A two year project by metalsmith Seth Gould, forged and filed from scratch, set to the percussive sounds of his workshop — via Vimeo
— via Youtube
This box loom is designed for use with a rigid heddle or for card weaving. It can be used on a table or on your lap, and the work can be dropped at a moment’s notice when something else (kids, pets, etc.) requires attention right now.
The cloth and warp beams are held in slots rather than holes. This makes construction easier, and, as a bonus, you can remove and set aside an unfinished project if something more interesting comes along. Simply release the tension, carefully take out the beams, roll up your project, and secure it with rubber bands.
If you build more than one loom, the recesses on the lower edge allow for easy stacking.
Once you have the laser-cut parts, the rest of the loom can be made with the most basic of woodworking tools. All measurements are in millimetres, but none are so critical that they can’t just be eyeballed — via Make:
This tutorial is inspired by the iconic Fender stratocaster guitars — via Youtube
Joining paracord is one of the fundamental tasks when creating with paracord, especially in multiple colours. This technique is the Manny method
, named after Manuel Zambrano who introduced this method to the paracord community — via Youtube
— via Youtube
Knot tying video tutorial. Directions for how to make a kings crown knot button with paracord. Easy step by step instructions in this guide.
This one is a fusion of the diamond knot or knife lanyard knot and a rose knot. Starting off with a carrick bend, this is a decorative knot that you can use as ornamentation on any of your craft projects. It is also an alternative knot to the diamond knot that you can use for your loop and knot closure paracord bracelets — via Youtube
Display data about the current weather and temperature on a retro split-flap display — via Youtube
— via Youtube
— via Youtube
Johnny Brooke cast some scrap wood chunks into epoxy resin and turned it into a bowl on the lathe — via Youtube
Bit of a break down and rebuild of Alex French Guy Cooking‘s internet pasta machine — via Youtube
On the security conference circuit, Baybe Doll (aka Emily Mitchell) had been getting her nail technician to embed small devices with readable data into her acrylic nails. However, the technology wasn’t available to the masses, and when it was, it was big and chunky. NFC (near-field communication) tags are the solution; they’re tiny and they’re powered by nearby magnetic fields so they don’t need batteries — via Make:
Alex the French Cooking Guy connected with Robin Gagachian, a knife maker in Nantes, France, who offered to help him forge his own chef’s knife — via Youtube
Learn how to 3D Print a pattern directly onto Fabric for Cosplay — super easy and very fun — via Youtube
In this episode of the adventures of Switch & Lever we’re making custom brass plaques, using reasonably simple tools, and some basic chemistry — via Youtube
Jeff Day talks with Mark Sfirri about his unique style of wood turning. Mark’s work has been featured at the Smithsonian Institute’s Renwick Gallery — via Youtube
A couple in Idaho who go by B&E raise chickens, but they are also artists. When they expanded their flock, they decided to build a UFO chicken coop. Two satellite dishes and a trampoline frame later (plus a lot of work), it was ready for the chickens. The coop has windows, surveillance cameras, insulation, ventilation, heaters, and for the alien landing effect, plenty of lights — via Neatorama
In this video Tod talks about the Colletière à Charavines light hunting bow, one of a very few surviving European crossbows from this period (around 1000AD). This is a very simple bow with only a few components. It could be constructed with European woods such as ash and yew and basic hand tools by any back woods bodger
— via Youtube
In honour of his father, Stephen continues the production of traditional baskets, finding peace in his studio through a deep connection with the man who taught him these traditional skills — via Vimeo
An item about candle-making using modern and traditional methods at Price’s Patent Candle Co Ltd — via Youtube
The complete process of manufacturing Damascus steel from batteries and stationery knives. Probably the world record is 138 layers, welded for one forge welding. Damascus Tesla
. The knife from a lantern Maglite — via Youtube
At first glance this crocheted blanket just looks like a pretty pattern. But it is actually so much more! The blanket maps out climate change over the course of the past 130 years. Each hexagon represents a single year and the colours represent the change from the mid century average.
This ingenious data visualization blanket is the brainchild of Lara Cooper. By day, Cooper is a wildlife conservation biologist. But when she isn’t in the lab she runs Level Up Nerd Apparel, an online store where she makes and sells nerdy apparel. This project was the perfect way for her to put both of those skills together — via Make: Zine
— via Youtube
Kutuleras brings you Cthulhu cosplaying Totoro! — via Etsy
A fast way to make great quality knobs for jigs and furniture. No need for any tools, just a mould and some epoxy, it’s super quick and the knobs look great. Faster than making wooden knobs, ideal for the jigs around the workshop — via Youtube
Godzilla is unique, there’s no one like him, maybe he can not throw his nuclear rays but his evil eyes come from the deepest of Mordor — via Etsy
Build a tiny trebuchet for less than $10 using no tools! In this video, Bill Livolsi of One Car Workshop shows you how to build the world’s cutest siege weapon using popsicle sticks, a pair of scissors, and super glue — via Youtube
— via Etsy
— via Youtube
Check out the instructable. Really light up your next dinner party with a table that glows in the dark. Photoluminescent (glow) powder mixed with clear casting resin fills the the naturally formed voids in this Pecky Cypress hardwood, creating a unique and stunning table. The glow powder charges up in sunlight and emits a cool blue glow when in partial or complete darkness — via Youtube
Pete Dearing is undoubtedly winning the maker dad of the year award for the interactive cockpit in these spaceship bunk beds. He’d noticed how much his kids adored buttons; Elevators, remote controls, mobile phones, they just loved them,
he says. He first made a basic control panel out of some switches and buttons mounted on top of an old toolbox with a power source inside. The boys kept asking him to add more buttons. So, Dearing decided to build something more permanent. With no real experience in electronics or woodwork, Dearing sought inspiration online, and purchased plans for a rocket ship bunk bed — via Make:
Sharon McDermott crocheted a row on an afghan every day. The colour of yarn each day was determined by the day’s high temperature. After a year, she has a full blanket with an archive of the local weather conditions.
