Comments on: Bad for Earth but good for the Coopers http://www.jordoncooper.com/2009/02/28/bad-for-earth-but-good-for-the-coopers/ A weblog about urbanism, technology, & culture. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:54:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mike O http://www.jordoncooper.com/2009/02/28/bad-for-earth-but-good-for-the-coopers/comment-page-1/#comment-6832 Mike O Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:57:50 +0000 http://www.jordoncooper.com/2009/02/28/bad-for-earth-but-good-for-the-coopers/#comment-6832 Back in college days, I was in a model railroad club. We had half a dozen 2 by 6 foot work tables, that seemed to accumulate clutter, old tools, etc. As a result, you could never find a bare worktable. So, I took a sheet of masonite, the same size as the worktables, and put two holes in it, so I could hang it on a wall. Then I went around to the other worktables, and collected junk - scrap wood, empty model boxes, half a deceased sabre saw, old magazines, empty paint cans, and glued all the junk to the masonite. Then left it on one of the tables. Whenever I wanted a clear worktable, I just picked up the masonite, hung it on the wall, and got to work. When done, I put it back. You can do the same thing. Look at the inside of your garbage can. The top four inches are a thick molding, designed to accommodate the lid. Then from four inches down, the can tapers. Carefully cut a piece of plywood, that perfectly rests on the beginning of the taper. Paint it black. Then glue, screw, wire, etc. junk on top. Broken styrofoam is good, as are aluminum cans, and cardboard/plastic blister packaging. A ragged piece of fake fur (with iodine drops) sticking out adds to the effect, suggesting road kill. In the center, have an old syrup bottle, with a handle, for picking the whole assembly up. Just make sure you rescue it the night before, when you drop your last load, and fill up the last of your nine cubic feet. Back in college days, I was in a model railroad club. We had half a dozen 2 by 6 foot work tables, that seemed to accumulate clutter, old tools, etc. As a result, you could never find a bare worktable. So, I took a sheet of masonite, the same size as the worktables, and put two holes in it, so I could hang it on a wall. Then I went around to the other worktables, and collected junk – scrap wood, empty model boxes, half a deceased sabre saw, old magazines, empty paint cans, and glued all the junk to the masonite. Then left it on one of the tables. Whenever I wanted a clear worktable, I just picked up the masonite, hung it on the wall, and got to work. When done, I put it back.

You can do the same thing. Look at the inside of your garbage can. The top four inches are a thick molding, designed to accommodate the lid. Then from four inches down, the can tapers. Carefully cut a piece of plywood, that perfectly rests on the beginning of the taper. Paint it black. Then glue, screw, wire, etc. junk on top. Broken styrofoam is good, as are aluminum cans, and cardboard/plastic blister packaging. A ragged piece of fake fur (with iodine drops) sticking out adds to the effect, suggesting road kill. In the center, have an old syrup bottle, with a handle, for picking the whole assembly up. Just make sure you rescue it the night before, when you drop your last load, and fill up the last of your nine cubic feet.

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