PART 1

Workshops AND Tools

You may have first encountered William Gurstelle in the pages of one of his many best-selling books, such as Backyard Ballistics or The Practical Pyromaniac. If so, you will understand why he calls his workshop “The Barrage Garage.”

Bill is a regular contributor to Make: magazine, and his workshop articles form the centerpiece of this opening section of The Best of Make: Volume 2. Every maker needs a workspace and tools. Whether you decide to convert an existing space or build from scratch like Bill did, you’ll find lots of tips for designing, stocking, and organizing you own workshop in his contributions to this collection.

Another long-time contributor to Make: magazine, Charles Platt, is the author of the leading book for electronics enthusiasts, Make: Electronics. In addition to his well-known passion for electronics, Charles is also accomplished with a wide range of workshop tools. In “Wilderness Workshop,” he shares the economical ways he found to furnish his workspace that overlooks the wilds of Northern Arizona.

Master craftsman Len Cullum provides an introduction to basic woodworking tools, as well as the tools he finds most useful for making accurate measurements. In his article, “Japanese Toolbox,” he shows you how to build a versatile storage box for your workshop tools. Simplicity and elegance are the hallmarks of Len’s work.

Frank Ford also knows something about simplicity and elegance. He is an accomplished maker of stringed musical instruments, and you will find a treasure trove of information about fretted instrument repair, maintenance, and restoration on his website frets.com. Frank turns his ingenuity to a completely different task in his contribution to this volume, as he demonstrates a neat trick for recovering the tiny, hard-to-find things that often get dropped when you’re working on a project.

Marc De Vinck, a former director of product development at Maker Media, is now a professor in the technical entrepreneurship program at Lehigh University. While at Maker Media, Marc implemented the popular “Learn to Solder” program that is now a staple at Maker Faire and has taught thousands of people this valuable skill. His “Mini Fume Extractor” project is especially clever because he uses his soldering iron to create a handy little tool to pull fumes away from his soldering projects. Now, that’s meta!

Enjoy discovering the tips and tricks of these workshop masters, and get ready to start making your own ideas into reality.