Awesome Making

A volumetric display can show images that produce the illusion of depth. After maker Sean Hodgins got his hands on some see-through OLED displays, he designed and built a miniature display that can display a 3D image by spreading its components across its multiple layers. This thing looks straight out of science fiction.

Standard 6-sided dice are cube-shaped. But it’s also possible to make cylindrical dice – the trick is that they spin instead of roll. Metalsmith W&M Levsha demonstrates their craft by fabricating a pair of smooth-rolling metal dice spinners, each laser-engraved with six numbers. Tiny magnets ensure they stop in the right spots.

“Why do I need a six-barrel gun? This is a stupid question.” Most NERF weapons are made out of cheap plastic. Alex Lab wanted something a bit more substantial, so he put his skills to the test and build himself an impressive rapid-fire NERF M134 minigun aluminum and steel. It’s powered by canned compressed air.

While watching TMNT with his kiddo, DiesInEveryFilm Customs spied a cool weapon that he knew he just had to replicate. While masquerading as Nightwatcher, mutant turtle Raphael wields this awesome-looking compact flail. That handle he made almost looks like the hilt of a lightsaber while it’s on the lathe.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa by ukiyo-e artist Hokusai is one of the most iconic works of art of all time. In this video, artist Jade shows us how created a miniature 3-dimensional version of the image inside of a block of resin. We amazed by those tiny boats they made from wooden bowls.

Artist Dennis Van Hoof shows off his violin-making process which combines modern tech with traditional woodworking. He uses a Shapeoko XXL CNC router to carve the instrument’s pieces from olive wood, replicating the shape of a Stradivarius violin. The finished piece incorporates epoxy resin to fill in the gaps in the wood.

As we’ve seen before, Ouroboros_ARQ are experts at miniature construction techniques. In this video, they turn their attention to building a miniaturized replica of a McDonald’s, using real wood framing, along with bricks and mortar. We can almost hear the tiny person at the drive-thru saying “Would you like fries with that?”

Scrap Wood City shows us just how beautiful a hunk of wood can be, as he gradually whittles down a hunk of burled briar root. Working with a somewhat wonky lathe, he gradually turns the wood into a dramatic spherical sculpture that still lets some of its natural textures show through.

We’ve always loved the look of the Kunai, and how it evolved from a tool used for masonry to a deadly ninja’s weapon. In this video, jewelry artist Change You Can Wear creates a teensy replica of the weapon that can be worn around the neck. The process involves making a wax form for a silica investment mold, then casting it in silver.

Wheel rims from a car seem like an odd material for building a wood-burning stove, but that’s exactly what André Göbel of Create Custom Designs did, a set of old steel rims to provide the structure for a cylindrical stove inspired by Bullerjan stoves, which use bent pipes to circulate cold air from the bottom and out of its top.

Normally, if you want to blow big bubbles, you need to dip a bubble wand in a pool of soap bubbles. But designer pojken shows off a fun and easy gizmo that uses a pressurized garden sprayer, a wand, and a string frame to continuously feed giant bubbles on demand. Learn to build your own on Instructables.

Ivan Miranda has built a few homebrew 3D printers, including three very big printers. His latest build – the Giant 3D Printer MkIV is his largest yet, with a 1000mm x 500mm (39.3″ x 19.7″) heated printing bed. Follow along with the build process, then watch it print a massive plastic wrench. You can buy the plans to build your own here.

As we’ve seen before, Peter Brown is a fan of making things out of resin. He recently had a dream about making a resin drill bit and decided to see if he could create that and some other tools and hardware out of clear epoxy resin. They might look cool, but they’re not exactly practical.

The Hamster Miniature Studio 2 aka HMS2 specializes in making really tiny objects. In this video, they decided to build a tiny pair of eyeglasses. They have see-through lenses, and are hinged so they can fold. If our action figures ever have a vision problem, we know where to turn.

Maker of strange musical instruments Nicolas Bras shows off another unusual build – a violin of sorts that uses nails of different sizes and lengths to produce notes when bowed. An accompanying set of guitar strings creates sympathetic sounds from the nails’ resonance or can be played separately.

Matt Denton of Mantis Hacks has been working on a LEGO-inspired go-kart made with larger than life 3D-printed plastic bricks. After countless hours on the project, he’s ready to take his creation for a test drive. You can check out the full series of build videos here.

Metalsmith Shurap enjoys making tools, weapons, and sculptures by recycling other metal objects. For this blade, they cut out a hexagonal grid from blocks of metal, then carefully arranged nuts and bolts into the form before forging and pressing it. The finished blade has a unique and compelling pattern in its center.

Typically associated with ninjas, the Kunai could be quite the deadly weapon in the right hands. While the original Japanese tools were made from iron, Unexpected shows us how to make a compelling replica using popsicle sticks, Elmer’s glue, masking tape, and spray paint.

Rather than just show you how one thing is produced, this extensive playlist from Science Channel compiles factory footage for 200 different items. From industrial fans to orange juice, from ketchup to luxury sports cars, there’s something here for just about every interest. So click play, and head down the rabbit hole.

We’ve seen how Morningstar makes guitars out of glass, but it turns out they also make glass picks to go with them. The time-consuming process involves cutting strips of glass into triangles, then sanding the pieces down to smooth out their edges. The picks are available for sale on their website for $30 for a set of three.

Now that Hacksmith Industries is done playing around with their jet-powered canoe, they’re ready for something better suited to winter sports. Rather than start from scratch, they swiped one of the jet engines from the boat and attached it to the rear end of a snowboard. If the idea seems familiar, it’s because it’s a remake.

Inspired by the eponymous piece of furniture in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Epic UpCycling set about the task of building his own wardrobe, only this one is made entirely out of recycled timber gathered from old shipping pallets. He even managed to reuse the rusty old nails. Now how to get to Narnia?

Covering sidewalks and driveways with salt in the wintertime can be a pain. Sure, there are salt spreading machines out there, but how many of them can fly? FliteTest created an over-engineered solution which uses a powerful drone to lift a hopper of salt into the air, then spits it onto the ground below.