Toolbox

Make an appliance box fort

Make an appliance box fort

It’s no secret to kids that a big cardboard box is the best play fort you can have. Find a washing machine box on the curb, drag it home: instant fun. If you want some amenities, such as a drawbridge door or firing slits, you need to put a little extra work into it.
I’ve embellished ours in the past with everything from a Swiss Army knife to a box cutter. Turns out, a Dremel Multi-Max is a much easier, more controllable tool for this than anything I’ve tried. Add some good fasteners and there’s no limit to the size and complexity of the cardboard castles you can
construct.

Mike Hord’s mobile toolboxes

Mike Hord’s mobile toolboxes

Electrical engineer Mike Hord says “if you can’t find it, you don’t own it.” Acoordingly, he has organized his portable component kit and tool kit. He has every tray of his toolboxes photographed with callouts and explanations giving you the 411 on everything he carries with him. Owning an object has a cost, however minor, […]

Top 10: Notebooks and pens

Our quarterly theme of Tools for Creativity continues with this roundup of excellent pens and notebooks to help you express your creativity. #10 XY servo sandbox drawing tool #9 How-To: “Indestructible” 3-ring binder #8 Brand name pencils #7 Hypotrochoid-drawing robot #6 Designer Moleskines #5 IR laser wood-burning pen #4 Tesla CD turbine pencil sharpener #3 […]