Man Made DIY

Popular Science, the oldschoolest of how-to magazines that continues to capture the mind of manmakers and lay tinkerers, has assembled their entire archives -that's 137 years - and made them available for free browsing. "Each issue appears just as it did at its original time of publication, complete with period advertisements. It's an amazing resource that beautifully encapsulates our ongoing fascination with the future, and science and technology's incredible potential to improve our lives."

Says RetroThing: "It's stunning to recall what a huge impact Popular Science had in the pre-internet days. I remember pouring over the… read more

As far as your dog is concerned, its a toy, and it feels good between the teeth. But for you, the tongue-in-cheek pet owner? Constant amusement.

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Forget about Cool Citrus Basil and Cocoa Butter...all the cool zombies wash their decaying flesh in cherry-scented o-positive.  "Now you can bathe yourself in true horror movie style, and recreate your favourite scenes from Dracula, Psycho, and Twilight with our ultra realistic bag of blood shower… read more

Every craft and medium requires the right tool for the job. And while most men won't need a Shape-A-Dart for altering patterns to match the proper cup-size, we do love us some gear, and sewing notions are no exception. Here are ten tools - beyond the obvious needle/thread and sewing machine/bobbin combos - you'll never regret buying.

1. Seam ripper. I hate to admit it, but this is the sewing tool I use the most. One doesn't nail every stitch every time, and there's simply no better way to get it out and start fresh. These are also great for ripping apart clothing for fabric hacking and reuse.

2. Tailor's chalk/Marking Pen As a pencil is to woodworking, tailor's chalk is essential to proper seamster-ing. You gotta be able to mark what your doing - where to sew, where to cut, where to pin, and tailor's chalk, in both white (for dark fabrics) and blue (for lighter ones) is my favorite medium, as it rubs right out. They also make markers and pencils for special projects and fabrics - a water soluble pen is handy for special projects (like embroidery) when you need… read more

Ever wondered what your website SOUNDS like?

CodeOrgan analyzes the content of a website, and then uses a complex algorithm to select synth lead, chord, and drum loops to… read more

The IKEA Fira drawer unit - the awesome little wooden box deal that everyone loves to customize - has been cancelled...like, already. Like there's no longer any mention of it on their website.

Lame. Sure, they were among the most difficult of Ikea products to assemble [read: nearly impossible], but they were crazy useful, and could be made to match nearly any room… read more

Fire Up is a campfire do-it-yourself-kit designed by Evelien Stamhuis to help you build a roaring fire in no time. Everything one would need is in the bag.

I have no idea how much it costs, or whether its actually for sale...but I wonder what the functionality is? Are open campfires legal and encouraged in the Netherlands? Can anyone - namely someone who doesn't know anything about building fires - just plop down and set these things ablaze? Or, would someone bring this with them on a camping trip?

I really do get it as a design project, and I'm sure it works wonderfully. But though I'm not sure of the environmental impact of… read more

Designer Elizabeth Dilk came up with this sleek sewing kit intended for men who just need the essentials: "Unassuming sewing kit packaged in a 3.5" cube. Contains just the essentials, and directions to replace a button, mend a tear and hem pants. In three tiers, the box contains straight pins, safety pins, sewing needles, 7 types of thread, a seam ripper, tape measure and a packet of spare buttons. Directions are printed on the interior so that losing instructions is impossible."

I'm loving the design of the kit...the color and especially the typeface. Anybody know what it is?

Sew more at Elizabeth's site.

I do indeed love the sights, sounds, and smells of a razor-sharp sawblade ripping through a two-inch block of hard maple, or a router-bit whizzing at 23,000 rpm creating a perfect 1/4" roundover.

But, for as much as I embrace the strength and speed of power tools, I find myself spending even more time with those tools that DON'T require ear plugs. Of course, you need hammers and screwdrivers and wrenches, but here's a list of ten items you can find in your hardware store that'll help you turn out great work, without the need for batteries or electricity.

1. All Sorts of Clamps. There's an old saying in the woodworking… read more

So, just before the end of 2009, I had the pleasure of collaborating on a publication with the writing team at Curbly.com. The outcome is Make It! Mid-Century Modern: a how-to manual for creating items that echo the era of Mid-Century Modernism, a design movement from the mid 1940s- 1960s that took advantage of changes in processes and manufacturing after World War II. One of the reasons this book is unique is that most of these pieces are decidedly difficult to make by hand, in that they use factory techniques like bent plywood, fiberglass molding, and the like. The book includes material and tool lists, and step-by-step photos, that… read more

Attention iPhone and iPod Touch users: You can now browse ManMade on the go.

Well, you always could, but now it's easier to access from your iPhone desktop. Just go to ManMadeDIY.com in Safari and press the "+" at the bottom, and select "Add To Home Screen" Wait a moment for the nifty new icon thingy to pop up, and you're good to go.

Some might call them gadgets, others utensils, some are even appliances. These ten kitchen tools, in addition to some quality cookware, can turn whatever equipment you have into a functional multitasking culinary workspace.

1).Spring-loaded tongs. Hands down, this is the tool I grab everytime I'm in the kitchen. The rule in my house is that these don't go in the dishwasher, not because they'll get ruined, but because I'm going to need them before it gets run and emptied again. Once you learn to trust the tool - and you can as long as long as you don't skrimp and get the .99-cent option - these things basically become a… read more