Home//Popular Mechanics/March 2016/In This Issue
Popular Mechanics|March 2016A MEASURE OF CONTROLI DIDN’T KNOW where to put my woodpile.This is a strange problem, and one not many people will relate to, and not actually a problem at all. But I’ll explain.This is our third winter in the country after 15 in the city. We bought the house and immediately—before we closed, even— had all kinds of plans. This wall would come down, that table would go there, and the first thing we needed was a deck. But then you spend some time living in the house, and you get to know it, and you learn how to use it. The priorities get rearranged as unexpected needs assert themselves.For example: The first thing we needed was definitely not a deck. The first thing we needed was working toilets.Long lists of jobs and…2 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016POPULAR MECHANICS EVERYWHEREYOUTUBE!Todd McLellan, above, the photographer and disassembler behind “Things Come Apart” (see page 28), records time-lapse video of each of his meticulous deconstructions. They are mesmerizing displays of the guts of everyday objects, and they’re all on our YouTube channel (youtube.com/popmechshow) for your viewing pleasure. Watch this month’s edition backward, and see if you can figure out how to put a 3D printer together.THE PODCASTS!• Should our survival feature on page 68 get you in the prepper spirit, be sure to download our special survival edition of the Most Useful Podcast Ever (available at the iTunes store). Host and senior editor Jacqueline Detwiler helps you make the most out of your postapocalyptic life—like how to start a fire with your expensive smartphone once cell service (and electric heat) is only…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016THE CAMERAMAN’S CAMERAThe first time I learned about Leica was from a legendary camera dealer in New York City. I wanted to see one of his cameras, and he said, “You’re not ready yet.” All my heroes used a Leica— Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank. I got my first one in 1982. It’s how I learned to be a photographer.Leica’s reputation for being the best you can get is well deserved. It always has the best lenses. The glass is ground to the finest specifications, which means that colors are very, very accurate.The photos don’t have the same overbrightness as photos from Japanese cameras. When I set the new Leica SL to high ISO, so the sensor is taking in a lot of light, there’s no visual noise or pixelation as on other cameras.…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016Micro Distilling Goes Macro▶ WHY BUTTE?In Butte, Montana, hard-rock miners used to lower themselves 5,000 feet underground to tap out copper ore. They mixed dangerous handwork with rudimentary mechanics. John and Courtney McKee wanted to continue that innovative legacy when they started Headframe.▶ WHY HEADFRAME?The distillery is named after the structure that supports the hoisting pulleys over a mine shaft. Each spirit is named after an historic mine claim. (See right.)▶ THE BOOZEHeadframe’s newest spirit, a single-malt Irish-style whiskey being launched in March, took some experimentation. And science. The McKees reverse-engineered existing spirits using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to determine their ingredients and how they interact. Then they set about making their own product. “The whiskey has to spend two and a half years in a barrel,” McKee says. “We couldn’t wait…3 min
Popular Mechanics|March 20163D PRINTERMODEL: 3D SYSTEMS CUBEPRODUCED: ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINATIME TO DISASSEMBLE: 5 HOURS, 17 MINUTES, 47 SECONDSNUMBER OF PARTS: 677NOTES: “It seems kind of like magic,” began a science segment on the January 30, 1989, episode of Good Morning America, “but it’s called stereolithography.” Onscreen, a machine shoots UV light into a vat of liquid, causing the liquid to harden. Later in the segment, Chuck Hull, the inventor of stereolithography, describes the process as “a threedimensional printer.” Hull founded 3D Systems to create prototypes of industrial parts. Today it also sells a line of hobbyist printers that ditch the vat of liquid in favor of materials that harden as they cool. The Cube from 3D Systems is currently in its third generation, and 3D printing has come a long way too:…3 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016A WORKOUT ON TWO WHEELSFind Hills▶ Twice a week, go to the hilliest area you can and conquer it for 45 minutes. If you live in a flat area, crank your gear to a lower setting than you’re comfortable with and ride the same 45 minutes, with small breaks. If possible, do it into a headwind. This method, called high-intensity training, gets more muscle fibers active to help build muscle.Ride Far▶ Once a week, raise your gear and ride for a longer time—at least an hour. The higher gear will force you to make more pedal revolutions per minute for a more aerobic cardio workout. This is highcadence training.Remember Your Core▶ Buy a bike stand for 20 bucks, then use it to perform single-leg pedal drills. Lift your butt off the seat and roll…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016String TrimmersEDITOR CHOICEEcho GT-225LR P M 7,500ENGINE: 21.2 ccNOISE: 76.8 dBA at idle/91.4 at full throttleWEIGHT: 10.68 lbLIKES: A lot of trimmer for the money, with more than enough power for residential needs. The machine feels very smooth, thanks to good vibration dampening (the most effective we tested) between the engine and handle, and a cutting head that’s mounted on ball bearings. A simple wing nut fastens the front handle, making it easy to adjust for optimal balance.DISLIKES: Gas cap access is a bit tight.