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HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: FIG. 11—A SINGLE-TREE HUT]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARPER’S
OUTDOOR BOOK
FOR BOYS
BY
JOSEPH H. ADAMS
WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY
KIRK MUNROE, TAPPAN ADNEY
CAPT. HOWARD PATTERSON
LEROY MILTON YALE
AND OTHERS
WITH MANY ILLUSTRATIONS
[Illustration]
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK AND LONDON
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright, 1907, by HARPER & BROTHERS.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
B-W
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENTS
Part I
IN BOUNDS
PAGE
CHAPTER I.—BACK-YARD PLEASURES 3
A WIGWAM
A SQUARE TEPEE
A RIDGE-POLE TEPEE
A FOUNTAIN
AN AQUARIUM
HOW TO MANAGE AN AQUARIUM
A MERRY-GO-ROUND
CHAPTER II.—PET SHELTERS 29
MARTIN BOXES
BIRD SHELTERS
PIGEON-COTES
DOG-KENNELS
GUINEA-PIG HOUSES
CHICKEN-COOPS
RABBIT-HUTCHES
SQUIRREL CAGES
REPTILE PENS
CHAPTER III.—SUMMER-HOUSES AND PERGOLAS 52
A SIMPLE SUMMER-HOUSE
A BACK-YARD PERGOLA
A TOADSTOOL TREE CANOPY
A RUSTIC PERGOLA
A CIRCULAR PERGOLA
A SUMMER SHELTER
CHAPTER IV.—WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS 59
A PINION-WHEEL WEATHER-VANE
A WIND-SPEEDER
THE ARROW WEATHER-VANE
WOODEN VANES
A WIND-PENNANT
A BASKET-BALL VANE
A MERRY-GO-ROUND
A WIND TURBINE
A BARREL-HOOP PINION-WHEEL
A PUMPING WINDMILL
A WINDMILL AND TOWER
CHAPTER V.—AËRIAL TOYS 81
THE ELASTIC FLYING-MACHINE
SELF-ACTING AËRIAL CAR
AËRIAL BOAT-SAILING
A “HIGH-FLYER”
Part II
AFIELD
CHAPTER VI.—COASTERS, SKEES, AND SNOW-SHOES 101
TOBOGGANS
A ROCKER-COASTER
A SINGLE-RUNNER COASTER
A BOB-SLED
SKEES
SNOW-SHOES
CHAPTER VII.—SAIL-SKATING AND SNOWBALL
ARTILLERY 115
A SKATING-SAIL
A SQUARE-RIGGED ICE-SAIL
A SNOWBALL MORTAR
CHAPTER VIII.—KITES AND AEROPLANES 120
THE SHIP KITE
THE CHINESE-JUNK KITE
THE SCHOONER KITE
A BALLOON KITE
AN AIR-SHIP KITE
BAT-WING AND CROWN-TOP KITES
SANDWICH ISLANDS BIRD KITE
BOX KITES
THE FLYING-WEDGE AND DOUBLE-PLANE KITE
KITE-REELS
CHAPTER IX.—FISHING-TACKLE 144
CHOICE OF TACKLE
BAIT-RODS AND FLY-RODS
REPAIRS, KNOTS, AND SPLICES
AIDS FOR YOUNG ANGLERS
BAITS, AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
A TRAP FOR SMALL FISH
A WATER-TURTLE TRAP
AN EEL-POT
A SCAP-NET
A HOOK DROP-NET
CHAPTER X.—LAND-YACHTS AND PUSHMOBILES 177
A LAND-YACHT
A SAIL-WAGON
A PUSHMOBILE
CHAPTER XI.—FIRE-ENGINES AND TRUCKS 191
THE ENGINE
THE HOSE-CARRIAGE
THE HOOK-AND-LADDER TRUCK
CHAPTER XII.—WATER-WHEELS 201
A SIMPLE PADDLE-WHEEL
A WAGON WHEEL
A BARREL-WHEEL
AN UNDERSHOT-WHEEL
A POWER-WHEEL
A WHEEL-RACE
Part III
AFLOAT
CHAPTER XIII.—BOATS 211
PUNT AND SCOW
A SHARPY
A DORY
A SAILING SHARPY
A CENTRE-BOARD SHARPY
A PROA
A LARK
A POWER-BOAT
CHAPTER XIV.—CATAMARANS 239
A ROWING CATAMARAN
A SAILING CATAMARAN
A SIDE-WHEEL CATAMARAN
CHAPTER XV.—ICE-BOATS 249
A SLOOP-RIGGED ICE-YACHT
A TWIN-MAST ICE-BOAT
SCOOTS AND SCOOTERS
A WIND-RUNNER
CHAPTER XVI.—HOUSE-BOATS AND RAFTS 261
A HOUSE-PUNT
A HOUSE-RAFT
A FLOAT
CHAPTER XVII.—MARLINE-SPIKE SEAMANSHIP 280
SPLICES
KNOTS
BENDS
HITCHES
Part IV
IN THE WOODS
CHAPTER XVIII.—CAMPS AND CAMPING 295
A TENT OF MEDIUM SIZE
A LARGE CAMPING-TENT
FLIES AND CANOPIES
A HOUSE-TENT
THE NEW TENT
CANVAS COTS AND HAMMOCKS
