Sheet metal

The Nellie Bly Smoker

Make a hot/cold food smoker from a 55-gallon steel drum.

A friend of mine recently finished a deck remodel, whose highlight (literally) is a transparent corrugated roof that diffuses sunlight in a delightful way. This inspired me to find some way to continue that glow after sunset, in the form of a lantern illuminated by tea light candles. There are many colors and styles of […]

Solar Food Dryer

If you’re growing your own fruit and vegetables, or just trying to eat food that’s produced locally, you come across one obvious problem: when something is in season, you have more than you can handle, and then there’s nothing for the rest of the year. The obvious solution is to preserve your food when you […]

Bulletproof Binder

OK, so it’s not, actually. Bulletproof, that is. But with 3/32″ aluminum sheet covers, nickel-plated steel piano hinges, and all-riveted construction, it’s a damn sight tougher than just about any other 3-ring binder you’re likely to encounter in the wild. Especially those crappy cardboard-shrinkwrapped-in-vinyl models most of us had to make do with as schoolkids. […]