WORK AND PLAY AT THE BENCH
$Wood Carving.$--The best kinds of wood include white holly, walnut and
sycamore, and pieces of empty cigar boxes, often Spanish cedar, are not
to be despised. A pocket-knife, some bradawls, a few files, flat, round
and triangular, a fine saw and some coarse sandpaper complete the tools
needed for most of the work.
Draw very carefully upon paper the design with which you wish to
ornament some article you may have made with wood. When you have at
last drawn the design quite accurately there are many ways in which you
may transfer the drawing to the wood. It may be pasted upon the wood so
that paper and wood will be cut away together in those parts that are
to fall below the general surface of the wood and at the end the paper
that remains may be washed away. Another way is to cut out the design
with scissors, lay it upon the wood and go carefully round the edges
with a lead pencil; or you may without cutting it out place it upon the
wood and prick through the design or at any rate the principal points
with a pin. If you were to scribble with crayon, coloured chalk or
pencil upon the back of the paper and were then to lay the paper upon
the wood and go over the design with a hard point, using some pressure,
the design would be transferred to the wood, or still another way would
be to use carbon paper (see Chap. XXIV.) between the paper and the wood
instead of scribbling upon the back of the paper.
However, we will suppose the design in some way or another has been
placed in pencil upon the wood. Now with regard to every part in which
the intention is to take out the wood completely from front to back
bore a hole. Then take your fret-cutter's saw or dentist's saw and
unfastening one end put this end through the hole and fasten it again.
Saw perpendicularly.
At this stage the young carver will need to decide whether he will
follow the pencil lines exactly. If he is a very expert sawyer he
may, but it is much safer to leave a little wood to be removed by
pocket-knife, chisel, or file. It is easy to do this; but if he saws
out a little too much wood, if he transgresses the pencil line, he
cannot put back the wood he has wrongfully cut away. After the filing a
little rubbing with sandpaper will complete the work. Sometimes it is
an advantage to adjust the saw in its frame with the teeth inside or
sideways.
$How to make a Schooner.$--Take a block of wood two feet four inches
long, eight inches wide, and eight inches deep. We name this as a
convenient size; but a boy may if he likes make his boat twice this
size, or half this size, and so long as he makes his alterations in
proportion it will not matter. Try to get the wood without knots or
other faults. White pine or deal with a straight grain is the best, for
this wood is easy to cut into shape, and it is light.
[Illustration: FIG. 1]
Before the schooner is shaped it should be hollowed. Draw a straight
line with pencil along the centre of the upper surface of the block A B
(Fig. 1). If the breadth of the block is eight inches then the centre
will be four inches from each edge. Next, in a similar way divide the
length of the block into two equal parts with a pencil line C D. If the
length is two feet four inches then this line will be one foot two from
each end of the block. Now divide the length into three equal parts by
the lines E F and G H. One third of two feet four inches is nine inches
and one third of an inch, so that each of the three parts will have
this measurement. Draw now the line I J C B and when this line is of
the right shape make a tracing of it, and from the tracing a cardboard
model. By placing this model upon the other side of the line A B and
drawing round its edge you will get the line B D K I and it will be
exactly like I J C B, a very important matter. With a knife, gouge, and
chisel the boat may now be hollowed with care, and we may repeat that
it is easier to hollow the block before its outside has been shaped
than afterwards, because it stands now more firmly upon the table or
bench.
The shape of the outside is shown in Fig. 2, and it should be noticed
that the line L M N is not straight but curves so that M is the lowest
point and L and N the highest. Upon the counter at O a hole must be
bored for the stern-post, which will come through at P in Fig. 1.
[Illustration: FIG. 2]
It is well from time to time to try the boat in water to see if it
floats evenly, or if more has been taken from one side than the other.
These little matters should be corrected, and a number of little
touches will be needed here and there with tools or sandpaper before
the vessel is right inside and out. Then put a deck of thin wood over
the hollowed part. This should be fitted very carefully so that no
water can pass into the hold of the ship. If bulwarks are desired the
deck may be half an inch or an inch below the edge of the vessel, but
if the deck is flush with the sides of the hull there will be no place
for water to lodge.
