diy projects

After a motorcycle crash, Nic Case found a safer, but still thrilling, hobby: building radio-controlled cars. At 161 mph, his latest just smashed the world record.

You’ve successfully tested the limits of how much can fit into a #10 envelope without bursting its seams, but now you’re questioning how much postage you need. Sure you could just slap a few of the new 44-cent stamps onto whatever you're sending and be done with it, but that’s good money you’re throwing away.

Instead, spend just a few bucks now to build a simple magnetic postage scale, newly updated from an original article in the February 1971 issue of Popular Science.

For all he's done and all he's taught you, you'd think dear old Dad would be honored more than one day out of the year. And if you want to get technical, had he not teamed up with mom on that one long-ago DIY project, you wouldn't be reading this right now. So this Father's Day, pay homage to his tinkering spirit with something he'll use in future acts of glorious creation.

Throughout this guide, you'll find a wide selection of tools from free iPhone apps to a budget-busting hammer drill; an oh-so-convenient cordless glue gun and soldering tool; plus a variety of things to help him amp up his environmentalism, his swing, his gut, and his chances of getting a speeding ticket.

Our third updated DIY project from the Popular Science digital archives involves luring and then trapping bugs that have managed to find their way inside your house--a truly universal problem. Follow along as we update a circa-1971 trap for today's smarter, more intelligent insects for less than $20.

It's official: Santa showed up a little early this year. The unveiling of the Popular Science archives on Google was, last week, a very big deal. Our readers and fans can now search and browse over 136 years' worth of the future then and now whenever they damn well please.

Ever resourceful, PopSci DIY-ers are already doing what they do best. Instructables.com member TimAnderson created a gas mask using instructions in a December 1942 Popular Science Article. How awesome is that?

The ghosts and goblins may be prowling about for tonight and tonight only, but the DIY-ers are keeping the terror alive. In fact, the Instructables.com DIY Halloween Contest is open for entries until November 9, and there are over $7,000 worth of prizes up for grabs.

Submit a 5 Minute Project for Popular Science! Each month we feature a cool and handy new project, and we're excited to showcase some ideas from the inventive Instructables.com community, and our own.