The chair back (Fig. 9) measures two and a quarter inches wide
by three and one-half inches high, while the front upright piece is
exactly similar but only an inch and one-half high--just high enough
for dolly to swing her feet comfortably. When these and the side
pieces (Fig. 10) are done and put together, glue on a piece one and
five-eighths inches by two and a quarter (Fig. 11) for the seat.
The construction of the chest of drawers is a little more elaborate.
Make first two side pieces like Fig 12. They measure two and a quarter
inches wide by three and one-half high, and have a recessed edge a
quarter of an inch deep at the bottom to form feet, and three openings
in each side for the partitions between the drawers. There are one deep
drawer at the top, and two shallower ones below it. Make three pieces
like Fig. 13, four inches long by one and three-quarters wide. The
little square and piece for the joint are not exactly in the middle,
and the longer space goes toward the back, but is intended to leave a
little open space of a half inch at the back.
Next make three pieces for the fronts of the drawers (Fig. 14), two
of them five-eighths of an inch wide, and one measuring an inch and a
quarter. In each of these make two holes for the knobs. The drawers
themselves (Fig. 15) are made of light weight pasteboard. The bottom
dimensions remain the same of course for all--two and three-quarter
inches by two--but the depths of the sides must be one and one-quarter
inches for the wider, and five-eighths of an inch for the narrower
ones. When these are cut out, fold them on the dotted lines to form a
box, with the sides which lap over each other at the front. The knobs
of the drawers are made of large beads. Put a piece of string through
each bead, and then push the two ends of string through the hole in the
front of the drawer, and through a corresponding hole in the pasteboard
drawer itself. Then tie the two ends of string from the right-hand
knob to the two pieces from the left-hand knob in a firm square knot,
accomplishing the triple purpose of holding the knobs in position,
fastening the front piece on to the drawer, and holding the drawer in
shape. An oblong piece of wood two and a quarter inches by three and a
quarter (Fig. 16) makes the top, and another four inches by three and a
quarter forms the back.
[Illustration: DOLLS’ WHITTLED CHEST OF DRAWERS]
[Illustration: WHITTLED DOLLS’ BED]
TOYS THAT HIDE IN THE WOOD BOX
The farm barn with its loft hung with cobwebs and the great hay mows,
and the farm wagons to scramble out and in is surely a delight to the
country boy; but if one corner of the barn has a big pile of clean,
smooth blocks and sticks of kindling wood, the charm of the place will
be redoubled.
A glance, only, at a heap of ordinary, everyday kindling wood will
suggest all sorts of plays to the resourceful boy. With the aid of
a few simple tools, a hammer, a light saw, and some wire nails, the
pieces of wood may be changed into crude, but realistic toys that will
give the little folks quite as much pleasure as any to be found in a
toy shop.
Look, first, at the building possibilities of a pile of kindling
wood. The long, straight sticks may be balanced on the barn floor to
represent a regiment of soldiers. With penciled faces, and soldier caps
they make very fine little men; and if there are two opposing armies,
a most exciting sham battle may be carried on with horse chestnuts
and green apples for ammunition, and a prize for the general whose
kindling-wood forces stand up the longest.
A miniature pig pen may be built by piling up kindling-wood sticks in
log-cabin fashion. The sticks selected for the pen should be, as nearly
as possible, of the same length. Two sticks should be laid parallel.
These are then connected by laying other sticks across their ends. The
boy should continue building in this manner until the pig pen is of
a good height. A very fine, fat pig may be made of a small cucumber,
having twigs stuck into his body for legs, one of the vine tendrils for
a curly tail and melon seeds for ears.
A log house is constructed by building a foundation similar to the
pig pen. The roof is formed by laying a row of sticks, quite close
together, across the top. A family of little clothes pin dolls may live
most comfortably in a kindling wood house.
In front of the house there should be a strong, rail fence to protect
the inmates from any Indians who may come in while the builder is
away. To build a Virginia rail fence, two sticks of kindling wood
should be crossed in the shape of a letter V. A third stick is added
at a similar angle with the second stick. This form of building is
continued until the fence is of the required length. Going back to the
first stick, a second layer of sticks is started on top of the first
layer; and the fence may be built as high as one wishes by the addition
of a third and a fourth layer.