TABLES AND BENCHES
CAMPING EQUIPMENT
LOCKERS AND MESS-KITS
A STONE STOVE AND CAMP-FIRES
CAMP-COOKING
THE CARE OF A GUN
CHAPTER XIX.—TRAPS AND TRAPPING 334
SNARES AND DEADFALLS
CHAPTER XX.—TREE HUTS AND BRUSH-HOUSES 350
A LOW TWIN-TREE HUT
A HIGH TWIN-TREE HUT
A SINGLE-TREE HUT
A LOW SINGLE-TREE HUT
A BRUSH-HOUSE
A BRUSH “LEAN-TO”
CHAPTER XXI.—WALKING-STICKS 367
HOW TO GROW THEM FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT
INTRODUCTION
“How to do it,” might very well be the title of this new handy-book for
American boys. It is first and last a practical guide, based upon the
experience of those who have done what they describe. Results are
wanted, not theories in a book of this kind, and careful tests have been
applied to secure working results and the certainty that everything will
come out all right.
Another point, which has had the most careful attention of a board of
editors, is that of selection. It would be easy to include a quantity of
sports and games, and also plans for elaborate contrivances neither
particularly amusing nor necessary when done. But the object of this
book is to show boys how to do accurately things which are quite within
their powers, and things also which will be a satisfaction when they are
done. The plan followed is to develop a boy’s ingenuity and mechanical
ability along lines which will reward him. In short, the book is
intended to help a boy to think and act for himself and to have fun in
doing it.
The plan of arrangement which is followed is the natural one—to begin at
home. The back yard lies immediately at hand. Let us see what can be
done there. The aquarium, pet shelters, windmills, and many other
contrivances are identified with the home.
Going farther afield we learn the making of coasters and skees,
ice-boats and snow cannon, and all that enters into winter sports. There
is the air, also, with its invitation to kites and aeroplanes, and there
is water, with all the chances for the use of water-power and sport.
Fishing itself is something best learned by experience, but the choice
and management of tackle afford a most instructive theme. And water
naturally has an importance which requires an entire division of the
book wherein boat-building and boat-management of all kinds are
thoroughly and practically explained.
Camping out, which appeals to every healthy boy, is treated from every
point of view in the fourth division of the book, which includes also
trapping, taxidermy, and tree huts and brush houses.
In all these general divisions the aim of the editors and author has
been to show in the simplest and most accurate way how to do things
which are amusing to do and valuable when done.
The principal contributor to this book is an amateur carpenter,
boat-builder, and mechanician as well as an artist and writer. One
editor has had a wide practical experience in almost everything that has
to do with out-door amusements. Another has camped and fished in the
four corners of our country and in Canada. All their experience has been
combined to prepare a convenient out-door handy-book free from
unnecessary words and details, and filled with the latest and best
methods, which will be indispensable to every American boy who likes the
fun of doing things for himself.
