Born from one of our favorite bushes and a failed costume, Lin the dragon was our most complex monster at that time. Lin is made from wood from our own garden, making her unique.
Flying free!
Lin has posable legs, tail and wings. The legs can barely support her so we decided to hang her from the ceiling to watch over us as we craft.
Side viewClose up of a wing joint
The wings are from a dragon costume we were building that proved to be too heavy. The tail is made by repeatedly cutting the log and threading a steal wire through them to secure it.
The hummingbird monster was made from a branch too weak to be used for other projects. We decided to make it into a hummingbird because it already had a long beak, and the body was already shaped like a bird. After lots of trimming, sanding, and bees wax, we added felt and wire wings.
Bottom view
Hung from the ceiling, the humming bird monster comes to life.
We call this monster the Anteater. The Anteater monster was a wonderful branch that was too split to make a good wand or use in other projects. After we stabilized the splitting and cut out all the rotted wood, we sanded her and coated her heavily in bees wax.
Side view
At first we thought of mounting Anteater on the wall as if she was a trophy, but then the Sister’s team thought of having her appear to climb out of the wall. We then used a picture frame we were working on and created a fake window using the picture frame, paint, and plexiglass for her to climb out of. With a window as a mount, she made a great addition to our living room.
The Hip Monster’s sister team has created a DIY pump drill. Pump drills are ancient tools used by many cultures including Native Americans. The sisters got the idea from seeing pump drills made by the Miwok tribe who used to live in California.
Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please read our disclaimer.
Some of the supplies
Equipment:
saw
drill
spade drill bit ~1 inch
drill bit 1/8 inch
spokeshave
sandpaper
strong string
bee’s wax
three long, straight branches
Branches:
1) shaft: the centerpiece of the pump drill. Look for a long, straight, and thin piece of wood.
2) spindle whorl: Attached near the tip of the shaft and makes the drill rewind. This piece should be heavy and thick enough the shaft can go through it.
3) handle: What you hold onto. This piece should be just thick enough for the shaft to go through.
First, you pick out three straight pieces of wood, one long and skinny, and the other two thick. Make sure the handle and the spindle ones are thick enough for the shaft to go through. Cut off the extra parts making sure to leave a bit extra on each end.
This se should look like this. The extra inch on each side of the sticks are so you can secure them to a vice for shaving.
The first one will be the spindle, the second the handle, and the last the shaft.
Next, spokeshave the pieces to make them smooth. Be very careful while spoke shaving you don’t want to make any of the pieces too thin or curved. Continuously flip the piece over to get to make all the sides are even. Sometimes when there is a knot or we accidentally cut into the wood, an adult can help smooth it out. If you have finished spoke shaving but don’t have enough time to stain or wax it, soak it in water so it doesn’t dry out to much.
For the main shaft, spokeshave till it is as straight as possible. To find out which side to shave roll the stick on a table and see which part is bent up. For the handle and spindle, you just need to get the bark off.
Now cut the piece to the right size. Make sure the thin one is the longest because that would be the main piece that supports everything else. Measure everything out the right size before you cut it.
Sand the pieces to make them really smooth. Spend more effort on the shaft. Remember, the shaft needs to be smooth and straight for the pump drill to work. They should look like this when done. Drill the holes in the two thick pieces. The with of the holes should be a bit bigger than the diameter of the shaft. When drilling, go slowly to avoid splitting. Make sure you drill in the middle of the wood. When done you should have two big holes in the large pieces big enough for the shaft. For drilling hole likes these where the edge of the drill bit comes close to the vice we let an adult do the final set up and test.
After you have drilled all the holes apply bee’s wax. The bee’s wax makes them smooth and help avoid splitting.
To apply the bee’s wax use an old towel. Since bee’s wax does not go bad, we use the same rag repeated for other projects.
Drill two holes at the tip of the shaft the same width as the string you will be using. Measure the string and put the string through it.
Now drill holes at both ends of the handle. Make sure the hole is in the same direction as the shaft hole.
Next, assemble the pump drill by sliding the shaft through the handle.
Then loop the string through the two holes you drilled in the handle.
Adjust the string so that the center stick if a little less than halfway down the pole. Then tied knots on both ends of the string.
Now slide the spindle onto the shaft.
Use a thin board of wood like the one shown in the photo and break off a strip.
Wedge the strip of wood in the gap to make the fit tight. Add more strips of wood as needed. The spindle should not be able to move.
And finally, cut a slot at the end of the shaft by cutting two parallel cuts. Then use a chisel to clean up the notch. Secure a sharp stone shaped like an arrow tip with string.
Yay! You finished!
Now you know how to make a DIY pump drill!
You use the drill by first winding it up. Then gently push down on the handle. Let the string rewind itself (thanks to the spindle whorl). Do not push the stick up but let the pump drill wind back then, again, gently push down.
Need to track the moon phases for that perfect time to cast a spell? Worried about when you are due to change into a werewolf?
The following instructions are for a quick DIY Sun, Earth, Moon Orrery we did for a school project. This is suitable for ages 6 to 12 but may need adult supervision. We were inspired by this article in instructables.com but needed a much simpler design.
This project was also the start of HipMonsters, and we still use some of the same skills for our robots and woodworking projects.
Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs. Please read our disclaimer.Equipment
Equipment:
Drill
Pliers
Wire Cutters
Parts:
Plywood (10 X 10 inches)
4 inch bolt with 3 nuts and 3 washers
2 inch bolt with 3 nuts and 3 washers
3 foam balls of different sizes
9 inches of thick wire (may use coat hangers)
5 inches of thin wire (may use pipe cleaner)
Foam padding
Step 1
First, measure the center hole for the main screw. This screw will support the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
Step 2
Next, drill the hole and push the large screw through the hole and secure it with a washer and bolt.