$200Hitachi CG22EABSLPR P M 7,500ENGINE: 21.1 ccNOISE: 83.2/94.2 dBAWEIGHT: 10.37 lbLIKES: You immediately notice the Hitachi’s weight advantage in how easy it is to handle. It seems to have a bit less power than the other machines, but the Hitachi cuts very effectively and makes up for…2 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016How to CrowdfundBRIAN DAVIS WAS WORKING in marketing and sales when he came up with his first product, the Fix It Stick, a portable multitool for bikes. He sketched out the idea and brought it to the owner of a local fix-it shop to ask if he would build a prototype. After fine-tuning the design with a faculty member from a local community college, Davis set up a Kickstarter page. In 30 days he raised more than $30,000. Since then he has successfully launched two more products—a hydration pack that doubles as a water bottle and a protective wind mask for cyclists, which debuted in January. A few of the lessons he’s learned about the mysterious and potentially lucrative world of crowdfunding.Finish the Product First▶ Before you launch the campaign, be ready…2 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016ASK ROYQ Mice are getting into our house, most likely through the garage. I can’t seem to find a way to keep them out. What can I do?FRANK N., WAUSAU, WISCONSINA The garage is the biggest opening into your house, so it’s not surprising that that’s where mice would go. It’s bigger than any window or door, and exponentially larger than some tiny gap around a badly fitting piece of siding. Furthermore, there’s often a meal on the other side of the door—pet food, birdseed, even garbage. A mouse would be crazy to try to enter any other way.Fortunately, the fix is simple. I used it several years ago when mice nearly overran our little neighborhood. Take a trip to a hardware store and buy some aluminum flashing. It’s available in…3 min
Popular Mechanics|March 20161972 BMW 2002OWNER: Mike VillaLOCATION: Santa Ana, CaliforniaYEARS OWNED: TwoI WAS DOING VIDEO production for a magazine, and I got to drive a lot of the new BMWs. I remember coming away so unimpressed. They’re extremely comfortable, but it’s sensory deprivation. There’s just no feedback in the electric steering, and they feel like bigger overall cars than five, ten years ago. To be fair, you could say that about nearly any manufacturer now. That got me looking into older BMWs, then older and older BMWs.I found mine on Craigslist in San Diego. The owner clearly never had a large budget and wasn’t terribly concerned with doing things the right way. Later I found out that the shift linkage was made out of rebar welded to a MagLite flashlight. I didn’t love that…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016HOW TO THAW A FROZEN LOCKWhen I was in college, I took out a loan to buy a Lamborghini and start an exotic-car-rental company. We later got a Ferrari 360 Spider in the fleet, and one morning, after a night when the temperature dipped below 20 degrees, I got to the garage where I’d left it, planning to drive it back to our warehouse. When I hit the unlock button on the key fob, I could hear the locks straining to rotate, but the doors wouldn’t unlock. The car also had this security feature where both doors had to unlock before either one would open, which meant I couldn’t use a physical key to muscle my way in. I called the local dealer. They had no idea that the locks could even freeze. I called…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016THE EARLY ANGLERSPulaski, New York, is about three and a half, maybe four, hours from just about anywhere. It took that long for two collectives of fly fishermen— the guys of Pigfarm Ink Nor’eastah from New England and the Vermont Fly Guys out of Highgate Springs, enthusiast groups of men and women who found each other on Instagram and Facebook and meet in real life on weekends—to get up here on Friday evening. They gathered at the Tailwater Lodge, an old school that’s been converted into a resort for the modern outdoorsmen who flock here when the steelhead run strong, October through May. The two groups had sponsored and organized a local flytying competition for Friday, a small event for themselves, the locals, and a couple of teens from the area to…3 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016THE BEST ESCAPE VEHICLESBEST FOR A TSUNAMIGIBBS QUADSKIIn