Clever Construction: Use Common Stuff To Make Cool And Useful

By Alan Detwiler

The book is for the 11 to 14 year old who has fun making homemade toys, devices and curiosities. It is for the build-it-yourself enthusiast who likes to tinker and build simple, improvised devices.

Clever Construction is for those who like to make simple homemade and improvised devices. The book could be for someone looking for a hobby, cub scouts, boy scouts or anyone interested in hands-on building and creating.

Most of the projects are made using common materials and items you probably already have around the house. Anything you need to purchase is inexpensive, such as glue, a small styrofoam ball or paperclips. The tools needed are those most people already own such as scissors, hammer and pliers. The time required to make most of these projects is between 15 minutes and 1 hour. A few items require around 2 hours.

This book provides instructions for making 50 projects. Some are useful items, some are artistic, all are clever and appealing. There are a variety of projects: toys and playthings, curiosities and novelties, useful and practical items. Over 150 diagrams and well written instructions adequately explain how to do each project.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alan Detwiler
• Release date: Feb 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466085831

Alan Detwiler

Alan Detwiler grew up on a small farm. That background gave him some special insights and perspectives. The weather and the natural world are very much a part of living on a farm. On a farm, everyday observations demonstrate how plants and animals grow and develop and how weather and climate interact with living things. Alan and anyone growing up a farm knows that our food supply is very much dependant on how much it rains, when it rains, and how warm or cold it is. Any drastic change in climate and weather patterns will affect our food supply. Genetics and disease are topics of special concern to anyone living on a farm. Farm crops and farm animals are not the plants and animals of the wild. They have been genetically altered by human intervention. Farmers are especially aware of those differences and how genetics produce those differences. Farm animals are in constant threat of disease. It is not uncommon for farmers to loose substantial numbers of their animals to disease. People and the plants and animals we use for food are at risk. Farm living, plus an interest in science gave Alan the background for writing science fiction changes coming in the near future. Potential threats are very serious and are perhaps likely to drastically affect our lives. The consequences could be unpleasant, but why react with anxiety? Wouldn't a better reaction be to take action to be prepared and feel good that you have done so? The main themes in his writing are maximizing resilience through self sufficiency,self reliance, and how people prepare for and react to the changes of the upcoming decades. Alan writes to explore ideas and to discover ways to more enjoy life. He uses the ideas of others and adds what his own experiences and observations can contribute. Imagination adds new ideas for appreciating all that is good. His hope is that the readers of his books will do the same.

Book preview

Clever Construction -

Use Common Stuff To Make Cool And Useful

Gadgets And Fun Gizmos

By Alan Detwiler

Smashwords addition

Copyright 2012 Alan Detwiler

License Notes: This ebook is licensed for use by one person and that person's immediate family. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for encouraging the hard work of ebook authors

CONTENTS

To go to a particular section, click on the title of that section.

article title

introduction -- making something is fun

city kite -- small, light weight kite

mock lantern -- a nice decoration made from paper

cloth covering -- add beauty by covering an ordinary object with cloth

paper wing -- a paper airplane that glides very well

bookmark -- so simple and works well

picture holder -- used to display 4 photos

clip mobile -- made from paper clips, it looks cool

card holder -- used to display Christmas cards

rope mat -- mat made from glue and rope

catamaran -- 5 inch boat from paper or foil

folded note -- nicely folded for privacy, size

5 pointed star -- cut from folded paper

wall display -- used to store and display small objects

whirligig -- spins as it falls

straws & string -- fasten straws together to make shapes

string sphere -- a hollow sphere made of string

tooth pick ornament -- looks something like a porcupine

milk carton boat -- easy to make model sailboat

structures -- use junk to make something

tube whistle -- whistle made from a plastic tube

bulletin board -- it's just a piece of cardboard

bookends -- keeps books from falling over

paper cup -- make it from a sheet of paper

can displayer -- metal cans hold objects for display/storage

pen/pencil holder -- metal can is a place to put pencils/pens

biscuit bird feeder -- old biscuits can be bird food

ant jar -- ants can live in a jar

building circles -- using paper plates to build structures

hub and spokes -- a way to fasten toothpicks together

newspaper hat -- fold a sheet of newspaper to make a hat

hanging planter -- plastic bottle plant container

dollar ring -- fold a dollar bill to make a ring

paper box -- fold paper to make a small box with a lid

make an envelope -- need a envelope? Make one.

backpack -- make a backpack to carry stuff

sidewalk paint -- paint that washes away in the rain

bird feeder -- hang it from a tree to feed the birds

surprise -- makes an unexpected noise to surprise someone

terrarium -- keeps moss and small plants alive indoors

suet bird feeder -- use meat fat to feed birds

papier-mache -- glue strips of paper together to make something

pleated chain -- strips of paper folded into a chain-like shape

spinner -- a simple, well performing pinwheel

cool box -- decorate a box to make it look good

pick models -- glue toothpicks together to make structures

heart puzzle -- bend wire to make a puzzle

dart/rocket -- make this to throw like a dart

model punt (boat) -- a model boat made by folding paper or foil

wall hanger -- make this for displaying small objects

bellows -- a clever, flexible structure made from folded paper

message -- building something is a gift to ourself

introduction

What better play is there than to be occupied by the creation of some device. We can apply whatever ingenious techniques our minds can conjure to complete the task. We can add refinement and style to the process or the design. We can test ourselves by reaching for the best that we can do. We can hope for insight such as that experienced by the greatest inventors. When the goal has been achieved, we rightly congratulate ourselves. Before us lies evidence of our abilities.

The creation has value beyond that of any ordinary toy. This plaything is a prize won by our efforts. It is a trophy for our enjoyment. It is proof of what has been accomplished. It may be inspiration for future endeavors. And it is fun.

back to CONTENTS

city kite

This kite is made from a drink straw, a strip of plastic cut from a 2-liter soda bottle, thread, very thin paper or thin plastic sheet and glue or tape. It is small and lightweight which makes it more suitable for use where space is limited. Wind speed must be between 4 and 8 miles per hour. For higher wind speed see the second design below.

The lighter in weight the kite is, the less wind that is needed to fly the kite. The string and paper or plastic sheet should be as thin as possible. Use glue and tape