There are ever so many playthings that can be built from the wood found
in the wood pile. A boy who is clever with his jack knife will be able
to make a set of ten pins from sticks of kindling wood by carving
little round heads at the ends of the sticks. Very straight bits of
wood which will balance well should be chosen for the ten pins. He can
also carve quaint wooden dolls for the little sister.
The accompanying illustration shows a toy barnyard that was made by a
group of children. Their only tools were a couple of hammers, a toy
saw, some nails and a jack knife. The only materials used were found in
the wood pile in the wood-shed.
The barnyard fence is constructed from lath. Long strips are used for
the bars of the fence. The fence posts are bits of lath, also, carved
in six-inch lengths, pointed at the top with a knife, and nailed to
the longer strips. Bits of leather are tacked in place for the gate
hinges. Bits of kindling wood split into narrow sections are nailed
together for the pig pen and the cow shed. Some old wooden boxes are
used for the farm wagon and the wheelbarrow, the curved edges of the
wheelbarrow being made with a jack knife. The box cover is used as
wheel material, two circles being cut out of the soft wood with a jack
knife and fastened to the body of the wagon with dowel sticks. Another
box is mounted on a standard of lath and forms a very realistic pigeon
house. The chicken coops are little wood squares nailed together at
an angle of 90° with bits of lath fastened across the front. With the
addition of a rude barn made from scraps of wood, a dog house--which is
only a small edition of the barn--and a cattle shed, the farmyard is
complete--a crude but unfailing source of amusement for many rainy days.
[Illustration: TOY BARNYARD MADE OF KINDLING WOOD]
[Illustration: Diagrams of a Sled, a Chicken Coop and a Table.]
[Illustration: Diagrams of a Cart.]
One of the simplest toys to make of wood basket scraps is a little
play sled. For this you will need three oblong pieces of wood--one of
them (Fig. 1) measuring four inches wide by seven inches long, and the
other two (Fig. 2) measuring two and a half inches wide by nine and
one-half inches long. Some pieces of an old packing box about a half
inch thick will do very nicely for these. Mark the outlines first with
a pencil; then cut them out with the saw, and “true them up” with
a knife--that is, take off the little roughnesses that the saw has
left, and make the edges perfectly straight and square. Next the two
long side pieces which you have made must be shaped. Measure off on the
lower edge (with the piece standing in position as though it were on
the sled), two inches from the front end. Connect this by a line with
the upper front corner, and cut it. Then round off the lower end of
this cut so that it curves into the bottom. Now make a nail hole near
the front end of each side piece for a string to go through, nail the
side pieces to the other oblong which you made for the top, and the
little sled is done.
Another very simple toy to make of this material is a little chicken
coop. This is made of one square piece of wood and another piece which
is almost square. The first piece (Fig. 3) measures seven inches each
way, and the other one (Fig. 4) measures seven inches in one direction,
and in the other direction seven inches less the thickness of the wood.
This is because one piece laps over the end of the other, and the end
of the first piece forms part of the other side of the coop. When these
pieces are cut and made perfectly square and true, lap the longer piece
over the end of the shorter so that it will be just even with the
surface, and nail in position. For the slats (Fig. 5) cut some strips
an inch wide and thinner than the sides of the coop. Lath is good if
you have it. Two of these strips are ten inches long, two are seven
inches, and two are four inches. The longest ones are nailed across the
open sides of the coop, one on each side, an inch above the bottom. The
middle-sized ones are nailed two inches above these, and the shortest
ones two inches higher. Then the ends of these strips are sawed off
almost even with the coop.
A little table may be made from one block of wood six inches square,
and four cylinders three and a half inches long. For the table top
(Fig. 6) select a piece of wood about an inch thick. Make this true,
and smooth the top with sandpaper. Then mark on the under side a square
which is four inches on a side, and exactly an inch away from each side
of the table top. At the corner of this inside square are to be made
the holes for the table legs. For these holes you will have to use
a bit and brace, and make the holes one inch in diameter and a half
inch deep. If you haven’t a bit and brace, you can, with a little more
trouble, whittle out the holes. For the table legs (Fig. 7) take four
pieces of wood one inch square and three and one-half inches long.
