Matt asked David Erik Nelson:

I'm curious about how many projects you end up leaving "on the cutting room floor"—do you have any memorable projects that were cool but didn't end up making the cut for one reason or another?

David Erik Nelson With my first DIY book, "Snip, Burn, Solder, Shred," there were about 100 projects that didn't make it in--but that's sort of a crazy outlier situation, since that book began as a very nebulous concept that sharply focused as we worked on it. For example, the pitch I sold it on had an entire section on homebrewing and making liquor--the sample project I showed them was for kombucha--which is a decidedly odd choice for a book billed as "Things to Do with Your Kids." There were also a bunch of homebrew fireworks projects (Aside: Since publishing "Snip, Burn" I've done various DIY events and talked to tons of AMerican makers and DIYers from all walks of life, and come to realize that my own personal childhood was maybe a lot more dangerous than I'd understood at the time.)

Many of the projects in my upcoming book ("Junkyard Jam Band") were ones that were cut from "Snip, Burn, Solder, Shred" (which already had a solid musical instrument section)--and even "Junkyard Jam Band," which includes 16 projects, had another 8 or 10 that were cut either because the book was running long, was growing too heavy in one sort of project, or because they still weren't quite ready for prime time. Among the "memorable" cuts were a trio of projects that were cut from *both* books: a percussion synth and two different drum machines. I love 'em, but finding ways to make them both reliable and not-cripplingly-intimidating to build has eluded me. Other notable cuts: Homemade "sugar" bottle rockets that use the same grocery/hardware-store fuel formula that Hezbollah once relied on, and my limoncello recipe (this last one is a consistent crowd pleasure at after-dark SF convention sessions. Here's the skinny: http://davideriknelson.com/booze/ )

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