You can get instructions from knitting or crocheting blogs, or at YouTube. While the colours are up to the creator, and the blankets will vary widely by latitude, I wonder how a blanket made now will vary from a blanket made in the same home ten years from now — via Youtube
Fashion model and embroidery artist Sheena Liam hand sews images of women whose hair seems to gracefully dangle from each of her 2D surfaces, Liam using black thread as a substitute for her subjects’ long locks. The works are all completed and displayed on embroidery hoops, with hair styles extending from the women in french braids, messy buns, and long ponytails. In one particular design, tiny pieces of thread are seen attached to the wall below the hoop, creating the illusion that the embroidered woman above is messily trimming her fringe. Liam creates relatable, solitary moments within each hand sewn hoop. You can see more of her elegant designs, as well as snapshots from her travels, on her Instagram — via Colossal
If you find yourself in the direct path of a charging 590kg bull, you had better be well dressed. That’s Antonio Lopez Fuentes’ philosophy. The Madrid-based tailor and owner of the Fermin Tailor Shop creates custom suits, or trajes de luces
(literally dresses of light
) for matadors. Fuentes’ is a family business that boasts 55 years of expertise in fashioning the finest handmade matador costumes. As you can imagine, each suit requires months of preparation, loads of material and no small amount of hard work. It’s a tough job, but only the finest will do for the brave few in this death-defying profession — via Youtube
It’s no secret that Adam’s a big fan of Chewbacca. So for his newest cosplay build, Adam revamps his Chewie costume to carry an animatronic threepio, as depicted in The Empire Strikes Back. It’s going to require a bit of disassembly, engineering, and problem-solving to turn two costumes into one that’s still wearable — via Youtube
— via Etsy
A prototype for a Cookie Box that can only be opened when you’re with two people. This is the box without the actual lid, so you can see how the mechanism works. In order to open the box, you need at least three hands.
Details of the complete box, plus instructions on how to make it yourself — via Youtube
This zipper pull is easy to make — via Youtube
— via Etsy
Pat Laperrière of Le PicBois from Quebec who is a woodworker primarily focused on wood turning. In this video, he demonstrates how he makes a simple, yet beautiful wooden bowl out of a log of beech. Pat has been wood turning for three years, and although he makes it look easy, it’s quite a dangerous and skilful endeavour — via Youtube
Drawing inspiration from post-war studio pottery and mid-century design, self-taught ceramicist Matthew Ward’s work blends the past and present in a charming manner. His glazed stoneware Totem Vase is seven inches tall and features a pattern reminiscent of mid-century-era star bursts. The subtle blue-on-blue colour means this piece will be at home in just about any room, no matter the décor — via Cool Hunting
May the fourth be with you everyone! As all the nerds know, today is Star Wars Day, so I wanted to celebrate with this super-cute-squishy little Wampa plush. I knew right away that I wanted to make a plush when I saw Star Wars day coming around, and while we’ve seen the classic characters in plush form all the time, I thought a stumpy little chibi Wampa with a bloody little arm was too good to pass up! The arm is even detachable for use in your own lightsabre battles. I made him with some long-pile minky that I had lying around that I thought suit him wonderfully; with just a scrap of red flannel and a sew-in snap, he came together perfectly — via Choly Knight
It’s finished and it’s fast… so fast it’s the worlds fastest as approved by Guinness World Records. This 600cc monster is the work of hours of shed time working out how to squeeze a sports bike and so wheels into a dodgem shell without making a death trap, but surprisingly in a straight line it’s actually quite a solid ride, even when reaching three figure speeds — via Youtube
Clear, well-lit photos of your projects are among the best ways to share your work with others. Few techniques highlight your project as well as an all white light box with soft, even, shadow-free lighting. Not only is the white background distraction free, it will also serve to bounce your light source onto your object from nearly all angles.
This is an effective, inexpensive, and easy way to build a light box for project and product photography. Plus, you can quickly break it down for flat storage, and set it back up in seconds! — via Adafruit Learning System
Transporting delicate electronic or photographic equipment is easy to do. Just embed it in squishy polyurethane foam inside a rigid case. The problem is achieving this without spending too much money — via Make:
In this video, Johnny Brooke builds a mid-century modern slatted bench modelled after the iconic Nelson Platform Bench, designed by George Nelson for Herman Miller. This is a timeless mid-century modern design that makes for a fairly simple yet rewarding woodworking project. The bench can be built from easily attainable materials, including a handful of 1×2 and 1×3 boards from any home centre — via Youtube
Adam Savage visits Weta Workshop to get up close with some of the practical props the effects studio made for the upcoming film Ghost in the Shell. Weta Workshop’s Richard Taylor shows Adam the mechanical geisha masks and animatronic puppets his team created, and how Weta Workshop used new fabrication and design technologies to make these props possible — via Youtube
