Customer Reviews

The Best of Instructables Volume I: Do-It-Yourself Projects from the World's Biggest Show & Tell (v. 1)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been a huge fan of www.instructables.com, so when I heard they were coming out with a book (Volume 1, meaning future volumes?) I knew I'd grab a copy.

I think they picked a nice overall summary of the style and range of projects they feature and there are quite a few that I'm adding to my To-Do List. I've been wanting to build a CNC of my own for a while, and the example in the book is a nice start. I also have wanted to build my own Hands++ to hold small parts while I work on them - the one in the book is perfect.

If you're a fan of the website, you'll enjoy the book. If you're not familiar with the website, the book will give you a jump start and help you avoid sifting through the 1000s of projects on their, looking for the best ones.

Scattered throughout the book are smaller collections of mini-projects that have a theme - an example is a list of projects you make using a simple Altoids tin. The book is in color, too, and has a nice layout and style to it that is easy to read.

The book also has a nice list at the end of projects that didn't make it into the book but they do provide the name of the projects so you can search for them at instructables.com.

Nice book - I hope they do more volumes.

I love this renaissance in "do it yourself" projects and building things out of available parts. Doesn't mean I'm necessarily any *good* at it, but it opens my eyes to how common things can be used in uncommon ways. Make magazine from O'Reilly has put together some of the best and most popular projects from the instructables.com site to create the book The Best of Instructables Volume I: Do-It-Yourself Projects from the World's Biggest Show & Tell. There's enough stuff here to keep you occupied for weeks, and you don't have to be a engineering genius to do many of them.

The book is divided up into sections that touch on general themes: Home & Garden; Food; Photography; Science; Computers; Electronics; Robotics; Ride; Craft; Entertainment; Fun & Games; and Tools. For instance, the book gets off to a quick start with a two-page layout on Ikea hacks. I was immediately intrigued with the Tool Box Hack, using a Fira minichest and a pair of Kosing handles. I can do that! The ice straws were a nice touch, also. Moving on, I learned how to make "carbonated fruit" with a plastic water bottle and dry ice. One of my spare USB thumb drives might be destined for a LEGO casing. And who knew Altoid tins could be used in so many ways? Everything from a survival kit to a miniature barbecue unit (for those very small hamburgers). For those who are used to welding, the Ride chapter has plenty of cool bike mods that could be fun. Heck, even learning how to make an earbud headphone cord wrapper from an old credit card is worth the price of admission (not to mention the time savings of having to unravel the cord every time you use it).

As with all books of this type, some of the projects will strike you as "I must build that now!", while others will have you thinking "why would I ever want to do that?" I will not be making stuffed animal headphones now or at any time in the future, thank you very much! But the overall package of projects selected here will appeal to a wide range of interests and skill levels. And since all these projects have been part of the Instructables website, you can always head over there to get additional information or tweaks that others have come up with.

The Best of Instructables is a fun book, and I plan on having a few "toys" with me at the next geek conference I attend...

The Instructables's website is one of my online favorites; posters contribute step-by-step guides to building a wide range of products. There are over 10,000 projects on the site.

MAKE: Technology on Your Time and Instructables have released this 300 page book, containing over 120 projects organized by categories like home & garden, science, robotics, food, rides, crafts, and photography. One of the neatest features are the sidebars that show how other builders have created the same project in different ways.

It's impossible to quote any particular project because the excellent illustrations are integral to the text. However, I've added a couple of links to pages from the book in the first Comment, as well as a link to a promotional video that give an excellent taste of the treasures here.

I've enjoyed two other releases from "Make" and Instructables. Maker's Notebook is a very useful, well designed notebook for drawing projects. And The Hungry Scientist Handbook: Electric Birthday Cakes, Edible Origami, and Other DIY Projects for Techies, Tinkerers, and Foodies is an absolute joy for this every day cook.

Consider this book a great gift for several people on your gift list, and be sure to add a copy for yourself.

