first to the thick end, second to the thin end. The distance between the
ends inside is 3-5/16". Keep these four parts flush on the back edges so
that the back will fit. Glue and nail the back. Glue the dowel in the
handle. Put glue inside the spool and on the middle portion of the
dowel, then, with the spool between the two sides, push the dowel thru
all three holes. Glue and nail the spring in place. It should be as far
towards the spool as it will go without snapping the next slat when it
snaps off one slat.
[Illustration: RATTLE
PLATE 23]
CART--PLATE 24.
The important features of a cart are the wheels and axle and the tongue;
if these are strong and the tongue securely fastened, almost any box
will do for the body. Two tongues, nailed or screwed to the sides of the
body, probably make the strongest handle, but they are not so good
looking as the one shown in Plate 24. If this one is screwed to the box
with six 1" screws, two in the tongue and two in each block, it will be
strong enough. Some of the nicer boxes to be secured of a grocer will do
for a body, tho it is better to make one one's self.
Four wheels of 1/2" hard wood should be made (see page 20) and then each
two of the four glued and nailed together very securely with the grain
crosswise. For this purpose, 1-1/4" clout, or clinch nails are best. Do
not drive them too near the center nor the rim. To clinch nails, they
should be driven onto a piece of iron. After this is done, a 7/8" hole
(or larger if you can get a larger stick for the axle) is bored straight
thru the center. To cut the cylindrical ends of the axle, first draw a
7/8" circle at the center of each end, then lay out and saw out two
rectangular pieces, one on each side of the circles so as to leave a
7/8" square pin, 2-1/4" long. Proceed to make these pins; first, eight
sided; then, sixteen sided; then, round; using knife or chisel and a
coarse flat file. Make the hole in the washers before cutting off each
corner 9/16". These washers are to be fastened to the axle when held
rather snugly against the wheel with two 1" screws put crosswise the
grain. Before putting the wheels on the last time, rub the axles and
holes well with hard soap to make them run easier. Draw a line across
the bottom of the body 5" from the back end, and bore four screw holes
thru the bottom; countersink them well on the inside of the body, and
put 1" screws thru into the flat side of the axle. The axle is planned
so that the wheels run within 1/8" of the body.
[Illustration: CART
PLATE 24]
With a curved lower edge, the tongue is 2-1/2" wide at one end and
1-1/2" at the other. To get the correct slant at the wide end, block up
the cart level, have some one (or the vise) hold the tongue in the
position wanted when finished, then with a strip of wood about 2" wide
placed upright against the front of the body, draw a line on the tongue.
From the lowest corner of the tongue, draw another line parallel to the
first, and saw off. After making the two blocks and fastening them
securely to the tongue, saw the lower ends flush with the curve of the
tongue. Place the tongue in position, draw a line around it on the body,
then bore holes where screws will go best into the tongue and blocks.
Six 1" screws well countersunk will hold the tongue securely. Since the
tongue is fastened to the _front_, the sides and bottom must be well
nailed to _it_; or, the corners may be strengthened with a piece of tin
inside and outside each corner, tacked or riveted together. Each piece
of tin should be about 3" square.
A piece of old bicycle frame forced tightly into the hole of a wheel,
makes it very durable. Such a hole would doubtless have to be bored with
an expansive bit. A bicycle frame is easily filed in two at some
distance from the reinforced joints. Such a piece should be longer than
the thickness of the wheel to allow filing it flush after it is driven
in. To force it in, use a strong vise, or, after protecting it with hard
wood, drive it slowly with a heavy hammer.
Small carts can be made with wheels made of spools like those of the
cannon. (See Plate 25.)
CANNON--PLATE 25.
This cannon will shoot small marbles very well. The force of it depends,
of course, on the strength of the rubber bands. Because the ramrod and
handle are rather heavy, a strong dowel is put thru the handle and
ramrod. The rubber washer absorbs some of the shock.
For the barrel draw a 1-1/4" circle on one end of a stick 6-1/2" ×
1-1/2" × 1-1/2". From the center of this circle, bore a 9/16" hole
straight thru the stick endwise, stopping as soon as the spur comes
thru. Set the needle of the compass in this spur hole and draw a 1"
circle and, if possible, a 1-1/4" circle; then finish boring.
