How to Install and Mount a Vise without Drilling Holes in Your Workbench

My first "workbench" was a simple table-style surface. 2x4 legs, 1/2" plywood top, held together with black drywall screws. I built it in my first apartment when I was twenty-two, with my first (and only) power tools: a circular saw and a drill. 

In the back left corner, I mounted a shiny, new, bright blue Irwin swiveling bench vise. It was awesome to have it there when I needed it - holding metal stock and angle iron for cutting, helping me bend rod and pipe, even keeping dowels and small wood parts in place while working on them. Unfortunately, these activities constituted a very small amount of the projects I was doing, and mostly, the vise just got in the way during the other 97% percent of tasks.

So, for the past few years, that vise has just been in a storage crate, and I get it out and try to hold it in place when I need it. Which, in case you can't guess, does not work. Ever. So, I wanted to come up with a solution that would allow me to install a machinist's style swiveling benchtop vise, without having to permanently install it, or drill holes in my benchtop and have to thread and tighten nuts and bolts every time I use it.    … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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​How to Build Your Own Altoids Tin Survival Kit

I'm sure the original makers of Altoids had no concept of survivalism, let alone having any inkling that they were providing a vessel for emergency lifesaving tools. Yet here we are: this humble, yet curiously strong, breath mint has inspired scores of tutorials for intrepid would-be wilderness warriors.

Rather than reinventing the wheel, we at ManMadDIY have scoured the tutorials, and we've honed in on what we think are the best basics for that quintessential Internet favorite, the Altoids tin survival kit.

Let's dig in!

… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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These Five Episodes Will Make You Fall In Love With This Youtube Series

We're living in a golden age of food media. Between exceptional print magazines like the gone-too-soon Lucky Peach and Bon Appetite, to Netflix shows like Chef's Table and PBS's Mind of a Chef, to David Chang's recent discussion of a developing food media empire, there is just so much professional-level food edu-tainment that an interested viewer need never go hungry. 

And yet, even though the space is saturated with quality content, amateur programs are still finding their niche in online forums. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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Hey, Electric Guitar People! Can You Help Me with Something Real Quick?

Hi, guitar players. I've been trying to figure something out this week, so I thought I'd turn to some of the smartest, most awesome people I know - the ManMade readers. 

So here's the deal...      

… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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'Ready Player One' Hopes to End March 2018 with a Bang, Not a Whimper

On the heels of a record February, March 2018 is currently down ~30% compared to last year's record-breaking performance and yet, thanks to the strong carryover performance from Black Panther, the first quarter of 2018 is still attempting to keep pace with last year's grosses if not just a touch behind. Hoping to offer an assist as March comes to a close this Saturday is Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow's release of Ready Player One, which is getting a jump start on the weekend with a Thur...

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How to: Make a Wooden Hand Screw Rack & Organizer

I have tried almost every solution to keep track of my hand screws. I've hung them on pegboard hooks. I've stashed them in wall-hung cubbies. I've stacked them on shelves. I've put them in designated plastic totes. All of which have resulted in: I hardly ever use my hand screws. 

Which is a shame, because they're extremely versatile. They have a deep reach, and their wooden jaws are handy when you don't want to nick a blade or bit on something metal. So, last weekend, in my ever continuing attempts to get my shop truly organized, I decided to build a wall-mounted hand screw organizer that would allow me to keep things in place and bring the clamps to the project when I need them.    … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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It Turns Out, a $500 Blender is Totally Worth It

I was sitting with a few friends the other day and they started talking about how they needed to start drinking smoothies again. The conversation quickly turned to how expensive smoothie places can be, and how most blenders at home just don't… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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You Should Be Burning Your Brassicas

"Brassica" has become my new favorite word. It is the Latin word for "cabbage" (or also, "cauliflower"), as well as the scientific name for the genus of plants that includes green, slightly bitter, slightly salty, members of the mustard family… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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8 Truly Extraordinary Whiskeys Under $75

Look, we love a solid, affordable whisk(e)y roundup. We've certainly written our share on ManMade: see here, here, here, and here. But there are times in life where "good enough" isn't... those times where you're really to spend a little more to experience something seriously amazing.    … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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How To: Build a Memory Palace to Memorize Virtually Anything

If you've watched the recent four-season BBC Sherlock series, you may recall that the titular character expertly played by Benedict Cumberbatch goes spelunking deep into his "mind palace" for details to solve his cases. The idea of an eidetic memory (the ability to recall information after mere moments of passive exposure to it) is debated, but if you watch carefully, it seems that Holmes constantly, actively stores information in imaginary places in his mind.

