DIY Sunday – Folding Porch Chairs

A set of plans for a couple of really nice retro porch chairs for you here. The plans were published in the May 1952 issue of Popular Mechanics
and you can download them in pdf format by clicking the icon below

DIY Sunday – Breakfast Nook that Folds Flat Against The Wall

If you live in a small flat this is just the thing for you. Fold down the nook, have your meal and fold the nook back up against the wall. The plans were published in the 1941 March edition of Popular Mechanics and you can download them by clicking the icon below

DIY Sunday – Scrolled Bookshelf

Building a scrolled bookshelf with drawers is a lot easier than building a tear drop camper like the one I posted last Sunday, but it takes some practice as well. But I’m sure you will fix it. The plan were featured in the 1951 November edition of Popular Mechanics and you can download it in pdf format by clicking the icon below

DIY Sunday – English Punt

As we all know, summer is right around the corner here on the Northern Hemisphere so what could be better to start up with in the workshop than building a classic English Punt. The perfect vessel for quiet rivers and shallow ponds. Plans in pdf can be downloaded by clicking the icon below

DIY Sunday – Colonial Bric-a-Brac Shelf

This plan for an old-fashioned shelf was published in the 1942 October
issue of Popular Mechanics and you can download the plan
in pdf format by clicking the icon below

DIY Sunday – Compact Kitchen Step-Stool

This plan was published in Popular Mechanics back in 1942

Kettles and other seldom-used utensils stored on high cupboard shelves are reached easily with this double-duty stool, which opens up into a sturdy 40-in. step-ladder. Except for the seat, plywood may be used entirely or combined with solid stock. Run the grooves for the treads in the side panels first, then tack both together and saw out the section that swings up on top of the seat. Glue and screw the treads in place and hinge the two-part seat to bring both sections flush when folded. Rubber-headed tacks will keep the stool from slipping on waxed floors.

DIY Sunday – Skater’s Sail

Skim Over The Ice With… A Skate’s Sail

Skate sailing might be described as the fastest pedestrian sport in the world except for jaywalking on the Hollywood Freeway. And until something comes along to top its 50 to 60-mile-per-hour maximum speeds, that claim will stand.

All that’s required to take up this exciting pastime are a pair of skates, a good stretch of ice and a sail that can be made at negligible cost in any home workshop.

These plans were published in the 1959 February issue of Mechanix Illustrated and if you feel like skimming over the ice like the blokes on the picture above, click the icon below and set to work

DIY Sunday – Racing Razor Blade Iceboat

Razor blades, box wood, and an old flour sack are the materials used in building this simple, fast and sure sailing iceboat. Balanced so that she will sail herself in all winds not strong enough to tip her, it will be found that this style boat is the answer to those boys who have often tried to make a workable miniature iceboat, only to find that the balance was wrong, that the thing was too heavy, or that it would not steer.

If there is still ice on the lakes and ponds around your neck of the woods you can make this nifty toy for your kids or yourself in a couple of hours. Click the icon below to download the plans published in the 1929 January edition of Popular Mechanix in pdf.

DIY Sunday – Four Novel Toys You Can Make With Rubber Balloons

These drawings show the construction of four novel toys made from circus balloons that will prove highly fascinating. Fill the balloon with hydrogen and attach to it a postcard bearing your name, and a request to return it from whatever point it falls to earth. Thus you can learn in what direction and how far it travels. Another balloon, equipped with a gondola will float in the air like a wartime captive dirigible. The aerial torpedo which zips up through the air is made by affixing fins to an air-filled balloon. The unique air boat cuts through the water under power of air exhaust from blown up balloon.

These ideas was published in the 1932 January edition of “How To Make It” and if you would like to treat yourself or your kids to some inexpensive retro fun you can download a larger version of the ideas by clicking the icon below

DIY Sunday – Build a Basement Golf Course

Popularity of miniature golf has brought the game right into the basement in the form of a knockdown course that can be picked up and stored away almost as easily as you would a game of croquet. It’s an exciting game the whole family can enjoy the year round from the youngsters on up to the avid golfer who will find it good practice in keeping his putting eye keen. Standard putters and irons are used and scoring is done as in real golf, penalties being counted as strokes.

As for space, most basements, especially those with compact heating units, will accommodate the “concentrated” nine-hole course pictured in the illustration above, but, where there’s only a minimum of space, a lot of fun can be had from a much smaller course. As each green is complete in itself and lightweight, the course can be quickly set up. Most of the greens are fairly shallow to permit stacking them in little space when not in use – By Allan Carpenter

These plans which were featured in the 1950 June edition of Popular Mechanics can be downloaded by clicking the icon below.
And remember if your basement is too small for this project,
your garden may not be

Ted

DIY Sunday – Washtub Bass

A bass violin is something you’re not likely to have around the house. Yet the beat of such an instrument adds rhythm to any musical get-together. Here’s one to make that will produce deep, boomy tones comparing favorably with the real thing.

Install an eyebolt at the bottom center of a galvanized tub. Cut two 8-in. legs from electrical conduit and bolt them in place so that they raise the edge of the tub about 3-1/2 inches. Add rubber tips and tape on the edges of the tub to prevent scratches.

Cut a broomstick to about 46 inches in length, install an eyebolt about 5 inches from one end and notch the other end. Smooth the edges of the notch to prevent splitting when the stick is used on the bottom edge of the tub.

The string may be wire, twine or plastic-covered nylon clothesline. Tie it between the two eyebolts and you’re in business.

Take the position shown in the lead picture and strum with a pick or by grasping the string between the thumb and the knuckle of the index finger. A change in tone occurs when the body is moved to change string tension.

This plan was published in the 1955 November issue of Mechanix Illustrated and can be downloaded by clicking the icon below

DIY Sunday – Circular Night Table

This nifty night table is as a lot of the previous projects have been from Popular Mechanics Magazine’s 1940 editions. You can download the plans in pdf format py clicking the icom below.

DIY Sunday – A Fifties Pivot-Top Desk

These plans by Harold Hudspeth are from “Home Workshop Handbook” published in the early fifties and you can download the plans in PDF format by clicking the icon below – Ted

DIY Sunday – Early American Storage Chest

Download the plans in pdf format by clicking the icon below

DIY Sunday – 1940s Dressing Table and Bench

Text from the plans: Only ln the more expensive furniture stores could you find the equal of this distinctive modern dressing table and bench. Its appeal is based upon a. well-proportioned and simple exterior and the careful selection at wood for grain and color. A light wood such as birch, maple, or blond walnut in suitable.

Note that the drawer pulls and door handle are eliminated. This function is taken over by the beveled lower edges of the drawer fronts and the left. edge ot the dour. The groove thus formed plays an important part in producing a pattern on an otherwise severely plain piece.

This furniture has a distinct forties feel to its design and would look great in any retro inspired home. The plans was originally published in Popular Science January 1941. Download the plans in pdf format by clicking the icon below – Ted