A homemade buffet made from an old kitchen table.

Homemade Buffet

A homemade buffet made from an old kitchen table.

A homemade clinometer, an instrument used for measuring angles of slope.

Clinometer

A homemade clinometer, an instrument used for measuring angles of slope.

"Another style of hand-weeder, made at home out of hoop-iron." — Baily, 1898

Home-made hand-weeder

"Another style of hand-weeder, made at home out of hoop-iron." — Baily, 1898

A homemade tool desk.

Homemade Desk

A homemade tool desk.

A homemade shower from the late 19th century.

Homemade Shower

A homemade shower from the late 19th century.

"Devices for lifting water are older than written history, and various forms of pumps are used on almost every farm in the country, every citizen being familiar with a number of ways of lifting water."—Government Printing Office, 1897

Homemade Jumbo Windmill

"Devices for lifting water are older than written history, and various forms of pumps are used on almost…