New Plans Just Posted

We have some interesting new free plans which have just been posted on www.vintageplans.org. One is for a really unique folding kayak which you can carry under your arm and walk in to a fishing spot or lake with it very easily. It is light in weight and truly portable. You can extend the plans to make a bigger kayak if you wish.

Then we have also posted a plan for a folding row boat which is also quite unique. Actually folding is a bit of a misnomer since the boat actually comes apart into three pieces. This makes it easy to stow in your car trunk for a trip to the lake.

When you get there you just bolt the three pieces together and there is your row boat ready to go. You can even power it with a small outboard or electric fishing motor if you want to.

Take a look at these and many other great plans now at our vintage plans website. They are all free for your use.

Free plans. Build Model Stirling Hot Air Engines.

Stirling engines, which are actually hot air engines, are great engines to make working models from. The hot air engine was an early invention in the 1800s, and looked verty promisimng as a source of power for all kinds of projects. However the low power to weight ratio of these engines makes them most suitable for stationary power rather than for use in vehicles of any kind. That being said several hot air engine powered large ships were built in the 1800s and they worked very well. Hot air engines are of course run by hot air which is heated from a heat source such as coal or wood burning, as it was in these ships.

Model small scale Stirling engines are usually powered by an alcohol flame or even by a candle flame.

We have free plans for hot air engines which you can download at our website, and we also have a free plan for a rather unique candle powered engine. This amazing little engine gets its power solely from a candle flame. This is a simple to build vintage project and runs really well.

When you build model hot air engines the key to success is to get all the moving parts air tight, but as friction free as possible. The engine will then run perfectly. If there is a significant air leak it will not run, and if there is too much friction it will run poorly if at all.

Go to our website and download the free PDF plans for these and many other vintage projects.

Free Plans.Beehives and Equipment

Building your beehives can be a big money saver if you have a beekeeping business or even if you need two or three hives for your own supply of honey.You can purchase commercially built beehives but they are quite expensive and you will also incur delivery charges if you order from a distant supplier.


Building beehives is quite simple for anyone who has done any woodworking. Hand tools are all that is required to do the work. A tablesaw can be a help if you want to do the job faster but a hand circular saw or even jigsaw can do it very well.

Many beekeepers who will be happy to buy hives from you,particularly local people.

For more information and free plans for beehives see our website

Free Plans.Build A Seismograph To Detect Earthquakes

A seismograph is a scientific instrument detects and records earthquakes. Needless to say if a large earthquake occurs closeby you do not need anything to tell you what has happened.

Every day however, there are minor seismic events which may not be noticeable unless you have a sensitive seismograph to make a record of them . These small seismic events do not usually cause any great damage but are interesting to demonstrate that the crust of the earth is in a constant state of movement.

Using our free plans you can build a very sensitive seismograph which will make a record of even distant earthquakes hundreds or thousands of miles away fro your location. It all depends on the magnitude of the quake naturally. A big earthquake can be detected much further away from you than a smaller disturbance can.

This seismograph filters out nearby vibrations such as the shaking caused by traffic going by. It records real seismic occurences in the earths crust only.

Go to our website to download your free plan for building a seismograph.

Free Plans. Build A Cartop Boat For Fishing, Rowing, Camping

Many people would love to have a boat to take on vacation with them. A major problem is the need for a trailer to transport the boat behind a car or truck. Not only are good trailers costly, but it can be very inconvenient to park in many places if you have a trailer attached to your vehicle. Parking spots are generally made to accomodate the vehicle only.

The easy solution to this is to have a cartop boat, which is light enough to load on top of your vehicle, on a luggage ramp. This free plan details how to build a light 11/1/2 foot plywood boat which is ideal for fishing and can easily carry three people with fishing gear.

It can be loaded by one person but it is much easier to do if you have two people to get it up on top of the car.It is a very stable boat which can be rowed or powered by a small outboard motor and is roomy enough to be comfortable.

