Jam Jar Lanterns
Pick any jar you like, then bend a snug-fitting cage of wire on a custom-made jig.
Lumber
Catapult Glider Launcher
Fling your Rocket Glider or other toy aircraft 150 feet into the sky!
Gravity Catapult
I have long been enamored of catapults. Invented around 400 B.C., they were used until nearly A.D. 1300. So for 1,700 years, catapults were arguably the largest, most expensive, and most powerful machines on the planet. Today, people build catapults for fun: Scout troops, historical reenactors, fathers and daughters, beer-stoked college students. Having built more […]
The Atlatl
Before the bow and arrow there was the atlatl*, or spear-thrower, an ancient weapon that could throw a spear or dart with enough force to penetrate a mammoth’s hide. It was used in North America for about 10,000 years, and used by native Australians and Aleuts as recently as 50 years ago. It’s easy to […]
Electromagnetic Aluminum Levitator
About 13 years ago I learned of some military research into a satellite- and missile-defense device that would propel projectiles using Lenz’s law, which governs the direction of electrical current induced by a changing magnetic field. I decided to make a little gadget based on the same principle for my kids, to get them interested […]
Basic Stilts
By Molly Graber and Chris Merrick Have you ever dreamed of being really tall? Walking on stilts is a fun and adventurous sport. But where are you going to get a decent-priced pair of stilts to try for your first time? With these instructions, you can add as much height as you want and not […]
5-Minute Foam Factory
Make this easy hot-wire foam cutter and reuse leftover EPS foam to create treasures from trash.