We now come to the masts, of which there will be two. For the foremast
make a hole through the deck at Q on Fig. 1. It is about an inch from
the line G H. At R two inches from the line E F a similar hole should
penetrate the deck for the main mast. The circumference of the lower
masts should be one inch and three quarters, but an inch will serve
for the topmasts. The bowsprit and the booms should measure one inch
and a quarter round, and the gaffs an inch.
[Illustration: A SCHOONER.]
A Bobstay.
B Bowsprit.
C Forestay.
D Stay Foresail.
E Foremast.
F Gaff Foresail.
G Fore Gaff.
H Fore Boom.
I Mainmast.
J Mainsail.
K Main Boom.
L Main Gaff.
M Main Topmast.
N Gaff Topsail.
O Main Topmast Stay.
P Fore Peak Haulyards.
Q Fore Throat Haulyards.
R Main Peak Haulyards.
S Main Throat Haulyards.
T Mainsheet.
U Foresheet.
V Stay Foresheet.
W Rudder.
X Lead Ballast.
Y Forecap and Cross Trees.
Z Maincap and Cross Trees.
Linen will serve for the sails, and odds and ends of fishing lines for
the ropes and rigging, with stouter cord like whipcord for the shrouds.
The caps, deadeyes, blocks and such things may be made, but the process
is wearisome and difficult and perhaps the better way is to buy them.
The following measurements will be useful:--
inches
Bowsprit 3-1/2
Foremast 15
Mainmast 16
Topmast 6
Fore boom 8-1/2
Fore gaff 8
Main boom 12
Main gaff 8
The sails should be made to fit these. If the schooner has been
properly made she will sail well with the rudder but slightly turned
to one side. If it is necessary to turn her rudder much she will lose
speed and will not rank in the first class. To steady the schooner
it is necessary to nail or screw along her keel, a strip of lead as
ballast. Err upon the side of making this too heavy, because it is
easier to cut and file away than it is to add.
$The making of a Cutter.$--Having made a schooner it will not be
difficult to make a cutter from the appended diagrams with a few
particulars regarding the measurements.
[Illustration]
The cutter has but one mast reaching about fifteen inches above the
deck. This is surmounted by a seven-inch top-mast, so that the
complete height above the deck is twenty-two inches. Here are the other
measurements.
Bowsprit, 9 inches from the stem of the vessel to the end.
Main gaff, 9 inches long.
Main boom, 15 inches.
[Illustration: A CUTTER.]
A Bobstay.
B Bowsprit.
C Forestay.
D Foresail.
E Jib.
F Topmost Stay.
G Mast.
H Topmast.
I Mainsail.
J Main Boom.
K Main Gaff.
L Gaff Topsail.
M Peak Haulyards.
N Throat Haulyards.
O Main Sheet.
P Rudder.
Q Lead Ballast.
R Jib Sheets.
S The Cap.
T Cross Trees.
$A Sleigh that can be Steered.$--With the sketches we shall give, a boy
unaided, or with a little assistance from a carpenter, will be able
to make a sleigh that he can steer. Take a piece of board 9-1/2 feet
long, six inches wide and 7/8 of an inch thick. Ash is excellent. Avoid
large knots. Let Fig. 1 represent the face of the board. From B measure
three inches to C. Connect A C. From A measure two feet, four times.
These measurements will give you D E F G. From C repeat this process
and you will have H I J and K. Saw from A to C; from D to H; from E to
I; F to J, and from G to K. You will have now four pieces of wood like
the piece in Fig. 2 and some wood to spare for a purpose that will be
explained soon. With regard to your four pieces of wood which are to
serve for runners remember that two will be right-hand runners and two
left-hand runners, because the treatment of each kind varies a little.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.]
[Illustration: FIG. 2.]
With regard to Fig. 2 draw the curved line A E. No rule can be given
for this except that B E represents eight inches. Cut the curve from A
to E, round off the angle C D B a little, and you will have a runner
from which the three remaining runners may be made. This runner however
is not yet finished. From C in Fig. 2 measure 2-1/2 inches to F, then
another 2-1/2 inches to G. Make F H one inch deep and G I. Then connect
H I. Measure 8 inches from G to J and then mark off J K L M making
it like H G F I. Now direct your attention to the upper edge of the
runner represented in Fig. 3. Two points will have been fixed already.
