He Turns Junk Into Useful Art

He Turns Junk Into Useful Art FARM HOME Novelty Items “I only build stuff out of junk I have ” says Don Canaday who loves to create art and useful items Besides purchasing a new mailbox his Deere tractor mailbox meets those guidelines Following the regulations for mailbox height he bolted his 1948 Deere D replica on a sturdy metal pipe with a plate that was once part of a patio table and cemented it in the ground Based on the medium-sized mailbox Canaday found parts to match it to scale The front tires are off a hand truck and the back tires came off a tiller The grill is from a barbecue grill and the fenders are from an 8-in farm disk cut in two The seat is an aluminum frying pan that he cut to shape and drilled in holes and the steering wheel is from a milling machine where Canaday once worked When painted Deere green a tin can and plastic bowl look like a power take-off and an oil filter Canaday purchased a Cabbage Patch doll named Patricia at a thrift store as a finishing touch After a haircut and change of clothing including a Deere cap and pipe he put Pat in the driver’s seat “The little neighbor kids like to spin the tires ” Canaday says It’s just one of his many creations Bigger “kids” might be more impressed with the sandblaster he made to look like the R2-D2 character in Star Wars Canaday also makes snails out of gears and detailed farm toys He recently finished a scarecrow and is working on creating a knight out of spoons Canaday says he’ll keep making things as long as he has “junk” to work with including ideas he gets from publications like FARM SHOW Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Don Canaday North Carolina PapaCanaday@gmail com

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