Looking for an easy piece of furniture that will clean up the look of your bachelor pad? This simple DIY project will turn a few boards into a sturdy memorable piece of furniture.   I spent quite a bit of time living life as a bachelor, and my furniture was exactly what you would expect for 3 guys and a couple of couch surfers. A few broken down chairs and some busted up coffee tables didn't really lend to a clean-cut feel. I wish I would have found this 2x4 Wooden Coffee Table project back then, because I sure could have used the upgrade.

The folks over at A Beautiful Mess put together this simple (and cheap) project that turns a stack of 2x4 boards into a stylish polished coffee table that just looks dynamite. Take a look at the project and build details over at their site.

If you haven't heard, Spielberg is currently eyeing an Indiana Jones reboot with Chris Pratt. In that spirit, here is a look at some of Indy's favorite apparel to start working into your wardrobe.   

Indy's quintessential leather jacket is iconic without being so specific that it's married to a singular time period. In fact, the majority of these apparel items are tried and true staples of my explorer buddies (and yes my one archeologist friend), just don't go wearing them all at once to the office.

Check out the full getup at valetmag.com.

Each week in 2015, ManMade is sharing our picks for the essential tools we think every creative guy and DIYer needs. We've selected useful, long-lasting tools to help you accomplish a variety of projects, solve problems, and live a hands-on lifestyle that allows you to interact with and make the things you use every day. 

So far in the ManMade Essential Toolbox series, we've named tools that actually do things; tools that cut stuff, measure stuff, tighten stuff, hold stuff, and clean stuff up. And after today, we'll do more of the same.

But no series on toolbox essentials is complete without, you know, the actual toolbox.   After, if you're going to invest in the right tools and keep them safe, you gotta have someplace to store them, and efficient way to pack them up and carry around when working outside the garage, basement, or shop. 

When considering a new toolbox, there are two rules to keep in mind:

1) Don't go to the home improvement store and get a new plastic box. Those things are basically just glorified storage bins with handles and hinges. They flex, rack, and dent and crack easily. If you ever plan to carry power tools or sharp objects, you want steel... or canvas (see below). Yep, metal is heavy, but tools are heavier, and once it's loaded up, a pound or two won't make much of a difference. 

2) The simpler the design, the better. Those little cases and inserts and flip-top lids and such just take up valuable storage real estate. This a tool box, not a hardware organizer. If you want a place to sort nails and screws and bolts and such by size (which you do), get a benchtop small parts organizer. 

Look for options with one removable shelf insert at the top, and a big, deep space below. If you have a standard set of tools you always use (for a particular job or project, say), you can make your own dividers or implement small boxes for tiny parts. You want the storage space to be as flexible as possible. 

So, where to look? You can absolutely buy new metal toolboxes. They're available online and in stores, and there are links for some recommended options at the bottom of this post. But, don't underestimate the power of the used toolbox. These things are everywhere at flea markets, thrift shops, secondhand stores, or your uncle's garage. Anything made before the big plastic takeover of the 80s will work well here, and probably end up costing you less money than a bright, branded PVC option from the big box store. 

When assessing used options, check the state of the hinges, locks, clasps, and other enclosures. They can always be repainting, but a solid original surface looks awesome and means there's been little rust damage.

And don't underestimate other used metal boxes and storage containers, like old lunch boxes or tackle boxes. These are great for small, project specific tool kits. I have most of my standard use tools - screwdrivers, clamps, pliers, hammers, etc, stored on a pegboard system, but keep my specialized tool set in their own containers. I have one for leatherworking, bike maintenance tools, guitar repair and string changing tools, sewing supplies, print making and lino carving, even my shoe polish and boot dressing materials.  And I didn't pay more than $8 for any of them. 

Lastly, if you are looking for a new, lightweight option, consider the canvas and leather tool bags, particularly those from Klein Tools. They have a classic style, and the roomy interiors can fit way more than would first appear. They're a great option for transporting a handful of specialized tools when helping a buddy with a project or when you need your stuff at an off-site location. 

ManMade Recommended: 

• Homak H2PRO BW00200200 20-Inch Professional Industrial Toolbox - $56.86
• Klein Tools 5102-20 20-Inch Canvas Tool Bag - $60.54
• Stack-On SHB-16 16-Inch Multi-Purpose Steel Tool Box - $19.99
• Excel TB122B-Black 19-Inch Cantilever Steel Tool Box - $37.00
• And anything you can find at the flea market, thrift store, or your grandparents' house. 