M J, G F. To find the remaining points N O, P Q draw the lines M N; J
O; G P and F Q making the angles N M J; O J M; P G F and Q F G the same
as the angle B D C in Fig. 2. Now saw and chisel out carefully N O M
J L K and P Q G F I H making what joiners call mortices. In repeating
this process upon the other runners remember to have the narrower end
of these dovetails inside the sledge. The arrangement will be as in
Fig. 4.
[Illustration: FIG. 3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 4.]
[Illustration: FIG. 5.]
The next thing is to connect your four runners with cross bars (Fig. 5)
which are each fourteen inches long, two and a half inches broad, and
one inch thick. Of these cross bars there are four. The distance from A
to B and from C to D is one inch in each case. These ends are shaped to
form what joiners call dovetails, and they should fit exactly into the
mortices upon the upper edges of the runners. The black dots represent
screws. One of the cross bars does not appear in Fig. 13. The runners
should be shod with iron by the blacksmith.
He will need eleven-and-a-half feet of half round 5/8 inch rolled iron,
divided into four, a piece for each runner. Each piece will be 34
inches long pierced for screws as in Fig. 6. A and B are an inch from
centre to centre. C is eight inches from the end, D another ten inches;
E a further ten inches. F G are like A and B.
Take now a piece of board one foot wide, fifteen inches long and one
inch thick (Fig. 7). Find the centre by connecting B and C and A and D
by straight lines. The place where they cross, E, will be the centre.
This board should be placed lengthways upon the cross bars of the front
portion of your sleigh and should be fixed very securely in position
with long screws. It should be at A in the completed sleigh, Fig. 13.
Now for the long board upon which you sit, the board that connects the
two pairs of runners, the board marked B in the completed sleigh, Fig.
13. Its width is sixteen inches, its length 7-1/2 feet, its thickness
1-1/2 inches. It is known as the reach board and should be of seasoned
pine. This board is represented in Fig. 8. Fix your compass at A and
describe a semi-circle, and then at B. A and B are each seven inches
from the end of the board and seven inches from the sides. By the aid
of these lines you will be able to give your board rounded ends as in
Fig. 9.
[Illustration: FIG. 6.]
[Illustration: FIG. 7.]
[Illustration: FIG. 9.]
[Illustration: FIG. 10.]
Having decided which end of this board you will have forward measure
underneath 8 inches from the front extremity and at that point draw
the line A B (Fig. 10). Now take the piece of wood you spared from
your runners and saw it lengthwise into two equal parts. Make each
part precisely as long as your reach board is wide. Screw one at C D
in Fig. 10 so that its outer edge is close to the line A B. The screws
go through the reach board into the cross piece. In the centre of the
cross piece bore a hole with a half inch bit right through cross piece
and reach board, this is for the bolt. Now take that other piece of
runner wood and fix hinges upon it as shown in Fig. 11. The hinges
should be 4×4 hinges, and should move round to their full extent each
way. Leaving the reach board for a few minutes we go to the pair of
runners that will be at the back of the sleigh. It will be seen that
we connected these with two cross pieces. It is upon the back cross
piece that we have to place our piece of wood that has the hinges upon
it. Lay it upon the cross piece and when the two are even all round
fasten the remaining flap of the hinges with screws upon this cross
piece of the runners. These two cross pieces of wood will be separated
only by the thickness of the hinges if the work has been deftly done.
Place the reach board so that the outer edge of the cross piece shall
come exactly to a line we may draw now upon the under-side of the reach
board five inches from its backward end as in Fig. 12.
[Illustration: FIG. 8.]
[Illustration: FIG. 11.]
[Illustration: FIG. 12.]
[Illustration: FIG. 13.]
Fasten there the reach board to the cross piece with screws. The front
pair of runners is fastened by passing a half inch bolt through the
half inch hole we bored in the reach board and in the top of the front
pair of runners. Here you will need a few washers and a nut. Each back
runner should be fastened to the reach board by a loose chain as shown
in the completed sleigh. Foot rests of bent iron or of wood are a great
advantage. Place these where you need them. The sleigh is steered by
means of two strong cords. Fig. 13 is merely general. Some of the
details do not appear there.
[Illustration: Fig. 1., Fig. 2., Fig. 3., Fig. 5., Fig. 6., Fig. 4.]
