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What is Make it Yourself?
Make it Yourself is a digital book that collects over 1000 useful DIY projects from makers around the world, each linking directly to the original project website where the full instructions live. It is a curated index rather than a tutorial site: the book's job is to show what is possible when people make things themselves and point you to the source. The November 2024 edition is Version 1, available as a download.
Who it suits
- Beginners looking for a broad survey of project types before committing to one.
- Experienced makers hunting for inspiration outside their usual niche.
- Teachers, club leaders or parents assembling a shortlist of buildable projects.
- Anyone who prefers following instructions on the original maker's site, with its own photos, files and comments.
How to use it
Treat it as a starting point, not a manual. Pick two or three projects that match your tools and time, open the linked source pages, and check the material list and skill level there before starting. Because every entry points outward, quality and completeness vary by creator, so read the source page carefully rather than assuming the book has vetted every step.
For broader browsing alongside it, Instructables hosts step-by-step community projects, and Hackaday covers electronics and hardware builds with build logs. If your interests lean toward woodworking or home workshops, Make: publishes project guides and maker coverage.
Trade-off to weigh
A single curated collection saves you searching and surfaces projects you would not find otherwise, but it cannot keep every link current; some original sites change or disappear over time. If a link is dead, search the project name directly, since many makers repost their work.
How do I download the digital book Make it Yourself?
Download the book from its official site, Make it Yourself. The page offers a "Download Version 1 / Nov 2024" link, which is the current edition of the digital book.
What to expect
Make it Yourself is a curated collection of over 1,000 DIY projects. Each entry points to the original project website, where the full instructions and materials live. Think of the book as an index of ideas rather than a single how-to guide.
A practical scenario
Suppose you want to build a small piece of furniture but don't know where to start. Open the book, browse the project categories, and pick an entry that matches your tools and skill level. Follow its link to the original maker's site for the actual plans. That two-step flow — browse in the book, build from the source — is how the collection is meant to be used.
Before you start
- Check the file format and size once the download begins, so you know whether it suits your e-reader, tablet or desktop.
- Save it locally rather than relying on the browser; digital books are easier to search and annotate offline.
- Note that linked projects vary widely in difficulty and in how actively their original sites are maintained.
If the November 2024 download link isn't visible on the page, look for a version or download section near the top, since the site presents the book as its main feature.
What kinds of DIY projects are included in Make it Yourself?
Make it Yourself is a digital book that gathers over 1000 useful DIY projects from makers around the world, each linking to its original project website. Rather than teaching a single craft, it works as a curated index of finished, buildable projects across many disciplines.
What "kinds" of projects to expect
The page evidence does not list categories, so treat the scope as broad and practical: the stated aim is "high quality things of all kinds," chosen for usefulness. In practice, a collection that size and purpose typically spans:
- Home and furniture — storage, shelving, small fittings, repairs.
- Tools and workshop aids — jigs, benches, organizers, improvised equipment.
- Textiles and soft goods — bags, clothing alterations, upholstery, mending.
- Electronics and gadgets — small devices, lighting, controllers, repairs.
- Outdoor and garden — planters, structures, camping and bike gear.
- Kitchen and food equipment — utensils, preservation, small appliances.
These are reasonable expectations for a broad DIY compilation, not a published list from the book itself.
How to use it
Because every entry points to the maker's own site, the book is a discovery layer, not a manual. You still get plans, materials and instructions from the original source.
A concrete scenario: you want a desk shelf but don't know what style or material suits your skills. Skim the book's links for woodworking and furniture entries, open two or three that match your tool set, then compare their material lists and build times before committing.
Decision criterion
Choose this if you want breadth and pointers to real projects; skip it if you need step-by-step teaching in one craft, since the depth lives on the linked sites. For structured, skill-building instruction instead, see Instructables or Hackaday for electronics-oriented builds.
How are the projects in Make it Yourself organized or linked to their original sources?
