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