This is an ideal fishing boat and is also great fun just as a general purpose knockabout or rowing boat. Have a look at these free plans now and build yoursaelf a great boat. Boat Plans

Free Vintage Plans. Build a Letter Press Or Book Press

A letter press,(also called a book press) has many uses for both home and business use. In the handling of vintage plans and vintage projects it can be very useful in many ways. It can obviously be used to press books or documents of various kinds. It can also be very useful in your workshop for applying decorative veneers to wood projects.

There is really nothing better for holding flat items to be glued together. A letter press can also be used for putting pressure on pretty well anything that is flat in shape for whatever purpose you require to do this.

It is the natural tool for a bookbinder to use for the purpose of binding new books, or for rebinding old books which are missing covers. It clamps the book tightly and keeps it straight and true while glue in the spine and covers is drying which can be quite difficult to do if you do not have a book press on hand.

Old magazines can bound together to form annual volumes and the letterpress or book press is the perfect tool to handle this type of work.

Vintage plans quite often call for pressure to be applied to various types of items which are to be glued together. It is possible to use clamps of various types for this job of course, but sometimes it can be hard to apply a clamp due to the size or shape of the project being worked on.

Without the need for a clamp a letter press may come in very handy to press various kinds of items together while gluing them.

The book press or letter press is in actual fact a tool with many uses and is very versatile. The free vintage plan we have here shows you how you can build one at quite low cost by making use of pipe fittings. The cost of buying a commercial book press is very high which is the main reason that many workshops do not have such a tool. Now with our free vintage plan you can build one for yourself and save money. A really good vintage project.
For more information and to get your free plans go to our website at Free Letter Press Plan

Free Vintage Plans. Build Birdhouses,Bird Houses And Bird bath

Most of us love to see our feathered friends hanging out in our garden and singing in the trees and shrubs.
Nothing is a better attraction for birds than to provide them with bird houses where they can build a nest and raise their young. The sight of the young birds being fed,growing up quickly then taking to the air is something really enjoyable.
It is very easy to build simple birdhouses from scraps of wood which the birds will find very attractive as a dwelling place for their nest.You can also build a great bird bath from our free vintage plans. A great vintage project you will love building.
Check out our website at http://www.vintageplans.org for free plans for just about anything.

Typewriter Repairs And Cleaning

Vintage typewriters which were made from the 1800s right up to the 1970s are quite numerous since so many of them were manufactured for both personal and business use. There is no doubt that the invention of the typewriter changed communications forever with the use of typewritten documents replacing the hand written material which had been in use previously.

A lot of of these old machines are in reasonably good condition whilst some may need require repairs and adjustments or simply a good cleaning to get them typing again.This is an interesting vintage project which anyone can do. The repairs and cleaning can be performed by anyone who knows what has to be done and how these old machines work. Our article and vintage plans detail how this DIY project is done.


The very old machines are really collectors items of course and not very suitable for every day use. Later typewriters which were made in great numbers from the 1920s onward are mostly quite usable still for those people who do not have computers or word processors to rely on . Repair and necessary cleanup of these old and interesting typewriters is a wonderful do it yourself project for anyone.

For more details about typewriter repair and cleaning check out our website at
Typewriter repairs

Blowing Glass Is Fun And Profitable

Glass blowing is a vintage project which is a great hobby or profession. It takes a lot of practice to gain the skills needed to do advanced glass blowing. In fact there are skilled artists who perform this artistic work daily in the practice of their art. Our free vintage plans show you how to get starterd.
However it takes only a little practice to turn out simpler types of blown glass ornaments and useful laboratory glass ware in this vintage project.
This is a hobby or profession which can be practiced for a lifetime with new skills being added regularly.
It is easy to get started in glass blowing with just a few basic supplies and tools and our vintage plans.
At our website www.vintageplans.org yopu can find do it yourself instructions and plans for glass blowing as well as for many other DIY projects. Take a look now and get started in this interesting vintage project Glass blowing vintage project

Free Plans.Build Chicken Coops.Make Money

Chicken coop plans which have good instructions are the best method of building a chicken coop. For people living in the country keeping chickens is a natural choice. You can have a good supply of new laid fresh eggs every day of the week from your pet hens.