By whittling off each long corner edge you can make these from square
prisms into octagonal, or eight-sided prisms. Then keep shaving off
these corner-edges until the prisms are so many-sided that they are
practically round. Smooth them with sandpaper, and glue in place in the
holes in the under side of the table top.
A strong little cart may be made almost as easily as these other wood
toys. Cut from some pieces of wood three quarters of an inch thick,
two side pieces (Fig. 8) measuring three inches by ten inches, two
end pieces (Fig. 9) three inches by five inches, and one bottom piece
(Fig. 10) five inches by eleven and a half inches. In the center of
one of the end pieces make a nail hole for the string to go through.
Nail the sides and ends together, lapping the end pieces over the ends
of the side pieces. Then nail the bottom piece on. For the shafts of
the wheels (Fig. 11) take two pieces of wood nine inches long and one
inch square. For a space of two inches in from each end make the shafts
cylindrical just as you did the table legs, leaving the center portion,
which is five inches long, square. Nail these shafts to the bottom of
the cart at points two and a half inches from each end. Next cut from
1 inch-thick wood four wheels (Fig. 12), three and a half inches in
diameter. These may be cut out roughly with a saw, and worked down to
the marked line with the knife. Then cut in the center of each of these
wheels a hole about one and one-sixteenth inches in diameter--enough
larger than the shaft so that the wheels will turn easily. Slip the
wheels in place, and drive into the shaft from opposite sides, outside
of each wheel, two small finishing nails. These are to keep the wheels
in place, and must be driven in carefully so as not to split the shafts.
These are all attractive wood basket toys to make, and besides this,
each one of them may be adapted, by enlarging, for some real use. The
sled, with the addition of iron strips for runners, may be really used;
or by using two sleds and an extra board fastened to both so that they
will turn, it may be made into a “bob-sled” or “double.” The chicken
coop, enlarged, will comfortably accommodate the mother hen and her
brood of chicks which are the beginning of every boy’s first poultry
venture. The little table may grow into a flower stand, and the cart,
made larger and stronger, will rival any shop-bought express wagon for
durability and comfort.
[Illustration: A SET OF DOLLS’ FURNITURE MADE BY GLUEING TOGETHER
BLOCKS OF KINDLING WOOD]
THE WONDERFUL DODO BIRD
A very long, long time ago, in the far off country of Switzerland,
which is the land of high mountains and goats and tourists, there was a
wonderful bird. Nobody ever saw him near by, for he lived in a forest
of alpenstocks, and he had the longest kind of legs, so that no matter
how fast the tourists pulled up the alpenstocks, or how hard they tried
to catch him, he always got away. The only way any one could see him
was to watch the mountain tops, for when the weather was pleasant, he
would climb up and stand there outlined clearly against the sky, his
long legs making him taller than anything around him, and he would
bob up and down--first his head and then his tail, and then his head
again--and wave his plume and call, “Do-do, do-do.”
The peasants made little dodo birds whittled out of wood, and sold them
to the tourists, and because a real dodo bird was only hatched once
in a blue moon, and there are no more blue moons, why, the ones the
peasants made are the only dodo birds left. And this is how they made
them.
The foundation of the bird’s body (Fig. 1) is a chunky piece of wood
an inch and a half square by three inches long. On each end of this
is marked a circle--an inch and a half in diameter, which makes it
just touch each edge. Then by cutting from circle to circle, as
nearly straight as possible, the wood is made into a three-inch-high
cylinder. Next one whole end is rounded off like the large end of an
egg. The next steps in making the dodo bird are not quite as simple. A
straight line is drawn all the way around the body, from end to end,
which divides it into two equal parts. At the end of the line which
represents the middle of the bird’s back is measured off a space a
quarter of an inch on either side. This makes a half-inch space which
is the tip of his tail, and from these points lines are drawn on the
flat end surface, to complete the four-sided figure shown in the end
view of Fig. 1, which is the whole end of his tail. It tapers from a
half inch at the top to about a quarter inch at the bottom, and when
it is all finished, the bottom is slanted in a trifle. Next the bottom
part is whittled up in a curve which meets the lower end of the tail,
and the rest of the body is whittled in the shape shown in the side
view of Fig. 1. This part can’t be done by lines because it is a
gradual curve all over. When this is done two flat slanting surfaces
are whittled off for the sides of the tail.