front of you: a traffic jam. Behind you: a rapidly approaching wall of death by seawater. You’re glad you’ve got a Gibbs Quadski, an ATV that can hit 45 mph on either land or water. Retract the wheels, fire up the jet drive, and keep heading inland. Or out to sea. It doesn’t really make a difference at this point, does it?BEST FOR A BLIZZARDRAM ECODIESEL 4X4 ON TRACK N GO SNOW TRACKSYou want the diesel for range—you can’t count on gas stations being open. The Track N Go system is like truck snowshoes. Bolt one on each corner and your pickup is now a snowmobile. Now let’s quit this talk of the Donner Party. It just started snowing.BEST FOR AN ARMED INSURRECTIONMERCEDES-BENZ S600 GUARDWhen…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016THE ARKTO SAY THAT Robert Vicino has thought of everything would be a colossal understatement. The website of his apocalypse-shelter company, Vivos, contains links about pets, social hierarchy, clothing, and religion. He’s created a free vault for human DNA to which anyone can submit a sample. The following sentence appears in the advertising copy for his seventy-six-acre bunker somewhere under Europe: “If you believe in the prophecies and predictions of the Bible, Nostradamus, the Third Secret of Fatima, the visions of Edgar Cayce, and all of the current signs of an economic collapse, future nuclear war, WW3, a pandemic, an EMP power outage, a Yellowstone eruption, a potential asteroid collision, Nibiru, Planet X, Fukushima’s eventual meltdown and widespread global radiation, the coming pole shift and/or major earth changes, it is time…3 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016MAROONED IN THE ARCTIC (WITH POLAR BEARS)Last July, a Russian helicopter pilot had nearly completed a record-breaking trip around the globe when he crashed into the icy waters of the Arctic Circle.Stuck on a slab of ice surrounded by polar bears, with only a handful of protein tablets, a half-liter of water, and his GPS trackers lost at the bottom of the sea, he never should have survived.The pounding noise shatters the ancient, eerie silence of the Davis Strait, a frigid finger of ocean separating Canada and Greenland. ¶Thwick-thwack, thwick-thwack, thwick-thwack.¶ It comes from above but the marine fog is thick, the source invisible. The sound gets closer, louder.¶THWICK-THWACK, THWICK-THWACK, THWICK-THWACK.¶ The pilot wears an old red neoprene survival suit. But it’s hot in the helicopter, and the bulky outfit’s mittens make it difficult to operate…19 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016THE FAMILY CAR REIMAGINEDFourth of July. My wife and I took our two kids back to my small hometown in Massachusetts to see the parade and go for a fire-truck ride. As we waited in line, volunteer firefighters handed out stickers to the kids. We rode the fire truck. Fun day.At home, I noticed that one of our kids had stuck a sticker on the driver-side door of my wife’s car, a 2006 navy blue Scion xB (the last year Scion made its signature box). I carefully peeled it off...and centered it in the middle of the door. I thought it looked cool.Later my wife stormed in yelling, “Did you see that sticker Frida put on my car?” I raised my eyebrows, pretending to be surprised, and went to remove the sticker. When…11 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016EVERYDAY. REINVENTEDStandard 10 air bags and an innovative 360-degree sensor that can measure the severity of an impact and adjust the inflation of the air bags accordingly.†EXCEPTIONAL EFFICIENCY. Malibu Hybrid’s estimated 48 MPG city1 and Malibu’s estimated 37 MPG highway2 take fuel economy to new heights.INGENIOUS TECHNOLOGY. Available Lane Keep Assist warns you if you unintentionally drift from your lane and gently helps you steer the vehicle back into the lane if you don’t take action. While availableRear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors to monitor traffic behind you. Please note that safety features are no substitute for the driver’s responsibility to operate the vehicle in a safe manner. The driver should remain attentive to traffic, surroundings and road conditions at all times. Read the owner’s manual for more important safety information.IN…2 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016Calendar MARCHSUN 3/6HOW TO PLANT A SEEDPick up a small bag of germinating mix. The soilless blend ensures that disease and insects won’t kill seeds. Moisten the mix with warm water, and distribute, about two or three inches deep, into small containers with drainage holes. Plant the seeds shallow in the container, covering them with a layer of germinating mix that’s three times as thick as they are. Place them in a spot that stays a consistent temperature—so away from the hot radiator or cold windowsill—and check daily for sprouts and that the mix is moist.WED 3/16THIS MONTH IN MECHANICAL HISTORYIn 1926 in Auburn, Massachusetts, Robert Goddard launched a 10-foot-tall rocket 41 feet into the air for 2.5 seconds using liquid fuel. Military rockets had been used