THE BEST Adam Savage

Inspired by this video, prop builder and experimenter extraordinaire Adam Savage decided to see if he could put together a poker table from scratch in less than a day. It’s a great video to watch if you want to learn some tricks for cutting and bending wood curves, along with some good shop safety tips.

Chainmaille, or colloquially “Chain Mail,” is that sweet looking flexible armor that dates back to the 3rd century BC. The real stuff is notoriously heavy and hard to construct. Tested’s Adam Savage and Ben Eadie show off a creative new way to make the stuff for costumes using laser-cut EVA foam.

In December 2019, Adam Savage unwrapped one of the coolest Christmas gifts ever – one of Boston Dynamics‘ four-legged Spot robots. He then took it out for its first walk to learn just how good it is at walking on challenging terrain. Adam and the crew at Tested plan on putting Spot through its paces over the next year.

As part of a campaign for Starbucks, Adam Savage was asked to help build excitement for their Nitro Cold Brew coffee. Naturally, Adam couldn’t resist doing something overly dramatic, and built a liquid nitrogen-powered engine for delivering a sweet cream topper. Disclaimer: This is not how Starbucks makes theirs.

After reading Adam Savage’s book Every Tool’s a Hammer, maker Peter Brown was inspired to try and use the book itself as a hammer. To turn it into a useful tool, he had to coat each and every page of the book with resin to harden it into a sturdy laminate known as Micarta – often used for knife scales.

On a recent episode of his series Savage Builds, Adam Savage decided to see if he could replicate the functionality of the awesome 6-in-1 weapon known as the Zorg Industries ZF-1 from The Fifth Element. Here, he shows off the finished build. You’ll need to tune in to see it in action though.

Adam Savage and fellow modelmaker Kayte Sabicer show off one of the coolest replicas we’ve seen in a while – an insanely detailed recreation of the blimp that hovers overhead in Blade Runner, enticing Earthlings to head for the Off-World Colonies.

Tested’s Adam Savage has built some incredibly complex projects, but here he returns to his model-making roots, and shows us how to make a completely unique robot sculpture using parts cobbled together parts from Weta Workshop’s Giant Killer Robots board game.

If you liked Adam Savage’s EDC One but wished it was more affordable or a bit smaller, consider your wish granted. Savage Industries has released the EDC Two. Like the EDC One, it’s also made of upcycled sailcloth and has a para-aramid reinforced base.

Adam Savage and Tested went to the California factory of Future Motion, the makers of the Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboard. Adam got a tour of the factory and in the end built a Onewheel+ XR, the new model that has an extended range of up to 18mi.

We’ve seen some awfully impressive NERF weapons over the years, now Adam Savage throws his hat into the ring with an impressive one-day build of a NERF Rival Nemesis that has a removable see-through magazine to expand its capacity to 1,000 rounds per load.

Adam Savage gave a speech at the 2018 Maker Faire Bay Area that focused on sharing creations, and more importantly ideas. Savage reminds us that we don’t create in a vacuum, and even if we did, it is only right that we share for the betterment of others and the world.

Watch Adam Savage make a replica of Deckard’s binoculars from Blade Runner 2049. He started with a 3D model made by fellow maker Jon-a-Tron, which he modified to make it more faithful to the movie prop.

Adam Savage worked with Mafia Bags to create a carry-all utility bag, the Savage Industries EDC One. The bag is made from upcycled sailcloth and a para-aramid synthetic fiber reinforced base. It has an interior pocket and pen loops as well as a hook-and-loop patch.

“No computers, no 3D printers. It’s completely made in the shed.” Tested recently visited the shop of model maker Glen English. A former professional motorcycle racer, Glen makes jaw-dropping motorcycle scale models almost entirely from scratch.

Watch Adam Savage from Tested speak in hushed tones and geek out as he takes us on a very informative tour of the set of 2048: Nowhere to Run, the prequel to the new blockbuster film (and one in which he was an extra). His enthusiasm is infectious.

Tested’s Adam Savage stopped by UK special effects costume house FBFX to check out some of the incredible spacesuits they’ve made for science fiction movies. The engineering, detail, and craftsmanship in each of these outfits is truly extraordinary.

While at UK effects and fabrication shop FBFX, Tested’s Adam Savage had the unique privilege of having his body 3D scanned, then replicated at life size using a 5-axis milling robot which carved his entire body from foam. We only wish they included footage of the robot at work.

Adam, Will and Norm got their hands on the awesome LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V scale model rocket a bit earlier than us mere mortals. Watch them unbox, methodically knoll parts, and build the set. Assembly and story time start at 2:25.

Tested’s Adam Savage has been granted behind-the-scenes access to the set of Ridley Scott’s upcoming Alien: Covenant. In the first episode, he checks out the tunnel and cavern that serve as the Dreadnought’s interior, along with the imposing Space Jockey’s platform.

Adam Savage likes to go to conventions undercover. For Silicon Valley Comic Con, he dressed as Chewbacca, complete with an awesomely annoying C-3PO strapped to his back. We also learned that Chewie must go through an awful lot of hairspray.

Tested visited Weta Workshop to take a look at some of the props they made for the live action Ghost in the Shell movie. In particular, they showed off the Major’s thermoptic suit, as well as the masks and animatronics for the robot geisha.

Adam Savage joined Imgur’s 2016 Secret Santa and made a custom NERF sniper rifle as his gift. He went for a weathered sci-fi look and beefed up its firing mechanism. He kinda borked the magazine with paint, but overall he did a great job. Finished build at 29:08.

For his latest one-day build, Adam Savage and his Tested pals cheated a bit, spending a couple of days cutting, welding, and assembling a complicated walking machine inspired by the work of Theo Jansen. And you thought assembling IKEA furniture was tricky.