This is a tool grounded in reality, it's older than dirt, and you can use it to memorize virtually any set of information, from bank account numbers, to anatomical terms for med school, to Brazilian jiu-jitsu moves.

Let's go diving!… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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'Pacific Rim 2' Tops Weekend as 'Black Panther' Becomes Fifth Largest Domestic Release of All-Time

It had to happen at some point and this was the weekend that saw Black Panther's streak as the #1 film at the weekend box office come to an end at the hands of Pacific Rim Uprising. That being said, it wasn't a down weekend for Black Panther at all as it became the highest grossing superhero film of all-time, topping The Avengers with a domestic cume that now totals $630.9 million, becoming one of the top five domestic releases of all-time. This weekend also saw another stellar performa...

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Make This: DIY Fire Brick Blowtorch Forge

I've been looking at making a small forge for a while now. The main goal is to dip my toe into metal working just a little bit, so something that can heat up about 6" stock is all I want. This weekend, I gathered up some basic materials and made myself a small forge.   … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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'Pacific Rim Uprising' Looks to Dethrone 'Black Panther' Atop the Weekend Box Office

Five new wide releases make their way to theaters this weekend along with the first stage in the platform release of Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs. Of the bunch, Pacific Rim Uprising and Sherlock Gnomes will attempt to be the first film (or films) to top Black Panther at the weekend box office, ending Panther's five weekend streak at #1. Additionally, Sony will be hoping some of the good fortune that befell I Can Only Imagine last weekend will rub off on their release of Paul, Apostle of Chr...

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How to Choose and Install Flooring for Your Laundry Room

If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then I nominate the laundry room as the all-important hands and feet. This is the space that keeps things running and moving: a clean clothing command center that helps us process the moving parts that keeps us sane each week. 

When it came time to redo our laundry room, giving it the proper respect deserved by such an important space, we knew we wanted to do everything we could to de-beige-ify the space. And that certainly meant changing out the lovely, worn out faux-stone sheet floor you see here.   … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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The (Still Existing) Power of a Handwritten Letter

When was the last time that you wrote a meaningful handwritten letter to your spouse, parents, siblings or friends?  Do you remember the last time you received a handwritten letter from someone significant in your life?  The odds are, you’re much… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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How to: Dig a Garden Patch Using Only a Shovel

I've always been a big fan of eating good food. But I also can't leave well enough alone, so eating led me to cooking, and cooking led me to gardening.

Originally a means to an end, now there are few things that give me greater happiness than stepping out the back door in the middle of summer and walking across my backyard to the roughly 20' x 30' patch of dirt full of rows of tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, squash, and greens.

When I first bought my house and decided to transform the patch of grass into our home garden, I didn't own a rototiller, but I did have a $20 shovel, an internet connection, and a spare can of elbow grease. After compiling the ideas from several gardening sites and testing it out on my half-acre slice of North Carolina, I had myself a beautifully productive vegetable garden. 

Here's a brief primer on how you can hand-dig your own patch using the time-honored technique of "double digging."… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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The 7 Local Haunts Every Man Needs in His Life

I’ve technically lived in five cities so far if we include my college town (Minneapolis, New Haven, London, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles). And I’ve come to realize that as a creature of habit I eventually start frequenting a couple different venues that all have similar things in common. I think every man should have a couple of these. Let me explain…      … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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My Total DIY Laundry Room Makeover

7 Things I'm Totally Obsessed With This Month (March 2018 Edition)

These are thoughts, the artwork, the news stories, the tools, the food, the conversations, and whatever else we just can't get out of our heads this month.   

1. The Magazine: She Shreds 

I love everything about their point-of-view. She… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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Crafting Yourself: How the Stoics Can Help You Become a More Productive and Creative Maker

 

“As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.” – Seneca

 

The Project

Suppose you are getting ready to start a really big project––a project that will require an immense amount of time and… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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'Black Panther' Tops $600M Domestically While 'I Can Only Imagine' Surprises with $17M Debut

For the fifth weekend in a row, Disney and Marvel's Black Panther is the weekend's number one film at the domestic box office, becoming the first film to accomplish that feat since Avatar in 2009. The film is also only the seventh film to ever gross over $600 million at the domestic box office as it continues to dominate, now less than $18 million shy of topping The Avengers and becoming the highest grossing superhero movie of all-time. As for the weekend's new releases, WB's Tomb Raid...