Hi everyone - Chris here. I'm the founder, editor, etc, of ManMade, and here's the deal: Lately, I'm really into Instagram. Yeah, yeah, I know. It took me awhile. I can be a bit of a late adopter with some of these things. I still don't really care about many other (let's have them go unnamed) social networks, but Instagram? That's a good one.    Any here's why: It's really the only network that's still about creating content, and sharing the things that you're up to. Most of the other one have become about sharing - links to viral articles, products you want to buy, etc. But Instagram is all about: here, this is what I'm doing, this is what I think is beautiful, this is how I see the world.

And, I like that. It's the thing I check when I'm waiting for the bus, or in line at the bank, or when I need some creative inspiration. And I'm looking for more people to interact with and follow on Instagram. So, let's be friends there.

Like all of our social networks, we're at ManMadeDIY. I post about the kinds of things I'm interested in: the creative process and a behind-the-scenes look at ManMade and our original projects and content, photos from my weekend trips and adventures, and interests in outdoor recreation, backpacking, and bicycling, and, you know, whatever I'm up to. That's my "top nine" above. If you like that sort of thing, you should follow me. I promise to be a real person there. 

So, come say hi on Instagram, and I'll say hi back, and we'll check out each others photos and like 'em and comment on them and stuff. It'll be fun. See you there. 

Those winter boots not keeping you quite warm enough? Maybe it's time to upgrade the insoles with a fresh set of thick woolen comfort.   I know I'm not alone out there on this, my feet get pretty cold when the weather turns frigid. Insulated boots are great most of the time, but every now and then it's just not enough and my feet get frosted over enough to completely ruin the day. One of the largest loss of heat from your feet is through the bottom of the foot as it contacts the cold ground, so beefing up the insoles can make a huge difference in winter weather comfort.

That's what makes this DIY project such a great pick for a winter upgrade, take a nice thick piece of wool or felt and trim to fit your boots with a few quick steps. See the materials list and directions over at Maya Made for a perfect fit for your winter adventures.

I'm kinda hard on ear buds. I wear them a lot - when doing household tasks like cleaning and cooking dinner, when crafting in the workshop, on long bike trail rides... I even use them when not connected to anything, à la ear plugs, to drown out ambient noise when working from the coffee shop. As an introvert, I wear them in the airport and the grocery store and the book shop not so I can avoid others, but because I like being out and moving about in the real world listening to things that inspire me.

And, I'm kinda hard on them. I used to buy pricier ones, but no matter how careful I'd be, they'd get caught on something or the contact points would fray, and they'd simply go kaput. I don't think of them as "disposable" but I am certainly a heavy user, and its hard to justify $50 or $100 on something you know is gonna need replaced at least once a year.

I experimented with a few styles, and then Bruno, ManMade's publisher, recommended a pair of these to me. And they're the best pair of ear buds I've ever owned. They sound great, they fit great, and they cost less than $15.00.    

They're the Panasonic RPTCM125K headphones, and I think they're pretty great for under $15.00.

The Features: In the era of the smartphone, you gotta have that remote button with a mic. Not cause you should take calls with it all the time (though it is nice when your mom calls and you're doing the dishes), but because it's awesome to stop and start what you're playing with a physical button, instead of having to take your phone out of its pocket or storage place and start swiping around. 

These have a single button you can use to stop and start music/podcasts, answer a call, or ring up Siri. Which I never actually use, except to ask her to set an eight minute timer or something when I'm cooking. That's nice.

There's no volume control on the remote, but that's negligible - you can just touch the buttons on the side of your phone.

Other than that, the 90° input jack is helpful when fitting into a pocket, and it (I assume) helps cut down on wear-and-tear. When it takes a side impact, it just spins inside the headphone jack, instead of flexing from side to side. And the wiring and housing is very flexible, allowing for easy routing and a mostly tangle-free experience. 

The Fit: This is wear these guys really shine. Your ear canal is not a perfectly round symmetrical tube, nor does it sit exactly perpendicular to your head. And unlike most pairs I've used, these are designed for that. 