[Illustration: Diagrams of a Dodo Bird.]
Now you are ready to make the grooves for the head and tail feathers
to go in. Part of the lower center line has been whittled off and will
have to be replaced. Then, measuring three-sixteenths of an inch on
each side of this line, make parallel lines which shall extend around
the lower part of the body from the end of the tail to a point on the
front end just a quarter of an inch below the top. A space a half inch
wide is left in the middle of the bottom for the legs to fasten on, and
the rest is to be made into the grooves as shown on the pattern. The
easiest way to do this is to cut as far in as possible, on the parallel
lines which you have drawn, with a small saw. Then chip the wood out
with a small chisel, and, with the chisel held bevel side down, round
out the bottoms of the grooves. If you haven’t such a chisel though,
you can manage with a knife.
When the body is done, the rest is easier. Fig. 2 shows the head, made
from a piece of wood two and a half inches long by one and one-eighth
wide and a quarter inch thick. The outline is marked and whittled into
shape, and the beak is slanted down to a point. One quarter of an inch
from the end of the neck a hole is made for pivoting, the eyes are
marked in with a pencil, and three rows of marks are made across the
neck with a little pattern marking wheel. These may also be made around
the body and will add to the beauty of the dodo bird. His plume is made
of a soft, downy chicken feather, stuck into a hole in the top of his
head and glued in place.
The tail feather (Fig. 3) is shaped like the feathered end of an arrow.
The “feathered” part is one inch wide by two and a half long, and
another inch in length forms the pivoting part. This end is a quarter
inch wide and five-sixteenths thick, and the “feathers” are cut in
from each side with a slanting cut as shown in the drawing. The bottom
is left perfectly level, but the top is slanted down, with three flat
cuts, to a sharp edge at the end. A hole is made from side to side, a
quarter of an inch back from the small end, for pivoting. Two small
nails driven through the body, with the head and tail feathers in
position, form the pivots. They must be driven carefully so as not to
split the wood, and must be placed so that the head and tail feathers
will work up and down very freely.
The legs (Fig. 4) are pieces of wood three and a half inches long, a
half inch wide, and a quarter of an inch thick. They are first whittled
in an elliptical shape. Then the lower part, for a space of two and a
quarter inches is tapered back from the front to give an appearance of
standing very straight. At the upper end, for a quarter of an inch from
the top, half of the wood is cut away, and the remaining part is fitted
into holes cut in the body, three quarters of an inch apart, and glued.
The standard for the dodo (Fig. 5) is made like a small wooden vise. It
is a flat piece of wood three and a half inches long by two inches wide
and three quarters of an inch thick. One end is beveled slightly, and
one end of the top is curved down slightly.
In the remaining flat surface on the top two holes are whittled out
into which the dodo’s feet are to be glued. Then a space two inches
long and one inch wide is cut out to form the jaws of the vise. To
tighten the vise there must be some sort of a screw through the lower
jaw. A wooden thumb screw is not easy to get, so the best plan is to
get a bolt about three eighths of an inch in diameter. Then cut a hole
almost as large in your wood, and screw the bolt in, forcing it to
cut its own “thread” in the soft wood.
[Illustration: THE DODO BIRD]
Fig. 6 is the weight which makes the dodo work. It is a piece of wood
two and a quarter inches high by an inch and seven-eighths square. This
is made into a cylinder and rounded at one end precisely as you did
with the body. Then a circle is marked around it a quarter of an inch
back from the flat end, and this end is slightly rounded off. It may be
decorated or not, as you choose.
Now you are ready to make the dodo bird work. Take two pieces of
string--stout, but not too heavy--about twelve inches long. Fasten an
end of one of them--with a tiny wedge and some glue--into the end of
the dodo’s neck, and the other into the small end of the tail. Then
bring the two pieces together and knot them about an inch from the
other end. Fasten these two ends into the top of the weight just as you
did the single ends.
Now fasten the vise securely on a shelf somewhere, and swing the weight
to and fro like the pendulum of a clock. The dodo will bob first his
head and then his tail and then his head again, and you can almost hear
him calling “Do-do” way off on the mountain there. He’s a source of
never-ending fun, boys, and besides playing with him yourself, you can
just watch and see how few grown-ups can go by him and resist swinging
the pendulum.