When you dine on a new laid, fresh, home produced egg you will realise very quickly just how much better these eggs are than the commercial chicken eggs, which you buy in the supermarket.

Even if you are living in the city you can keep a small flock of chickens in your backyard in numerous places. More cities have seen the light and have passed bylaws which allow urban chicken fanciers to keep chickens in their backyards. We have for you some free chicken coop building plans which you can download. These free plans show how to build a really good chicken coop and save a lot of money in the process.

This makes good sense since so many people require some good quality food, and fresh eggs which are completely free of contaminants and drugs are the best of food. As a byproduct tyhe chicken manure which is produced is a really excellent fertiliser for the vegetable garden, and helps to produce more good quality vegetables for food.

By feeding your hens quality food which includes grains and vegetables you will get top quality eggs. Your chickens mustt be housed in a well made coop.Download our free chicken coop plans now and you can build a really good chicken coop with ease. Take a look at our website and download your free plans: Free chicken coop plans

If you want instead to get top quality commercial plans complete with full instructions and videos check out this: Chicken coop plans

Free Vintage Plans.Build Rustic Furniture From Twigs

Twigs and branches from trees in your locality can be used to make absolutely wonderful rustic style furniture for your yard or patio.In fact some people even make rustic furniture for use in their homes. It goes particularly well with country decorating or homes of the log cabin style needless to say. Our free vintage plans are great for this project.

Rustic furniture for your yard or patio made from twigs and branches is a great challenge for the workshopper. Certainly there is plenty of room for making unusual designs dependent on the material you have available in your locality for this project. Pretty well every type of furniture including tables, chairs,benches,beds orornaments just to name a few, can be made from twigs as shown in our free vintage plans.


At our website you can find free plans for many different rustic furniture vintage projects. Take a look here and download your free plans: Rustic Furniture

Free Plans For Flying Model Helicopters

Building flying model helicopters is a really great fun hobby. Experimenting with different types of model to determine which one flies best or highest or for the longest time is a real challenge to a model builder.

Plans for model helicopters are relatively few and fairly hard to find. We have found two good plans for flying model helicopters which really perform well. You can download these interesting plans for free at our website.

The first one is a fairly modern type plan from the 1950s for a rubber band powered helicopter. This nice looking model is reasonably easy to construct and flies extremely well.

The second model helicopter is a very old plan from around the turn of the 20th century. This of course was before any helicopters had been built and flight was still in its earliest days. This model looks nothing like a real modern helicopter but demonstrates the principles on which helicopters work. It also flies and performs remarkably well considering its very simple basic design. Give something different a try and build a model helicopter that really flies.

Download the free plans at our website : Flying model helicopters

Free Plans. Build a Gemstone Grinder

Making gemstones from the rough material is a popular hobby for rockhounds.
This is done by grinding, sanding and finally polishing the stones to a high luster.

A silicon carbide grinding wheel must be used and it is used wet to prevent glazing the stone.We have free plans for you which show you how to build an inexpensive gemstone grinder which is capable of doing very nice work

The most popular stones to grind are known as cabachons which are smoothly rounded gems. These are also easier to grind than faceted stones.

With this outfit you can turn out excellent stones for mounting in rings or other jewellery to sell or use for gift giving.

Free Plans.Build Whirligigs. Make Money.

Building whirligigs,which are animated action weather vanes is a great fun project. We have for you, vintage plans with drawings for many easily built whirligig weather vanes.

After you have built several of these, from the plans, you will see how they operate, and that it is quite simple to design your own.

Whirligigs are very attractive in your garden. Most people take great pleasure in watching the actions that they perform when there is even just a little bit of wind to get them twirling..

Our vintage plans are a good start toward building these extremely interesting vintage projects. Download your free plans from our website at: Whirligig plans

Free Plans. Build Metal Detectors.Find Coins,Jewellery,Relics,Treasure

Metal detectors are great fun to use and can make money for you. You can find buried metal items including coins, jewellery,relics,treasure etc. on beaches,in public parks and similar areas.

