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What uses have you put LEGO to that are for practical reasons? Let me give some
examples to illustrate:
1. Eric McCarthy's napkin holder made of LEGO
2. I use 2x4 bricks as leveling shims for furniture in areas where the floor is
not entirely flat
3. Someone posted on LUGNET a couple years ago that they had built a holder for
their electric toothbrush out of LEGO TECHNIC parts; I built one too
4. My wife uses small interdental brushes that happen to fit nicely in TECHNIC
peg holes, so I built a little LEGO brush holder for her
What practical uses have you found for LEGO?
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
> What uses have you put LEGO to that are for practical reasons? Let me give some
> examples to illustrate:
>
> 1. Eric McCarthy's napkin holder made of LEGO
>
> 2. I use 2x4 bricks as leveling shims for furniture in areas where the floor is
> not entirely flat
>
> 3. Someone posted on LUGNET a couple years ago that they had built a holder for
> their electric toothbrush out of LEGO TECHNIC parts; I built one too
>
> 4. My wife uses small interdental brushes that happen to fit nicely in TECHNIC
> peg holes, so I built a little LEGO brush holder for her
>
> What practical uses have you found for LEGO?
I made a mousetrap (non-killing variety) out of LEGO a few years ago when I had
a mouse rooting around the house. It almost sort of worked too. The mouse
triggered it once but managed to escape. Unfortunately the initial design had a
few flaws. I think I focused more on form versus function. :) The mouse
decided to leave my house shortly thereafter so I never got a chance to improve
it.
It was actually collecting dust on my microwave up until a few weeks ago, when I
finally decided to take it apart.
J
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
<snip>
> What practical uses have you found for LEGO?
Well, I was having a problem with the toilet mechanism--the stopper wouldn't
fall down after the water drained out of the tank. I thought that adding some
weight to offset the center of gravity would do the trick, and sure enough it
did. I built a ring of bricks around the seal holder (using new grey pieces)
and that worked perfectly.
So there you are.
Dave K
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
> What uses have you put LEGO to that are for practical reasons? Let me give some
> examples to illustrate:
>
> 1. Eric McCarthy's napkin holder made of LEGO
>
> 2. I use 2x4 bricks as leveling shims for furniture in areas where the floor is
> not entirely flat
>
> 3. Someone posted on LUGNET a couple years ago that they had built a holder for
> their electric toothbrush out of LEGO TECHNIC parts; I built one too
>
> 4. My wife uses small interdental brushes that happen to fit nicely in TECHNIC
> peg holes, so I built a little LEGO brush holder for her
>
> What practical uses have you found for LEGO?
My home is about 80 years old, but the windows pre-date the invention of glass.
As such, the storm windows tend to rattle mightily when even the faintest zephyr
passes. To remedy this, I've inserted three- and four-brick stacks of LEGO 2x4
bricks, sometimes including a 2x4 plate or two, to brace the storm window
against the main sash.
Works like a charm.
Dave!
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In lugnet.general, Dave Schuler wrote:'
<snip>
> As such, the storm windows tend to rattle mightily when even the faintest zephyr
> passes. To remedy this, I've inserted three- and four-brick stacks of LEGO 2x4
> bricks, sometimes including a 2x4 plate or two, to brace the storm window
> against the main sash.
>
> Works like a charm.
>
> Dave!
I use a rolled up wool sock for that same issue...
Dave K
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In lugnet.general, David Koudys wrote:
> In lugnet.general, Dave Schuler wrote:'
>
> <snip>
>
> > As such, the storm windows tend to rattle mightily when even the faintest zephyr
> > passes. To remedy this, I've inserted three- and four-brick stacks of LEGO 2x4
> > bricks, sometimes including a 2x4 plate or two, to brace the storm window
> > against the main sash.
> >
> > Works like a charm.
> >
> > Dave!
>
> I use a rolled up wool sock for that same issue...
That's funny--I make extensive use of rolled-up wool socks in my MOCs.
Dave!
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LEGO makes a nice box for containing RTV silicone mold-making compound. Lots of
scale modelers use it when making molds for making cast-resin parts.
My son uses it to make little "arenas" for his hermit crabs to play in.
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In lugnet.general, Dave Schuler wrote:
> My home is about 80 years old, but the windows pre-date the invention of glass.
> As such, the storm windows tend to rattle mightily when even the faintest zephyr
> passes. To remedy this, I've inserted three- and four-brick stacks of LEGO 2x4
> bricks, sometimes including a 2x4 plate or two, to brace the storm window
> against the main sash.
>
> Works like a charm.
>
> Dave!
LOL! I use stacks of bricks for a few of my old windows as well... but in a
slightly different way.
I also have a very old home, with old double hung windows on pulley systems. A
few of the cords have snapped with age, so getting the window to stay open
always required propping open with a scrap of wood, stick or other misc item.
Anytime I did this, you had very little control of how much the window was left
open. My solution was/is to keep a stack of bricks, in the window frame, so I
can have a simple and quick way of having the window only open a few bricks
high, or a whole stack high. Yes I know, I could HAVE just opened the frame,
and replace the sash cord, but really, the Lego solution was just so much
quicker and faster.
