Riding on Air—Build a Real Hovercraft

Riding on Air—Build a Real Hovercraft: "Plywood, 3/8 or 1/2-inch thick. There are several options for the plywood base. The easiest is probably to buy a pre-cut 48-inch-diameter round tabletop. Alternatively, you can buy a square piece of plywood and cut the corners off to make a 48-inch-diameter circular base.
Electric jig or spiral saw
Electric sander (as an option to smooth the plywood edges)
Duct tape
Leaf blower, electric or gas-powered
Pencil (for tracing)
Safety goggles
Drill and a drill bit that will create a hole large enough to insert your jig saw or spiral saw into
Measuring tape or ruler
Plastic sheet, 4-mil or 6-mil thickness (6 mil = 0.006 inches); it should be 1 foot larger than the plywood base on all edges. A 6x6-foot square, or a 6-foot-diameter circle, should work well. Examples of a plastic sheet include:
Visqueen (type of heavy plastic)
Plastic drop cloth (from a paint or hardware store)
Plastic shower curtain
Plastic tablecloth
Avoid plastic garbage bags, since they are too thin.
Razor knife
Scissors
Staple gun
Screwdriver
Wood screws, small, 1/4-inch (4)
Plastic disk, small, 6 inches in diameter. Suggestions are a coffee can lid, a plastic circle cut from a Frisbee®, or similar tough plastic item.
Carriage bolt and nut, 1-inch, with washers (this is optional, to more securely attach the plastic disk to the plastic sheet)
Permanent marker
Lab notebook"