$Baby's Sleigh.$--In Fig. 1 we have the sleigh as it looks when it is
finished. To upholster it would add to our difficulties, so we will
depend upon an abundance of cushions for baby's comfort. In Fig 2 we
have a piece of strong board A B C D 3/8 of an inch thick, two feet
long and one foot wide. From C to E is three inches, from C to G seven
inches and from D to F three inches. The curve from A to G must be
drawn according to the taste of the young joiner. When this side has
been cut out it is easy to make the other from it.
Now for the backboard. In Fig. 3 A B C D we have a piece of wood
fifteen inches square. The inside lines at the bottom are one and
a half inches from D and C. E and F are three inches from A and B.
Put your compasses at I for a centre and draw the curve E F. If your
compasses are not large enough a piece of pencil tied to a string will
serve. The front board may be made like the lower half of the back
board. Nail or screw the parts together and put on a bottom that fits.
Inside, the seat rests on two strips, one screwed upon each side. These
strips are of wood three eighths of an inch thick, an inch wide and
eight inches long. The seat may be about a foot wide. The runners come
next. In Fig. 4 A B C D, we have a board three quarters of an inch
thick, three feet long and seven inches wide. The distance from D to E
is eight inches. From A measure eight inches along the upper edge to
G, then two inches to H and from H draw the line H F. Draw the curve A
H. F should be three inches from the line B C. From F draw a straight
line to C. Cut out the runner and use it as a pattern for the making
of another. To connect the two runners use a couple of cross bars of
hard wood each an inch and a half wide, one inch thick and a foot long.
Cut the ends as shown in Fig. 5, the cuts being three quarters of an
inch deep. Carpenters call an arrangement of this kind a tenon. The
front cross bar will connect the two runners fifteen inches from the
front and the back cross bar will be fifteen inches further back than
that. The method of fixing them is shown in Fig. 6. The cuts A and
B--mortices, joiners call them--are half an inch deep. Having placed
the tenons in the mortices fasten them there with screws. Now get a
board ten inches wide, half an inch thick and two feet long and screw
this to the bars. If you want the runners shod with iron the blacksmith
will do this for you. Place now the car in position upon the runners,
and bore two quarter-inch holes in the centre of the bottom, one under
the seat and the other in front. Make two corresponding holes in the
board of the sleigh and so with two bolts and nuts secure the car to
the runners.
[Illustration: HAMMOCK FROM A BARREL.]
$A Hammock from a Barrel.$--Look round for a clean barrel. Perhaps
an apple barrel will be as easy to find as any. Strip off the hoops
and draw all the nails. Measure three inches from the top, and three
inches from the bottom of the barrel, and draw thence a line round the
top and a line round the bottom of the barrel, keeping it three inches
from top or bottom all the way round. Upon these lines, and upon each
stave, bore two holes with a brace and bit. Place the holes so that
they are about the same distance from each other and from the edges of
the staves. If some of the staves are wider than others, each will need
slightly different treatment. A stout rope should be threaded through
these holes in the manner shown in the diagram. About twenty feet of
rope will be sufficient. An inch or thereabouts should be left between
each stave. Cushions add to the comfort of this simple hammock.
[Illustration: HAMMOCK FROM A BARREL.]
[Illustration: ÆOLIAN HARP.]
$An Æolian Harp.$--Make a shallow box of thin dry pine. The top piece
should be free from knots and three-sixteenths of an inch thick. This
is the sounding board. The sides and bottom of the box may be of wood
one quarter of an inch in thickness. The harp should be two inches
shorter than the width of the window in which you are going to place
it. The width of the box itself may be ten inches, its depth two and a
half inches. The ends should be of hard wood, for they have to bear the
strain of the strings. In one end put studs or rings or eyes to which
are fastened the wires or catgut strings. At the other end should be
a corresponding row of violin pegs if you use catgut, or iron piano
pins if you use wire. If you do use wire it should be of steel. In
the diagram you will see the two bridges of hard wood glued diagonally
across each end for the strings to rest upon. If steel wire is employed
a piece of wire should run along the top of each bridge to prevent the
other wires from cutting into the wood. Four holes, each an inch in
diameter, in the sounding board improves the harp. The tuning may be
harmonics, thirds, fifths, and octaves. Raise the sash of the window,
and place the harp so that the wind blows across the strings.