Plane the stick round to the 1-1/4" circle. To hold the stick while
doing this, put a rod thru the hole, open the vise 6-1/2" and let the
barrel rest endwise in the vise. Two and one-half inches from the breech
end of the barrel, draw a line around it to limit the taper of the
muzzle end. Plane the muzzle to the 1" circle. Two inches from the
breech, bore a 3/8" hole straight thru the barrel; and into this hole
glue the axle. After the glue is dry, bore out the barrel again, and
sandpaper the hole well.
Make the ramrod fit loosely in the barrel. (See directions for Dart,
page 16.) Make the handle in the same manner as the barrel was made,
except that, after drawing the 1-1/4" circle at the end where the spur
just appears, the hole is _not_ bored further. Glue the ramrod in place,
and fasten it with the 3/8" dowel. The curved notch into which the
rubber bands are tied, can be worked out patiently with a round file,
first cutting a V-shaped notch with a knife. Pare the corners and
sandpaper all parts well.
The rubber washer can be made of an old rubber heel. To bore a hole in
it, squeeze it between two boards and bore thru both together.
At least one of the uprights must be screwed to the base. The first one
may be nailed. Glue and nail this one 1/4" from the edge of the base.
Hold the other in place and draw a line around it. Bore holes for the
screws, put the screws in the holes, and press the upright on them to
mark where to bore in the upright. After boring in the uprights, put the
cannon and upright in place, and tighten the screws. The wheels can be
made of the ends of large spools, well countersunk for a short, large
screw.
[Illustration: CANNON
PLATE 25]
[Illustration: AUTOMOBILE
PLATE 26]
AUTOMOBILE--PLATE 26.
Tho the motor (an elastic band) which makes this automobile go is a
short-winded affair, still, if the wheels are easy running, it will go
alone for a short distance on a wooden floor. A stronger elastic can be
used if the automobile carries a load. If the parts are painted with
bright colors before they are entirely put together, the automobile will
look very well.
First, make the body, then 4-1/4" from the front end and 3/4" from the
right side, bore a 1/4" hole in the body for the steering post. This
should fit tightly so as to hold the wheels in any position desired.
Leather washers are nailed to the post close to the body. The steering
post must be put in place before any other parts are fastened to the
body.
The ends of the rails which are later fastened to the bottom of the
body, slant 1/2". The center of the holes for the axles is 3/4" beyond
this slanting line and 1/4" above the lower edge of the rails. When
boring these 1/4" holes, the rails should be clamped together so that
the holes will be exactly opposite each other. The forward holes are
made long to allow the axles to swing back and forth. To make this hole,
two 1/4" holes are bored side by side and the top and bottom smoothed
with a 1/4" chisel. When nailing the body to the rails, put the rear
axle thru the holes to aid in keeping them opposite each other.
The forward axle is made in one piece and kept so until after the
steering "rope" is in place. The axle must be held carefully in place
while the brad holes are bored 1/8" from the outer edge of the rails and
straight thru the center of the axle. A tight fitting brad is driven
into this hole. The steering rope must not stretch; large, hard thread
is suitable. Wind a piece about 18" long tightly around the axle about
1/4" from one rail and tie it. Pass one end thru the small screw-eyes
shown in the lower drawing, and wind it around the axle near the other
rail leaving no slack in the screw-eyes; then wind six to eight turns
smoothly around the steering post, and fasten the end to the beginning
with several half-hitches. (See Plate 15.) A separate thread should be
tied around the axle and steering rope at the second place. Should
there be any slack, it can be taken up by laying a V-shaped thread over
the steering rope near the axle and passing the two ends over the upper
side of the axle, and tying them across the steering rope on the other
side of the axle. This tends to pull the steering rope together on top
of the axle.
The wheels can be sawed from short lengths of curtain poles, obtained at
a furniture store. The 1/4" holes for the axle, must be bored exactly at
the center. The wheels must turn freely on the front axle, but be glued
to the rear axle, which must itself turn freely in the rails. After the
wheels are in place, the front axle can be sawed in two with a back-saw,
using very short strokes, and sawing two cuts nearly thru before either
is sawed completely.
Nail the wind-shield to the engine, then glue both to the body. Nail the
seat-back to the seat so that the top of the seat will be 3/4" above the
body, then nail the two sides to the end and to the seat-back and seat.
Glue the whole to the body. Nails can be driven up thru the body into
the engine, the seat back, and the end, if care is used in locating
them.