These have an elliptical rubber tip that fits extremely well for a secure fit that doesn't fall out when exercising or during heavy use. Technically, I guess that makes them earphones rather than ear buds or headphones, but, c'mon, it's a means of delivering audio to your ears and not to the outside world. Call 'em what you want, they work and they work well.

They approach your ear at an angle, and they actually fit.You can use these comfortably while lying down or under a hat or helmet. This makes the left and right fit very distinct, and so its clear when you've inserted them on the wrong side. 

The Sound: It's good. Very good. I have a pair of studio monitor style headphones that I use for actual music making, but I've never used these and said "wow, that music sounds terrible" The drivers are 9mm, and the frequency balance is solid - the highs sizzle, the lows boom as well as any in-ear headphones, and things sound clean.

In particular, I find these to cut through ambient noise really well, without having to blast the volume. I'm guessing it's the "ergo fit" design, but you can always hear stuff without really cranking it. When I go on long bike trail rides, I wear one earphone only; I only listen to spoken word, not music, as it has a much smaller frequency spectrum and allows me to hear traffic, other cyclists and users on the trail, and the ambient sounds of what's going around me. With these, I always feel like I can just hear the voices talking, like it's someone riding next to me, rather than filling my whole head with noise. Its just a pleasant private listening experience without feeling totally secluded and disconnected from the world, which, to me, is kinda the whole point of headphones.

Discerning audiophiles might have something they prefer, but again, these are $15.00 earbuds designed for heavy use every day, and both music and spoken audio (podcasts, radio, audiobooks) sound great. And that's what I expect from a pair of earbuds.

The Style: Non-descript, really. These look like headphones. They come in candy colors, but I like the basic black. The flexible wiring makes them appear kinda wrinkly, but I dunno... I don't think anyone is judging me on the relative, uh, rigidity of my headphone cabling. They're not as stylish as my beloved AIAIAIs, but they also didn't fall apart after three months like my last three pairs of AIAIAIs, and did I mention they cost less than $15.00?

The Dislikes: The only potential drawback to these is that the rubber tips here are offset, so if you do lose one, you can't grab another from an existing pair or replacement pack. But, that said, the shape makes it such that the actual bud itself never falls off, at least it hasn't for me. And I've lost a lot of those little rubber ear bud things. And, at this price, it's not the end of the world if you do have to replace them altogether anyway. 

So, I recommend the Panasonic RPTCM125K Headphones as much as I've ever recommended anything on ManMade. I actually have two pair - one I keep with my cycling kit and one for general use. I've taken to keeping them on me with my other daily carry items, and they coil up tight enough that its never annoying to have them around.

Go check them out. 

ManMade recommended: 

Panasonic RPTCM125K Headphones, Black - $13.19 at Amazon.com

Look, sometimes Bill from work gets outta hand and you need to up your game. If the whole Office Space smashing the printer thing, isn't exactly an option, why not opt for the more practical pen-firing crossbow made from simple office supplies? Everyone will know you mean business.   

And by "mean business" I mean the exact opposite. What I actually found great about this design is that it looks relatively fearsome, which makes for great fun. But can only shoot about twelve feet, giving it just enough pizzaz to make my buddies cower/retaliate, without too high a likelihood that we'd actually shoot each other's eyes out. 

Check out the full instructions at DIYReady.com.

A countertop cold smoking machine is a great way to add a depth of grilled or barbecued-style flavor to a simple weeknight meal, or to up the excitement of a standard cocktail or a less-expensive dram of whiskey. They're easy to use, relatively small to store, and really can bring a different level to simple plate of roasted vegetables or pan-seared protein, especially in the dead of winter.   I have one; it was a gift, and I love it, and use it regularly, like in our ManMade guide to making smoked cocktails. (Photo above) But, here's the thing: they're super expensive. Like, $100-ish. And though I'd probably replace it if something happened to mine (I really do use it), it's a lot for such a simple machine that does but one thing, albeit well. 

Kevin Liu of Science Fare thought the same thing, and figured out how to create a DIY version for less than $20. It actually looks like the Proscience machine, and is based on a $7 hand vacuum that may have been a prototype supply for the original. A little bit of tubing and a pipe filter, and you've a smoking machine. 

