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

by The editors MAKE magazine and Instructables.com (Author)
Key Phrases: garden figure, light dependent resistor, drawing machine, The Best of Instructables, The Best of Instructahles, Adafruit Industries (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In just three years, Instructables.com has become one of the hottest destinations for makers and DIY enthusiasts of all stripes. Known as "the world's biggest show & tell," makers from around the globe post how-to articles on a staggering variety of topics -- from collecting rainwater for lawn care to hacking toy robots to extracting squid ink.

Now, with more than 10,000 articles, the Instructables staff and editors of MAKE: magazine -- with help from the Instructables community -- have put together a collection of solid, time- and user-tested technology and craft projects from the site. The Best of Instructables Volume 1 includes plenty of clear, full-color photographs, complete step-by-step instructions, as well as tips, tricks, and new build techniques you won't find anywhere else -- even material never seen before on Instructables.

Some of the more popular how-to articles include:

• The LED Throwie -- magnetized electronic graffiti that's become a phenomenon
• How to craft beautiful Japanese bento box lunches
• Innovative gaming hacks, such as how to add LED lights and custom-molded buttons to a video game controller
• New twists on personal items, such as the Keyboard Wallet, the Electric Umbrella, and stuffed animal headphones

While the book focuses on technology, it also includes such projects as creating cool furniture from cheap components, ways of making your own toys, and killer sci-fi and fantasy costumes and props. Anything but a reference book, The Best of Instructables Volume I embodies the inspirational fun, creativity, and sense of community that has attracted more than 200,000 registered members in just three years. Many of the articles include sidebars that show how other builders have realized or improved upon the same project.

Making things is cool again: everyone wants to be a creator, not just a consumer. This is the spirit of the "new handy heyday", fostered by Instructables.com, MAKE: magazine, and others, and celebrated by this incredible book -- The Best of Instructables Volume 1.

About the Author
The Best of Instructables was compiled by site founder Eric J. Wilhelm and the staff of Instructables, and the staff of MAKE, including editors Gareth Branwyn, Brian Jepson, and Patti Schiendelman. The real stars of this book are the dozens of project authors who built, documented, and posted their how-tos on the Instructables site.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Make Books; 1 edition (October 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596519524
• ISBN-13: 978-0596519520
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,405 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #14 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Electrical & Electronics > Electronics
  #37 in	Books > Science > Technology > General & Reference
  #59 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great website - great book, November 7, 2008

By	J. Kelly "GA Book Fan" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So many things to try out, and you don't have to be an expert to do so..., December 26, 2008

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A creative book for a creative mind, November 11, 2008

By	M. Kim "Michael Kim (college student)" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.