Adventures of an Imperfect Man In Search of a Handmade Life
After long thought and lots of head-scratching I think I figured out a decent way to hold a lantern on a shelf in the wagon. 
I found some old steel brackets and installed the shelf over the stove. This fits the newer “Blizzard” lanterns with the large tanks so I think all of my lanterns will fit.
I put a brass insert in the shelf and carved a small knob to fit. Please excuse the messy workbench. Of course, the rest of the vardo build is here: Vardo Page.
I am excited to say that I did indeed win the Grand Prize from Instructables and Popular Mechanics in the woodworking contest for my vardo/wagon. I have to admit that it is not the finest woodworking I’ve ever done, but is possibly the most complex and required the most consideration of layout, weight, and durability. Anyway, thanks to the committee and voters who made this happen. There may be some photos in an upcoming magazine issue.
(I eagerly await the tools that come as part of the prize. There are more plans afoot.)
Just returned from a 10 state 3400 mile shakedown run with the little Snail. Fortunately, about 2/3rds of the trip was work-related so not all of the expense was mine. Lots of ideas for finishing out the wagon over the winter.
Click the photo for the Vardo page.
I put up a few pictures of the nearly finished vardo. Of course, there are many little things I still plan to do and add, the basic wagon is livable now. I hope to eventually find a smaller stove to fit as this one could easily get too hot for the space it’s in.
Also, I published my first Instructable and received some excellent feedback. I tried to put the Vardo build in a sensible order and post it where it can be easily found for a long time. Here’s the link to the “How to Build the Gyspy Wagon”. If you have an Instructable account, you can vote for the best woodworking project. I would appreciate a good vote as I could use the tools being given away.
New chimney, storage boxes, pan box, tires, jack and on the road.
Rides like a charm. Even fully loaded. More tomorrow. The rest of the VARDO BUILD is still here.
N55 is a group of artists and designers who have some interesting ideas. I have been interested in the Walkinghouse since I first saw it. Here is a link to its “manual” and here is a video of it walking in Copenhagen. I selfishly wish they were doing this somewhere closer to me. While on this website, its worth checking out some of their other ideas. They are broken up into “manuals” and they also have a book you can download.
I like much of their design and hope to continue to see more as they progress.
My only real problem with this design is the lack of an easy-entry door. I couldn’t imagine climbing in while holding anything (like a sack of groceries). I do find the combination of solar-electric, hydraulic drive, and wood heat to be intriguing.
Oak treads, 8″ rise. Nothing fancy but very functional.
I wasn’t fully satisfied with the door so I rebuilt it. It isn’t quite done but it is functional. Hardware is being added, the front window nearly finished, and interior is underway. More come. The complete Vardo picture page is here for anyone interested in more.
How I missed this one before I do not know. This gentleman does amazing things that one doesn’t see much in this century. I intend to take much inspiration from his work when I get to painting my wagon. It doesn’t look to be updated often, but who am I to talk. He’s probably painting something.
http://gypsywaggonpainter.blogspot.com/
and the website proper:
http://www.gypsycaravanpainting.com/
Slow to load but worth the wait if you want to see some excellent painting.
Bottom bunk and storage assembled. A little messy inside (the coffee cans contain screws and hardware).
The low platform on the right will be the base for the stove and the high shelf is new as well.
The vardo project can be found by clicking the photo or here.
Preindustrial Craftsmanship 