Searching early inhabited areas may turn up some interesting historical records. If oyu lose some jewellery in your own backyard you can probably find it with your metal detector.

Commercially made metal detectors are available in many models. good ones are expensive however and can run to many thousands of dollars in some cases.

We have free plans which you can download in PDF format to build your own metal detector. One of them is for a combined metal detector,geiger counter,radio. The other shows how to use a transistor radio as a metal detector. you can have a lot of fun with these. Take a look at the plans here: Metal Detectors

Free Plans. Build Concrete Mixers.Save money

It is almost a necessity to have a concrete mixer for many home construction projects.You can build all kinds of concrete items from a small flowere bed edging to a full size driveway when you have a cement mixer to do the concrete mixing and save the hard labor of hand mixing the concrete.

We have made available for your use free plans for constructing concrete or cement mixers. The first plans is for is construction of a small size mixer to mix bucket size loads of concrete. This is the ideal size for if you are doing a small job. The other plans are for a mixer you can build which full size concrete and you will want this size for big projects. You will see these free plans ready for you to download at our website Concrete Mixers

Free Plans.Build Vintage Model Airplanes

Building model airp[lanes is one of todays most popular hobbies. As a matter of fact it has been a very popular hobby ever since flight began.

Model airplane enthusiasts compete to build the fastest plane,the longest flying plane,the best realistic model and many other types of competition. rivalry is often fierce and new designs are continually being brought forward.

Early model airplanes were rubber band powered or gliders. Combustion engine and jet models came along at a later period.The earliest models reflect the knowldge of airplane building of that time and are really interesting. Some of them fly extremely well also.

It is worth while to revisit some of these old models and build them from the plans. you can get the true flavor of what airplane modelling was all about at that time.

At our website you can find free plans for building early rubber band powered models which really fly well. Check it out at Model Airplanes

Free Plans. Repair Antique Clocks

Repairing antique clocks is a fun and profitable hobby. Very often when you find an old clock it is not running for some reason. Often the cause of the problem is very simple and easy to rectify. It can be as little as a dirty mechanism. In this case a cleaning using the proper methods may get the clock running again very easily. Or it may be that just a minor repair is needed to get it ticking away sweetly once more.

When you find an antique clock that is not running you can very often get a really good buy on it. Most people have no idea how clocks work or how to repair them. It is simply a non running clock with little value to them. You may pick it up for very little and just with a small amount of work restore it to good order. Its value then is much higher than when it was not working and you can sell it for a nice profit. Or you may just want to keep it for your own collection rather than sell it for a profit.

However you do it you can have lots of fun and make money with old clocks.See our website for information about cleaning and simple repairs which uyou can download free in PDF format.Clock Repair

Free Plans.Electromagnets Making

Electromagnets are extremely powerful for their size. They are often used in car wreckers lots to raise complete automobiles into the crusher.Then they lift the crushed vehicles to a transport truck.

Even very small electromagnets which are powered by a simple flashlight cell are capable of lifting hundreds of pounds of iron or steel.

If a small electromagnet is attached to a sheet of steel or iron it is impossible to pull it off by hand. Even the smallest can require 250 pounds of direct pull to pull it off the iron sheet.

You can make small electromagnets at home quite easily and you will be totally amazed at what they can lift. At our website you will find free plans for making electromagnets which you can download in PDF format. Why not give it a try electromagnets

Picture Frames From Lumberyard Materials

Picture frames, when purchased in art supply stores, can be very expensive.If you have a print to frame the cost may be more than it is worth.
Artists in many cases also struggle to obtain reasonably priced frames for their work.A good frame for an oil painting may easily cost $50 or more.

The solution to this problem is to build picture frames from common lumber and moldings obtained from building supply stores and lumberyards. Ordinary lumber in standard sizes can be combined with moldings to make excellent frames which can be painted in colors to complement the picture that is to be framed.

Frames made in this way are an excellent substitute for purchased frames. They can be matched exactly to the type of picture to be framed whether it be a print, painting or photography etc.

