wrote:
When I was a kid my dad and I built a homemade electric motor from
plans in a book or magazine.

Components were a frame made of a cut and bent tin can, an axle made
out of a nail, and windings made from magnet wire.

The wiring on the armature had a lot of scotch tape for some reason.

There were windings on both the motor and the tin-can frame, and
commutation was from brushes made out of little pieces of brass sheet.

Does anyone recognize this project, and know of a website or the title
of a book that will help me recreate it with my kids?

My son has his physics students make this simple motor in class:

http://www.physics.isu.edu/physdemos...c/smplmtr.html

All you need is a D battery, paper clips, a small magnet, tape, and some
enameled wire (which can be scavenged from an old transformer).

Do a Google search for paper clip motor and you'll find several
variations on this design.