as early as the…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016Every Man Needs a Shine Box And It Should Be This OneCOMPANY: American Shine Co.LOCATION: Haddonfield, New JerseyFOUNDED: 2015All men once wore shoes. Not sneakers. Shoes. Fine leather with intricate broguing. Works of art. And men treated them as such. Sometimes, while waiting for a train or for a barber chair, they indulged in a professional shine. More often they would do it themselves at home. And as they did, their young sons would sit close by, watching, learning about the mysterious business of being a man.Starting in junior high, Matt Golia would sit in his family’s New Jersey living room watching a ball game with his dad, Steve, while they shined. In recent years, they added a little whiskey to the pastime. But it wasn’t until a couple of Christmases ago that Matt, now twenty-seven and the owner of some…2 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016Goodbye, MythBustersPOPULAR MECHANICS: The show’s over, and the last episode is airing this month. How does it feel?ADAM SAVAGE: I can’t speak for Jamie, but for me it’s been a very intense year. I didn’t even work in special effects as long as I’ve been making Myth-Busters. We did the show for 13 years. I’ve gone through all the Kübler-Ross stages of grief.JAMIE HYNEMAN: I don’t feel that way so much. It’s funny. I’m relieved that it’s over. And I’m looking forward to what’s next. At the same time, doing something for so long, I’ve found myself almost tearing up at times when we go out on stage [for the final national tour]. There’s something emotional lurking there, but it was time for us to move on.PM: It’s surprising how few…3 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016The March Madness LadderMarch 8, 1947. North Carolina State has just won the Southern Conference men’s basketball tournament. To celebrate, the Wolfpack’s second-year head coach Everett Case proposes something strange: He wants to cut down a net. That’s what state champs used to do back when Case coached high school in Indiana. A fun idea, but damned if anyone at Duke Indoor Stadium can find a ladder. So Case and his boys simply lift one another up on their shoulders.That’s how the college tradition continued until the mid-1980s, when someone realized a ladder would be more humane after the athletes had spent an hour sprinting and jumping. Since 2008, that ladder, for both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments, has been built by Werner.This year, the 94-year-old Greenville, Pennsylvania–based company is making the…2 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016GREAT UNKNOWNSQ In a traffic jam, is it better to constantly move into the lane that seems to be moving fastest, or to pick one and stick with it?A THIS IS ACTUALLY a bit of a philosophical question, and, as such, each of us must answer it for ourselves. Consider the word better. Better for whom? Better how? If you subscribe to the “every man for himself” principle, weave away, baby. Slam that Bimmer back and forth like Iceman’s on your six. They don’t call you Maverick for nothing. Conversely, if you’re the sort who frets over things like shared sacrifice in service of the greater good, pick a lane, any lane, settle in with a fresh bowl of Borkum Riff and enjoy that folk music on your cassette deck.Anecdotal observation…4 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016A FAT BIKE FOR EVERY RIDERA Felt DD 70▶ An aluminum frame makes this bike affordable and relatively lightweight. The fork legs are formed with high-pressure fluid instead of heat, which allows for more intricate shaping.$1,499B Surly Pugsley▶ The original. Surly started the fat-bike explosion in 2005, and most of the bikes made back then are still around. A highly durable bike with mostly off-theshelf (so, easy to replace) components.$1,750C Farley 9.8▶ Thanks to its carbon-fiber frame, the Farley experiences less road vibration and weighs less than some traditional mountain bikes. Even with those huge tires.$4,800…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016Rig-Builder’s HatchetsA Hardcore SurvivalistLENGTH: 17 ｽ in.WEIGHT: 1.8 lb▶ Aptly named, its light weight makes this hatchet ideal for lashing to the outside of your pack on overnight trips. Comes sharp enough to shave with straight from the factory.$135B Estwing E3-R Rigger’s AxeLENGTH: 16 ｾ in.WEIGHT: 2.3 lb▶ Forged from a single block of tool steel, the Estwing is indestructible. Its rubber handle provides a good grip in cold and wet weather or when wearing gloves.$60C Plumb 11559P RigsterLENGTH: 18 in.WEIGHT: 1.8 lb▶ Has superb workmanship, despite being made in Taiwan. The Plumb’s balance gives it an effortlessness that we found perfect for making kindling.