Get the full how-to and parts list: Hack Together a DIY Cold Smoker Gun for Less than $20[Science Fare, via Not Martha]

The winter to spring is a time of contrasts: the days can be bright and sunny, but the air and wind still cool and bitter. Or the air warms up, but the fog and drizzle moves in, so that it feels like early summer but the trees are all still barren branches. 

So, it's the still the season of layers, but lighter ones; flexible systems that breathe, look sharp, and still keep you warm and dry during days that span lions and lambs and showers and flowers and those sorts of things. Here are five staples to invest in now (or pull out from the back of your closet) that will still be useful as the season develops, and you can snatch again come fall.    

1. Dark Denim: A dark, even "raw", pair of jeans can work better than chinos this time of year for one simple reason: you can wear them with anything. As spring happens, most of us might pull a little more and brighter colors into our wardrobe, and a dark denim goes with everything. You can dress it up if need be, and it'll match, in texture, color, and formality, anything that goes on your torso. 

Just be sure to wear dark socks.
Pictured: J. Crew Straight Jean

2. Field Jacket: These are inspired by classic European farming jackets with a little bit of a militant silhouette, made of breathable waxed cotton or light wool. They're much lighter than a heavy snow jacket, but still weather resistant. Something rugged, without the bulk, that'll still cut wind and keep out moisture. Buy the right one now, and you can wear it every spring for the rest of your life. 

Pictured: Orvis Woodside Meadow Jacket

3. Chukka or Desert Boots: These are lightweight, ankle-height boots that will still keep your feet dry in spring puddles or melting snow without the heft. Their origins are unclear (some say Northern African military [hence: dessert], some say British polo players), but these low-on-laces boots are a staple that can work any time of year, and especially well during these transitional seasons. 

Pictured: Clarks Desert Boot

4. Heavy Duty Cotton Oxford Button Down: The tartan flannels of fall and big plaids of winter give way to simple, sportier shirts. These aren't the fine white pinpoint linens that you wear under a suit, but thick, button-color shirts made for layering. White is classic, blue has a collegiate vibe, and light gray is for getting dirty. 

Pictured: Gap Modern Oxford 

5. Crew neck pullover: This one's to help you get away from the earth tones of winter but avoid those Easter egg colored v-necks, which its either not time for yet, or you, like me, can't pull those off anyway. This can be a fine merino or a casual jersey knit;  over a collar-shirt, it's great for a coffee date or casual meeting, and with a basic white t-shirt, they just look like what a guy should wear on a spring Saturday. 

Pictured: Banana Republic Soft-Wash Long-Sleeve Crew

[At top: J. Crew Mechanics Field Jacket]

This weekend, consider making the ultimate tongue-in-cheek-yet-totally-serious rustic woodsman furniture: the lumberjack table. It's a big old tree slab with axe handles for legs. For real. Or not.    

Mike from the Instructables HQ snagged a big chunk of walnut, planed and sanded it, and then routed out a series of mortises in the base to accept the axe handles. As he says, "Whether you've got a rustic cabin to enjoy your table après-ski or just arranged in your cozy apartment, this table will be both stylish and functional." 

Get the full how-to at Instructables, and happy weekend! Lumberjack Table 

If there's a category of things I constantly have too many of, it's books. Stacks on stacks on stacks. I have to purposefully keep myself from entering used book stores since I know I already have literal piles of books at home begging to be read, not to mention stacks of books I've already read that I don't intend to hold on to. If you're past the book lamp or clock, here are 7 next-level DIY projects for those books ready to be recycled.   

Page As Canvas

I've always been a sucker for literary or text-driven art, and this is a nice way to blend them all into one project. Simply find a book big enough (e.g. a dictionary) or paste some choice pages together and your home printer aught to be able to print out your chosen images on top of it. 

Vintage Literary Envelopes

Up your thoughtful-card-sending game with nothing more than an exact knife, a favorite book, and some good clean folds. Go the extra mile and make it favorite of the receiver's or choose a poignant passage relating to him/her. 

Frame Book Covers

This is one is simple and makes a great date idea. Go out to a used bookstore and look for the most attractive book cover you can find. Maybe it's an old favorite, an inside joke, or a book you've never heard of. Take them home and frame them above. Better yet, choose books for each other and finish the date off by framing them together over a bottle of wine…

Book Planters

It doesn't get more hipster than this, but the final project is really a beautiful (and surprisingly cheap/easy) design to showcase your love of books/nature/design. I'll be making one of these later this week and I'll let you know how it turns out in the comments. 

