Shop-made light box = poor man's copier

Without a photocopier at home, I found myself going to the office supply store regularly to make copies of woodworking patterns. To avoid this inconvenience, I made a simple light box for tracing patterns by hand.

To make your own, install a porcelain or plastic light socket in a clear plastic shoebox, as shown. Top the box with two 12x15" acrylic sheets secured by pieces of rabbeted scrapwood.

To use the box, slide the pattern between the sheets of acrylic, lay a blank piece of paper directly above the pattern on the top piece of acrylic, turn the light on, and trace.
—Maurice Farrier, Raleigh, N.C.