Have you ever worked through a set of instructions describing how to put something together only to find yourself sitting there at then end of the task, book in hand, scratching your head wondering why there are seven extra parts in the box and why your project has a distinct lean to the left? Or have you ever tried to follow someone's directions to a family picnic only to get hopeless lost? I'm a firm believer that good documentation not only saves you time, but also saves you from a lot of frustration.

There's one such place on the Internet where "do-it-yourselfers" are trying to rid the world of bad instructions, and they freely share their step by step plans (dubbed "instructables" as opposed to instructions) on how to do almost anything. From laser engraved laptop tattoos to wood burned engraving with a stencil and a magnifying glass, the web site Instructables.com has an amazing variety of instructions written by anyone with the knowledge and enough literary and computer skills to submit them. While not every set of steps should be considered "good instructions", or even safe instructions, you learn a lot by browsing through this web site.

To find your way around the web site, you should start from the "Explore" menu. Here you will immediately see a list of the most popular instructables (who would have thought you could mold a carbonite Han Solo in chocolate?) and a simple click here will also reveal the most recent additions to the web site or the instructables with the top number of views, ratings or comments.

There are several ways you can participate on the web site as well. As seen from the "Explore" sections, people who sign up for an account can add comments to another member's work. I'm hoping that this feature would help to keep instructable authors honest, safe and legal, but there's no guarantee I suppose, even if the terms of service include notes about safety and keeping things on the right side of the law. Once signed up, you can begin to add your own instructables through the "Contribute" menu. An instructable consists of one or more steps with optional included photos or diagrams when you upload them. One feature I found convenient while browsing the web site was the capability for authors to add text comments to certain areas in a picture. It's also helpful to note that you don't have to work on a set of steps by yourself; as you can collaborate on an instructable with other members.

Two other features of the web site are the groups and forums. Groups allow subscribed members to pool their similar instructables in a common spot, and the forums allow more detailed conversations on a group's commonality (be it soldering, robotics or food) or on any other possible instructable-related topic. For instance, there is a "Magnet Challenge" group dedicated to any project that includes magnets and another on modifying your iPod.

A useful reason for signing up on the site is their "favorites" feature where clicking on the plus sign at the top of an instructable will add it to a list that can be accessed under the web site's "You" menu. All in all, I think the Instructables.com site can keep any handy man or woman busy well into the next month. Visit the web site, explore for new ideas or use the search feature to find a specific project of interest. And if you have experience with a project of your own, contribute the steps for others to see, remembering of course to read the terms of service that mention an instructable's author is responsible for everything they submit.