Make: Tips and Tales from the Workshop: A Handy Reference for Makers

by Gareth Branwyn

The hard-earned tips and tricks gained by experience are the hidden currency of makers -- passed along in workshops and makerspaces by example and by retelling -- shared wisdom that will help you work smarter, easier, and more efficiently. Who doesn't remember with gratitude the insider secrets they learned from from a parent, shop teacher, or artisan? The best ones are never forgotten!This benchtop reference collects hundreds of ingenious and indispensable shop tips and pearls of wisdom collected by the editors of and some of the most talented and prolific makers who've contributed to the magazine and Maker Faire over the past decade.Inside you'll find tips for measuring and cutting, gluing and fastening, clamping and joining, drilling, shop organizing, maintenance and repair, and more. The topics covered run the gamut from traditional shopcraft to electronics and soldering. You'll also encounter fascinating tales from experienced makers whose personal stories illuminate their favorite tools and best discoveries. Illustrated in full color with photos, drawings, and comic strips, Tips and Tales from the Workshop will entertain and enlighten while inspiring you.Get ready to smack your head and ask yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?"Praise for Tips and Tales from the "Gareth Branwyn is the Tip Master. He scours the workshops of the world for practical, time-saving, life-altering tips to help you make stuff better, faster, and cheaper. This book rounds up the best ones he knows." --KEVIN KELLY, creator of Cool Tools and Wired Senior Maverick"Gareth has essentially created a magic book for makers." --DONALD BELL, Maker Project Labs"Tips and Tales from the Workshop is sure to inspire anyone to get making with newfound ease and satisfaction. This book embodies the spirit of great mentors, across every medium, and imparts a wizard-like cleverness to its readers. I thought I was clever, and this book has already prevented at least a dozen new mistakes in my studio. It's "ah-ha" moment overload!" --BECKY STERN, DIY guru and Instructables content creator"It must be hard to write a book like this with such uncommon clarity and in so entertaining a fashion as Gareth Branwyn has done here. Gareth clearly has a deep understanding of making and those who make because he is a maker himself. Tips and Tales from the Workshop is jam packed with invaluable information; it is both a fun read and a reliable shop reference for any do-it-yourselfer." --ANDY BIRKEY, YouTube maker

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2018

About the author

Gareth Branwyn is a writer, editor, and media critic.

He has covered technology, media, DIY, and cyberculture for Wired, Esquire, the Baltimore Sun, Details, and numerous other publications. He was an editor at Mondo 2000 and Boing Boing (when it was a print zine), founded the personal tech site, StreetTech.com, and worked for MAKE magazine for 8 years, lastly acting as their Editorial Director.

Gareth co-edited The Happy Mutant Handbook (with Boing Boing) and is the author of Jargon Watch: A Pocket Dictionary for the Jitterati, Jamming the Media, The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Building Robots, and Mosaic Quick Tour: Accessing and Navigating the World Wide Web (the first book written about the Web). His most recent book, a collection of his best work, with many new essays, is called Borg Like Me & Other Tales of Art, Eros, and Embedded Systems. The book was crowd-funded and self-published.

Reviews

[Frank D. Hiatt]

Lots of fun and informative tips and tricks.

I am not a big maker, but I found this book not only informative, but actually entertaining.
The level of what my father called "redneck engineering" is very nice to see spreading.
Whether you are a maker or someone who just has to make do with what you have I highly recommend this book.

[Davia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did have several good hacks to save you money and time. But much of what was written would be things that most people would already know or figure out on their own fairly quickly with little effort. The book is well put together. There is a specific audience that this would be for, perhaps an ultra beginner to DIY anything. But for a seasoned maker, doer, fixer, it isn't enough.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s lots of good stuff in here, but it’s not very tightly edited. There’s a lot of waffle and background chit chat I could have done without, and some repetition. But it’s that sort of book. When I buy a cookery book I don’t expect to like all the recipes. Some just have one really good recipe that makes them worth it. This is that sort of book. It has quite a few good recipes.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely took some protips from this.

[Gregory Kuchmek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ton of wonderful info!