Instructions for a Wooden Jacob's Ladder

Sand all six pieces of hard wood with 180-grit sandpaper until each piece is smooth. Brush off the excess sand and apply one coat of shiny varnish to the wood, setting it aside to dry.

Measure the wood until you find the center of side of each piece on the 2-inch section. Mark the center of each block with a pencil.

Lay the blocks out flat, in an organized row. Lay the ribbon alongside the wood in 2 1/3-foot sections. Mark the ribbon, allowing for the length of each piece of wood and a 1/4-1/3 inch gap between each piece.

Nail the end of one 2 1/3-foot strip of ribbon to the center end of the block. Nail a second and a third piece of ribbon at the edges, facing in the opposite direction of the first piece of ribbon. Lay the finished block down, ribbon-side up.

Lay a second block on top of the first. Cover the block with the strips of ribbon; the ribbons will lay in the opposite direction that they were laying on the first block. Nail the two strips of ribbon on the outside to one end of the block with a 1/2-inch gap and the nail single ribbon laying in the center to the opposite end with the 1/2-inch gap. Add the third block and repeat the process with the ribbon facing its original direction, nailing each piece as you go. Continue until all six blocks have been added, nailing each one. Nail each piece of ribbon to the remaining end and trim any extra ribbon from the blocks.

Watch the action as you flip the top block from side to side. Practice with your Jacob's Ladder, learning new tricks as you gain experience. Watch the video in the Resources section for ideas.