In itself, redneck engineering refers to the use of various unorthodox (read: stuff that makes you say, “Holy cow!”) and out-of-the-box methods to build, repair, or modify things. This can include using strange work techniques or tools and materials that seem out of the ordinary. In short, it’s a (dangerous) way to jury rig your way out of the Desert of Problems and saunter your way into the Oasis of Solutions.

The founder of r/redneckengineering, redditor Flounder19, told Bored Panda that you don't have to have any special materials to get started with redneck engineering and DIY projects. All you need is creativity and some basics: "The things you can do with duct tape and zip ties alone is amazing. Plus it doesn't need to look good as long as it works right," the head moderator pointed that looks mean nothing if whatever you're building functions well.

I was curious to find out more about the origins of the subreddit. Flounder19 was kind enough to share with Bored Panda how everything got started. The post that kicked everything off is this one right here, shared on r/funny, featuring a couple of rednecks having the time of their lives in a boat with a picnic table inside it. Flounder19 saw the photo and declared that they'll start r/redneckengineering for content specifically like this. It was all a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Finally, the founder of the sub had one simple piece of advice for anyone thinking of getting started with this dangerous brand of DIY: "Don't die, please."

Earlier, my colleague had a chat with the founder of r/redneckengineering about the subreddit, the type of content it focuses on, as well how the community has changed over the years. According to the founder, redneck engineering is a broad-enough term, however, it’s also “the kind of thing you know when you see.” So trust your gut on this one! If you think that it looks like redneck engineering, then it probably is.

“It [redneck engineering] can range from something as common as using a hand mirror to replace a side-view mirror to something complex like building a backyard water slide with a loop-de-loop,” the founder told Bored Panda earlier. What’s more, the members of the subreddit tend to look kindly upon those DIY projects that would “make an OSHA inspector cringe.”

In the earliest days of r/redneckengineering, way back in 2013, the subreddit’s founder was the one who made the majority of the posts. However, as the member count grew, everyone became more active, so the founder no longer had to post most of the content.

According to the founder, most posts on the page are “low-budget workarounds to everyday problems with a few high-effort engineering projects and other submissions sprinkled in.”