One end of the elastic band (motor) is tied with a bit of string to a
brad driven in the forward end of the body of the automobile. On the
other end of the elastic band is tied a piece of string about 8" long.
This is put just under the body and above the steering rope and wound
two or three times tightly around the rear axle and tied. The string and
elastic band should be simply straight, the elastic neither stretched
nor loose. To wind up the motor, move the automobile backwards on the
floor and hold the rear wheels until ready to let the automobile go.
BOW PISTOL--PLATE 27.
For target shooting in the house, this is a fine toy. With nicely made
arrows and a good bow, it will shoot very well.
Make a good bow of rattan, or other tough wood. An old spoke of a
carriage wheel could doubtless be obtained of a blacksmith or
wheelwright, and such a hickory spoke would make a good bow. Make the
bow much like that shown on Plate 8, except that it should be round at
the center to fit the 3/8" hole in the pistol. The bowstring should be
a hard cord so that it will slip easily from the notches in the barrel
when the trigger is pulled.
[Illustration: Fig. 6]
Before shaping the pistol, make the groove in the center of one edge of
the board. This should be made with a 3/8" round plane. It can be made,
however, with the tool shown in Fig. 6, a gouge, and a round file. This
tool is much like the one described on page 41 tho a larger nail is
used. Make the groove 7/32" deep; gage a line 3/16" from each side of
the board; then use the gouge inside these lines and as deep as the
groove. When the gouging is well done, smooth the groove with a round
file or coarse sandpaper wrapped around a pencil.
Draw and shape the pistol. Make the lower edge of the barrel half round.
Sandpaper it well. Make the trigger of hard wood and screw it on the
pistol. The shape of the notch next to the trigger is very important but
the shape of the other one is not so. Both notches, however, must be so
smooth and well rounded as not to injure the bowstring. They should be
not deeper than one-half the depth of the groove.
Arrows are quickly made by sawing long strips of straight-grained wood,
3/16" square, planing the corners, and sandpapering; then cutting them
5" long, splitting the ends (see page 16), inserting a paper 1" × 1/2"
and tying the end with thread.
[Illustration: BOW PISTOL
PLATE 27]
ELASTIC GUN--PLATE 28.
If cash carrier elastic cord about 5/16" in diameter and 18" long is
used on this gun, it will shoot buckshot, peas, small arrows, etc., with
considerable force; in fact, if the cord is fastened far enough forward,
it will require all a boy's strength to pull the rider back to the hook.
The gun may be made of pine, whitewood or clear spruce.
[Illustration: Fig. 7]
To lay out the gun (see Fig. 7) first draw A B, then A C, then measure B
D and draw C D; next measure the width of the barrel and draw E F; add
3/8" below this for the gun-stock, and finally draw the curves freehand.
To saw it out, first rip it along E F, then cross cut it at H F, then
rip it as far the curve along C D, and then along the lower side of the
gun-stock to meet C D, finally along A B. Of course, none of this sawing
should quite touch the lines. Plane to these lines wherever possible,
then use the spokeshave. The curve and corner at F should be pared with
a chisel. The lower edge of the gun-stock and barrel is made half-round,
but the upper edge, especially where the spring is screwed, is only
slightly round. The curve at the butt of the gun-stock should be cut out
with the turning-saw, and rounded with a half-round file. The groove can
be made as in the bow pistol. (See page 86.)
All parts of the gun should be well sandpapered, especially where the
elastic will rub on the barrel.
Make the trigger of tough wood.
[Illustration: ELASTIC GUN
PLATE 28]
Bore a 1/4" hole for the trigger post about 3/4" from the back end of
the groove, making it slant forward about 3/4". Make this hole smooth as
possible. Where the hole comes thru the gun-stock, start the mortise in
which the trigger belongs. This should be 3/8" deep and an easy fit for
the trigger. Put the trigger in place, and drill a small hole straight
thru the gun-stock and trigger. Consider carefully where to bore this
hole so that it will not come too near the edge of the trigger. Insert a
good-fitting brad and see if the trigger post will move up and down
about 1/4". Do not make the mortise so long that the trigger post will
slip by the trigger.
Now make the spring of hard wood. Pare the curve from each end with a
chisel, holding the spring endwise in the bench-hook. The holes for the
screw and the hook must be large enough so that the spring will not be
split, and yet the hook must be screwed in strongly to hold the elastic.
The hook must be filed off enough, and slanting, so that the screw-eye
in the rider will slide under it and be caught.