Part I
IN BOUNDS
OUT-DOOR BOOK FOR BOYS
Chapter I
BACK-YARD PLEASURES
Since home is the natural centre of life, it will be most helpful if we
find out what we can do just outside the house. In large cities there is
usually no front yard, and even where such space exists its use as a
play-ground is apt to be undesirable. But the back yard even in cities
often affords some chances not only for gardening on a small scale but
also for making and using a variety of things which will furnish
constant amusement.
A Wigwam
For boys who like to “play Injun” in the back yard, here are some ideas
for tepees and wigwams that may easily be followed cut at a very small
cost for the poles and canvas.
Canvas can be bought at a dry-goods or country store, and poles may be
cut in the woods; or one-and-one-half-inch-square spruce sticks may be
purchased at a lumber-yard and dressed round with a draw-knife and
plane. When cutting poles for a wigwam it is necessary to select very
straight ones, preferably of pine, for crooked or knotty poles are
unsightly and make an uneven exterior.
The real Indian tepee is made from buckskin or other strong hides lashed
together with rawhide thongs; but as this covering is beyond the reach
of the average boy, the next best thing to use will be heavy twilled
canvas or stout unbleached muslin that can be had for about ten cents a
yard. The regulation wigwam is perhaps the most satisfactory kind of a
tent, for it is roomy, will shed water, and it is about the only tent in
which a fire may be built without smoking out the occupants. The tepee
will not blow over if properly set up and stayed with an anchor-rope,
and it is easily taken down and moved from place to place.
[Illustration:
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
A WIGWAM
]
For a party of three or four boys the wigwam shown in Fig. 1 will afford
ample room, and it is not so large as to be unhandy. Select thirteen
straight poles, not more than two inches thick at the bottom, and clear
them from knots and projecting twigs. They should be ten feet long and
pointed at the bottom so as to stick into the ground for a few inches.
Tie three of them together eighteen inches from the top, and form a
tripod on a circle five feet and six inches in diameter. Place the other
poles against this tripod to form a cone, as shown in Fig. 2, and lash
them fast at the top with a piece of clothes-line. From unbleached
muslin or sail-cloth (light weight) make a cover as shown in the diagram
Fig. 3. Lay out a sixteen-foot circle on a barn floor, or the grass,
with chalk, and indicate an eighteen-inch circle at the middle. Around
the outer circle or periphery measure off nineteen feet and chalk-mark
the space. From these marks to the centre of the circle draw straight
lines, and within these limits the area of the wigwam cover will be
shown. It should correspond with the plan drawing in Fig. 3. The muslin
should be three feet wide and with it this area can be covered in any
direction, sewing the strips together to make the large sheet; or the
muslin may be cut in strips three feet wide at one end and tapering to a
few inches at the other, as shown in Fig. 4, the seams running up and
down the canvas instead of across it. The outer edge of the canvas cover
should be bound with clothes-line or cotton rope, sewed securely with
waxed white string; then thirteen short ropes should be passed over this
rope so that the canvas may be lashed fast to the foot of each pole to
hold the cover in place. The doorway flaps are formed by stopping the
lacings three feet up from the ground. With short ropes and rings sewed
to the cover the flaps may be tied back, as shown in Fig. 1.
The real Indian wigwams are decorated with all sorts of emblems, for
even the uncivilized red men had their crests and totems, and the boys
who make these tepees can easily invent some mark which will distinguish
their tent abode from all others. The ornamentation should be done with
paint and should be carried out before the canvas covering is stretched
over the poles.
A Square Tepee
[Illustration:
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
]
A square tepee, as shown in the illustration Fig. 5, is another form of
rear-yard tent that is easily made. Twelve poles are selected and four
of them are lashed fast and spread apart on a square of six feet. Two
poles are added to each side and all are lashed together at the head.
Four pieces of canvas or heavy unbleached muslin are cut and made on the
plan as shown in Fig. 6, the strips being cut from goods a yard wide.