Make it Yourself is a digital book that gathers over 1,000 DIY projects into one collection, and each featured item links directly to the original project website where the plans, instructions, and materials live. So the book works as a curated index rather than a self-contained manual: you browse the collection to find something worth building, then follow the link to the maker's own site for the actual how-to.
What that means in practice
- The book provides discovery; the source site provides the build. You won't find the full step-by-step inside the collection itself — that detail stays with the original creator.
- Attribution is built into the format. Because every entry points back to its origin, credit and traffic return to the people who published the project.
- Quality depends on the source. A linked tutorial is only as good as the site hosting it, so expect variation in how thoroughly each project is documented.
A realistic scenario
Say you want a weekend woodworking project. You page through the collection, spot a bench or a shelving unit that suits your skill level, and click through to the original page. There you check the tool list, the cut dimensions, and whether the instructions assume experience you don't have. If the source page is thin or the photos are unclear, you move on to the next entry — the collection gives you plenty of alternatives.
How to decide if this suits you
| Your goal | Does the link-out model fit? |
|---|---|
| Browsing broadly for inspiration | Yes — a single collection spans many project types |
| Following one complete tutorial start to finish | Partly — you'll do that on the source site, not here |
| Finding projects with verified, tested plans | Depends on each linked maker's own documentation |
| Supporting original creators directly | Yes — links send you to their sites |
For a next step, pick one project that matches materials you already have on hand, open the original source, and read it end to end before buying anything. If the instructions hold up, the collection has done its job. For a broader range of maker-focused project directories, Instructables and Hackaday are established alternatives worth comparing.
Who created Make it Yourself and why?
Make it Yourself is a digital book compiled as a curated showcase of open DIY work. Its own introduction explains the motivation: creative people worldwide are making high-quality things and sharing their work freely, and the book exists to bring that talent together. It gathers over 1,000 useful DIY projects and links each one directly to its original project website, where the instructions and materials live.
The named creator isn't stated in the supplied page evidence, so the honest answer is that the compiler's identity isn't established here. What is clear is the role: an editor-curator who selected projects rather than designing them, and who frames the collection as inspiration for your next project rather than as a tutorial site in its own right.
What this means in practice
Because the book points outward, its value depends on the linked project sites staying online and complete. Treat it as a discovery index, not an archive.
- Best for: beginners hunting for a first project, and experienced makers looking outside their usual craft.
- Less useful for: anyone wanting one deep, tested build guide in a single place.
- Trade-off: breadth of over 1,000 entries versus uneven depth, since each entry inherits the quality of its source site.
A concrete next step: pick three projects in different materials, open their original sites, and check whether each lists tools, dimensions and finished photos. That tells you quickly whether a project is buildable or merely photogenic. For broader browsing alongside it, Instructables and Hackaday cover similar territory with their own editorial standards.
Can I submit my own DIY project to be featured in Make it Yourself?
No. Based on the page evidence, Make it Yourself is presented as a digital book that gathers over 1,000 existing DIY projects, each linking out to the original project website. There is no submission form, call for entries or contributor process described, so the site does not currently appear to accept project submissions.
What this means in practice
If your goal is to get a DIY project in front of an audience, treat Make it Yourself as a discovery resource rather than a publishing platform. Its role is to point readers toward makers who already publish their work elsewhere.
A practical route for a woodworker, sewer or electronics hobbyist is to publish the project on your own site first, with clear photos, a materials list and build steps, then work on being found through other channels. Being featured in a curated collection usually follows from having a complete, linkable project page, not from submitting an idea.
Where to look instead
- Your own site or blog: the most direct way to control how a project is presented and to build a body of work over time.
- Maker communities that accept posts: platforms built around user-submitted projects are designed for exactly this. Instructables is one well-known example.
- Project-sharing communities: Hackaday.io hosts user projects, particularly electronics and hardware builds.
- Craft-focused platforms: Ravelry accepts member-submitted patterns for fibre and textile work.
Decision criterion
Ask whether the site has a visible "submit," "add project" or "community" section. If it does not, it is a curated showcase, and the realistic path to appearing in something like it is to publish a strong project elsewhere and let it be discovered.
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