The rider is the hardest part to make because it is small and must be of
hard wood; also, the block must be nicely fitted into the long piece.
Make the lower edge of the long piece round so as to slide well in the
groove. Bore a 5/16" hole thru the block _endwise_ the grain,
countersink the ends, and smooth them so that they cannot injure the
elastic. Next lay out, saw, and chisel a notch 5/16" deep in the long
piece in which the block will fit snugly. Glue it and nail it from the
under side, or put in a 1/2" screw. Holes will have to be bored
carefully for either brads or screw. Bore a hole, and put the screw-eye
in such a position that it will slide under the hook with a snap. Be
careful not to twist the eye off in this hard wood. The back end of the
eye might well be filed somewhat slanting so as to slip under the hook
better.
Put the elastic thru the rider, snap the rider on the hook, and pull the
ends of the elastic as far as seems best,--don't have it too strong!
Where the ends of the elastic are pulled, bore two 1/4" holes thru the
barrel one above the other. Bind the elastic securely between these
holes; to make it doubly secure, wind a string between the elastic and
the barrel to pull the first strings closer together.
Now saw off the ends of a spool about 1/2" and screw them to the barrel
in such a place that they will hold the elastic, without stretching,
against the sides of the barrel. These spools should turn easily. They
cannot be placed exactly opposite because the screws will interfere.
Snap the rider to the hook, pull the trigger, and notice that the rider
goes up with the trigger post. To hold it down, put a slender 3/4" screw
on each side of the groove in such a place that the screw heads will
come over the outside of the screw-eye; or, 1" brads may be bent over
the screw-eye. When everything is in working order, drive a 1" brad on
each side of the spring to keep the hook always in place.
RATTLE-BANG GUN--PLATE 29.
For boys who want to play soldier, here is a gun which will make a big
noise but will not hurt anybody.
First, make the rattle of maple. The slot in it can be made with the
rip-saw. The solid end must be nicely squared to fit the forward end of
the pocket cut out of the gun-stock. Here it must be held firmly in
place by glue and two screws. One screw is put slanting from the top of
the gun-stock; the other is put straight from the bottom. That the
rattle may sound the loudest, it must not touch anywhere else than this
solid end. When putting the knocker and trigger in place, see that they
also do not touch the rattle. The gun-stock is made like that of the
elastic gun (Plate 28) except that it has to be 2-3/8" wide in that
portion which holds the rattle. The pocket is 3-1/2" from the forward
end and 1-1/2" deep where the solid part of the rattle fits. To put the
slanting screw in nicely, a place must be cut out with a small chisel
for its head, 3/8" deep and 1/2" away from the pocket. Clamp the rattle
in position, bore a hole for the screw, then glue and screw the rattle
in place. Before the glue is dry, see that the rattle is straight, then
put the lower screw into it.
Make the knocker of maple. The reason for the triangular notch in its
bottom edge will be evident when the trigger is turned around. The
stiffer the spring is, the harder, of course, it will strike the rattle,
and also, the harder the trigger will turn; 1/8" will be thick enough
for the thinnest place.
The trigger should also be of maple. Join it with a cross-lap joint.
(See page 24.) Then, holding each end successively upright in the vise,
draw the slanting lines and saw for 3/8" lengthwise in such a way as to
leave 1/16" flat on each of the two adjacent surfaces. After sawing
endwise, saw the little corner pieces off crosswise. The trigger has to
withstand considerable pulling, so it should fit nicely, yet easily, a
1" screw in its center. Before screwing either the knocker or the
trigger in place, lay both on the gun-stock so that they will engage
properly; then mark the place for the screws, drill holes, and screw
them on. If the knocker touches the rattle, take it off and plane a
slanting chip or two where it is screwed to the gun-stock. A thin
leather washer 5/8" in diameter will prevent the trigger touching. A
little soap will make the trigger turn easier.
[Illustration: RATTLE-BANG GUN
PLATE 29]
The barrel may well be made of a broomstick. To make it fit on the top
of the gun-stock, saw it down the middle and cut off the lower half.
Before fastening it in place, be sure that it will not touch the
sounding part of the rattle.
[Illustration: Fig. 8]
A still louder and more difficult rattle to make is shown in Fig. 8.
Most boys would find it impossible to bore a 1" hole endwise in maple.
The knocker and trigger would both have to be set out from the
gun-stock.
