Vintage Woodworking Plans: Space Raiders & More

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Here’s a woodworking plan for a child’s drawing desk from 1953 and boy does it ever bring back memories! This pattern was published a few years before my time, but I did have something like this when I was a child–and it was wood, not plastic like today’s stuff.

This desk has a folding top that conceals art materials and provides a convenient slanted drawing surface. It’s hard to say what I enjoyed more, drawing and coloring–or organizing all the art supplies in my desk .

You can download the plans by pdf here: Child’s Drawing Desk Plans or you can download the jpg file instead:

Space Raiders

This is from the same vintage stash as above, how retro-cool are these! There are three different plans (these are each made of plywood):

1. Space Raider’s Club House: A 10-foot rocket ship makes perfect club headquarters for the space gang.
2. Space Guns: Build this “air-cooled” arsenal in an afternoon . . . the answer to martian invaders.
3. Flying Saucer: Even the three-year-olds get in the space wars with this easy-to-build rocker.

You can download the pdf containing all three patterns here (free of course!): Space Raiders PDF Download.

Or download jpg files here (two separate files):

Duck Family Lawn Ornaments

With Spring in the air and summer just around the proverbial corner, thoughts are turning to the outdoors and what can be done to improve the appearance of the lawn. What could be more attractive than wood cutouts at the garden edge or just in front of a clump of bushes?

Click Picture To Get Your Free Pattern

Anyone who has a jig or keyhole saw can make this little family of ducks. They can be cut out of plywood or solid boards of any workable thickness desired. The family artist can have a lot of fun painting them to suit his (or her) fancy.

Suggested scale: For larger duck, enlarge chart to 2 inch squares. For ducklings, enlarge chart to 1 inch squares. This will make larger duck stand about 14 inches above ground, and the ducklings will be about 7 inches tall.

Lay out chart in proper scale on board from which figure is to be cut, and draw in the duck, using diagram and chart lines as guide. Then cut around outside lines of duck. Shaded portion of diagram (between feet) may either be cut out or painted an appropriate solid color, like green to match the grass. The ornament will be less likely to break when driven into the ground if that portion is left uncut.

In making ducklings, substitute the head at right in the diagram when drawing your outlines.

Color Suggestions: Try white for the body and head; orange for bill and feet; black for details, pupil of eye, and stakes; and blue for the iris of eye.

Best painting method is to paint broad solid color surfaces first, add black detail lines last.

Make This Family Of Ducks To Decorate Your Lawn

Source: The Workbasket Magazine (Vintage)