You can get free plans and intructions for building these frames at our website : Picture frames

Free Plans.Make Folding Attic Ladders

Many homes have a big attic space which is largely unused because access to it is difficult. Older homes often have a staircase to the attic and have several rooms up there.

This provides a lot of space for extra bedrooms or utility rooms.
If you have a newer home with only a tiny trapdoor for access to the attic you can very easily install a folding ladder to get up there and you can enlarge the opening if necessary. You can find free plans for building attic ladders at our website. We have three different vintage articles which give instructions for building different types of ladders and access.
attic ladders

Free Plans.Build An Electric Scooter

Electric scooters are very popular these days. No matter where you go they are to be seen skimming silently along. In most places they do not require a license to drive them and do not have to be registered. They are classed as power assisted bicycles.

Their popularity is the result of several things. firstly they are fairly inexpensive to buy with most costing well under $1000. Secondly they are very cheap to run. You only have to plug the recharger into a power outlet for a few hours and you are ready to do 20 to 25 miles before the next recharge is needed.

This means that they are ideal for commuting to work or just for riding around town for fun or shopping. Almost anyone can ride them and even a small woman can easily handle some of the lighter models.

We have free plans for building your own electric scooter if you want to really do it on the cheap. Have a look at electric scooter plans

Free Plans. Build Model Steam Engines

Model steam engines are every boys dream toy. Big boys like them also and those who are craftsmen can build model steam engines in the workshop.
There are a few engines which can be built without the use of a metal turning lathe. However the better more advanced engines require that you have lathe capabilities.

You can start by building a very simple model just for the experience. You will get a real thrill when you see it running. Then graduate to a more advanced model which will have more power and look more professional in design.

You can find plans for model steam engines at our website Model steam engine free plans

Free Plans Build Canoe. Cedar Strip Canoe Plan

A canoe is the perfect craft for having fun on the water. It is comparatively light and can be carried quite easily on a cartop carrier. A canoe is also the perfect craft for fishing on lakes or rivers and for doing some exploration or just paddling around for fun.

Our absolutely free plans show you how to construct a plywood canoe, a wood strip canoe or an aluminum canoe. You can build a really top quality classic cedar strip canoe using the woodstrip construction method.

The plywood canoe is quite easy to build and the cost is low. It is a very nice canoe really and performs well.
See the plans for these canoes and download them free:
Free Canoe Plans.

Vintage Plans For Doll Houses

Many little girls (and lets face it, big girls to) would love to get a doll house to furnish and to play with their dolls. They just have a lot of fun playing house with dolls and furniture they can move around to get different decor inn the house.

Building a doll house is really a fairly easy job,particularly if you start with a simple plan which is easy to follow. A doll house can be made from thin plywood, wall panelling, hardboard or even heavy cardboard.

I have seen really nice doll houses built from the heavy cardboard that TVs and stereo equipment come packed in. You can get any amount of this free from the dumpster at any electronics or furniture store.

It can be cut with a sharp utility knife so you don't even need much in the way of tools to do the job. with plywood or hardboard you will need a table saw or circular saw. Even a jig saw in fact will suffice.
You can find free plans for doll houses at our website. http://www.vintageplans.org

Like to see a video about building dollhouses? check this out:

Vintage Plans For Clocks

Building clocks is a wonderful hobby which has many peoples interest. It is fairly simple build a wooden clock case from good hardwood such as mahogany, cherry or walnut and then to install a windup chiming clock movement. This will be a top quality hand built clock suitable for family heirloom status. The less expensive way is to install an electronic battery powered movement. These low cost units work very well, keep good accurate time and can be used to make a nice clock. That being said, the real clock lover wants a spring or weight driven mechanical movement for the clocks he builds.

It is also completely possible to build an all wooden movement to power your clock (it will have a few small metal parts). This is really a great way to build a fine antique clock reproduction. Wooden movements were much used up until the middle of the nineteenth century and genuine old antique clocks with these hand made all wood movements are valuable antiques nowadays. You can build your own all wooden movement antique clock from free plans you can download in PDF format from our Vintage Plans website. With careful,quality workmanship you can build a clock which will be a family heirloom and you can pass it down to future generations.

