How to Create a Lawn Mower Go Kart

The time has come. You finally dug that old riding mower out of the garage to turn it into a go-kart. For the mechanically inclined, the following steps for converting the engine might seem simple, but for a novice, the process can be quite complex. To do the job right, cut yourself slack and leave plenty of time to get the job done. For the mechanically inclined who have never specifically converted a lawn mower engine into a go-kart, the task should still be quite challenging and fun.


Instructions DIFFICULTY: Moderately Challenging

Things You'll Need:

• Welding equipment
• Riding mower engine
• Go-cart
• Wheels
• Axle
• Metal plate
• Work goggles
• Work gloves

Step 1

Remove the engine from the riding mower.

Step 2

Locate the vertical shaft of the motor and weld the metal plate to it.

Step 3

Install a third wheel on the go-kart's rear axle.

Step 4

Lower the engine into the go-kart, stabilizing the metal plate over the third wheel. The third wheel must have contact at the edge of the metal plate, not the center.

Step 5
Attach the motor to the go-kart. Ensure that the motor can move easily about the wheel, allowing for a variable transmission.

How to Create a Strong & Happy Family

Building a strong and happy family is a dream each member wants to achieve. If each one has a goal and start to develop a vision of what good family relationship is all about then there is no reason that a family will fail. It's very important that parents will set a good example for their children in order to foster a strong bonding in the family.

They should be the first to show mutual trust and respect for each other, express love with words and actions, care and support. If the parents can work together in great harmony then it is easy for their children to follow them. It begins with the parents and their relationship can reflect on the entire family.


Instructions DIFFICULTY: Moderate

Things You'll Need:

• Love, respect, understanding, care, forgiveness, support, communication, trust, praise and time.

Step 1

Encourage each member of the family to communicate openly and honestly because this can build a strong relationship. Each member of the family is valued for his or her unique opinions and contributions. Happiness within the family is developed when each member of the family is fairly valued, meaning, no one is more valued than the other. Sometimes, older siblings have more right to expression than the younger ones so the parents should never play favoritism in order to promote family solidarity

Step 2

Always show love to one another. Try to say encouraging words every single day. Unconditional love is love without strings attached and this kind of love should be felt by each member of the family. It does not have to be earned or given as a means of control by the parents but it should be given freely.

Step 3

Take time to explain any misunderstanding and avoid shouting whenever you discipline your children. They learn from their parents so be careful with your words and actions. The discipline that parents will give should match the offense. Parents should also consider the extent of the punishment since it will entirely depend on the age of the child or teen. Most parents take away privileges and this is proven to be an effective way to discipline children. Be always fair and open to accept apologies because showing forgiveness to your children will teach them to be fair and humble.

Step 4

Try to show that honesty, trust and respect are privileges that needed to be earned. Siblings who want to borrow clothing or money from each other should ask permission or be true to their words when they say they will repay it in order to gain trust and respect. Parents who scream when they are angry at their children but expect children to control their temper will possibly lose respect when their children grow older. Parents should handle conflicts in a mature way so that children will learn proper behavior. A mutual respect between parents and children is the most important way to build a strong and happy family. Parents make many mistakes too. Being able to admit these mistakes and showing your children that you can admit when you are wrong builds honesty, trust and respect.

Step 5

Parents should give praise when it comes to the accomplishments of their children. Some parents believe that too much praise would cause children to think highly of themselves but this is not the case because it depends on how you give the praise. Give praise when its due because children love it especially when it is heartily and sincerely given by their parents.

Step 6

Spend quality family time together. It can be challenging especially if the parents have lots of work and the children get older too but it is worth all your efforts. Making time to do things that everyone enjoys together will create wonderful memories. Wonderful memories creates closeness to each member of the family that will last a lifetime.

Step 7

Be considerate to each other because this is a nice way to keep a strong bond within the family. Always remember that your family is a unit and every member needs to be considerate and help each other especially with house chores. House chores should not be given by one of the parents only. Everyone in the family is important and each member will experience stresses everyday so it is vital to show concern to a loved one who is in need of help.

Step 8

Learn how to compromise to help establish family rules. A family will have disagreements no matter how close and loving they are. Compromise is important since it's a concept of finding agreement and mutual acceptance through communication when there is argument. Blaming one another will not give good results so try to avoid this kind of action.

