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Every Tool's a Hammer
- Lessons from a Lifetime of Making
- Narrated by: Adam Savage
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
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Every Tool's a Hammer
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Publisher's Summary
In this New York Times best-selling “imperative how-to for creativity” (Nick Offerman), Adam Savage - star of Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters - shares his golden rules of creativity, from finding inspiration to following through and successfully making your idea a reality.
Every Tool’s a Hammer is a chronicle of my life as a maker. It’s an exploration of making, but it’s also a permission slip of sorts from me to you. Permission to grab hold of the things you’re interested in, that fascinate you, and to dive deeper into them to see where they lead you. Through stories from 40-plus years of making and molding, building and breaking, along with the lessons I learned along the way, this book is meant to be a toolbox of problem solving, complete with a shop’s worth of notes on the tools, techniques, and materials that I use most often. Things like:
- In Every Tool There Is a Hammer - don’t wait until everything is perfect to begin a project, and if you don’t have the exact right tool for a task, just use whatever’s handy;
- Increase Your Loose Tolerance - making is messy and filled with screwups, but that’s okay, as creativity is a path with twists and turns and not a straight line to be found;
- Use More Cooling Fluid - it prolongs the life of blades and bits, and it prevents tool failure, but beyond that it’s a reminder to slow down and reduce the friction in your work and relationships;
- Screw Before You Glue - mechanical fasteners allow you to change and modify a project; glue is forever, but sometimes you just need the right glue, so I dig into which ones will do the job with the least harm and best effects.
This toolbox also includes lessons from many other incredible makers and creators, including: Jamie Hyneman, Nick Offerman, Pixar director Andrew Stanton, Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro, artist Tom Sachs, and Chef Traci Des Jardins. And if everything goes well, we will hopefully save you a few mistakes (and maybe fingers) as well as help you turn your curiosities into creations. I hope this book serves as “creative rocket fuel” (Ed Helms) to build, make, invent, explore, and - most of all - enjoy the thrills of being a creator.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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What listeners say about Every Tool's a Hammer
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Luke
- 2019-08-15
Excellent for any project!
Very entertaining, helpful, and insightful.
Great for fans of Adam, creators, or anyone working on any project. some really great tips and wisdom in here! Thanks to Adam for sharing!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- remdog
- 2021-07-06
What a great book!
For anyone that follows Adam and has a love for making this is ear candy. For those that aren't sure what making is, it will surely whet your whistle. True to his nature, Adam delivers a fast and list like writing style and performance, cultivated over a lifetime of ever increasing zest for detail and order. Thanks Adam for going through the crap load of work to deliver this masterpiece and for showing how great a sharing life can really be.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- crocrider
- 2020-05-26
Chicken soup for the maker's soul
Helped me realize I was a kindred spirit, which is always nice. Contains great tips, philosophy, and inspiration.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Justin
- 2021-08-15
The makers guide
The book was not what I expected. I anticipated having more of a biography which tracked his life and his experiences in and around his work on Myth Busters. What this book actually is, is a book on the craft of making. Word working, metal working, and the like included.
Adam brings us through different significant making events in his life and how each of these things has affected him. The book goes over the process of making, the benefits of making lists, the use of glues, different tools.
The book is for anybody who is interesting in making, defined loosely as the act of creation. If you're interesting in getting started there is definitely some information here for you.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- TJ MacP
- 2019-06-11
Exceeded All Expectations!
This was the most enjoyable and engaging "read" that I can recall in a long, long time! I expected enthusiasm from Adam Savage, given his personality on Myth Busters, but THIS? This is enthusiasm and passion defined to perfection! Savage shares his life as a maker in a way that makes you want to grab your tools, craft supplies, instrument, whatEVER you have and begin creating! There is no facade, no pretense, no pageantry in his presentation of the systems he has developed over his lifetime of creating. In fact, Savage's sincerity is so palpaple, he makes you feel as though he'll be along for the ride with you, to guide you while you find your own creativty. One can be forgiven for forgetting his celebrity since Adam Savage gives the impression that his excitement for each and every project he makes today is every bit as real as when he first "created" at the age of 4! It's infectious enthusiasm, it's engaging and it's literature I could hardly wait to recommend (just ask everyone in my life!).
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- DMUL
- 2023-09-17
A great listen! Entertaining, informative and self reflection inducing.
Hats off and a big thanks to Adam for sharing. As self identified MacGyver and a programming hack of 30+ years I now have a collective name for the things light me up over and over without fail. Builder! I would recommend this read to anyone has, thinks they have or would like to have a passion for creating things. Anything!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Job
- 2019-05-28
MOTIVATING!
A reminder that crafting/making is a process and is not instant. Great read/listen for anyone in a creative slump
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2019-07-19
So motivational!
it was motivating and inspired me to get back to making. Seemed like a lot of super basic concepts but he brought so much more depth to those concepts which helped me learn and reaffirm ideas I had. Was a great listen!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alicia
- 2021-05-17
Great listen!
This was exactly what i was expecting. Some background on Adam and how he came to be who he is. Some good stories about his career, and a nice list of tools and matetials that Adam swears by, and some great explanations on making and becoming a better maker.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- justin miller
- 2019-06-27
Great book, excellent narration
I really enjoyed this book. I never realized I was missing checkboxes from my life. My to-do lists just got amazing. I'm actually looking forward to listening to this again, which is something I don't do often.
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