About four years ago, I somehow discovered classic teardrop travel trailers. From what I can tell, they originated in the 1930s or 1940s, and were popular projects in Popular Mechanics and similar magazines. The motherload of current information on building your own is the Tiny Travel Trailers Forum. They guys there are extremely helpful, and they have many different plans you can adapt for your own custom travel trailer.

When I discovered the site, I started planning my own travel trailer for camping, even though I had nowhere special I wanted to go. Since then, I’ve found a campground I really enjoy visiting, and want something more spur-of-the-moment than having to try to reserve a cabin–impossible at the last minute on a busy holiday weekend.

After successfully completing my bar, I decided to go for something bigger, and remembered the teardop camping trailer. So here’s my idea, based on Tiny Travel Trailers’ “Generic Benroy” plans, that I worked up four years ago:

I have some investing to do first: tools, most likely a table saw. I also need to establish a workspace. The bar was built on the patio under the second-story deck. That won’t do for a project this size.

I also need to start budgeting. The plans call for using a pretty generic Harbor Freight 5-ft x 8-ft trailer. The trailer is probably around $500, but is frequently on sale. In all, a rough guess is $1,500 – $2,000 for the finished trailer. Any more than that and I might as well buy one from one of the few manufacturers that still make them.

The plans also call for modifying that trailer by cutting the cross-members to reduce the width by two inches so that the side walls overlap the frame to hide it. That seems like a lot of trouble for what to me is a minor cosmetic issue. I’ll just paint the frame black to match the aluminum skin’s paint job. (Yeah, I don’t know where I’m gonna get that paint job done!)

So, here goes the next big project!

I’ve been wanting a patio bar for a long time–one with a sink and an outlet to plug in a blender. Commercial portable bars are very expensive, and they don’t have all the features I wanted. So I decided to build one of my own.

My portable bar is based on the instructions at Bar Plans Online. Rather than build a 10-foot indoor bar, I modified the plans to shorten the bar to about 6 feet across the bar top. Wheels make it easy to roll around on the patio, and hose hookups for water and drain get much-needed water to the bar. The outlet and under-cabinet lights round out the features.

Rather than go into the details here, download the PDF file which has basic instructions for building the bar. I’ve even included a materials and price list. I’ve reviewed the list, and created the assembly drawings after building the bar, but do double-check all measurements in case I made an error. You also may want to make the bar about 3 inches shorter–I didn’t plan for the additional height created by the wheels. Even so, the bar is very serviceable.

Mobile Bar Plans (PDF)

Things I learned (and remembered) while building this bar:

• Wood is far more forgiving than metal.
• Metal is also sharp.
• PVC glue is instant.
• When you get tired, stop. You’ll just goof up otherwise.
• Remember what your Dad said: Measure twice, cut once. Cut plywood with a skil-saw good side down.
• Don’t sweat the imperfections. Otherwise, you’ll be too paralyzed to even start, fearing the results won’t be perfect.
• Building stuff gives you an incredible sense of accomplishment and self-sufficiency.
• When you’re done, go ahead and plan something else. You’ll be hooked.

UPDATE: I sent pics in to Bar Plans Online, and they’ve posted my photos on their site! I highly recommend their site if you dream of having a bar of your own. Their plans, as you can tell, are highly adaptable for whatever style or size you want.

Also, if you need supplies and equipment for your bar, Bar Plans Online has an excellent store. Check it out! Tha Mixologist Barstore

I’ve been working out for a few months, and recently really increased my intensity at the gym, and have been modifying my diet to help me gain weight. I’ve discovered that smoothies are a great way to get extra calories and protein in my diet, and are quick and easy before going to work out.

The thing is, yogurt is kind of expensive. You can buy a whole gallon of milk for what you’d pay for a quart of yogurt. By making your own, you can get four times the yogurt for the same price!

There are lots of instructions on the internet for making your own. I followed the steps at wikiHow and had success the first time.

Here’s the stuff you’ll need:
Continue reading I made my own yogurt at home

Found some awesome instructions for origami lotuses, which I think will look awesome on a holiday tree with a Buddhist slant. Will post the results soon!

Rae630 Paper Lotus

My fave magazine of all time, Make:, has introduced a new section on its site called Science Room. The new segment is joined by new products in their store, Maker Shed, including awesome lab equipment.

Head on over and get your science geek on!

Introducing the Make: Science Room

Back in the late 70s, I had a few of the Micronaut toys. Until today, I had forgotten how many I had, and couldn’t find them on the net because I kept thinking they were called “Microbots,” which is a different toy altogether. Today, the neurons fired in the proper sequence, I remembered the correct name, and hit The Google.

The Micronauts Homepage
Inner Space Online
MicroHeritage Micronauts

Rummaging through the sites, I remembered the toys I had: the Acroyear (I) figure, the Mobile Exploration Lab, Crater Cruncher, and Hydra vehicles. My dream was to have the Battle Cruiser and the Micropolis Megacity.

Because all the parts used connectors that were the same size across the toys, you could build new things by taking bits of one toy and putting them on another. These combinations made it easy to come up with new ways of imaging how to play with the toys. To me this was better than Lego’s because instead of being generic blocks, the were bits and pieces that were shaped like things (and yeah, I never got into the Lego play sets, either). You could take rocket nozzles off one toy and put them on another, propellers off another, and so on, and build something completely new.

I wish the Micronauts would come back in to production. They were the best toys ever!

I worked for Staples for a while back when the “That was easy” campaign started, and the Easy Button ads started airing. People started showing up in the store wanting an Easy Button, and finally Staples started selling them. (Staples is a great company to work for, and I had an awesome boss, and they are giving at least part of the proceeds for the Easy Button to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Yay!)

Needless to say, if something has batteries and a button and does something, it will be hacked by geeks. Here’s a quick roundup of interesting Easy Button hacks found on the web. Buy one and hack yours!

• Change playback speed of pre-recorded message (and a custom message mod)
• Replace circuit with custom recording module
• Easy Button Escape Key (this guy also made a giant (non-functional) SD card)
• Another custom recording circuit on Instructables

I’d like to make something like an office WTF? counter with an Easy Button, actually. What other interesting things can be done with a giant red button?