This article was taken from the March 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
If you need to drill a hole, but don't have the proper equipment, what should you do? Comedian Jason Underwood was in just such a situation after packing things for a move. He could have gone to the store and bought a drill, but instead he came up with this ingenious solution.
Gather the supplies
The most important item for this build is a hand-cranked pencil sharpener, like the one you probably had in your classroom in school, and a drill bit. Underwood also used a brass fitting to keep the bit straight, and a conduit clamp, wood and wire to keep everything attached to the pencil sharpener.
Assemble the drill
Remove the cover over the crank and the pencil-grinding cylinders. File the non-drill end of the bit to roughen, then place it where the pencil goes. Put a brass spacer between the bit and sharpener opening. Bend wire around the spacer to keep it in place, then tighten down a conduit clamp where the grinders are.
Drill, baby, drill
Place the bit tip against where you want your hole, grip the body of the sharpener with one hand and work the crank with the other. Underwood was able to use this crude drill to make the holes he needed, penetrating plywood with ease. "With enough time, I could make a chop saw with a ceiling fan," he says.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
