Every Tool's a Hammer

By: Adam Savage

Narrated by: Adam Savage

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

MythBusters’ Adam Savage - Discovery Channel star and one of the most beloved figures in science and tech - shares his golden rules of creativity, from finding inspiration to following through and successfully turning your idea into reality. 

Adam Savage is a maker. From Chewbacca’s bandolier to a 1,000-shot Nerf gun, he has built thousands of spectacular projects as a special-effects artist and the cohost of MythBusters. Adam is also an educator, passionate about instilling the principles of making in the next generation of inventors and inspiring them to turn their curiosity into creation.

In this practical and passionate guide, Adam weaves together vivid personal stories, original sketches and photographs from some of his most memorable projects, and interviews with many of his iconic and visionary friends in the arts and sciences - including Pixar director Andrew Stanton, Nick Offerman, Oscar winner Guillermo Del Toro, artist Tom Sachs, and Chef Traci Des Jardins - to demonstrate the many lessons he has picked up from a lifetime of making.

Things like: don’t wait until everything is perfect - in your workshop or in your life - to begin. Plan with pencil and paper. Sweep up every day. Learn from doing. Share your toys. There is an exact tool for every task (Adam probably has four of them in his wondrous shop), but if you need to pound in a nail and all you have handy is a skill saw - hammer away. The most important thing, always, is just that you make something.

Every Tool’s a Hammer is sure to guide and inspire you 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.

©2019 Adam Savage (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

Paradigm Changing Book

I found this book way more helpful than I ever thought it could be. As a fellow maker and someone who suffers greatly from analysis paralysis and fear of failure (iterations) I found the mechanisms and advise Adam gave priceless.
He talks about experiences and how he overcame them. It's reasurring that one of the great makers, Adam Savage, has been in the same place mentally as I am now. It's given me courage to move forward on projects that I've been putting off for fear of failure.

Highly Recommend
10/10 with rice

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Inspiring.

if you're familiar with Adam Savage, either from Mythbusters or his work on the Youtube Channel, Tested, then you are familiar with his gushing over exuberance for almost anything he becomes obsessed with. Watching his "One-Day-Build" videos is somehow like watching both a child on christmas morning and seasoned master making something beautiful. In this book he dives a lot deeper into why and how he became a maker and also how it was connected with overcoming a fear of being found out as being too much of a nerd for something. i wish i could tell my younger self some of these lessons; that it's better to be true to yourself and dive deep into your passions/obsessions, than to bow to that fear and conform to some kind of banal normality where you never make anything special. Adam, your next build is a time machine, so you can send this book back in time to younger me. thanks for being an inspiration.

17 of 19 people found this review helpful

I love Adam Savage and I returned this book

Honestly, it pains me to write this. The truth is that the book is fine. It was fine on the bus. It was fine on the train. It was fine at my desk. At some point, I couldn't bring myself to listen to it anymore because fine was all it was. I feel this book does a lot of hinting. It hints at how-to's, It hints at a biography, and it hints at a personal conversation. I just didn't find it to be any of those things. What's worse is the tone. I bought this book immediately after his interview with Tim Ferris to continue listening to Adams spark for life. I was surprised to find that the narration was toned down and reads much more like an essay.

The book's not bad. I picked up hints and tricks along the way. I expect to pick up things from any good book though. Like most things done for the first time, I think Adam hasn't quite found his rhythm yet. Still a big fan, but I just can't recommend this book.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Who knew a chapter on glue could be so good?

If you're not a fan of Adam Savage, there's something wrong with you.
Okay but really: I don't read self-help books, I bought this because I love Maker Faire. Turns out, there were some truly useful little wisdoms in this, along with some "oops, yeah, I've done that, too's and a whole lot of encouragement, cheerleading, and suggestions for battling the ever-present question of 'what next?"

More importantly, every PARENT should read this, preferably before they become parents. This is what happens when you feed children's curiosities and let them risk cutting off a finger or two.

All delivered in Adam's delightful sense of wonder at this mad world we live in and all the joy it has to offer if you simply grab your toolbag and start investigating. Cannot recommend this book enough, especially if you have kids.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

loved it!

My son and I listened to this book every day before school. we are both makers. Fenix with Lego's myself with just about everything. We both got something different from this book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Awesome

I listened to this book in my shop while working on a few different projects. I relished every minute. It made my shop time move so much faster then I wanted. I can't say I was more productive but i had a huge smile on my face the whole time. From screws to glue to quick grip clamps I found myself understanding and relating to every word.
I found the parts about being a good manager insightful. Your discipline in the area of project management and list building were not new to me. but alowed me to see a much fuller picture of what my projects could be if implemented.
Thank you Adam for taking the time and energy to wright this book. I am a fan of Andy Weir's writing's, The Martian, and Artemis, and I could definitely hear a little of Andy's style in there and a little of Burce Ng's inflection at one point. lol.
I recommend this book for everyone and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not just for makers who use power tools!

Adam presents Making in a way that is relevant and fascinating to everyone's creative abilities!

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Great book, should be on every maker's shelf

This book is great! I've read several personal development books and not been able to relate to the author, this book chronicles Adam's life to where he is now, but it also gives great advice on how to live, as a maker or just a human who finds themselves stuck or free wheeling...

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent collection of stories and lessons

Adam Savage did a great job cataloguing everything he's learned over the years of his making and outlined a true makers philosophy.

Everybody is a maker in their own right. This book will make you rethink the way you start projects, see the big picture, and connect with others.

It's a must read if you love the character on the Myth busters that he represented. There's much more going on here than just an eccentric TV personality. My childhood is now complete.

Now at the top of my Favorites

Easily one of these non-fiction books I have ever listened to. His storytelling abilities along with his personality make this a great listen. This is a must-read book for anyone who enjoys crafting things of any kind.