$25D Vaughan RB Rig BuildersLENGTH: 18 in.WEIGHT: 2.2 lb▶ A superb, American-made tool. The steel sleeve where the handle joins the head provides protection from missed blows,…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016Shop NotesA Cheap, Easy, and Clever Alternative to JackingRENOVATIONS OFTEN REQUIRE replacing load-bearing posts, which means rigging up a 4 x 4 or a 2 x 8 as a temporary support. If a jack is not readily available, use felling wedges. Cut the temporary support about two inches shorter than the floor-to-ceiling distance. Set it on top of a piece of scrap lumber, which protects the floor and facilitates setting the wedges. Now position wedges on opposite sides of the support and hammer them into place, raising it and the load. For extra security, stop blocks can be screwed into the scrap lumber to keep the wedges in position. When the permanent post has been installed, remove the wedges by tapping them from the side.FOOD PREP WITH LESS BROWNINGWhether you’re packing…3 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016Inside McLaren’s Automotive PerfectionismYou know you’re at McLaren when the trees change. At the roundabout exit for the factory and world headquarters, the forest next to the road isn’t like the surrounding countryside. On McLaren property, the trees are in rows, the hedges are square, and the grass has been recently mowed. Order replaces chaos. Before you’re even through the gate, you’ve got a sense of the McLaren worldview, a perspective that accounts for the main criticism of its first real production car, the MP4-12C: It was too perfect. Excessive competence is not a typical problem for startup car companies, but McLaren isn’t a typical startup. It’s a Formula One race team with decades of history that’s learning the road-car business. I wanted to visit while it’s still in the ramp-up phase.A lake…5 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016Equal Opportunity Auto RacingSo you want to go racing? You’ll need a car, spare parts, a fire suit, and a helmet. Then you’ll need to find a race series, a league, most of which only allow expensive cars. Then you need to transport everything to the track, which might be on the other side of the continent. It’ll be deep into six figures, but it’s better if you can spend an even million.Or...you can just show up and drive. That’s the promise of something called arrive-and-drive racing: Pay a flat fee, get in a real race car, and go wheel to wheel for first place. When you’re done, you go home.Arrive-and-drive is popular in Europe. For around $9,000, you can drive a loaner Audi RS4 in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring or an…4 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016Reviews: The latest from Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus1 2016 ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE GT COUPECars get more expensive every year, and now we have a Hyundai that costs more than a year at Harvard. That makes Aston’s strategy with the Vantage GT unusual. When the Vantage came out in 2006, it cost about $100,000. The 2016 Vantage GT coupe costs $105,000. Granted, Aston hasn’t done much to justify charging more, but its restraint is refreshing when other manufacturers bump prices just because they can. It’s still not a car for the people, but thanks to inflation, it’s a car for more people.Back in 2006, the Vantage’s main competition was the Porsche 911. Now, the $100,000 market is crowded. The Corvette Z06, Nissan GT-R, Jaguar F-Type, and Mercedes-AMG GT, to name a few, all have customers willing to spend…4 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016FIGHT OR FLIGHT: A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR 2016DO YOU STAY WHERE YOU ARE? OR DO YOU RUN?THE DECISIONTo have any chance of saving his friend, a hiker has to leave him behind. BY KEVIN DUPZYKJUST HOURS EARLIER, they had thought the night in the boulder field worth it. Chris Scruggs and Zach McCutchen had finally crested a ridge in the Alaska Range that they’d nearly killed themselves trying to reach. Mt. McKinley, North America’s mightiest peak, was only thirty miles away. The clouds that had dumped rain on them all night cleared. Looking into the valley on the other side of the ridge they could see glacial melt gathering into streams, streams gathering into rivers, rivers draining the imposing landscape of Denali National Park. The scene was majestic, worthy of their hard work.But then they’d started picking…6 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016SHOP NOTES:FAKE AA BATTERIESIf your flashlight or radio needs AA batteries and you only have AAAs, ball up some aluminum foil and use it to close the gap between the end of the smaller AAA battery and the terminal. AAAs used in place of AAs will die faster, but they’ll work.PURIFY WATER WITH REGULAR, UNSCENTED BLEACHAdd 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water and let stand for 30 minutes. Then sniff it. If it smells a little like chlorine, it’s drinkable. If not, add more bleach and wait 15more minutes.CRAYONS CAN REPLACE CANDLESIf you run out of candles, a crayon will burn for up to half an hour, and a piece of cotton string in a can of shortening such as Crisco will burn for much longer—up to 45 days.START A FIRE…2 