Look at the amount of wood in your own homes, the Scout Group hut and the quantity you use during your Scouting activities. Why not try making a solar oven on your next camp? Solar ovens do not use up wood or gas, which both contribute to the greenhouse effect when burnt.

A Solar Sausage Cooker

Things you will need:

• piece of wood 1.25m x 200mm x 25mm,
• thin gauge sheet aluminum 300mm x 600mm,
• two 100mm long nails,
• short nails,
• two 50mm screws and 2 washers,
• pad of steel wool,
• tube of strong glue,
• Shiny aluminum foil,
• large piece of plain paper,
• pencil and ruler,
• drill and tin snips.

Download PDF diagram

a) Draw a grid of 25 millimetre squares on paper - it should look like a big version of the grid sketched here. The finished grid should contain 100 squares and measure 250 millimetres.

b) Carefully duplicate the pattern shown on the grid in the drawing, on to your larger grid. Accuracy is important.

c) When you are finished, carefully cut the pattern out.

d) Lay the pattern down on your piece of wood (place it next to the end of the board), then trace the pattern with your pencil. Do the same thing again, positioning the second tracing as close as possible to the first.

e) Use a wood saw to cut out the two 'side panel' pieces. Then cut a 310 millimetre piece of wood for the 'base', and two 210 millimetre pieces of wood for the 'side supports'. See sketch for details.

f) Drill a hole near the centre of the upper portion of each side panel, as shown in the sketch. The diameter of these holes should be very slightly less than the diameter of your long nails. Drill another hole in the centre of the lower portion of each side panel, and a further hole near the top of each side support. These holes are where the screws will later go.

h) Nail the piece of aluminum to the two side panels to make a kind of aluminum bottomed canoe shape. To make it easy to work with, the piece of aluminum is longer than it has to be; cut off the excess metal with

g) Next, nail the base and side supports together to make the support stand tin snips.

i) Use your steel wool pad to polish the inner aluminum surface, then wipe away the bits of dirt and metal. Apply a layer of glue to the metal surface, and carefully cover the glue with a piece of aluminum foil cut to fit the inside of the 'canoe'. !he shiny side of the foil must face outwards, towards you.

j) Push the long nails into the upper holes on each side and secure them with a dab or two of glue. Clean the nails by polishing them with steel wool, then rinse with water

k) Finally, use your screws and washers to mount the 'canoe' on the support stand.

l) Skewer a sausage on the two long nails and point the cooker towards the sun.

Depending on where you live and the time of year, your solar cooker will cook a hot dog in a few minutes to half an hour. Clean the nails by polishing them with steel wool, then rinsing with water.