Man Made DIY

Though its the element that we use the most, and usually the largest, the tabletop isn't really the tough part when it comes to building DIY furniture. It is, most of the time, something solid and flat, that likely comes from a solid, flat sheetgood product that is then simply cut to size. The challenge is always in the other stuff: the legs, the base, etc. It's pretty easy to cut and glue wood or acrylic materials. But shaping, bending, and welding metal is a whole 'nother skill set that's way bigger than just picking up a circular… read more

When it comes to poor headphone storage habits, I'm the guiltiest of guilties. There are currently two strands intertwined in the bottom of my bag, one all tangled up with my phone in my pocket, and at least three pairs snagged on various USB cables, adapters and plugs, and power supplies in the bottom drawer of my desk back at home.

With this clever and easy DIY storage solution, I have no more… read more

I'ma go out on a limb here, and say that knowing how to solder is an essential skill for any creative person. Make no mistake: I know nothing about capacitors and breadboards, nor programming or arduinos. In fact, part of the reason I founded ManMade was to complement that version of the maker/hacker website by bringing in less tech-heavy approaches to creativity.

But, regardless of whether or not I'm ever gonna build a robot (I'm not), I think knowing how to solder is super important for DIY projects. Making a lamp from plumbing pipes really benefits from knowing your wires are gonna stay together inside the thing; just this weekend, I retrieved my first "grownup" instrument - a Peavey Fury bass guitar in all its 1994 red/white glory - from a family member who'd borrowed it years ago, thinking it broken, and I fixed it just by soldering some ground wires that had come loose.

It is, as this free downloable comic book from Andie's Log… read more

Scott took a walk in the woods near his home - a very famous woodland that happens to have been featured in films like The Princess Bride, Harry Potter, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - and came back with an armload of twigs. Some wire and a biscuit tin later, and he's created this rustic twig bowl, perfect for the fall.