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016THE ULTIMATE SURVIVAL PANTRYSHOPPING LISTProteinsCanned hamCanned salmonDried bottargaGrated ParmesanBarbecue jerkyCarbsJasmine riceCanned beans (black, kidney, garbanzo, refried)Dried beans (mung beans, Rancho Gordo mixed varieties)PastaBread crumbsBroths/Liquids/VeggiesReally good olive oilCanned tomatoesLow-salt vegetable, chicken, and beef brothsPumpkin purée (for thickening soups)Evaporated milkCarrot and tomato juice (to add acidity)Canned cornCanned peasSpices/Flavors(In addition to pantry staples)CurryChili seasoningCanned green chilesHarissaTomato sauceSalsaKetchupPastes(tomato, garlic, onion, pesto, chipotle)Charlie Palmer, an avid outdoorsman, is a celebrity chef who oversees more than a dozen restaurants. He is also the author of Remington Camp Cooking.food products: Devon Jarvis/Studio D; Charlie Palmer: Getty Images;…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016THE CABINNOVEMBER 2015THE SAWMILL IS QUIET. It rests on a patch of fallow ground at the fringe of our woodlot, the gas drained, the engine covered with a heavy tarp to protect it from inclement weather and nesting mice, the battery removed and placed on a trickle charger. I should pull the blade too. Hang it in the barn so it doesn’t rust. But I haven’t yet. I’ve been busy.The sawmill used to belong to my best friend, Jim. Five years ago, at the age of fortythree, he died in his sleep. Heart failure. This happened without warning, a mere two weeks before he and his wife were to adopt newborn twin girls. It had taken them years to line up this adoption. They’d come close to becoming parents before, to…13 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016TWIG PENCILSNOTEAvoid pine and other conifers, which are often sticky with sap. We found that any hardwood branch will do. If the wood you find is freshly fallen, bring the branch inside and let it dry out for a few days. The glue used to secure the lead works much better on dry wood.Instructionsparent onlykid onlyparent and kid1. After finding a few suitable twigs, use a pruner to trim each to about 6 inches. The dryer the wood, the easier it will be to drill into.2. Select a drill bit that’s a little wider than the pencil lead you plan on using. We used a ³/32-inch twist bit.3. Clamp the twig to a workbench. Gently pulse the drill to coax the bit into the end grain of the wood. As the…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016The Reader PageFREE MONEY: We give $100 for reader projects that we publish, and $50 for original reader tips that we run. You can send both to editor@popularmechanics.com.PROJECT OF THE MONTHA HEAVY-DUTY PEDAL CARWhen Ray Hulse built this vehicle for his four-year-old grandson, he built it to last. Which explains the body made of solid recycled oak and redwood and the copper and brass bushings. The steering knuckles and wheel are from an old lawn tractor, and the pedal rod is made of iron. Altogether this child’s toy weighs more than 100 pounds, which means, unless Hulse’s grandson is Paul Bunyan, the toy is heavier than the child. Hulse first got the idea from a newspaper article he came across 30 years ago. At the time he’d planned to build the car…2 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016The Internet Knows What You Did Last SummerOn the island of forgotten toys that is the average Amazon cart, there are a few certainties. One: You’ll leave your mother’s birthday gift in there so long you’ll end up having to pay for expedited shipping. Two: Amazon knows which items you’re likely to buy—and which ones you’ll jettison. A couple years ago Amazon was granted a patent for Anticipatory Shipping, a program to predict what products people will purchase before they purchase them. It analyzes shopping history, demographics, and, ominously, “any other suitable source of information” to gain insight into your buying patterns, so Amazon can ship potential buys to a location near you.Though Amazon hasn’t said how much of the technology outlined in the Anticipatory Shipping patent is already in use, the rapid rollout of superfast shipping…4 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016MythBusters SuperlativesMOST DANGEROUSInverted Underwater CarSeason 8, episode 19After showing that you can’t open a car door underwater until the pressure has equalized, Savage agrees to try to escape a car that has flipped upside down in a later episode. It proves nearly impossible.SAVAGE: “This one spooked both of us, for great reason. We knew that there were so many unknowns. We ended up with six levels of safety, and we used five. We would ask: ‘Do you still feel wiggy about this one? Let’s talk it through.’ ”MOST COMPLICATEDSwimming in SyrupSeason 7, episode 6The MythBusters test whether the added thrust you’d get from swimming through syrup would cancel out the drag from its viscosity.AS: “Every single day the results we came up with were different than what we thought they would…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016The Jacket You Can Beat UpEDITORS’ CHIOCEIn 1965, a chemist at DuPont named Stephanie Kwolek was searching for a lighter alternative to replace the steel used in reinforcing racing tires. In the lab, she discovered a liquid crystal polyamide that when spun into a fiber was five times stronger than steel at the same weight and lighter than nylon—DuPont’s first commercially successful synthetic fiber. The chemical name for Kwolek’s compound was poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide. DuPont called it Kevlar.Since then, it has become synonymous with the tactical bulletproof vests worn by military and SWAT teams, saving thousands of lives since the body armor was introduced in 1975. Kevlar is also found in conveyor belts in coal mines, NASA spacesuits, cellphone cases, motorcycle pants, and hockey socks that can last longer than their smell ought to allow.And now:…2 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016A Bike for All SeasonsTHE WINTER MORNING would hardly seem right for a bike ride. A fresh snow had fallen overnight atop the old, refrozen sheets and piles of snow all around. A chilly wind blew fine, stinging grit. The sidewalks were mostly invisible, the roads an uninviting mix of brown slush and salt. And yet there was my 14-year-old son, Jack, on the walkway beside our shed, checking the tire pressure on a thick-framed black bike. The driveway was to his left. A knee-high bank of snow was to his right. He took his seat, swung the front tire to the right, lunged down on the pedal and crested the snowbank and set off across our snow-covered yard. I followed him, listening to a crust of frozen snow break beneath my weight as…7 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016How to Use Voice RecognitionFOR SOME PEOPLE, voice recognition is too weird, too complicated, or just not good enough. I get it. My friend Matthew Berry, a fantasy football guy on ESPN, is in my phone as Berry. My wife’s name is Mary. I’ll hit the button on the steering wheel in my car to activate voice recognition and say, “Call Mary.” “Call Berry?” the car usually responds. “No, call Mary.” “Call Berry?” “No!” Now I’m yelling at my car, looking like an idiot to anyone who happens to see me. It’s frustrating. The most dialed numbers in my phone are my office, my sons, and my wife. The car should know that.Considering how amazing the technology is, this is a crazy complaint, but these innovations are so incredible that you just want more.…4 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016Heavy-Duty ThermosesA Duluth Trading Shotshell 25 ozPOUR-THROUGHSTOPPER: YesTEMPERATURE LOSSOVER 10 HOURS: 26 degrees▶ Shotgun-shell design is amusing. Briefly. Wellmade spout and a wide, heavy cup that stays put.$43B Zojirushi Tuff Boy 32 ozPOUR-THROUGHSTOPPER: YesTEMPERATURE LOSS: 33 degrees▶ Pour-through stopper opens with a push button and closes with a slidestop, but that nice design requires careful cleaning.$38C Thermos Work Series 40 ozPOUR-THROUGH STOPPER: YesTEMPERATURE LOSS: 20.5 degrees▶ Has a useful foldflat handle and a base with an easy grip. Pourthrough stopper is easy to clean.$37D Stanley Classic 45 ozPOUR-THROUGH STOPPER: YesTEMPERATURE LOSS: 35 degrees▶ Classic, elegant design, with a nice deep cup and a smooth pour. But the stopper takes effort to clean.$40EDITOR CHOICEE Isosteel VA-9552Q 25 ozPOUR-THROUGH STOPPER: YesTEMPERATURE LOSS: 16 degrees▶ On the small side but compact and well built.…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016FURNITURE RESTORATIONQUICK FIXESSome problems can be resolved without much work.Water ringsTry gently wiping the area with a cloth dampened in denatured alcohol. Get the cloth just wet enough that any alcohol visible on the surface evaporates immediately. Follow up with a little furniture polish.ScratchesLiquid products like Old English Scratch Cover and solid products like scratch-cover pens both work well for small, unobtrusive scratches—just be sure to test the color first in an inconspicuous area.1 Find the Right PieceYou don’t want to buy a fixer-upper that’s going to cost a fortune to restore, and you don’t want to invest time and money in something that was never that great to begin with.Three Things to Look For1 According to Mike Kollman of I Like Mike’s Mid-Century Modern, a furniture restorer in Brooklyn, New…7 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016THE ENTRY-LEVEL McLARENThe 570S’s doors are dihedral, meaning that they swing up and forward, a rare move in the under-$200,000 realm. McLaren cut some of the 650S’s more expensive hardware (bye-bye hydraulic antiroll suspension), but they were smart enough to keep the rad doors.Fancy features aside, the 570S retains the key components that define a McLaren. It’s got a high-revving 3.8-liter turbocharged V-8, seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle, and carbon-fiber tub, same as its big siblings. There’s less power than the 650S but also lower weight. The 570S weighs as little as 2,895 pounds, only 70 pounds more than a Mini Cooper S automatic. Lower weight, less money—at $184,900, this is now the least expensive McLaren you can buy in the U.S.