Desk of Books

You don't need to go this big, but hey, get inspired! There are lots of designs available with a Google search. Heck, build a whole house out of books.

Book Charging Dock

Similar to the bedside lamp, just a little more practical. And, you know... pick better books.

Coat Rack

I really like the look of this with all of the mismatching books and hooks in particular. I think this could really add some cozy charm to a more rustic home as well. 

Okay, okay... that title might be a little hyperbolic. But Apple has released a new collection of images "Shot on an iPhone 6" and I'm amazed by the clarity and depth that this thing can pull off.    

Even better? The team at Apple offer some insight into why they chose each photo, and then translate the qualities of each image into practical tips that you can try to apply in your own photos. 

The ones including here are some of my favorites from the series. Perhaps not in the "oh my gosh, that's the most compelling image" way but in a "holy cow, you took that with an iPhone?" kinda thing. 

Check 'em all out (there's a bunch) at Apple.com: World Gallery - Shot on iPhone 6 

I may be behind the curve on this one, but I had no idea how easy cutting glass was if you have the proper tools (which are also surprisingly cheap). Ben Uyeda at Homemade-Modern.com posted this tutorial on how to make some streamlined desktop planters out of old wine bottles.    

Stay nondescript with wine or general class bottles, or choose something a little more iconic like an empty bottle of your favorite whiskey. 

Check out the tutorial here.

Each week in 2015, ManMade is sharing our picks for the essential tools we think every creative guy and DIYer needs. We've selected useful, long-lasting tools to help you accomplish a variety of projects, solve problems, and live a hands-on lifestyle that allows you to interact with and make the things you use every day.  

Oh...the clean up. In some ways, it's the least exciting part of any project. But it's an essential step to any creative DIY project or home repair effort, and, once you embrace it, it becomes part of the making efforts. It gives you one more chance to sort through the wood chips and saw dust or demo detritus, a perfect way to end a day of creativity. 

Of course, let's not get too poetic. It's not really about the process of cleaning; it's about having a clean shop or garage or office or basement so that your workspace is ready for you to tackle something else. So, clean up should be fast, it should be efficient, and it should be effective. First a note on the shop vac: yes, you should own one. And we'll address that one in an upcoming Essential Toolbox post. But shop vacs are the last step of cleaning up the floor or workbench after a project. There's no reason to subject your canister or your filter to unnecessary wear and tear.

The brooms: You need two - a large, long-handled broom, and a small handbroom. And you want a special one dedicated to workshop tasks. There's no reason to track all that sawdust, etc, into your house, and a small piece of metal shavings or broken hardware could be dragged inside, damaging wood floors, etc. Plus, brooms are pretty inexpensive: get one for inside tasks, and one for the workshop you could also use on a patio or driveway. 

A push broom works well for large spaces, and is better for moving fine bits of dust than a traditional broom. However, these are large for a reason, and work best for open, flat spaces. If you have a lots of under bench or cabinet spaces or a lot of corners, a traditional broom might work best. And unless you have a huge space, buy the smallest push broom possible. It might take an extra pass or two, but you'll be able to move it around tools much easier. 

If possible, buy that allows the handle to be attached from either side, which will even out the bristle wear.

A traditional straw broom is best for bigger objects, and can be more easily manipulated around and under shop items. Look for one with an angled head that can reach into corners more easily, as well as the edges where tools and cabinets meet the floor. 

Synthetic bristled brooms work best indoors for dust bunnies and kitchen scraps. Keep one of those inside, and opt for a natural corn or straw broom for woodworking and DIY projects. (Synthetic bristles on a push broom are fine since the tools is designed for heavy-duty sweeping.)

Then, you need a hand broom for sweeping the little piles into the dustpan for removal. In the workshop, the big broom makes the piles, the hand broom gets them into the dustpan. A classic wood handle with horse hair bristles is the way to go here. Why? Cause it just looks like a thing you should have in the workshop, that's why. 

