Two-Can Stirling Engine
The Stirling engine has long captivated inventors and dreamers. Here are complete plans for building and operating a two-cylinder model that runs on almost any high-temperature heat source.
Glue
Mizuhiki Knot
Mizuhiki plays an important role in Japanese culture as a symbol of affection, warmth, and togetherness. Made from washi, or Japanese paper, Mizuhiki is a colorful twine that is tied in knots to decorate gifts. Each knot has a meaning and is used for a specific event (wedding ceremony, funeral service, birth, visiting someone at […]
Olde-School Bookbinding
Magazines aren’t really built to last, but here’s how you can turn your copy of MAKE (or any other magazine or printout) into a durable hardcover that will withstand the test of time. Your hardcover MAKE will also lie flat on your workbench, making it easier to follow instructions for other projects.
Marble Adding Machine
Computers add binary numbers constantly, but we never see how. This elegant machine does the math using glass marbles. I started building marble track machines years ago using Lego. I experimented with all sorts of crazy ways for the marbles to descend. One was a rocker that shunted a stream of dropping marbles one-by-one to […]
Civilized Cat Toilet Training
Would you let your guests crap in a box on your floor? No? Then why would you let your cats? Here’s how to get them using the toilet like civilized members of the family. Aside from the risks of toxoplasmosis and other diseases transmitted by cat feces, there’s significant labor for the owner involved in […]
Eyeglass Frame Repair
Save money (and your favorite frames) with this sturdy and discreet repair.
The UnaBox
My architect friends Lorenzo Bini and Roberta Pezzulla made this little project for a very young and dynamic client: Lorenzo’s 6-month-old goddaughter. They wanted to make a box that the child could use her whole life to store small, personal, precious things. So they created the UnaBox, taking inspiration from an Indian box (by an […]