Step 3
Turn over the base and stick four foam pads on the bottom. We used one large foam pad for furniture and cut it into four pieces. These foam padding will prevent the center bolt from scratching the table when placed upright.
Step 4
Turn the base back over and make sure the foam padding is tall enough to prevent the bolt from scratching the table. If not, then add another layer of foam. Next, screw another a nut to the halfway point on the bolt and then put a washer on top.
Step 5
Now we need to make the support wire for the Earth. Take the larger wire and bend both ends using a screwdriver as shown. The goal is the make the loops tight enough so the bolts are secure when threaded through them.
Step 6
Here, both ends are ready to secure the Earth to the center shaft. Notice one loop is smaller than the other. The larger loop is for the center bolt; the smaller one is for Earth’s bolt.
Step 7
Now, thread the smaller bolt through the smaller loop.
Step 8
Secure the bolt to the arm with a washer and nut. Then screw a nut halfway up the bolt. This bolt will serve as support for the Moon’s arm.
Step 9
Next, create the Moon’s arm. Bend the thinner wire similar to the Earth’s arm but only put a loop on one end. Bend the other end up to support the Moon.
Step 10
Now connect the thin wire to the screw on Earth’s arm and secure with a bolt.
Step 11
And we are nearly there! Just connect the thick wire to the screw and put a washer and bolt on top. Make sure to screw on tightly, the weight of the arm can make it droop.
Step 12
And finally we are ready to add the Sun, Earth, and Moon. The smallest ball is the Moon and goes on the smallest arm. The Earth is the mid-sized ball and put onto the outer bolt. The largest ball is the Sun and placed on the center bolts. You can paint the balls as the final step if you want to.Putting it all together
The Sun, Earth, Moon orrery is almost complete, we just need to assemble! Here are all the pieces laid out. We substitute the foam balls in one build with a ping pong ball for the Sun and felt balls for the Earth and Moon.Enjoy
You now have your own Sun, Earth, Moon Orrery and predict the next eclipse or start planning for the next full moon! Keep a watch out for werewolves!
Inspired by our trips to Hawaii, the sisters team decided to make their own working DIY ukulele. We ended up making a whole lot of them because it is a good way to practice some woodworking skills. We advise using wood that isn’t to hard for the sides, because that makes drilling the center hole a lot easier.
We are missing some photos between the required supplies and the final clamping – sorry.
Clamping the front and back together
After lots of cutting and drilling, we clamped the front and back together. We used a big drill bit to drill the center hole after measuring for the right spot. Make sure that you don’t put two keyholes directly on top of each other, leave room for the strings to go down.
Ready for painting
We put the keys in and glued the bridge on. We double-checked out measurements a lot so the strings would all align. We also made sure to sand it a lot, you don’t want to get a splinter while playing music.
Top ViewClose up of the end with the bridge
(The keys and bridge came from a set ordered online)
Painted in a color scheme with sparkly paint
Here is an indestructible DIY ukulele capable of fending off a troll. Made from poplar and bound together with the magic of the ages, its music will impress even fairies.
This puzzle box was inspired by Roy Underhill’s Woodwright Shop. Based on an early American grease pot design it is crafted out of poplar. It measures 8 inches by 3 inches, just big enough to hide special jewels or a secret treasure.
Puzzle Box
The clean dovetail is essential to making this puzzle box work. Ideally, you want to use a harder wood than you used for the box.
Dovetail close upMeasuring a dovetail
Use a chisel to measure the width of a dovetail. Cut two sets of parallel line and carefully remove the outer edges, then cut it off the wooden beam.
Cutting the lid and lock.
Make use to secure the wood and cut very slowly to get a clean cut. If using a Japanese saw let the weight of the saw do the cutting, instead of using lots of force.
Drill a hole after cutting off the lid
We tried drilling the hole before cutting and found out the pieces did not align tightly. Even a thin blade takes a lot of material from a piece of wood.
Finished box
Remember to carve out the dovetail before cutting the lid and lock. Be prepared to make mistakes- that is all part of the process. For the locking slider make sure it is angled to secure the lid. We made that mistake more than once, so we used the wood that we made mistakes on for other projects.
Fully opened
To make the dovetail pop, we typically use a darker stain. To make it harder to unlock, you can paint the whole piece to hide the locking mechanism.
When the sisters team discovered Transformer comics (Go WindBlade!) they wanted a whole city of Transformers to play with. While that was way too expensive, they could build their own shape-shifting toy robots out of wood.
Getting Started
Borrowing from wooden dolls, we settled on a design with rubber bands attaching the arms and head to the body and a bolt to attached the legs enabling the robot to shift forms.
Drilling to holes
First we cut and drilled all the wood based on a working design.
Assembling Begins!
We used lego wheels for the robots that transformed into cars.
Fitting the rubber bands
Attaching the rubber bands proved difficult. We used a jewelry tool to thread the rubber bands through the holes in the wood (many broke in the process).
Final Touches
A few more adjustments, including sanding the edges, and widening holes.
The robot is complete!
By using springs in the legs, the toy robot can hold a standing position.
The assembly line
After we perfect a design, it was just a matter of creating a assembly line to crank out droids! We did some that turned into cars, some that turned into bugs, and some that turned in to other forms!
The HipMonsters team does not like trees going to waste, so whenever we stumble upon a piece of wood too rotten or misshapen to be used for our projects, we create a wooden monster!
Allie!
Born from a dead branch of a juniper bush, this monster is built to protect a child’s room. It is very possessive and will only allow one monster in the room at a time. Perfect for making sure human children have a restful nighttime sleep.
Allie from the front.
We made Allie’s eyes out of two styrofoam balls.
Allie from the rear.
Allie was one of our first monsters and is at the front of our house very Halloween!