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Totally Awesome Distillery Tour: Kozuba & Sons

You’re at the liquor store standing in front of 5-tier shelf that stretches the entire wall and your just here to pick up a bottle of spirits. There are a lot of different brands and an array of price points for each bottle. What goes through your mind?

I think for those of us who enjoy an adult beverage, buying alcohol, spirits specifically, can fall into two categories:

1. I’m looking for an affordable bottle of spirits that doesn’t taste terrible, and,
2. I know what brand and style I want. I’ve had it before and I’ll enjoy it again

And possibly a third, oft youth oriented thought: I’ll take the cheapest swill there is please.

But do you ever choose a bottle because you know where it comes from? Who made it? The story of how this spirit came to be?

I’d argue the answer to these questions are just as important as cost or a familiar label. There’s something special about knowing what goes into a craft. Even more than that, there’s a tangible connection when you not only know the story of a product, but experience the story first-hand....

… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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Can 'Black Panther' Fend Off 'Tomb Raider' for Fifth Straight Weekend at #1?

This weekend, Disney and Marvel's Black Panther will become only the seventh film to have ever topped $600 million at the domestic box office. Like last weekend, however, the one question that lingers is whether or not it will be able to retain the #1 spot yet again, becoming the first film since Avatar to top the weekend box office five straight weekends in a row. Standing in its way is Warner Bros.'s release of Tomb Raider, and the race looks like it will be a close one. Meanwhile, fello...

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How to Hack Your Aeropress to Make an Even Better Cup of Coffee

I recently posted a photo of my Aeropress setup to Instagram and had a buddy comment with questions about my process. I've only been using my press casually for the last couple of years, so I didn't feel comfortable saying anything authoritative. That begged the question: who would be considered an authority on the subject of Aeropress recipes? Which led me to: if not the victors of the World Aeropress Championship, then who? 

If you're unfamiliar to the world of Aeropress, if you own one and have no idea what to do with it, or if you're looking to tweak your current routine: read on, friends.… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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It's Time to Toss Your Tupperware and Get These Instead

If you are anything like me, there have been numerous times in your life when you have been in a Target/Costco/Sur La Table/Container Store when box full of intricate, multi-shaped and variously sized plastic containers has come into view, and you have thought, "it's time I get organized!" The lure of organization is powerful because it feels like if you have a place for not only everything, but every KIND of thing, you'll never fall into disorder again.

I have learned something from a lifetime of tangling with stackable, burp-able, intricately sized storage containers: freedom does not come in a system that has options for every possibility, it comes in a simple system based on interchangeable parts. And in the world of food storage, we should look not to the glossy, marketed boxes in the housewares aisle, but to the humble set up of your neighborhood takeout place… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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ManMade Recommended: I Think I Just Found my New Favorite Spring Jacket

Some days, I wish I just had to wear a suit to work. I probably don’t actually mean that, and I’m sure you true 9-5ers would laugh at the possibility of giving up working in sweatpants for wingtips. A hardhat and steel-toed boots would work just as well. See, I'm interested in the ease of it. "Oh, I'm at work. Here's my work uniform." Instead, on any given day, I could be several different diverse work environments, both indoors and out, wet and dry spaces, with temperature fluctuations of upwards to thirty-five or forty degrees. 30° F when I leave in the morning, and 65° by 3pm.… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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Yes, Every Man Needs A Journal. Here's Why.

I spent some time last week making a few DIY journals, and it made me think a bit about why I always have a stack of them filling my shelf. After looking through a few in the pile, I decided yes, they're definitely worth the effort. Here are a few reasons why.   … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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How To: Build A Pegboard Blowtorch Holder

A Diet of Early Worms: the Case Against Procrastination

For those of you who have mastered denying the temptation to pick at procrastination's bountiful buffet, this article will be a waste of your time. I'd suggest moving on to something else—this handy jazz album primer, how to turn an old shirt into a pocket square, or this awesome list of 14 burger recipes. 

But for those of you who find it difficult to resist the siren song of putting stuff off until the last minute, or who (worse yet) willingly delay working until the 11th hour, let's take a moment to examine the evidence that procrastination is a horrible idea.

… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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'Black Panther' Remains Box Office King, Topping $1 Billion Worldwide

On top of eclipsing $1 billion worldwide, Disney and Marvel's Black Panther has now achieved what no other film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has accomplished as it remained #1 at the weekend box office for its fourth straight weekend in a row since release. The superhero repeat means Disney's A Wrinkle in Time opened in second place followed by Aviron's The Strangers: Prey at Night while both Amazon Studios's Gringo and Entertainment Studios's The Hurricane Heist struggled mightily. ...