Step 9

Take shared priorities if you want to build a strong and happy family. There will be circumstances that the whole family needs to group together and go in one direction. Going to vacations together or spending time with close relatives is an example. There are also circumstances when family members need to put other things first and focus more on family matters. Children also need time to be with friends. Personal time for parents is needed as well. There should be balance in order to have harmony and happiness within the family.

Step 10

Try to listen attentively to your children and keep in mind to the things they say. Oftentimes, children will ask the wrong people when they have issues they feel troubled about without directly asking their parents for help. Just by listening to children will give parents opportunities to offer the needed guidance that young people ask for in times of trouble. During this time, parents should be careful and sensitive enough not to ruin the trust that their children or teens have for them so that they can develop a strong relationship that allows their children or teens to return again in the time of need. As a parent, always give the assurance that you understand and love them no matter how deep the problems they may have in life. It is always the responsibility of parents to guide their children.

Step 11

Give a sincere apology to the ones that you had hurt in your family. If you had hurt a family member's feelings then give the assurance that you'll be more careful and say sorry your actions. When you forgive, it means that the issue is over and try your best not to bring the issue again. Once forgiveness has been given and accepted, then both people who are concerned need to move on.

Step 12

Avoid talking about financial problems in front of the children. You can encourage your children on how to save and spend only for the things that they truly need but do not give them the stresses that only adults can handle well.

How to Cook a Whole Chicken: Best and Simplest Way Ever!

You're in a rush. You have just over an hour before company arrives, and you want to fill your home with pleasing aromas and have a small feast available. Try this extremely simple whole chicken recipe. It never fails to delight in my home. Remember: a chicken is a small turkey, and a turkey is a large chicken. Both are extremely easy to prepare if you stick to the basics, so you can use these basics for either. (Tonight I did this and the whole thing cost under $3.00!)

Instructions DIFFICULTY: Easy

Things You'll Need:

• Whole chicken.
• Shallow pan.
• Salt.
• Butter.
• Oven.
• OPTIONAL: Water; olive oil; onion; garlic; carrots; rosemary; orange.

Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2

Take the chicken out of its trappings; remove giblets; rinse thoroughly; pat semi-dry; cover with a generous amount of salt; spread about 3 tbsp. of butter over it (you can use your hand). Smear a little butter on the bottom of the baking dish (or pan, or even just aluminum foil) and place in center of oven, breast-side up. Add a little rosemary if you like. Cook for about 65 minutes, assuming it's an average-sized chicken. (For anything over 3.5 pounds, add about 8-10 minutes per pound.)

Step 3

Step 2 is really all there is to it! What I usually do, however, is flip on the tube, pour some wine, and then chop up leftover veggies: some onion; carrots; and garlic cloves (all cut up crudely). Then, about 20 minutes into the affair, I add a cup of water to the pan, mix all the trimmings up, and scatter them around the chicken. After that, I drizzle olive oil over the veggies. Very little muss, absolutely no fuss. Voila! You have a warm homey scent in your house, and a meal to boot. Maybe add some parsely or cilantro and some orange slices as a garnish. Bon appetite . . . Enjoy!

How to Build a Small Robot

So you've been watching "Robot Wars," and thought you'd like to enter the fray? The problem is, most people don't have the time, money, or expertise to make a full-fledged battle bot. But you can start to develop those robot-building skills by starting out small (and I mean, small) and working your way up. So to start with the smallest, simplest, cheapest robot possible, I suggest building a Bristle Bot. Because it’s so small, it’s a very good starter robot that requires virtually no technical training and can be made of a few items that you probably have around the house. If you can build this robot, you've taken your first step toward robot fame and fortune.


Instructions DIFFICULTY: Moderately Easy

Things You'll Need:

• Toothbrush with angled bristles
• Double-sided foam tape
• Watch battery
• Vibrator from an old pager or cell phone

Step 1

Once you have liberated the vibrator from an old pager or cell phone, you’ll see that it has two wires that extend from it. Strip the last quarter of these wires of any plastic or rubber coating that they might have. They need to be stripped so you can connect them to the watch battery.

Step 2

Next, cut off the head of the toothbrush so no handle remains. Then cut off a piece of the double-sided foam tape, remove the coating from both sides and adhere it to the back of the toothbrush head.

Step 3

Place the vibrator on the back of the toothbrush head, secured to the tape. (Note: you can place it at either end, but I find that placing it at the end that would have been the tip of the toothbrush works best, as shown.)