I also have an old cabinet that was never intended to be an entertainment
centre, that stores my TV, movies, and VCR. When I eventually bought a DVD
player, I didn't want to stack the DVD player directly on the VCR, and stop all
the air circulation around it, so we made a little shelf out of bricks to keep
the DVD player, floating a few inches above the VCR. Worked like a charm, until
I was short some bricks for a project... Rob Peter to pay Paul!
I have also been known to use a stack of bricks as a ruler, AND taken that
custom "ruler" to the local hardware store, when making a purchase. Of course,
I must pass on this warning, using bricks as a ruler, often will result in the
hardware "guy" raising his eyebrow a bit.
But hey, use what is handy... right???
Janey "You can't use a brick for THAT, Red Brick"
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
> What practical uses have you found for LEGO?
Bird toys. We have a Rainbow Lory[1] named Stitch. He loves to play with lego
pieces. Kind of an exploratory thing -- he checks out every nook and cranny.
He's totally fascinated by texture and shape. Kind of like an infant -- he
sticks everything in his mouth.
Another way he's like an baby -- his second favorite game is to throw things
overboard for us to retrieve, so he can throw them overboard for us to retrieve,
etc., etc.
He tends to get pretty wound up when he's playing with lego -- so we have to
watch our fingers or risk getting bit.
Znap is very useful in his cage (especially since it's semi-disposable). We've
used Znap pieces to build a holder for a roll of calculator tape -- he loves to
tear at it, and unroll the paper tape. We've used other Znap pieces as holders
for bits of food, and various other purposes.
Mega-bloks, being even more disposable than Znap, has occasionally been used as
"in cage" toys. Eventually, the parts get so gross that they are discarded.
Steve
1) A type of small parrot, originating from some islands near Australia.
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"Steve Bliss" <steve.bliss@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:InsK7C.13DJ@lugnet.com...
> In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
> > What practical uses have you found for LEGO?
>
> Bird toys. We have a Rainbow Lory[1] named Stitch. He loves to play with
> lego
> pieces. Kind of an exploratory thing -- he checks out every nook and
> cranny.
> He's totally fascinated by texture and shape. Kind of like an infant --
> he
> sticks everything in his mouth.
>
> Another way he's like an baby -- his second favorite game is to throw
> things
> overboard for us to retrieve, so he can throw them overboard for us to
> retrieve,
> etc., etc.
>
> He tends to get pretty wound up when he's playing with lego -- so we have
> to
> watch our fingers or risk getting bit.
>
> Znap is very useful in his cage (especially since it's semi-disposable).
> We've
> used Znap pieces to build a holder for a roll of calculator tape -- he
> loves to
> tear at it, and unroll the paper tape. We've used other Znap pieces as
> holders
> for bits of food, and various other purposes.
>
> Mega-bloks, being even more disposable than Znap, has occasionally been
> used as
> "in cage" toys. Eventually, the parts get so gross that they are
> discarded.
>
> Steve
> 1) A type of small parrot, originating from some islands near Australia.
Those are wonderful ideas. Thanks for sharing. We have a sun conure parrot
that would love to play with dah laygoez.
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In lugnet.general, Anders Isaksson wrote:
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Bill Ward wrote:
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What practical uses have you found for LEGO?
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Not by myself, but...
A lot of schools round the world are using my BlockCAD (Virtual Lego)
program to teach pupils both geometry and beginner’s CAD.
Does it count :-)
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Virtually;-)
JOHN
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
> What uses have you put LEGO to that are for practical reasons?
One of my colleagues at work has an iPOD holder out of Lego.
At various times I've had different pen/pencil cups made out of Lego, and I had
a 32 x 32 mouse pad covered in green & black tiles until I needed the tiles....
Paul Sinasohn
LUGNET #115
BAYLUG / BAYLTC
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
> What uses have you put LEGO to that are for practical reasons? Let me give some
> examples to illustrate:
>
> 1. Eric McCarthy's napkin holder made of LEGO
>
> 2. I use 2x4 bricks as leveling shims for furniture in areas where the floor is
> not entirely flat
>
> 3. Someone posted on LUGNET a couple years ago that they had built a holder for
> their electric toothbrush out of LEGO TECHNIC parts; I built one too
>
> 4. My wife uses small interdental brushes that happen to fit nicely in TECHNIC
> peg holes, so I built a little LEGO brush holder for her
>
> What practical uses have you found for LEGO?
Not me, but here's a couple of ideas:
Borderline practical: http://news.lugnet.com/technic/?n=12094
Slightly more practical: http://news.lugnet.com/technic/?n=13997
ROSCO
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
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What uses have you put LEGO to that are for practical reasons? Let me give
some examples to illustrate:
1. Eric McCarthy’s napkin holder made of LEGO
2. I use 2x4 bricks as leveling shims for furniture in areas where the floor
is not entirely flat
3. Someone posted on LUGNET a couple years ago that they had built a holder
for their electric toothbrush out of LEGO TECHNIC parts; I built one too
4. My wife uses small interdental brushes that happen to fit nicely in TECHNIC
peg holes, so I built a little LEGO brush holder for her
What practical uses have you found for LEGO?
