Make: Projects

Mythbusters' Adam Savage teaches pro moldmaking techniques, walking you through building a two-part underpoured block mold step by step.

A beginner's primer on portable 110-volt wire-feed welding, covering why these small welders now show up in every auto body shop.

Build a cheap, easy compressed air rocket and launcher from common hardware store parts that can send your rocket hundreds of feet up.

Learn to design and etch your own printed circuit boards at home, mastering the steps behind nearly every modern electronic device.

Build an inexpensive, efficient wind generator from a motor and piping to harness free, clean energy for your own DIY power projects.

Learn to form, lay up, and cure your own carbon fiber composites, the high-performance material behind cars, bikes, and aerospace parts.

Learn to vacuum-form plastic parts right in your kitchen, the same process behind coffee lids and airplane interior panels.

Complete plans for building a two-cylinder Stirling engine that runs on nearly any high-temperature heat source, a classic maker challenge.

Five caffeinated Make: projects in one PDF: build a coffee roaster, espresso portafilter, tea popper, and automate your brew with X10.

Build a three-stringed cigar box guitar inspired by American musical tradition, an affordable instrument project for kids and beginners.

Build the Night Lighter 36 spud gun, a clear-PVC potato cannon that offers a great view of interior ballistics day or night.

Repurpose a dead VHS deck's motor and timer to build an automatic cat feeder that fills Fluffy's bowl on schedule, old-school style.

Build a high-performance water rocket from soda bottles and PVC pipe. A fun beginner rocketry project for kids and curious makers.

Learn to brew a small batch of biodiesel with basic household equipment, perfect for beginners curious about DIY renewable fuel.

Turn a cracker box into a scrappy little audio amplifier with this fun, intermediate soldering and electronics project.

Skip the lens and go wide: build a low-tech, roll-film panoramic pinhole camera for a uniquely maker-friendly photography project.

Take flight-building basics into your own hands with this beginner ornithopter project inspired by birds, bats, and beetles.

Build a working pulsejet engine out of a jam jar in an afternoon. All it takes is some bent wire, a few holes, and curiosity.

A step-by-step guide to simple vampire makeup using greasepaint, fangs, and stage blood for a classic Halloween character look.

Build a classic Flying Crank Ghost animatronic prop using motors and pulleys for an eerie, floating haunted house showstopper.

Build an LED-scanning Larson-style Cylon Jack-o-Lantern with full circuit diagrams and parts list for a glowing Halloween centerpiece.

Learn to shape and carve realistic styrofoam tombstones, plus tips on painting and mounting, for a convincing haunted house display.

A guide to crafting realistic gaping wounds with liquid latex, an easy way to turn any costume into a horrifying Halloween showstopper.

Build a monster-popping trick top hat with a hidden spring lever, a fun intermediate Halloween prop project using basic tools.

An advanced costume project teaching you to sculpt and rig a decapitated Marie Antoinette bust for a dramatic headless Halloween look.

An advanced Halloween prop project combining a controller, audio player, and pneumatics for a shockingly entertaining electric chair display.

Craft a creepy party centerpiece with this Meat Head project, complete with alternate ingredient swaps for extra Halloween fright.

Bake a bloody, oozing rib cage cake with gooey organ filling for a delightfully gruesome Halloween dessert centerpiece.

Learn liquid latex and greasepaint techniques for a skin-peeling zombie or ghoul look, perfect for any Halloween costume upgrade.

Simple techniques for dramatic pumpkin stencil carving using cheap, easy-to-find materials for standout Halloween results.