Toys from Mother's Workshop

(Page 2 of 2)

November/December 1981
By the Mother Earth News staff 
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Finish the project by covering the screw holes With filler, giving all the surfaces a light sanding, and painting the plaything in your choice of bright colors. The triple-threat capability of this versatile toy will all but guarantee boredomfree afternoons among the youngsters in your household.

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Click here to download the teeter-tot construction details.

A Bantam Backhoe

Any junior hardhat on your Christmas list will re ally dig this gadget, once you've taken the few minutes necessary to size and assemble it. The materials include two 10' lengths of 3/4" electrical metallic tubing (E.M.T.), a 39" piece of the same conduit in 1/2" diameter, an 18" section of 1" E.M.T. bent to a 90° arc (these are available preformed, or can often be found in an electrical contractor's scrap pile), a section of 18-gauge sheet metal measuring 13" X 16", a 7" X 7" hunk of 3/4" plywood, and an assortment of plumbing and fastening hardware.

Just cut the tubing to the lengths indicated in the accompanying illustration, drill holes at the spots shown, and paint the metal to suit your youngster's taste. Next-with a pair of tinsnipstrim the galvanized sheet to shape, using our pat tern as a guide, then carefully contour the back of the bucket by bending it around a solid curved object. (The 2-1/4" retaining tang at its end can be folded over a 3/8" bolt or rod.) Finish the scoop by bending up its sides, drilling holes it the points we've designated, and giving it a coat of paint. Now, to complete the components, cut your plywood section in to a circle.

Finally, just assemble the parts, sand or file them smooth (as necessary), plug the seat into the stand, and let your young'un have at it . . . preferably in soft soil, and at mind seeing excavated!

Click here to download the backkhoe construction details.

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