—and it still feels crushingly quick. If you don’t need to have the…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016Welcome to Biker LandMy wife, Lisa, has been a biker for more than 40 years. As a teenager, she had a boyfriend who rode a Hercules. He was a maniac, prompting Lisa to get off the back of his bike and teach herself how to ride on a 1969 BMW R60/2. She is impossibly cool and sexy when she rides. The leather jacket with just enough jagged scuffs. The well-worn gloves slipped over the cuffs. The way she shakes her luscious mane of jetblack hair after she takes off her helmet. Every man who does not ride is a sucker for a woman who does.We met in 1998 in Seattle. After copious amounts of booze and cigarettes at the hip late-night spot Palace Kitchen, she took me back to her house to see…4 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016THE REAL UTILITY BELTSOME PEOPLE LOOK for the nearest exit when they enter a room. I look for the nearest window. It’s a habit I developed after surviving three fires in my apartment—right after buying more fire extinguishers. Since I can’t carry a fire extinguisher with me, I need another means to reassure myself I can escape. The only way to know that for sure is to locate a window. And to wear my belt.The belt, which I wear every day, was inspired by my friend Dr. Marvin Minsky, the MIT professor widely regarded as the father of artificial intelligence. Many years ago, he knitted a rescue belt out of 550-pound test military-grade paracord. If there’s ever an emergency—and there have been at least two: once when a hiker fell into a crevasse…1 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016MAN VS COLDON HALLOWEEN IN 2011, the snowstorm in the forecast was so severe that the holiday was effectively canceled. Every town around was either advising against trick or treating or outright banning it. The snow and ice weren’t supposed to start pounding until the evening hours, so I felt confident driving to pick my kids up from a sleepover at my parents’ house— about a forty-minute drive.The nor’easter came even faster and harder than the forecasters said it would. By the time I reached the interstate, it was approaching whiteout. But my 2004 Chrysler Pacifica had all-wheel drive, so I still felt I could make it to my parents’ place and just spend the night there with the kids. That’s when some jackass in a Honda Pilot veered into my lane…4 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016HOW TO THROW A HURRICANE PARTYEVEN COMPARED TO Florida’s usual propensity for getting clobbered by tropical weather systems, the 2004 hurricane season was ludicrous. In six weeks, four hurricanes (categories 4, 2, 3, and 3) slammed into the state, flooding central Florida and demolishing towns on both coasts. By September, the cities were so littered with leaves and tree branches it looked like the streets had been drawn in green crayon. No one’s hair had been straight in months. School officials postponed the season-opening football game between Miami University and Florida State, which I think requires a special dispensation from God.I don’t remember which of the four storms occasioned the slip-and-slide, only that it must have been toward the end because we were getting restless. Every new hurricane had brought the same routine: Replenish the…2 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016THE ICE MENLIEUTENANT MIKE PATTERSON, commanding officer of the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Katmai Bay, took in the frozen scene from the wheelhouse of his ship. Out the windows, freighters pointing up- and downriver stood still. The little ferry to Sugar Island was trapped in port and calling for help. None of them looked like they’d be moving anytime soon: The St. Marys River was iced up.The ice had moved in overnight. It blew south out of Lake Superior and piled up in Whitefish Bay, then slid out of the bay and into the St. Marys. In blocks and bergs it tumbled down the rapids and through the stone raceways of the Soo Locks. Then, two miles below the locks, where the river funnels into a narrow channel called Little Rapids Cut,…6 min
Popular Mechanics|March 2016Tiny homesA TINY HOUSE is exactly what you think it is, but if you need a visual aid, just turn on the TV. The cable channels HGTV and FYI, apparently engaged in some sort of tiny arms race, air a total of seven different shows devoted to tiny houses. Tiny House Nation, Tiny House Hunters, Tiny House Builders...The basic idea: An excitable person or couple or family expresses a desire to live in a very small home—usually between a hundred and four hundred square feet and probably on wheels. A home is then built or located by tiny-house experts, and the person, couple, or family proceeds to fawn over its cuteness and ingenuity. A three-in-one couch/bed/desk! A composting toilet! A bedroom with four-foot ceilings! They don’t show the part where everyone…2 min
