Winter projects?

So during winter break, a friend and I will have a lot of spare time and not a lot of spare money. We're trying to think of a big project that can be completed in a two week time frame, done in the comfort of a basement, and cost very little money.

Previously we built a small trebuchet to throw tennis balls. That was pretty fun.

I've proposed both an ice boat (wind powered) and that's about as far as my brainstorming has gone.

My town dump has a huge pile of used wood. Not a lot of 2x4 type wood, but lots of old desks, nasty plywood, and random stuff like that. That's probably the largest cache of free materials at our disposal.

Hardwood flooring is not nearly as exciting as an ice boat but it is still pretty satisfying to look back on (but tedious and irritating when you are doing it).

I got a screaming deal on the wood (2.25 x .75 oak) and my entire upstairs was shod in worn out carpeting so... two week time frame, 3 bedrooms, a hallway and an office 1148 sq ft total - squeezed between day job, kids basketball & swimming practice.

I am halfway thru after the long weekend for Thanksgiving.

When this is done I have a bathroom to re-tile and then... I can go back to the garage.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

I just tiled a bathroom. Now it is on to putting floors down over about 800 sq ft.

If Ice Boat, the most popular iceboat IN THE WORLD is called a DN. So named because the design won a 1937 contest in the Detroit News and plans were printed in the paper. http://www.idniyra.org/about.htm
The plans are still available online:
http://www.idniyra.org/class-plans.html

The cheapest way in is to buy used and rehab as needed but still not easy to get into a running boat for under $1k.

Same as last year....

914Driver wrote:

What the HELL is that?

Taiden wrote:

914Driver wrote:

What the HELL is that?

Are you blind? That's AWESOME, that's what it is!

In reply to Taiden:

http://www.bosscatlegacy.com/bosscat2/bosscat2.htm

Awesomeness

Without reading Bryan's link, I'd say it looks like a dragracing snowmobile.

I wish i hadn't seen this.

Locally a couple buddies and i are now talking about a 77 Lynx. With 12A power. It's probably going to happen.

Snowball cannon, front ski on a bicycle/motorcycle/car, tobogan and a handful of leafblowers, igloo, ice sculptures, R/C plane converted to snow skis, mini ice racers with model rocket engines, squirrel launchers,

foxtrapper wrote: mini ice racers with model rocket engines, squirrel launchers,

+1 on the rocket powered ice racer

+11tybillion on the squirrel launcher

but could you find squirrels this time of year up there?

ultraclyde wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: mini ice racers with model rocket engines, squirrel launchers,

+1 on the rocket powered ice racer +11tybillion on the squirrel launcher but could you find squirrels this time of year up there?

Yes and they are the size of cats.

So what, rig up a bird feeder that happens to be on a catapult triggered via squirrel? That sounds AWESOME!

jrw1621 wrote: If Ice Boat, the most popular iceboat IN THE WORLD is called a DN. So named because the design won a 1937 contest in the Detroit News and plans were printed in the paper. http://www.idniyra.org/about.htm The plans are still available online: http://www.idniyra.org/class-plans.html The cheapest way in is to buy used and rehab as needed but still not easy to get into a running boat for under $1k.

When we were kids, there was one of these in the yard across the street from my cousin's house. It took us about 10 years to figure out what it was.

http://www.acfreeman.com/Other/Iceboats/15266278_t6kjC3#1156166194_V3TDt
Here is professional photography of them being played with in my neighborhood.
I do not own one but have done it.

God that looks like fun. It's too bad that the snow covers the ice quickly around here.

ultraclyde wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: mini ice racers with model rocket engines, squirrel launchers,

+1 on the rocket powered ice racer +11tybillion on the squirrel launcher but could you find squirrels this time of year up there?

can you combine the two?