When it’s Mom’s birthday, Mother’s Day, or any day, really, you can never go wrong with a fresh bouquet to make Mom feel special. Dads, however, can be a little trickier when it comes to flowers. That’s why we love this Flower Power Tank as a creative alternative to your standard bouquet as a Father’s Day gift — it’s a little more Dad-friendly, and lot more personalized.
Flower Power Tank
MATERIALS:
• Craft knife and cutting mat
• Medium-sized corrugated cardboard box
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Stirring stick or blunt knife
• Paper glue
• Paper cup (16 oz, 454 g)
• Printer paper
• 2 toilet paper tubes
• Lightweight cardstock
• Coin
• Drafting compass
• 3 empty, clean 15 oz (415 g) tin cans (max. diameter 213/16″, 71 mm)
• Dried-up felt-tip marker
• Hacksaw
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Poster paint (blue and green)
• Paintbrush
• Hammer and nail
• Galvanized wire (#15 gauge, 1.5 mm)
• Wire cutters
• Aluminum foil (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Use the craft knife to cut out a large panel from one side of the cardboard box.
2. Use the ruler and pencil to measure and mark the cutting plan onto the panel, as shown. Using a craft knife, carefully cut it out on the cutting mat.
3. Use a stirring stick or blunt knife to score the folds. (Don’t worry if the surface tears.)
4. Fold the sides up along the score lines, and apply glue to the side flaps. Apply glue to the end flaps and fold
them over to complete the chassis.
5. Measure and mark a series of dots 23/4″ (70 mm) from the top of the paper cup. Wrap a strip of paper around the bottom of the cup and use the ruler to connect the dots with a straight line. Carefully cut along the line. Remove the top of the cup and leave the bottom as the turret.
6. Trace the cut end of the turret onto a piece of cardboard to make a circle.
7. Trace the end of one toilet paper tube in the center of the circle. Cut out the disc, making sure it will fit around the tube, and glue it into the cut end of the turret.
8. Roughly trim one end of the toilet paper tube, as shown. Apply glue around the other end of the tube, 5/16″ (8 mm) from the end. Push the tube through the disc and into the turret, leaving the 5/8″ (16 mm) end protruding.
9. Draw a circle with the same diameter as the toilet paper tube onto cardstock and add a small glue tab, as shown. Cut it out and glue a coin to one side. Glue the tab into the protruding tube to make a lid for
the hatch. Cut a small semicircular cardboard handle and glue it onto the hatch lid.
10. Measure the diameter of the inside rim of a can. Use the compass to draw six circles with matching diameters onto cardboard. Cut them out and glue them to the ends of the three cans. Let dry.
11. Trim the second toilet paper tube, as shown, and cut it lengthwise. Glue the ends together to overlap. Before the glue has set, adjust the roll to make sure it fits inside the turret tube. Let it dry, and then glue the adjusted roll to the chassis.
12. Cut off the marker tip with a hacksaw. Trace the circumference of the marker onto the front of the turret and cut out the hole. Push the end of the marker into the hole, and hot glue it to the inner tube.
13. Paint the inside and outside of the tank with poster paint.
14. Mark the position of the three axles on the outside of the chassis. Use a sharp pencil to make a small hole there.
15. Make a small hole in the center of the wheels. Use the hammer and nail to puncture the ends of the can.
16. Cut and straighten a section of wire that’s longer than the width of the chassis. Place the wheels under the
chassis and push the wire through. Trim the wire with the wire cutters and secure it with a dollop of hot glue.
17. To add a flower vase (optional), mold aluminum foil into a small cup, add water, and nest it in the turret.
by Scott Bedford
No screens, no hi-tech gadgetry. Made by Dad combines the rough-edged, handmade ethos of a Boy Scout manual or The Dangerous Book for Boys with a sly sense of humor that kids love.
GET THE BOOK: Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | Powell’s | Workman
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