I like making things. I especially like making things out of metal, as you'll notice by browsing through my welded figurines. I dabble a little in wood as well, but metal is really where my heart is. Anything that goes *clang* is music to my soul.

Of course, working with metal is only as fun as the tools you have available. The more tools you have, the more you can create. My wife explains to me that this is analogous to the kitchen appliances she asks me to buy. Hm... I guess I can't argue with that.

As much as I love my metal-working tools (welders, cutters, sheet-metal hammers, etc.), something that I'd really like to have is a multi-machine - a metal-working machine that can make other metal-working machines. Unfortunately, a multi-machine is generally outrageously expensive, running upwards of $6,000 to $10,000 for a decent one.

Recently, I stumbled upon this:



That's DIY multi-machine, featured here on yahoo groups. If you join the group, you can access the 80 page PDF file they've put together to explain how they built it using old 6-cylinder engine blocks and other scavenged parts. The plans outline a way to build the whole machine for just a couple hundred bucks. I've got a couple hundred bucks sitting around...

If you don't have a yahoo account and don't want to get one just to download the PDF file, you can download it from me:

DIY Multi-Machine (2.64 MB).

Enjoy.