BOAT--PLATE 30.
This boat is designed rather heavy to insure good service. It has
ballast and beam enough to right itself even tho the sails do get wet.
If a better looking boat is desired, draw the deck more slender; hollow
the hull with bit and gouge; pare the gunwales with the spokeshave to
give it some sheer; and nail on a thin deck. Soft pine is the best wood
for the hull and spruce for the spars.
To lay out the hull, draw a center-line lengthwise on top, bottom, and
ends of the block of wood. Make all the measurements given on the deck;
(top of the hull, Plate 30) first lengthwise, then crosswise. Square
with the deck, the curve should be worked out with rip-saw and
spokeshave. The stem should next be undercut with the saws (rip and
crosscut) so as to make place for the rudder. On the bottom leave a flat
place 7-1/4" × 1/2" for the keel to fit; then round the hull as
suggested by the sectional drawings at AB and CD.
Make the keel and nail it securely in place. From the under side of the
boat and slanting the same as the keel and undercut, bore a 5/8" hole
for the stem of the rudder.
Make the rudder and tiller of 1/4" wood. The little mortise in the
tiller can be cut with a small chisel after a 3/16" hole is bored at its
center. For the wheel, make a dowel about 2" long and into one end of it
bore a hole about 1" deep for a 1-1/4" screw. Saw a piece from this end
5/8" long and screw it to the deck about 1-1/2" in front of the hole
bored for the rudder. The wheel should turn rather hard so as to stay in
any position desired.
To make the spars, (mast, boom, etc.,) follow the directions on page 16.
Use large screw-eyes in the gaff and boom (or see Plate 16, "method of
swinging booms to mast") and a very small one at the top of the mast. To
nail the bowsprit securely, place it 1" back of the prow, drive a 1"
brad thru it near the prow, and one on each side of it 3/4" back. Bend
these latter over the bowsprit before they are driven in their full
length. An upward slant is given to the bowsprit by planing its larger
end slanting to fit the deck.
The rudder is hung on two staples made of pins. Two headless pins are
driven into the rudder and bent down at right angles to slip into these
staples. In order that the stem of the rudder may turn enough, the
rudder must be hung close to the hull. Each "rope" of the rigging should
have its own screw-eye (or staple) and cleat on the deck. The cleat (a
device for fastening a "rope" in any position, by winding it back and
forth) is simply two slender brads driven slanting.
The mainsail should be 9" on the mast and 11" at its outer edge. It
should be hemmed and properly fastened to the spars. On the mast, fine
wire rings or loops of thread may be used. The jib should extend 9" up
the stay (the "rope" from the end of the bowsprit to the top of the
mast) and be either sewed to it or made to slide on it with small rings
of wire.
Ballast can be cut (with tin-shears or saw) from lead pipe and nailed to
the keel. To drive brads thru lead, pinch them between the thumb and
finger, and drive them gently.
For convenience in holding the boat when it is out of the water, make a
dry dock as shown in the drawing.
[Illustration: BOAT
PLATE 30]
PILE-DRIVER--PLATE 31.
In wet, soft soil, wherever any building operations are to be
undertaken, long, straight logs called piles have first to be driven to
support the foundation. In wet soil they never rot; those driven for the
building of Venice centuries ago are still solid. If holes are bored in
the weight of this toy pile-driver, it is made more effective.
This is not a difficult model if each part is well made. It is
important, however, to nail it in the following order: Runs to uprights,
uprights to sides, sides to base, top to uprights, braces to uprights,
then to base. The ends of the braces are mitered, that is, sawed, like
the corner of a picture-frame, on the diagonal of a square. The axle of
the little spool is made by two 1" brads, and it rests in notches as
near the end of the top blocks as is convenient to file them. It is held
in place by little brads, or pins crossed over it, or by a staple made
of a pin. A crank for the big spool (called the drum) is made of a 3"
piece of stiff wire. It should be flattened enough not to turn in the
drum. Fasten the string to the drum thru a little hole drilled thru its
rim. If the string comes off the upper spool, put a large screw-eye into
the top piece and pass the string thru it.
[Illustration: PILE DRIVER
PLATE 31]
WINDMILL--PLATE 32.
On a hilltop, exposed to every wind that blows, one of these windmills
made by a boy has been spinning around for four years. The windmill in
this form serves also as a weathervane. Pine is the best wood for this
model. To withstand the weather, the model should be painted.