes.

Fabrication Tools

Resource	Description	Link
Sheet Metal Gauge Reference Steel • Stainless • Aluminum	Quick gauge ⇄ thickness lookup across common alloys. Cuts down errors and speeds up quoting.	Open
Pipe Schedule Table Schedules 10 • 40 • 80	NPS sizes with OD, wall, and ID. A fast reference for fittings, flow, and weight estimates.	Open
Cut List Calculator Stock length + kerf	Stick count, cut sequence, and waste in one pass. Great for quick pulls and material planning.	Open
Panel Layout Calculator Rectangular nesting	How many parts fit per sheet and what the waste looks like. Simple nesting for flat parts.	Open

Camping Tools

Resource	Description	Link
Backpacking Checklist Trail-ready pack list	Clean, category-based list that saves your checks. Dialed for overnight to weekend trips.	Open
Car Camping Checklist Drive-in comfort list	Everything for a solid basecamp - shelter, kitchen, site gear, lighting, safety, and extras.	Open
Camp Cookbook Skillet • Grill • Foil	Field-proven recipes with clear directions. Filter by meal & method, tick off ingredients, and print a copy for camp.	Open
Campground & Dispersed Finder Arizona map • filters	Interactive Google map with state, county, and amenity filters. Quickly spot everything from RV parks to backcountry pullouts.	Open
Desert Critter ID & Hazards Rattlers • Scorpions • Bees	Quick ID cards with do’s & don’ts for Arizona’s desert hazards. Includes first-aid steps.	Open