Cookbook Holder

My friend Chelsea suggested this latest build. It's a cookbook holder! For those of you who use your smartphone, you could use the Cell Phone Docking Station I posted last month. However, I love using actual cookbooks, so this build is going to be used a lot. It holds all sizes of cookbooks (as you can see by the pictures).

More suggestions for builds are always welcome! What would *you* like to see?

Spice Rack

Today's build is one that I have been using for over half a year. It's simple, easy to make, doesn't require much structural reinforcement, but it creates an easy way to spot the spices I need. The stair-step design allows me to at least be able to grab whichever bottle I need without having to pull out half of them. If you would like to also know which bottle is which, all you need to do is put a label on the lid, and voila! You can spot any spice you want in mere seconds!

Knex for the win!

Cat Lay-Z Boy

Today's knex build is pretty much just for kicks and giggles. One of my friends asked for me to build a Lay-Z-Boy that was cat-sized, and requested that the pictures be of one of our cats reclining on said chair like a person would. Well, those of you who have cats know that getting such a picture would be nearly impossible! Which... it was. But I got as good a picture as I could!

Kids Bookshelf

Hello my loyal readers! And welcome to any newcomers to my site! I am still working on my big knex build, so I apologize for the scarcity of posts right now. But hey! I'm still trying to crank out a new build every few days. Yesterday, I created a bookshelf for my slowly growing kids book collection (I know I don't have any kids yet, but there's no time like the present to start gathering books!). The bookshelf I made is adequate for most children's chapter books, and if need be, you could change the dimensions to fit taller books.

Please, if you have any other suggestions for builds that you would like to see, just comment and let me know!

Cool Clothes Folder

Yes, that's right. I made a contraption that helps you fold t-shirts! Isn't that nifty? It can be resized for smaller clothes, too!

Place the shirt on the folder:

Fold over one side:

Then the other (You may have to fold the tip of the sleeve depending on how large the shirt is in comparison to the folder):

Then, you fold up the bottom tail of the shirt:

Then, you fold the shirt up in half:

Either you can stop there or you can fold the shirt over once more by hand (as I like to do):

It's very thin and compact. I can store mine right behind the laundry hamper!

Please let me know if you have any other suggestions for knex builds!

Paper Towel Holder

I realize it has been a few days since my last update, but bear with me. I am currently working on a very time-consuming, very gigantic build, and it is occupying most of my build time. Hopefully, I will be able to share it with you all in a few weeks! But for today, I present you with another simple knex build that has helped make my kitchen more functional: a paper towel holder!

Kitchen Sink Caddy

Sometimes, the most useful knex builds are also quite basic. My build for the day was super simple but has proved to be quite useful. I used to keep my dish and vegetable brushes just laying around the kitchen sink. My sink caddy keeps things looking more organized (and it looks cool). I have been using it for about a year, and I haven't had any problems with K'nex and water co-mingling: no discoloration, no mold, and you don't have to worry about the K'nex getting waterlogged!

K'nex 101: Reworking a Build

Anyone who has worked extensively with K'nex knows that inevitably one of your builds will have to be reworked. It's part of life as a builder! Especially if you are one to build things just off the top of your brain, not using instructions or manuals. So, today, my post is a rework of my last build. I made an iPhone 5 holder for aid in filming and taking pictures without having to hold the phone by oneself. However, I had a friend test it out with her iPhone, and I learned a few things. First off, the holder fits the iPhone perfectly (meaning that it can't have a case on when you use the holder). Secondly, the functionality and stability of the holder could be improved. So, I went back to the drawing board. Using just the part that actually held the phone, I created a different base and manner to tilt the phone. Here are the results:

As you can see, I reworked the base so that I can simply slide the dark brown connector (above the orange connector) up and down the yellow rod, which changes the angle of the phone. Tomorrow, I hope this stand makes it into the possession of the person who recommended it to see what he thinks of the usability and functionality of the holder and if it can be further improved.

If you have any suggestions for a category of knex builds or even a specific build, I would love to hear them! Just let me know!

K'nex iPhone Holder

One of my friends asked for a holder for his iPhone 5 because he likes to film short videos with his phone, and let's face it, it's not always easy to film yourself. I don't own an iPhone 5 myself, so I looked up the dimensions and got to work. I made the holder so it can tilt forwards or backwards depending on where the stand is sitting and where you are standing. Unfortunately, since I don't have an iPhone, I wasn't able to take pictures of the holder with an iPhone, but maybe my friend will lend me his for photographs. =P

K'nex 101: Different K'nex Building Components (plus a tip!)

Those of you are really familiar with K'nex have probably noticed that I stick to the original K'nex connectors and rods. However, those aren't the only types of K'nex out there. Now, I'm not quite so up-to-date with their newest items, but the three main building components are regular K'nex, micro-K'nex, and K'nex blocks. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to unearth my micro-K'nex and and K'nex blocks, but they are just what they sound like. Micro-K'nex are just smaller versions of the regular K'nex. You can make the same things with each, but they'll just turn out smaller using micros. K'nex blocks are similar to LEGO's. You can actually use them in conjunction with each other, but K'nex blocks are also able to be used with other K'nex building components. As soon as I can find them, I will shoot pictures of them. However, I wanted to clarify that 95% of the time, I will be using the regular, original K'nex rods and connectors, not micro or blocks. Reason being, I don't have a whole lot of the blocks and micros because most of my K'nex came from older, mixed lots of K'nex.

Thrifty Tips: K'nex can be expensive, but that doesn't have to deter you from building with K'nex. Ebay is a great place to get them secondhand. Also, I've been able to find sets as well as mixed cases at Thrift Stores for much cheaper than brand new sets. In addition, garage sales are usually going to have the most discounted price on knex, but they can be harder to find among all the garage sales out there.

Takin' It to the Streets

Today's inspiration comes from inside my car. I own an older GPS, and it's holder broke a few years back. For the past couple years, I have just set the GPS in my car's cup holder. Now, this is not at all safe as it diverts my eyes from the road for too long. So, I created a knex holder that will securely hold my GPS in the gap in my steering wheel while still leaving room for my hands at 10 and 2. This allows me to keep my eyes on the road at all times because when I glance down slightly at my GPS, I can still keep an eye on the road, even if peripherally. This device is not meant to be used to plug in addresses into the GPS while driving. I allowed room for the cord to plug into the device so I can still charge it while I use it. Please use it responsibly if you duplicate it.

K'nex 101: The "Bones" of K'nex!

This is my first installment of K'nex 101. I will post some tips/facts/ideas about K'nex instead of a build! I hope it is informative for beginning K'nex builders as well as some of the more seasoned builders!

Today, I have assembled the K'nex rods in order from smallest to largest (using only one orange connector at most in each rod). Green rods (which are sometimes black) are the smallest, and grey rods (which also come in black) are the largest.

Also, here is a smaller set of right angles using the basic rods (that don't need an orange connector). I wanted to show that each rod (except for gray) has a hypotenuse rod (the lengthy side of a right angle triangle). In order to reinforce structural K'nex builds, you will want to use hypotenuse rods to make it sturdier. If you are using any of the above rods (save some of the largest (and the very smallest)), one of the other rods will be able to work as the hypotenuse.

So there ya go! Simple, I know, but it can actually come in quite handy if you are looking for a random-sized rod and one of the basic rods juuuuust isn't fitting right.