BUILD YOUR OWN HOVERCRAFT

▶ FOR A FUN, simple project during your leaf blower’s off season, build a hover disc. Just about any blower that has a volume flow rate of at least 0.2 m3 per second will work, but we do recommend using a cordless model.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Leaf blower Half sheet of 20 mmthick plywood, cut into a 1.2 m-diameter circle

Heavy-duty shower curtain or poly tarp Staple gun Duct tape

Screws, 4.0 × 25 mm 150 mm-diameter circle of plywood Camping or plastic chair

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1. Cut a hole for the blower tube (it should fit snug) about 200 mm from the edge of the plywood, then lie the plywood on top of the shower curtain and cut a circle about 150 mm larger than the plywood, all the way around.

STEP 2. Fold the shower curtain loosely over the plywood and staple near the edge to hold it down. Use duct tape to cover the staples and seal the curtain to the plywood.

STEP 3. Flip the plywood over and place the 150 mm wood disc (or a paint-can lid) in the centre. Fasten it with six screws. Cut six holes, 50 mm in diameter, through the curtain, ±100 mm from the disc.

STEP 4. Flip the plywood back over and then remove your blower’s extension tube. Push the remaining short section through the hole. You can use hot glue, duct tape, or small angle brackets to hold the tube in place. Screw your chair on to the plywood through its feet, but just make sure the screws don’t go through the other side. Test out your hover disc on a smooth surface.

popularmechanics.co.za

popularmechanics.co.za For lift, we used a backpack blower laid flat to inflate the skirt. For propulsion, get inventive… Try adding more leaf blowers on the deck, or your back, to get moving. APRIL 2020 75