Step 4

Pick one of the exposed wires from the vibrator and stick it to the empty side of the tape so that you can place the battery on top of it to create a connection. Place the battery flat on top of the exposed wire (the battery should also, then, stick to the tape).

Step 5

At this point you should have one exposed wire that is not touching the tape or the battery. Touch this wire to the top if the battery, and the vibrator should turn on.

Step 6

At this point, I like to take another piece of the foam tape and adhere the other exposed wire to the battery. Once you have done this, place the bristle bot (bristles down) on a smooth flat surface and watch it skitter around and turn in circles.

How to Make a 2 liter Bottle a Rocket ship

In this article you will learn how to easily and safely create a rocket ship out of a 2 liter bottle. Great for science teacher and parents alike

Instructions DIFFICULTY: Easy

Things You'll Need:

• 2 liter bottle, a little less than half full.
• A bicycle pump.
• Common wine cork
• optional, construction paper and any other materials used to customize and design "rocket"

Step 1

You will need to first make the 2-liter bottle stand on its own, upside-down. you can do this by using glue and cardboard to apply "legs" to the bottle. a tri-pod formation works best.

Step 2

You will then fill the bottle a little less than halfway with water. Apply the cork to seal out the water from escaping the bottle. Water temperature will not play much of a factor in this experiment.

Step 3

Outside in an open area, insert the needle from the bicycle pump into the cork at the base of the bottle and start pumping slowly. After about 5-7 pumps the air pressure will build and the cork will pop out. This will cause a "blast off" and if all goes well your "rocket" should launch about 30-60 feet in the air.

How to Create a WiFi Booster Antenna for PSP

If your PSP is experiencing problems connecting to the Internet through WiFi, you can make a quick and easy homemade WiFi booster antenna. This is much cheaper than purchasing the Sony antennas, and it works just as well, especially if you are only need to download updates to the software.

Instructions DIFFICULTY: Moderate

Things You'll Need:

• Pliers
• Copper wire (about a foot)
• Electrical tape

Step 1

Twist the copper wire into a small circle, about the diameter of the PSP logo on the back, or 1 1/2 inches. Twist the end into an inch long coil, double and tripping wrapping the wire so that it is about 1/8 inch thick.

Step 2

Tape the circle to the back of the PSP, using a small amount of electrical tape.

Step 3

Place the coiled end of the wire into the USB port on the bottom of the PSP. Secure it with a small piece of electrical tape. Note that this is completely safe and will not damage the USB port in any way since there is no current running through it. Furthermore, since the WiFi antenna is connected internally to the USB port, this is the only way to create a physical connection to the PSP's internal antenna without opening your handheld.

Step 4

Turn on the PSP. From the main menu, select SETTINGS then WiFi. Select Search, and you should receive a list of available connections.

Step 5

Check that the connection percentage, located on the right, is greater than 30 percent. If so, your antenna is working properly, and you now have greater WiFi range on your PSP.

How to Build a Roof That Will Last a Lifetime

If you want to replace your roof you want to use roofing shingles or materials that will last, especially since the cost of paying someone to replace it may be in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. Here are some ways to use roofing materials that will make your roof last a lifetime.

From Quick Guide: Roofing Repair DIY


Instructions DIFFICULTY: Moderate

Step 1

Have proper roofing underlayment. If you do not have underlayment that suits the type of roofing material or shingles you apply, you're wasting your money. It's important to have a good base, and then you can be sure you'll have a roof for years to come.

Step 2

Look at the warranty. Each roofing shingle has a stated warranty on the package based upon the years for which they have a warranty. Some examples are 20-year, 30-year, 50-year and lifetime shingles.

Step 3

Try Owens Corning Berkshire Collection. The Owens Corning brand has been around since 1938 and is a trusted name in roofing shingles. Owens Corning's Berkshire Collection is a slate-looking product and comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

Step 4

Select shingles designed for your location. If you live in a damp area, it's best not to apply wood shakes to your roof. If you live in a windy climate, you need a high wind velocity rated shingle for best performance. Select the material best suited for your area of the country.

Step 5

Make repairs in a timely fashion. No matter how well you build your roof, you will have to make repairs to it. Tree limbs fall and storms happen which could affect your roof. Get any repairs done quickly and the roofing underlayment won't suffer the consequences.

Step 6

Learn more by contacting a roofing supply specialist. McClure-Johnston Company has been supplying roofing materials to homeowners and commercial roofers for nearly a century, and they carry products to suit every roofing need.