Father’s Day is upon us in the US, whether you are a mentor or father figure or know someone who does their best. And like many Father’s Days before, I forgot to get my dad a gift. So instead of capitulating to commercialism and buying him something at the last minute, I spent hours reading through the Makezine archive to find 10 stories I think he’d enjoy the most. I think if you’re anything like my dad, you’ll appreciate them too.
For his rat bike, Keith Young “wanted something simple and easy, something old school with character.”
Create a 10-Foot-Tall Fire Tornado
With a few household items, you can build a firenado that will put smaller fires and tornadoes to shame.
Gever Tulley’s tale of kids building a hang glider from blurry plans and a photo of how it should look is almost too good to be true.
Joel Watson built own working canoe under impressively tight constraints.
Convert Any Bike to Electric with a Front Wheel Motor Kit
Electric bikes get you all the joys and freedom of riding a bike (avoiding traffic congestion and parking, for instance) while smashing through physical limits on your ability to climb hills and cover great distances.
This flashback raised bed is great for growing your own backyard vegetables.
Forget what I said about kids building a hang glider, this story sounds way too incredible to be true.
Get Barreled: How to Store Drinking Water
Emergency water storage is an easy project, from 2 liters to 55 (or more) gallons.
Dave Langkamp poured sweat and epoxy into his dream of being the coolest middle-aged man in the neighborhood.
Finally we have the Proud Parent Machine, built by Simone Giertz in 2020. If you’re unable to be with a parent for Father’s Day, here’s a somewhat cynical substitution.
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