Silliest DIY Project?

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Ever make something that was so specialized, quirky, or just plain ugly that nobody else would ever want one?

I've had a few, but probably the most ridiculous was when I glued screen over the air inlets of all the power tools I used on a regular basis. I had long hair at the time and every so often it'd get sucked in and clog the motor. A hair net was a pain to bother with, and I didn't want to cut my hair, so I modified the tools.

My runner up is probably the caps I added to some sandals to make work sandals. I like my feet to breathe really well in the summer, but toe protection is a must! The caps were pieces of rubber riveted and screwed on - not attractive! I should make a new pair of those...

[theholycow]

Work sandals sounds great! I wear sandals all year (even while shoveling snow) because my feet run really hot. I'm good at keeping my feet out of the way and it's extremely rare that I take a hit to the foot, but a little protection might be nice.

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Wish I had a picture of them. They wore out a couple seasons ago.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I'm sure we could fabricate some steel toe sandals for you! I've made items by myself before. JB Weld is the best for that. I remember once a part the the vacuum cleaner had broken. It was a $60 part to order. I would have paid it for my machine at home, but since this was a beater at work I made a new part out of JB Weld. Didn't look pretty, but it is stronger than the original part.

-Jay

[GasSavers_BEEF]

one thing I did recently was put a "whole house" water filter on my washing machine. the filter in the hose kept getting clogged so I decided to go for overkill.

in hind sight, I probably should have just purged the line for a while. the good thing is I will probably never have to change the filter.

not really a diy but more an item used for something other than the intended puropse.

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Definitely in the spirit of what I was asking for!

I forgot one. I have to undo it and put it back to "normal" so I can sell my house more easily. I hate having to bend over with damp clothes to put them in the dryer and single unit washer/dryers were too expensive. I was planning to move the dryer's controls down by extending the wires (just spade terminals so I could make extenders without cutting them), but never got around to it since I'm tall enough to reach.

[GasSavers_maximilian]

I managed to find a video of another ugly DIY project I've since ripped out: cat ramp. I had a friend renting my loft and his cat was mean and didn't get along with mine. It was also an outdoor cat so we needed a way for it to get downstairs and outside without coming into the lower floor. Stupid cat was able to bring live animals up that thing! It was made out of scrap materials I had around so it was pretty rough. Time was short since she had a very nasty habit (I will spare you the details) if not allowed outside. I made him buy the plexiglass.

Update: I edited out all the pauses. The light was causing the cat to hesitate a lot. This makes the video jump in a few places. Shortened it by half, though.

[GasSavers_BEEF]

if I didn't have a wife that would kill me, I would do that to my dryer. that is truely awesome. the advantage of the over-under without the small capacity or the extra cost.

that is great. mine are the old style washer and dryer too. mine are about 7 years old. I'd love to get the front loader style but I just can't justify spending that much when my two still work fine.

my wife also has some clothes that have to air dry so most of the time I am sorting them out anyway. if it were just me, I would build me a box this weekend for the dryer to sit on.

that is truely ingenious thinking

[GasSavers_maximilian]

It needs a little reinforcing as it shakes with a big load. Just noticed all the dirt in that photo. Wonder if it's quicker to clean it and re-shoot or to photoshop it?

[theholycow]

I like the dryer idea too.

I've done something similar to the cat ramp but far more ugly. My wife's idiotic dachshund has his own room with a doggy door, a small balcony, and a ramp down to a pen where he can do his business.