How It's Made — Season 14

Sept 200921m

Protective lenses are formed, tinted and coated before being fitted into flexible ski-goggle frames. The episode also follows the fabrication and assembly of towering construction cranes, the casting and hand-decoration of porcelain figurines, and the precision machining and assembly required to build powerful diesel engines.

Oct 200921m

Compact racing motorcycles take shape as their lightweight frames, engines, suspension and controls are assembled. Fig filling is enclosed in sheets of dough and baked into uniform cookies, sheet metal is cut and folded into durable tool boxes, and straight tubing is formed into accurate bends without crushing or distorting its walls.

Oct 200921m

Metal components are cast, machined and finished to create non-firing replicas of historic Western revolvers. The episode also reveals how elliptical arc trainers combine steel frames with resistance mechanisms, how furnaces convert used lubricating oil into heat, and how sharpened stainless-steel parts become vegetable peelers and rolling pizza cutters.

Oct 200921m

Golf-club heads are cast or forged, shaped and fitted to carefully selected shafts. Waffle batter is portioned and baked between patterned cooking plates, electrical conductors are drawn, stranded and insulated to produce custom cables, and massive steel blanks are forged and machined into train wheels capable of supporting heavy rail vehicles.

Oct 200921m

Computer-designed fabric panels are cut, joined and reinforced to create sails able to withstand changing wind loads. Walnuts are cracked, separated and graded, hardened metal components are assembled into vehicle wheel immobilizers, and lightweight honeycomb cores are bonded between rigid outer skins to form exceptionally strong structural panels.

Nov 200921m

Foam blanks are shaped into surfboards before being reinforced with fibreglass and resin and given a smooth final finish. Printed designs receive adhesive and protective coatings before being cut into stickers, baked cookie halves are paired around measured portions of filling, and coloured concrete is moulded and cured into durable roofing tiles.

Nov 200921m

Olives are sorted, pitted and filled before being preserved and packaged. Metal discs are engraved and assembled into working astrolabes based on traditional astronomical instruments, while Western saddles are built around rigid trees and completed with shaped padding, fitted leather and decorative tooling.

Oct 200921m

Measurements of a runner’s feet and movement are used to create individually fitted shoes, with custom-shaped components joined to supportive uppers and soles. Axe heads are forged, heat-treated, sharpened and mounted on handles; racing karts are assembled around welded chassis and compact engines; and animatronic characters combine sculpted outer forms with internal mechanical and electronic systems.

Nov 200921m

Miniature speaker drivers, wiring and cushioned housings are assembled into headphones. Precision valves, diaphragms and seals are combined and pressure-tested to create diving regulators, while reflector bulbs are formed, coated and fitted with their electrical components to concentrate light into a controlled beam.

Dec 200921m

Lightweight metal is machined into precisely balanced fly-fishing reels and fitted with smooth drag mechanisms. Pigments, binders and additives are blended into house paint, weaving looms coordinate warp and weft threads to produce patterned fabric, and automatic ice makers freeze water, release the finished cubes and prepare for the next cycle.

Dec 200921m

Graphite and clay are blended, extruded into slender rods, fired and treated to produce smooth, durable pencil leads. Seasoned wood is drilled, turned and fitted with a complex key mechanism to make clarinets, while special-effects artists use sculpting, mould-making, flexible materials and mechanical devices to create convincing physical illusions.

Dec 200921m

A flat-bottomed hull, powerful engine, large propeller and protective cage are combined to build an airboat capable of crossing shallow water and marshland. Onions are harvested, cured, graded and packed; metal powder is fused layer by layer from a digital design; and glued layers of wood are pressed over shaped forms to produce curved cabinet doors.

Jan 201021m

Injection-moulded pen bodies are fitted with ink refills, ballpoint tips, springs and retracting mechanisms. Salt water is concentrated in large evaporation ponds until crystals can be harvested and refined, while sheets and tubes of brass are shaped, joined and polished into the long air passages and broad bell of a tuba.