For the other half of the lid, replace (or install) the hinges on the narrow end opposite the machine half, drilling 1/16" pilot holes to guide your screws.

At this point, you should have a fully functioning Useless Machine. Don't wear it out!

The Most Useless Machine, like Claude Shannon's original, is a desktop or tabletop conversation piece. I went with a minimal aesthetic that leaves it most open to interpretation, but you can dress it up by labeling the switch positions, using a recognizable object like a doll's arm for the arm, or otherwise decorating it.

Try painting your machine with MAKE's custom stencils by illustrator Rob Nance. Download the PDF in the Files section above.

On a much larger scale, Swiss artist Hanns-Martin Wagner built a version that used an old wooden trunk as a box, a weathered prosthetic arm, and an air compressor. See an animation here.

I was amazed at the response to my original Instructable. Everyone wants one of these boxes, and wants to share details of their own build! Its social appeal was also shown this past spring, when the Birmingham, U.K., hackerspace FizzPop hosted a Useless Machine-making workshop led by Nikki Pugh (seen here).