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Depressed by the utter unmanliness of the plastic toolboxes at my local hardware store, I headed to the flea market to see if I could do better. I was looking for a heavy-duty hunk of American steel. It didn't take long to spot a real beauty ... if you find rust and worn paint to be beautiful. But how could I resist a box labeled "Park Manufacturing Co?" After talking the seller down to $13, the old beast was mine. None of the rust seemed to be below surface level. Time to take it home, sand it down to the metal, and bring it back to its original glory.

Materials:

Dremel Multi-Max or other oscillating tool/sander with sander attachment, and sanding pads.
Dremel Rotary Tool and wire wheel. You could use sandpaper and wire brushes instead if needed.
Shop cloths or old t-shirts
Masking tape
Primer
Ruste preventative enamel spray paint
Spray truck liner
Safety goggles
Dust Mask
Goggles

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Let's face it, nobody needs a medieval siege weapon on their desk. Or do they? I recently decided that the lack of catapults in our brainstorming sessions at work was negatively impacting our ability to be creative. So I decided to remedy this. My friend Bill Gurstelle is the dean of siege weapons, so I chose to build a modified version of the Roman onager-style catapult from his book The Art of the Catapult. Using only pine, twine, pegs, glue, and a re-purposed night-stand drawer pull, I was able to build a great looking, fun, and functional desktop catapult.

Materials:

Dremel Multi-Max oscillating tool with wood blade, sander attachment, and sanding pads.
Drill or drill press with 1/8", 3/16", and 1/4" bits
1"×1"×48" length of pine. You'll use 40", but it's good to have extra for
error and kerf.
¾"×¾"× 10" length of pine. You'll use 8".
¾"-diameter × 8½"-long wooden dowel. Sold in various lengths, you'll cut to size.
3/16"-diameter wooden dowel. You'll need to cut four 1½" lengths.
¼"×1¼" hardwood fluted dowel pegs (20)
Small bowl, tablespoon, or other suitable projectile cup 1½" diameter, with screw for mounting
Wood glue
Clamps
Twine
Wood stain and foam brush (optional)
Carpenter's square with 45-degree angle gauge
Dust mask
Safety goggles

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My son has this totally awesome "exhaust" pipe on his bike that I covet. It's really a resonator for the classic baseball-card-in-the-spokes trick. It makes a terrific racket, and gets people to move out of the way without necessitating a honk on your horn. I decided to build my own, using a recycled beverage bottle. Armed with a Dremel Rotary Tool, a bottle of energy drink, and a depleted gift card, I set out to make my own soda bottle bike exhaust.

Materials:
Dremel Rotary Tool cut-off wheel, 180- and 280-grit abrasive buffs, aluminum oxide grinding stone, and 1/8" drill bit
Aluminum 16oz. beverage bottle
Hose clamps (2)
Plastic gift card (depleted)
#8 screw (1) with nuts (2) and washer (1)
Pop rivet gun with 1/8" short aluminum rivets
Permanent marker
Masking tape
Dust mask
Safety goggles

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It's no secret to kids that a big cardboard box is the best play fort you can have. Find a washing machine box on the curb, drag it home: instant fun. If you want some amenities, such as a drawbridge door or firing slits, you need to put a little extra work into it.

I've embellished ours in the past with everything from a Swiss Army knife to a box cutter. Turns out, a Dremel Multi-Max is a much easier, more controllable tool for this than anything I've tried. Add some good fasteners and there's no limit to the size and complexity of the cardboard castles you can construct.

Materials:

Dremel Multi-Max oscillating tool with circular drywall/wood blade
Drill with ¼" bit
Big cardboard box from a fridge or washer/dryer
Cardboard supports that come with the box (optional)
Small cardboard tube
Box rivets from Mr. McGroovy's or other fasteners
Ruler and pencil
Earplugs
Twine

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Hey, you want to make some chunky 8-bit music? In a recipe box? With Atari paddles? Using a Dremel tool? We thought you might. The "Atari Punk Console" is the name given to the wonderfully retro-sounding stepped tone generator, designed by hobby electronics pioneer Forrest M. Mims III. It is a 556-based timer circuit oscillator that generates a square wave. More importantly, it sounds like Atari 2600 music and is fun to build into a cool enclosure.

Materials:
Dremel Rotary Tool with drill bits, circle cutter attachment/bit, sanding drum
Atari Punk Console kit from makershed.com/apc
Atari 2600 paddle controllers (1) optional but much cooler
Wooden recipe box or cigar box
Red LED, 360? resistor and LED holder
Wire mesh for speaker grill
Screws and nuts for speaker mounting
Velcro tape
Drill press or hand drill and bits for mounted component holes
Soldering iron and solder
Safety goggles

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Wires, wires everywhere. I don't like looking at wires, wires everywhere. Even though I have a USB hub, it's a bit of an eyesore sitting on top of my desk, plugged into devices up top, and my computer down below. I decided it was time to embed the hub directly into the surface of the desk. Using the Dremel Multi-Max to plunge-cut the wood desktop, I fit the USB hub into the desk, and attached the hub to the underside using brackets. It's now stable, stylish, and out of the way.

Materials:

Dremel Multi-Max oscillating tool with 1-3/8" wood flush cut blade, circular drywall/wood blade, and sandpaper attachment
Powered USB hub
1" metal brackets with screws (2)
Wood rasp
Sandpaper
Epoxy
Pencil
Ruler
Carpenter's square
Safety goggles

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