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Disney's 'A Wrinkle in Time' and 'Black Panther' Compete for the Weekend's Top Spot

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How to Prep for a Killer Spring Break Road Trip

It’s (almost) that time of year again when the weather starts to turn a little warmer and winter finally fades into the budding trees of springtime.  In addition to the blooming flowers, the beginning of March also indicates that spring break is right around the corner for college students, teachers and many families with school aged children.  If you’re ready to bust your cabin fever, consider joining them on your own version of a, keep these items in mind before hitting the open road (if you’re flying, reconsider – a long road trip is something you have to do at least once you in your life):   … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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How to Make Head Tea: The Greatest Cold Remedy Known to Man

I live in an area of the country that experiences four traditional seasons. Of those four, my favorites are Spring and Fall. I love everything about these transitional seasons—the mild weather, the changing light, the start of garden season on one end and the height of its bounty at the other. (Even if they do only seem to last for about a week here in eastern North Carolina.)

That is, I love these seasons, but my sinuses do not. I've got horrendous seasonal allergies that flood my head with histamines twice a year, to the point where I really should invest in a giant hypoallergenic vinyl bubble to seal myself off in from April to July. Also, the change of seasons seems to kick the butts of everyone's immune systems, and I always inevitably catch what everyone's passing around.

Are you in the same club? I got something for what ails you, and it goes by the name of Head Tea.… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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Pickle Everything. Or, How to Make All Your Vegetables Interesting as Possible

I knew I had a problem with pickles when I was a kid and the jar of Claussen's or Batampte's in our fridge wouldn't last a week without me finishing it. Something about the perfection of cucumber plus garlic plus the salty-sour of the brine made for something refreshing, savory and just perfect. I craved pickles as the accompaniment to a sandwich, but I also ate them straight out of the fridge, getting through at least a spear or two before the door closed shut. Pickles are, simply put, one of my favorite ways to eat vegetables.  … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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10 Ways to Dress Up and Improve a Frozen Pizza

When I'm just cooking for myself (i.e. if my special someone is out of town), I can certainly fend for myself nutritionally, but, I'm probably not going to get too culinarily ambitious. I find I either want to cook for lots and lots of folks (hence my two dinner parties over the weekend), or not really mess with it. I mean, who I am gonna impress and treat? Myself? Nah. Plus, I gotta do all the cleanup myself.

So, while I don't like to get take out every night, I'm prolly not gonna make a big mess in the kitchen with fancy fixings. And, probably at least once, when spending an evening huddled away in the basement working on a project, I'll resort to that single-guy staple: the frozen pizza.

Not that I like frozen pizza, of course. But, it does do in a pinch, requires little effort and clean-up, and sorta feels like a treat. But that bland blagh from a box doesn't have to be all bad. Especially if you take it up a notch with some fresh ingredients and clever techniques.   

… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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'Black Panther' Tops $500 Million, Becoming Tenth Largest Domestic Release All-Time

It was yet another monster weekend for Disney and Marvel's Black Panther as the superhero feature became the third fastest film to ever reach $500 million domestic. Meanwhile, the weekend's new wide releases came up just a bit short of Mojo's pre-weekend forecast with Fox's Red Sparrow taking runner-up position behind Black Panther and MGM's Death Wish landing in third. It's also Oscar Sunday, which means we'll end this recap with a brief look at this some of year's nominees and how they st...

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The Surprisingly Fascinating History of the Bowtie

What clothing item has something in common with freelance warriors, the Rat Pack, and a famous scientist from a beloved 1990's kid's show? Yep, you're staring at it: the bow tie.

Let's take a few minutes to dive into the fascinating world of this one-of-a-kind accessory.… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com

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'Black Panther' Preps for Third Weekend at #1 as 'Red Sparrow' & 'Death Wish' Debut

With nearly $430 million in the bank domestically as of Wednesday (Feb 28), the big question for Black Panther this weekend is not whether it will repeat at #1 for a third straight week (it will), but whether it can hold on well enough to reach $500 million domestically. Otherwise, while Black Panther continues to carve out its own place in box office history, a pair of new wide releases hope to make their own impact this weekend in Fox's Red Sparrow and MGM's Death Wish remake from Eli Ro...

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