Multi-Mode Rubber Band-Powered Roller (Parts and Tools)

Back in 2011 an 8-year-old neighbor kid showed me a book with about a dozen small Lego projects. The book had a kind of “blister pack” attached at the bottom, containing the Lego parts needed to make all of the projects. He proudly flipped through the book, showing me the projects he had made so far (just about ALL of them).

One page showed a sophisticated plastic version of something I recognized from my childhood … a simple toy made from a wooden spool, a couple matchsticks, a piece of candle wax or soap, and a rubber band. Here is the version from the old World Book / Childcraft Make and Do book that we had growing up:

Spool Tractor – Childcraft

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It’s been a while since I’ve done much woodturning/woodworking, but one of my original goals for this blog was to collect various projects that I’ve documented elsewhere. I wrote about this first one on the Family Woodworking forum back in April 2011.

The project below came straight out of an article in the September 2003 issue of WOOD magazine (pages 70-73) called Double-Take Keepsake Box.

The idea is to create what appears, at first glance, to be a one-piece hollow vessel…

Southern Vessel Box – Assembled

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