What I made
1471
days ago

Garden playhouse with roof platform

Posted in: Crazy contraptions

Kids play house with roof platform
1) “Hey Dad, you can’t catch me!”

Kids play house with roof platform
2) “It’s nice, but where’s the TV?”

Kids play house with roof platform
3) “Shut that trap door!”

Kids play house with roof platform
4) “Dad, I keep hitting my head on the crane!”

As a kid I thought the Batcave (where Batman keeps his Batmobile) was very cool. So with that in mind I decided to pimp up my sons’ playhouse. To be honest, the final result is not very cave-like. It’s not underground and there aren’t any secret exits – but it does have a trapdoor and a rope and pulley crane! That’s as high-tech as it gets. But I suppose a playhouse with a mezzanine, and a trapdoor to a rooftop platform, is pretty cool when you are a kid.

What I made
6329
days ago

Marble run candlestick timer

Posted in: Crazy contraptions,

An upcycled bricks and wire candlestick timer

This is my homage to Heath Robinson – a candlestick holder that measures time. And unlike Heath’s famously wacky contraptions it actually works!

The mechanism is very simple – it works like a pair of old fashioned scales. As the candle burns it gets lighter, slowly tipping the arm until a piece of cotton raises a wire gate and releases one marble. This sudden change in weight cause the arm to pivot, lowering the candle and raising the marbles again. This process continues until the candle has burned out.

As well as being a great conversation piece – it’s also a more unsual example of upcycling, the wire is from old coat hangers and the bricks were salvaged. Not quite as useful as a table, but definitely more fun!

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