The Dustpan: There's only one rule here - get a good one. And that means heavy-duty, stiff metal that's nice and wide. You want it to be deep, so it can hold a bunch of stuff while sweeping up multiple little piles, with a nice wide handle. If it looks like something that would be hanging up in the janitor's closet at your high school, you're on the right track. 

Remember: a clean shop is a productive shop.

 ManMade recommended: 

• Weiler 44601 Palmyra Fiber Pro-Flex Sweep Push Broom
• Rubbermaid FG9W90PR ProPlus Metal Cleaning Dustpan
• Weiler 71019 Horsehair Counter Duster with Wood Handle, 8" 
• Weiler 44008 Corn Fiber  Wire Banded Warehouse Broom with Wood Handle

Over the weekend, I was glancing through old screenshots on my tablet. See, I like to read magazines through the (very cool) app Zinio and free access to titles from my local library (yay libraries!). I will always take screenshots of interesting bits and photos I like, and store them in a folder...and then completely and entirely forget about them for the rest of time.

Or at least until I remember that I do that, and I go check out the archives.

I stumbled across this one the other night, and it hit me again, or in a new way. I honestly don't remember the initial article (it's from a year and a half ago), but it looks like something I would record.

In some ways, it's a variation on a common "go for it" theme - do the stuff you'll be proud of when you're older, and don't do the things you wouldn't. But, I think it's said extra well here, for some reason.

I'm in the midst of thinking through a somewhat big adventure. I've been invited to do an amazing thing, but it'll take a lot of resources. Resources I could (should?) devote elsewhere. But, reading this makes think I should go for it. I'll keep thinking about it; you keep thinking about yours, too. 

Read more Life advice from GoPro founder Nick Woodman at OutsideOnline: "I Am Doing This"

I haven’t bound a book or pressed a paper for a few years, mostly because my old press broke and I never got around to fixing it. Well, I have the need for a few new journals and decided it was time to make another press. Here are three great presses I’ll be modeling mine after  

1. Four Post Hardboard Press – This press is pretty simple to make, 4 lengths of threaded rod, pvc pipes, and a few layers of thick plywood, with a larger threaded center rod and twist handle. This design gives plenty of downward pressure, but it isn’t very consistent because of the single point pushing down. I like to modify the pressing panel by running the whole panel through the threaded rods so I can add bolts and cinch down all 4 sides (see #3). Because it only takes a table saw, glue and a drill to make this press it’s a great starter project.  For a more consistent pressure while binding, I’ll modify this design with a strengthened frame.
2. Dual Post Press – This press has a strengthened frame that consists of layers of jointed hardwood for the posts. The thinner design gives more focused pressure for more consistent binding results. The design is also a bit smaller so it’s easier to store (but the press isn’t as versatile). If properly strengthened, using a hydraulic jack gives much more pressure in the press, but be careful because that extra pressure can literally explode with dangerous results.
3. Simple Four Bolt Press – This is the most basic press, easy to make and easy to use. It doesn’t have good center pressure and the parts are a bit hard to store, but an hour in the shop makes this a quick press in a pinch.

So my combination design will look a bit like #1, with a solid base, 4 large threaded rods (with bolts to tighten down the corners when needed), and a center point where I can place my small hydraulic jack. The top of the press will be made of layered hardwood, strong enough to stand up to the hydraulic pressure. Stay tuned for the project steps and photos within a few weeks!

Whether spring has officially hit your town, or you just know the snow is gonna go away tomorrow, everyone of us is getting ready for sunglasses season. This year, why not add a little custom style with your own pair of handmade wooden sunglasses?   This Woodwork, a new project by Alex Harris, shows you how to craft a custom pair, snagging the lenses and hinges from a cheap pair from the discount store. 

The best detail is this 1:1 cutting diagram, or you can scan/photocopy your own to make sure your lenses fit.

The results look plenty stylish to us, so bust out that scrollsaw (a coping saw or jigsaw will work well, too) and get to cutting.

Solid Wood Sunglasses [Instructables.com]

No one knows how, but we all tend to collect keys. You know it's true. Somewhere in your house is an overstuffed bowl or drawer with a few (many) mystery keys. This large wall hanging looks like an old-time hotel key rack which means all those "I dunno" keys can be stored out in the open, and with style.      

The great folks over at Remodelaholic saw this great design floating around the net and decided to make their very own rack to tame to chaos in the key department.