Take a look at our Vintage Plans website now and see all the free plans we have there. We are adding to them daily and thay include many other things besides clocks.

Free Boat Plans. Build a Wooden Boat

Many people would like to have a boat to go fishing in their favorite lake. Others just want a boat to have some summer fun with at the lakeside. Of course you can buy a boat. There are plenty for sale both new and used.

However if you really want to cut costs the best way to go is to build a boat yourself. You don't really need to be a super woodworker to build a small boat. It is a fairly simple job. A rowing or sailing dinghy can be built from a couple of sheets of plywood, a few odds and ends of lumber and some miscellaneous hardware items.

The total cost can be well under $100 for a serviceable dinghy which you can row or power with a small outboard. Just the thing for fishing or having a little fun.

You will find free plans at our website where you can download the plans in PDF format. vintage plans

We will be adding many more plans in ther near future so keep checking back to see what is available. The price is right--FREE at http://www.vintageplans.org

Archery And Crossbow Plans

Archery plans are very popular. Many people would like to build their own bow. We have plans for a traditional English long bow. This was the bow which was used with great success by English archers to win many battles centuries ago before the invention of gunpowder and firearms.

We also have a plan for an easy to build flat bow which is on the same sheet as the long bow plan. The flat bow is considerably easier to build than a long bow and shoots very accurately.
Plans for archery equipment including targets and arrows are available from our website vintage plans

Crossbows are amazing weapons and none is more fascinating than the antique Chinese repeating crossbow. Chinese soldiers used this weapon for centuries and in fact still used it right into the 20th century. It had a magazine which held several bolts(arrows) and could be rapidly fired by working a lever to cock and fire them in rapid succession.

A hundred or so archers could send a hail of arrows (often with poisoned tips) at the advancing enemy which was very discouraging for them to say the least of it. Even a nick from a poisoned arrow could be fatal.

We also have plans for a really great modern repeating crossbow which works like a slide action rifle to fire shots in rapid succession. Then there is the hunters crossbow which is a really fine crossbow for hunting and general target shooting etc. Take a look at our website where tyou can download all these fine plans totally free: vintage plans

Vintage Plans

My interest in old plans goes back several decades. I was always looking for plans to build things that I wanted, and I found that many plans were available in old copies of magazines such as Mechanix Illustrated, Science And Mechanics and other magazines of this type. I amassed a collection of hundreds of old plans from these sources over the years.

Then I found that most of these plans and articles which were published before 1964 were copyright expired and in the public domain, since their copyright had not been renewed prior to expiry. All material published in the USA prior to 1923 is also in the public domain without exception. This simply means that they are no longer copyright, and can be used by anyone for any purpose. This includes not only printed material but audio and videos also. They can be copied and resold or republished in any form. They can not be copyrighted by anyone in their original form, but a new version can be copyrighted if significant changes are made to the original material.

In 1964 copyright laws changed in the USA and publications after that year remain copyright for much longer in most cases. There are some publications up to 1978 which are in the public domain however.

In order to avoid any copyright problems I only republish material which was originally copyrighted prior to 1964, and which is now definitely in the public domain as established by checking with the US copyright office which can be done online.

At my website Vintage Plans I am republishing and making available free copies of many of these plans. This will be an ongoing work which will take some time to complete. In fact it will probably never be complete as new material becomes available all the time from various sources.

I will also be republishing freely available copies of many plans, articles,and other material dating back into the 1800s and in some cases even further back. There are many really interesting old plans and instructive articles etc available from this period.

My website went online this week with a selection of plans, and more will be added on a daily basis, or at least several times weekly as time allows. Check back frequently and you will find new material there at http://www.vintageplans.org.If you have any comments or questions you can leave them in comments on this blog. I hope that many people will find these old plans and articles interesting and of use to them. The price is right anyway since they are all free. So help yourself to the PDF downloads which are on the site.

Go now to Vintage Plans and check out what is available totally free. Please leave your comments below or ask a question if you want to.