As you build your project, experiment with new and different ways to put it together. The most important thing is to have fun!
Find these or similar supplies!
* 2 toilet paper tubes
* Cereal box or some cardboard
* 1 or 2 straws
* Write
1. Make your bulldozer shovel!
I started by making my bulldozer blade. Simply cut one of your TP pipes in half length. I ended up reducing it a bit more so it was about 1/3. Looks like a bulldozer blade to me! You can even cut the edges a bit at an angle to make it even cooler.
2. Make your excavator arms!
Next, you can make the arms that will hold your bulldozer blade. Place the sheet on a piece of cardboard and trace its circular outline. Then draw the design of your arm. Make it 3 to 4 inches long. Cut it out and trace it onto another piece of cardboard. Then cut it. This way both arms will be equal. Next, drill a hole in each arm so they can slide freely over the shaft straw.
3. Add the axle holes!
Now make 4 holes in your other TP pipe. you want them to be as level with each other and spaced as evenly as possible. I spent a few moments with a ruler and marked my locations first. Then, using a hole punch, I carefully made my holes. These holes should be slightly larger than the straws.
4. Add your axes!
For my shafts, I cut pieces of 2 straws so they stuck out about an inch from each side. I inserted them and then made some adjustments to my holes. Basically, I made the holes a bit bigger so my straws would spin freely.
5. Make your wheels!
Take an old box or piece of cardboard and draw four circles (I made my wheels about 3 inches in diameter). Then carefully cut off all four wheels. Find the center of each wheel and make a small hole for the straw axle to slide through. Try not to make the holes too big, or the wheels could wobble.
6. Start assembling your bulldozer!
Start assembling your bulldozer by installing the rear axle chaff, then slide the rear wheels onto it. You may want to add a little tape to hold the wheels together if they are loose. Then fit the front axle straw and slide both digger arms over it, one on each side.
7. Add your wheels!
Now install your front wheels. At this point I turned it around a bit and then made some last minute adjustments. Before you glue it permanently, make sure the wheels can turn and the blade arms are loose. If not, make the necessary adjustments.
8. Put down your blade!
All that remains is to attach the front digger blade to both arms. Find a position you like and tape it down. VOILA – a TP excavator! You can start rolling it up or dressing it up. The sky is the limit!
9. Dress up your bulldozer!
Now my favorite part of every project… dressing it up! For my TP Dozer I used orange duct tape. If you don’t have or can’t get orange tape, try using regular tape and color it in with a permanent marker. I took all the parts apart and carefully covered everything with my orange tape after making the Simple PT Dozer.
10. Put your bulldozer back together!
After being satisfied with how all my parts looked, I reassembled my TP Dozer. It looks great, but I still needed something. My son suggested a cabin…I agree!
11. Build your cabin!
For my cabin I carefully cut 4 pieces of cardboard to form its four sides. I decide to take the piece of TP pipe left over from making my Dozer blade and use it for the roof. After playing around with its shape a bit and making any necessary adjustments, I glued it on permanently and covered it with my orange tape.
12. Make your windows!
To make the windows for my cabin, I carefully cut them out of blue duct tape. If you want, you can draw them in place with a colored marker. For my door, I cut a piece of cardboard and covered it with duct tape. I added some windows, drew a small handle and attached it to the cabin. IT LOOKS VERY COOL!
13. Add extras!
I banged on the cab, took a few steps forward so the bulldozer operator could climb into the cab. I also added some blue tape to the ends of my shaft straws for the finishing touch and voila! Your TP Dozer is ready to start demolishing things around the house!
