Awesome Making

Good airflow is important for keeping electronic components cool, so most computers use fans to circulate air. But we’ve never seen a computer that cools itself by breathing. DIY Perks shows off a gigantic machine he built that quietly pumps air in and out using bellows.

Back in 2008, Bridge City Tool Works posted this video showing off a fun use for their precision Jointmaker Pro table saw. By cutting numerous alternating notches into a stick of lumber, it turns into the wooden equivalent of a wet noodle. Woodworker Stumpy Nubs posted a more recent video showing how the tool works.

RC aircraft enthusiast Troy McMillan spent countless hours planning, designing, 3D printing, and assembling a scale model of a jumbo jet. Here, he shares the time-consuming build process, its maiden flight, and tragic demise after a battery failure rendered his flight controller useless.

Woodworker John Heisz of I Build It recently added a CNC router to his shop. As he’s continued to build his CNC skills, he put the machine to the test by having it fabricate wooden parts to replace its own drag chain. The flexible, segmented cover is designed to keep the machine’s cables safe and tangle-free.

Athens, Greece artist Roman Parkhin of Banjo Show makes unique sculptures with a steampunk aesthetic. Watch as he turns an assortment of hardware, tubing, and vintage radio tubes into a funky accent light under a glass dome. At its center is a radiometer, a device which spins when exposed to the heat generated by a light.

Make It Extreme has built some pretty rad vehicles, but their Endobike prototype looks sketchier than most, seating its rider in a low position between its large front wheel and two smaller back wheels. It has no steering wheel, and instead steers by leaning. One commenter called it the “Faceplant Machine.”

Yonex is one of the most respected brands in tennis, and their rackets are the choice of many pro players. Tennis Warehouse takes us inside the Japanese company’s warehouse for a look at their production process, which seamlessly blends a human and robotic workforce.

The Q has built more than their share of unusual bicycles over the years. But unlike their earlier approach to making wheel spokes disappear, this time they actually built a working hubless bike. The trick is that it redirects the chain to the outer edge of the wheel instead of its center.

Have some old closet doors lying around? Guitar builder Tim Sway shows us how he took the thin wood used to make hollow-core doors and used it to build a totally serviceable acoustic guitar. He laminated together strips from the edges of the door with epoxy to create the guitar’s neck and used the main panels for its body.

As we’ve seen before, Ross The Random has a knack for turning bits of hardware into small works of art. In this video, he shows us how he took an old copper nozzle from a MIG welder and transformed it into a badass ring based on the visage of Spider-Man’s terrifying nemesis Carnage.

Captain America’s shield possesses some impressive, but implausible physical characteristics. In addition to its near indestructibility and ability to absorb energy, it can bounce off of surfaces and come back to Cap. JLaservideo wanted to see what it would take to replicate the shield’s key features, including its ricochet.

The wider the tires on your bike, the more traction you’ll get on loose terrain like sand, mud, or gravel. But there are fat-tire bikes, and then there’s BigWR’s Bigfoot bike, which he rigged with the wheels and tires from an off-road truck. We’re guessing it requires quite a bit of leg strength to keep those wheels turning.

YouTuber Phuc Nguyen shared this hypnotic video of an intricate image being engraved out of a thick disc of brass. He used a Woodpecker DP1212 CNC router, and a variety of different tooling bits to gradually increase the detail of the design.

When you think about it, it’s pretty impressive how a tape measure can neatly coil up 15 or more feet of metal into a case you can clip onto your belt loop. Science Channel’s Machines: How They Work dissects the modern tape measure to show us its inner workings.

One of the most important parts of any workshop is having some way to store and organize tools. Builder Ben Tardif decided he wanted something that offered flexibility, so he built a wall storage system that uses French cleats for hanging and arranging custom bins and shelves that hold his most frequently used tools.

Maker Nick Zammeti shows us how something as simple as a stack of handkerchiefs can become a work of art. Watch as he creates a small bowl from a stack of the cloths saturated with epoxy resin. As he works through the layers on a lathe, various colors and marbled patterns emerge from the pile.

Blacksmith Black Beard Projects shows off a really sweet build – a replica of a Viking-style bearded hatchet. Its sweeping axe head started off life as a section of a railroad track, and its handle was hand-carved from elm wood. Also, we’re suckers for anything with a Damascus pattern.

How to Make Everything has dedicated their YouTube channel to creating objects from scratch. They’re working on a firebox that can be used as a pottery kiln and eventually for hotter tasks like glass-blowing. Naturally, they even created their own firebricks. As their first low-temp test, they used it to cook (er, burn) pizza.

UK-based Sphere Designs makes this useful workstation for assembling and painting models and miniatures. It comes with a removable A4-size cutting mat and ceramic tile insert, brush holders, and with a rack customized to fit your preferred brand of paints. They also make standalone paint racks and brush racks.

It’s always good to carry a comb in your pocket to help keep your hair in shape. It might as well be a good-looking comb, right? Koss takes us through the process of machining a handsome copper and brass comb that flips open like a balisong. While this one is sold, keep an eye on their Etsy shop for other works for sale.

We’ve seen time and again how different collections of metal objects can create some uniquely patterned damascus. Metalsmith Shurap is back with another cool creation which is the result of melting down 190 coins and fusing them together to form a blank for forging a blade.

Chris Powell of Full Steam Designs pulled out all of the stops to build this one-of-a-kind TV stand. The design incorporates dozens of curved and layered pieces, kerf bending, and meticulously arranged patterned plywood. We suggest watching the whole video, but there’s a sped-up version on Reddit if you’re in a hurry.

Xyla Foxlin likes to build all kinds of things but has a special affinity for canoes and paddles. Using an existing canoe as a mold, she created a translucent fiberglass vessel that she wired up with strips of RGB LED lighting, making it the most vibrant and colorful boat on the water.