Awesome Making

Costume armorer David Guyton shows us how it’s possible to sculpt a sheet of aluminum into the shape of a human face. It’s a time-consuming process to stretch and bend the metal, but with enough practice and the right tools, you could make one too. He also posted a tutorial on how to make a matching Roman helmet.

Clamps are readily available at your local hardware store, but if you’re industrious, you could always make your own. Pask Makes shows off a square clamp he made from steel, and walks through the process of building one with handheld tools, then ramping up production with professional workbench tools.

Computer speakers aren’t the most elegant things. Matthew of DIY Perks wanted something different, and decided to build a sound system from pieces of bamboo flooring. He built a pair of angled dual-driver speakers and connected them with a monitor stand that houses a subwoofer, amplifier, USB hub, and led lighting.

Hot tubs can be pretty expensive. But not so if you’re a DIYer like HomeMadeModern. In this video, he shows us how he built a rectangular outdoor hot tub from cedar 2x6s and waterproof Flex Seal. A portable water heater and recirculating pump keeps the water nice and toasty.

You could just put M&Ms in a candy dish, or you could overengineer a solution like JBV Creative did. The machine is basically a tiny candy factory that dishes out individual candies from a storage tank onto a conveyor belt and then into a tray. Money shot at 7:56. Want your own? Grab the STL files for 3D printing here.

DanCreator continues to wow us with his awe-inspiring cardboard creations. This time out, he built a fully-functional miniature forklift out of the stuff, then used it to lift a bunch of tiny Amazon boxes on cardboard shipping pallets.

Pask Makes shows us how wood skewers are good for more than serving kebabs. By stacking, cutting, clamping, and gluing hundreds of sticks, then planing and sanding the result, he created a beautiful cutting board we’d love to have on our kitchen counter.

Random Hands had an old anvil he used for blacksmithing tasks. When it was time to replace the rusty old thing, he chopped out a 40-pound chunk from its center and gradually reworked it into Thor’s mighty hammer, Mjölnir. Stick around to the end to see if he’s worthy and can lift it.

We’ve seen how colored pencils can be turned into some cool objects, and here’s another one for the collection. Sit back and enjoy as artist Andy Phillip takes hundreds of the pencils, bathes them in resin, and then turns them on his lathe to form a colorful torus. We rather enjoyed watching those resin threads go flying.

After building and restoring a number of power tools for their workshop, Black Beard Projects wanted to put them to use. In this video, see how they heated a thick steel rod and formed it into the head of an elegant Japanese-style tool known as a Dog Head hammer. We love the color of its heat-treated finish and burnt wood handle.

In this video from woodworker JAR Made, he how he made a unique accent lamp that lets light shine through gaps cut into a wooden shade. By making horizontal and vertical kerf cuts, he was able to bend the wood into a hyperboloid shape reminiscent of a nuclear cooling tower. He also placed an Alexa voice assistant inside.

In 2021, PC and accessory maker Corsair announced they were making an enormous 20″ square version of one of their PC cooling fans. It turned out to be a joke, but lots of people wanted one anyhow. Rather than wait for Corsair to make good, Angus from Maker’s Muse decided to design and build his own overpowered version.

Despite the name, a 3″ long 10-penny steel nail costs about four cents. We’re certain that this handmade golden nail by W&M Levsha cost quite a bit more to create. With its surface engraved with intricate patterns, this is one nail that you definitely don’t want to strike with a hammer. Wait until you see its secret purpose.

When is a coffee table not just a coffee table? When it’s a light show, of course. Dashing Axe built this unique piece of furniture with hexagonal cutouts filled with resin, then backlit with colorful rings of RGB LEDs and sensors that respond to movements. Sadly, a Kickstarter to make a production version was unsuccessful.

Normally, if you want a Mercedes-AMG G63, you’re looking at a six-figure price tag. Not so if you’re King of Crafts, who fabricated a drivable replica of the rugged G-Wagon out of cardboard. It rides on a homemade steel tube frame and can hit speeds up to 25 mph. It’s even amphibious… sorta.

To celebrate the purchase of his new iPhone 13 Pro Max, Matty Benedetto of Unnecessary Inventions wanted a case that nobody else has. So he got to work designing, fabricating, and assembling a case that not only protects his phone but can launch pieces of candy into his mouth. He’s gonna need a bigger pocket.