It's Fun To Make Useful Homemade Gizmos

It's fun and satisfying to design and then make simplefree.Begin with a 3/4 inch thick board that is about 2
items that serve some purpose. I find it very rewardingfeet long and 6 inches wide. Cut a V shaped notch in
to conjure up designs out of my imagination and thenone end. Use nails to attach a small piece of wood to
build them using common tools and cheap or freekeep the notched end raised above the floor. Keep
materials. I've made all kinds of things. Most of themthe bootjack near the door where you most often
performed some function that no readily available,enter wearing boots. Put one foot on the jack to hold it
store-bought device offered.I do a lot of text keying atin place. Put the heel of the other foot in the notch and
a computer keyboard. After many hours of keying,pull your foot out of the boot.Wall display cubby
day after day, my hands and fingers tell me (as in pain)box:Small cardboard boxes can be fastened together
that they're pushing too hard, too many times. Afterand hung on the wall. Small and valued objects can be
going from store to store looking for a keyboard withplaced there to be displayed and admired.Save boxes
easy to press keys, I realized that I needed somethingfrom muffin mix, artificial sweetener, rice or other often
to measure the force needed to press the keys on aused food items. When you have enough, cut each
particular keyboard. Trying to judge the force by typingbox to an appropriate size. I started with boxes
a little with each keyboard wasn't separating the4-inches wide, 2-inches deep, and 6-inches tall. I cut
Tylenol endorsed keyboards from the more fingereach box to half height, so that each box was
friendly keyboards. So I rigged up a plastic tube taped3-inches tall. Boxes that are twice as wide as they are
to a vertical wire a few inches long. Pennies could bedeep can be arranged as shown in the diagrams of
put in the tube. The lower end of the wire is rested onthis article. If you use boxes with other ratios of width
a key. The number of pennies needed to push a keyto height, use a different arrangement or use pieces of
down is a measure of the key's required presscorrigated cardboard to fill any gaps between
force.Then there was the see through, wall hungboxes.Lay a piece of plastic sheeting such as a plastic
beehive that I put on my bedroom wall. My father usedgrocery bag on a flat surface. The plastic will keep
to keep bees to harvest honey. One cold day inexcess glue from sticking to your work surface. You
March, I discovered an abandoned hive that had fallencan use white glue to fasten the boxes together. To
over exposing the bees to the elements. There washelp keep the glue from running down the side of the
only several hundred bees left out of what was onceboxes, use a method similar to that used by
thousands. I put a sheet of glass, about 2-foot bybricklayers applying mortar to bricks. Before putting a
2-foot, onto a wooden frame that I attached to mybox into position, put glue on each side of that box that
bedroom wall. Then I carefully transported the falteringwill be against a box already in place. That way, while
bee colony to their new home. A tunnel made of metalapplying glue, you can turn the box in any way that
window screening provided a path for the bees tomakes it easy to apply the glue. And the glue will
come and go under a slightly raised window. Thequickly be between two surfaces. That helps keep the
colony's queen had not survived being exposed to theglue in place. A good glue pattern is shown by the red
weather, so I knew no new bees would be reared.lines below.As you assemble the boxes together, use
This colony would only last as long as the lifespans ofa straight edge such as a wall or a large box as a
its current members. But it was interesting to watchguide to align the boxes in straight rows. Set something
the bees doing what bees do throughout the nextheavy against the boxes to hold them together while
several months. And the bragging rights for having athe glue dries. Bricks or large books work well. Use the
bee colony on ones bedroom wall was something toplastic sheeting to keep oozing glue from sticking the
envy.Both the keyboard force-o-meter and theboxes to the books or bricks. You can use paper clips
wall-mounted beehive were inspired by circumstances.to hold the edges of the boxes together where gaps
I just saw the possibility of what could be done andoccur.When all the boxes are in place, let the glue dry
wanted to do it. I try to be open to possibilites for otherfor about 12 hours. Then use a nail to punch holes for
gadgets and gizmos that would be of value. It is wella string that will go around the group of boxes. Two
worth the effort: It is fun to make improvised gizmos,holes near each corner will keep the string in place. Tie
and you get a valued item. The item may suit yourthe two ends of the string together. Hang the box
needs better than a purchased item because youdisplay from a small nail.Alan Detwiler started the web
make it the way you want it. The item could inspiresite Leisureideas. Visitors to the site are encouraged to
wonder and delight. And it feels good to prove thatuse imagination and whatever happens to be available
your ingenuity and imagination can produce things ofto discover new ways to enjoy themselves.Alan
value.Below is a description of a couple of items youwrites books on how to pursue playfulness and a
may like to make.Bootjack:If you often find it annoyingsense of wonder. His books are available in digital
to remove boots as you enter the house, this projectformat and can be purchased and downloaded on the
is for you. The bootjack makes the task easiereBookMall web site. Go to Then do a search for
especially if the boots are tight fitting or you areDetwiler.
carrying something so that your hands are not