With a few hardware pieces, and a simple framed plank the design gets a great finish coat to look weathered and well used. I'm a fan of the grey finish and may just try it out on my fold-away desk project for the kid's room. Head over to their site for more pictures, and plenty of information on how to make your own key rack.

Most of us at ManMade have at some point had to create our own makeshift photography studio, and I imagine a lot of you have had to as well. Thanks to the team at DIYReady.com, here are some easy DIY hacks you can do at home for anything from a DIY Gary Fong Lightsphere to your very own tilt shift lens…   

Many of these don't require much space in the household, but are great ways to step of the photography of whatever you're looking to showcase from your workshop. 

There's even a way to build a matchbox pinhole camera (at matchbox pinhole.comof course) at which I'm thoroughly impressed. 

With all music heading to online streaming, I tend to buy my favorite albums on vinyl so I can cherish them for years to come. As my collection grows my need for space grows with it. So I had to quickly find a solution. Here's a simple project to create some stacking cubes that will hold records, books and more!

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 - 12"x 8' x .5" glued, paint grade pine boards
• Box of .5" wood screws
• 2 4'x 1.5" angled aluminum 
• Metal countersink
• Drill bit to match your .5" screws
• Hack Saw
• Clamps
• Sandpaper or Sanding Station
• Measuring tape

Before you get started, I recommend you crank up the best "workin' hard" playlist you have. It's certainly appropriate for this project.

Start by grabbing your largest vinyl, book, bottle or magazine you want to place in your cubes. You'll use this to base your cuts. I chose one of my favorites and it measures 12.5"all around, which is standard for most vinyls.

Using a table saw or circular saw, cut your boards to an equal length. I cut each of my boards 15" long. I'm making two cubes, so I cut 8 boards in all.

Once you've cut your boards, set them aside and grab your angle aluminum. 

Please Note: Cutting and shaping metal can increase your chances of hurting yourself ten-fold. Wear gloves and safety goggles at all times! Also, learn from my near 9-1-1 experience and DO NOT use a miter or table saw to cut angle metal unless you have experience doing so. 

Measure and mark a width just shy of the width of the box or be like me and don't measure! I used the first cut piece as a template for the others.

Use a hack saw to cut your pieces to proper length. Don't forget to wear glasses and gloves. The metal gets hot and flings tiny aluminum pieces everywhere! 

I used my sanding station (80 grit) to sand the cuts and straighten them out. Let's be honest, it's hard to saw a straight line with a hack saw.

These are ready to go!

Using a ruler or a sliding guide, set your hole marks. I spaced 5 holes evenly over ~12". Because I'm joining the boards by overlapping, not mitering, it's important to set your holes closer to the base (opposite of the peak) of each piece. On this 1.5" wide side, I set the holes 0.5" from the bottom.

Note: Make one with proper measurements, drill your holes and use this piece to trace the holes on all the other pieces you have left.

Using a waste chunk of wood, I set my aluminum up at the drill press, drilled holes then went back with a countersink. I set my countersink depth to allow my screws to sit slightly above the surface. This way, I could accentuate the industrial feel I'm looking for.

It's time to assemble! It's as easy as attaching the aluminum to the wood into a box shape. I didn't have to pre-drill holes into the wood due to the stubby 0.5" screws. I didn't have any problems with wood cracking. If you're worried about that happening, feel free to do so.

I will do my best to explain this. With the angle piece set facing up (like in the picture above) I had better, tighter fitting joints when I set the tip of each screw to bottom of the hole in the aluminum. When you drive in the screw it will center itself and pull the aluminum down, creating a closer fit.

Finished! Now, do it all over again until you have enough to handle your entire record collection. 

For a final touch, I cut 2 pieces leftover board to place between the two crates to create nice floating effect.

Other ideas to upgrade your boxes:

• Stain or paint the boards
• Brush the aluminum with steel wool for a stainless look
• Make the boxes into crates by adding a back panel
• Add another panel and hinges to make a cabinet
• If you want to make boxes larger than the ones presented I recommend that you strengthen the butt joints with glue and screws, then cover over the corners with the aluminum plates. If you're really handy you can also use a dowel system and add dowel rods to the end grain, or use a biscuit jointer for support. 

Go make stuff!