Robert C. Ross 2008

Let me start off by saying this is a innovative "how to make" book with vivid pictures and easy to follow step by step instructions. Some of the projects go to the extent of providing information on where to acquire the items and about how much it would cost to make the item. Anyone can easily find at least a couple of projects that would interest him/her.

There were many projects that were astonishing to me, such as the project where one could make a computer out of a Nintendo game console or the project where one could make a wallet out of a
computer keyboard. Although there were many intriguing projects, there were a couple that just seemed out of place such as the project where
it showed how to eat a banana like a monkey (it was pretty ironic because it was the same way how I eat my bananas).

In the end, this book is well worth it whether if you want to create a fun project with the whole family or if you just like creating things out of ordinary materials.

If you love [...], or just love undertaking your own real world hacks, this is a great book. It's dense with detail and photos, with easy to follow instructions. It even includes helpful tips from other Instructables users. A great coffee-table book.

In the truest sense this book embodies the DIY ethic. The projects that fill the pages are done by regular people with hobbies that include electronics, crafts, cooking, and generally building your own "stuff."

The instructions are written by hundreds of different contributors with a range of passions that reflect the depth of the projects.

This book is a great way to ease into the vast world of making -- especially for those reluctant to use the web.

Over winter break, the Kid was home and I was raring to do some projects with her. We make a good team - I'm a big picture idea person and she has great math and problem solving skills and a steady soldering hand. We share a competitive streak which means we spend a lot of time good-naturedly trying to one-up each other with hacks and embellishments to existing projects.

So, it was a happy day when the Best of Instructables Vol 1 e-book showed up in my in-box. The book, with its clear approach to a wide variety of projects, is an invaluable collection that will keep makers of all levels busy and intrigued for months.

The 300+ page book is split into sections like Food, Robotics, Photography, Entertainment - 12 chapters in all from simple like preparing a bento lunch to fairly complex robotic projects.

In the end I decided to tackle on e of the simplest projects - the "Super Simple Light Tent" (pg 74). Although I was salivating at some of the more intricate projects - the LED pens for light painting photography for instance, we we re coming off building an electric kalimba in a Altoids tin a project wherein the kid saw my hands shaking as I soldered and shook her head sadly. "Poor old dog," she said and kindly finished the rest of the connections. And I needed a new simple light tent, my previous one having met an ignoble end while photographing my mother's ferrets. (I'll avoid the gruesome details - the tent had to be burned; we'll leave it there).

The tent went up quickly - we were taking photographs an hour after we started. As an English Prof who often teaches Technical Communication, I spend a good deal of time harping to my undergrads that "how to" writing is the greatest challenge. The coolest project is useless if the audience can't figure out how to re-create it. And this is the overall strength of the book. Best of nails it with clear tools and materials lists. The graphics accompanying the directions are clarifying rather than simple illustrative and the book itself (although not in this project) often includes other makers' riffs - showing off twists on the base project.

Best of Instructables Vol 1 belongs to the long line of project books like the reprints gracing my library: books with titles like Windmills and Wind Motors: How to Build and Use Them. But while the older books took for granted a fairly deep knowledge of wood and metal working that can sometimes frustrate modern amateur makers, Best of lays it all out in a fashion so that even a shaky, math challenged guy can feel accomplishment.

Not a very interesting selection of what's available. Save your money and just print off what speaks to you from the website.

I like Make:, Instructables, and the whole concept they represent.
This book is just okay, though.
I think the size is too small, the articles are condensed to cram more on each page, and there are the numerous references to get the rest of the info online.
I think the price is about double (or more) of what it should be.
I thought I would enjoy reading offline, but the type size and pictures are just too small!

This book is a volume of incredible, creative, and fun projects anyone can do. With 120+ detailed projects, you could do one every weekend for two years. The pages are colorful, and the layout is logical. There are user comments, pictures of the things other users have made, and helpful tips by people have already done the project. I would recommend it to anyone for any occasion. This is a must have for any bookshelf, for those rainy days, or anyone looking to have building things.