A FLEET OF TOY BOATS
Who remembers the mill pond down at the farm, clean, and high, with
trees all about--a capital place for sailing boats? It is so small
that, directly a toy ship is started on its voyage, you can run around
the other side and meet her.
There is the trout brook, too, down in the woods, where everything is
cool and still. There isn’t a sound as you sit on the bank save when
a mouse comes rustling along, pushing his way through the leaves with
his queer little pointed nose, or a hedgehog plods by, blind and deaf,
never seeing you at all.
If you should launch a toy boat in the brook, where do you suppose it
would sail to? You will follow it a little way. Sometimes it will get
caught in the ferns, or it may lie for a minute, stranded, on a rock,
or it will overturn as it shoots the rapids. You start it on again with
the long pole you cut from the willow tree, but presently the boat will
sail away, out of a child’s sight, down the brook.
Perhaps it will pick up a crew of little brownie sailor men. Perhaps
it will stop somewhere to load a cargo of butterfly’s gowns. You will
lose sight of it though. That is what always happens to one’s toy ships.
A boy can make himself a whole fleet of toy boats to play with in the
mill pond and the trout brook. If one of them does go sailing away to
Fairyland--why, what does it matter with all the rest of the fleet just
tugging away at their ropes, waiting to be launched?
The little boats are the nicest of all, because one may have so many
of them. Out in the woods there are some of last year’s walnuts lying
on the ground. Split one in half with a jack-knife, and take out all
the meat, leaving the inside smooth and white. Glue a scrap of paper
to a toothpick, and fasten this little mast to the inside of the half
walnut shell with a drop of glue. There is a real fairy craft, fit for
a dragon fly to ride in. Just watch it toss and float and sail away on
the make-believe waves.
[Illustration: A CORK RAFT]
[Illustration: A CORK SAIL BOAT]
There are so many eggs in the barn, you can surely have one. Do you
know how to blow an egg? Make a tiny hole with a pin in each end,
then, by blowing steadily into one end, the contents of the egg may
be emptied out of the other. You will be able to cut the egg shell
lengthwise, now, with your jack-knife. If you have some paper strips
you can bind the edges of the egg boat to make it a trifle stronger.
Glue two paper seats across the top and add a pair of oars made of
toothpicks. A tiny paper doll will enjoy a ride in the egg-shell boat.
Out in the barn where you found the egg, there is a whole big bin full
of corn cobs. Such light, clean playthings they are! They will make a
stout little raft to float about in the mill pond. You will need to
select eight corn cobs, all of the same size and length. Lay them side
by side on the barn floor. Then split up an old berry basket, and cut
two or more of the thin strips of wood from the side exactly as long as
the raft is to be wide, lay these strips of wood across the corn cobs
and nail them in place with tacks. The corn-cob raft is done. It is so
light that it can be loaded with quite a cargo, two or three rubber
dolls who do not mind the water, or a toy horse, or a rubber pig. Then,
if the current is right, it will float way across the mill pond, and
the toys can land on the other side.
Corks make a fine raft, too, and such a light one! A cork raft will
almost never sink. You must collect corks for quite a while before you
have enough for the raft. They will need to be of just the same width
and length. Glue five or six corks together by their ends to form a
little cork log. Make a number of these logs, and then fasten them
together as you fastened the corn-cob raft. Another way of making the
cork raft is to run the corks on a bit of fine wire and the logs may
all be wired together in the same way.
A very large, flat cork, such as mother puts in her pickle jars, will
make a fine little sail boat. All that it needs is a toothpick mast and
a white cambric or paper sail glued on.
A paper row boat is very easy to make. Choose an oblong of heavy paper
that will not soak with the water quickly. Fold a cocked soldier’s hat.
Every boy knows how to do that. Hold the cocked hat in the middle of
each side and pull it out into a square. Bend back the two open sides
to form another cocked hat, but smaller than the first one. Pull this
out, also, into a square. Then, if you pull hard on the two closed
corners, the paper will open into a fine little row boat. You can fold
so many of these paper boats that a new one may be launched as fast as
the old one sinks.