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The bolt that held the handle to the base of my vacuum cleaner fell out, so the
thing kept falling apart when I tried to pick it up. It turned out that a 6
long technic axle with a bushing at each end was the perfect length and diameter
to replace the missing bolt, and my spontaneous vacuum decomposition problems
were at an end!
Adrian
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A 180 degree oval turn of track fits perfectly with the shorter dimension of my
old lab demo table, so I set up a long oval (to get the trains past the sink)
and crashed some of my Lego trains together to demonstrate conservation of
momentum and energy in collisions with the high school physics classes I used to
teach. The Lego trains work a lot better than the HO trains and track I used
before that, because a) they are more massive, b) they are larger and thus more
visible throughout the classroom and c) they can be put back together again
quite easily whenever they jump the edge of the table.
In a NASA educator workshop I attended four years ago, we constructed
microgravity well drop chambers out of Lego bricks (and some Technic parts) and
used a Lego astronaut minifig to simulate the effect on an astronaut travelling
in a similar real-life chamber. The goal was to have the astronaut, attached to
some bricks by Lego rubber bands, travel as high as possible during the flight
without sustaining injury on impact. Our group achieved the greatest height (by
far), but unfortunately, our astronaut didn’t survive the drop. (His legs and
helmet separated from his head and torso upon reentry.)
One of the rat care books on our shelf shows some little homes and play areas
for inside rat cages, constructed from the bricks. (Personally, I’d choose Mega
Bloks over Lego for that, because the rats will invariably gnaw at the walls,
and I’d rather that didn’t happen to the proper bricks. :D)
- Michael
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
> What uses have you put LEGO to that are for practical reasons?
<snip>
Bookends. Works fairly well, as long as you remember to invert the plate every
few months (the bottom plate tends to warp over time)
Aaron A
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G'Day
How 'bout keyring holder?
Thick base plate screwed to wall (one by front door, one in kitchen),
technic brick on keychain, ya get home, snap brick onto base plate, and
viola ! ya always know where your keys are!
Cheers
Oliver
Play Well !
"Bill Ward" <bill@wards.net> wrote in message news:InruCp.oDo@lugnet.com...
> What uses have you put LEGO to that are for practical reasons? Let me
> give some
> examples to illustrate:
<snip other examples>
> What practical uses have you found for LEGO?
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
> What uses have you put LEGO to that are for practical reasons?
I made a cover for the buttons on the front of our television to prevent our
toddler(s) from pushing them and turning the TV on and off. Using black tiles
as the front, it blends right in.
My daughter is now 5 and still does not know that it is possible to turn the TV
on without using the remote.
-Greg
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
> What practical uses have you found for LEGO?
I once used a technic pulley wheel attached to a couple of technic liftarms to
replace the seal (spline) in a screen door. I just wheeled it over the seal to
push it into the slot which holds the wire mesh and voila!
I also have a few old grey technic pins holding up shelves in various cabinets
around the house.
Cheers,
Braith.
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Last year, I decided to remove the very obsolete and entirely nonworking (not to
mention unserviceable) electric parts from my ‘60s era electric/acoustic
Accordion. This made it about 20 pounds lighter, but also left two rather large
holes in the grille where the switches had been. The professionals suggested
cutting some pieces of black plastic out of something else and gluing them over
the holes. But I thought, “Why bother with glue when I could use LEGO?” So
here’s the LEGO switch hole grill replacement for the Hohner Vox Atlantic IV N
Deluxe Accordion:
I used the sand blue 1 x 2 vents to match the tuxedo I wore when I played at my
cousin’s wedding. The actual metal of the grille is almost exactly ½ of a plate
thick, so it fits perfectly in the middle of the stack of three, if one is
staggered one stud inwards.
-Carl
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
> What uses have you put LEGO to that are for practical reasons? Let me give some
> examples to illustrate:
>
> 1. Eric McCarthy's napkin holder made of LEGO
>
> 2. I use 2x4 bricks as leveling shims for furniture in areas where the floor is
> not entirely flat
>
> 3. Someone posted on LUGNET a couple years ago that they had built a holder for
> their electric toothbrush out of LEGO TECHNIC parts; I built one too
>
> 4. My wife uses small interdental brushes that happen to fit nicely in TECHNIC
> peg holes, so I built a little LEGO brush holder for her
>
> What practical uses have you found for LEGO?
I lost my Palm stylus, so now I use a red #12 axle and a red bushing.
Kev
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In lugnet.general, Rob Antonishen wrote:
Very Cool!
But I wonder if the RCX servers any useful purpose? Mechanically, it looks like
the system is all a single gear-chain (well, somewhat indirectly). So the RCX
would only serve to adjust motor speeds. There’s some explanation, further into
the discussion, about experimenting with touch sensors and thread tensioners,
but it seems that the experiments didn’t work out...
Hmm, well. The RCX would help anchor the whole setup. But does the RCX really
weigh much more than a battery pack?
Steve
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