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 […]
Amaze your kids by transforming two old toilet rolls and a few other recycled bits and bobs into a cool steampunk-inspired robot. Amaze them even further by balancing your robot on the edge of a ruler, table, shelf, or even your finger. And then triple amaze them by rotating the arms and revealing the steel […]
A lovely book, bound by your own hands, may be just the thoughtful yet utilitarian gift idea you’ve been searching for. The cover can incorporate a window that reveals the invitation, a small drawing, a photograph, or anything else you may think of. This versatile binding makes a great guest book (in which case you […]
Author Note: Since the release of the article in MAKE Magazine Volume 15 in 2008, the Compressed Air Rocket has been popular beyond belief. We’ve sold thousands of kits and Kip Kay’s Weekend Project on YouTube has over one million views! Now we’re rolling out a Version 2.0 of the launcher as well as the […]
The HeliRocket is propelled by a standard model-rocket engine, but instead of the engine’s ejection charge deploying a parachute, it releases the rocket’s 3 tail fins. The fins then swing up into a helicopter blade configuration, which slows the rocket’s descent by converting much of its kinetic energy into drag and angular momentum (spin). Some […]
You’ll need some basic soldering & hand tools to assemble the Monochron. The good news is that this is a pretty basic kit and even if it’s your first soldering project, it shouldn’t take more than 2 or 3 hours to put together. Buy the kit at the Maker Shed.
Well, I am new on this, although I have built a couple of airplanes, worked on flight testing as a structures tech, and specialized on composites. I decided to use the “original composite,” plywood (which happens to be the cheapest, too), to build a compact teardrop camper trailer. It all started on a trip to […]