These pieces are six feet long, one foot wide at the head, and six feet
at the foot. The seam through the middle of one piece is left open for
three feet to form the doorway flaps, then the four sides are securely
sewed together with waxed white string. This cover is slipped about the
pole frame, tied at the front, and held down by means of short ropes
that are lashed fast to the foot of each pole. The cover is decorated
with paint to give it the Indian appearance, and when the flaps are tied
back it is easy to go into and come out of the tepee.
A Ridge-pole Tepee
A ridge-pole tepee is shown in Fig. 7, and is a very easy and simple one
to make, for it is of one piece of canvas with two flaps sewed at each
side to form the ends.
[Illustration:
Fig. 7
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 8
]
One ridge and two upright poles make the framework, and they are held in
place by the canvas, which is drawn and lashed fast to stakes driven in
the ground, as may be seen in the drawing. The ridge-pole is eight feet
long, one and a half inches thick, and four inches wide. Two inches from
either end a half-inch hole is bored to receive the iron pins that are
driven in the ends of the uprights as shown at Fig. 8 A and B. The
upright poles are eight feet long, and when set one foot of the lower
end should be embedded in the ground. The sides are in one piece of
muslin made by sewing widths of it together. The sheet measures
seventeen feet long and eight feet wide; and when stretched over the
ridge-pole and fastened down at both sides an inverted shape will be the
result. It is ten feet across at the bottom, seven feet high, and eight
feet long at each side. For the back it will be necessary to make a
triangular piece of canvas the right size to fit the opening, or two
flaps may be cut, divided at the middle, and tied back, or laced, to
close the tent. The apron or part enclosure at the front is formed from
pieces of canvas two feet wide sewed along the edges and caught together
at the middle over the opening.
Ten pegs eighteen inches long and two inches wide are cut from hard-wood
as shown at Fig. 8 C. These are driven in the ground at an angle and
ropes attached to the lower edges of the canvas sidings are lashed fast
to them. This tepee is long enough to swing a hammock from pole to pole,
and on a warm summer night makes an ideal place for sleeping
out-of-doors. The covering, like that of the other wigwams, may be
decorated with Indian emblems, and if a party of boys are going to camp
in the back yard their tepees can be inscribed with different crests and
totems to indicate individual ownership.
A Fountain
A practicable rear-yard fountain may be made with a brick or concrete
basin, an underground pipe-line and an overflow, thus insuring a
continuous flow and discharge.
In Fig. 9 the basin, pipe, and trap are shown with the inlet pipe fitted
for a hose connection. Three plates of different sizes are used for the
traps, and if care is taken in drilling the holes an opening may be made
in the bottom of each plate so that it will slip over the stand-pipe.
Tin or enamelled iron plates will answer the purpose very well for a
while, but the tin plates would soon rust unless frequently painted. The
white earthern-ware plates will present the best appearance and will
last indefinitely.
Dig a circular hole thirty inches across and twelve inches deep, and
with cement and sand make a hard bottom or bed. Use a trowel and smooth
the cement so that the top surface is smooth. With some bricks form a
circle, as shown at Fig. 10. With a cold-chisel and mallet cut away the
edges of two bricks so that the overflow pipe will pass between them, as
shown at A in Fig. 10.
The pipe should be half or three-quarter inch galvanized water-pipe, and
it may be purchased at a plumber’s shop for a few cents a foot.
The supply-pipe is three-eighths-inch galvanized water-pipe, and should
be set in place under the concrete bottom of the basin before the cement
is poured in. The upright, or stand-pipe, is thirty-six inches high from
the elbow, B (Fig. 10), in the ground. The cross-pipe leading out is
eighteen or twenty inches long, and the short upright that comes to the
surface outside the basin is fifteen inches long and is to be provided
with a hose connection so that a garden hose may be attached to it. The
stand-pipe in the basin and the cross-piece should be embedded in the
cement concrete, and when it is dry and hardens around the pipes it will
hold them securely in place. When the circle of bricks is complete, fill
in the crevices with equal parts of cement and sand mixed into a mortar.
This will lock the bricks together; then plaster the cement all around
the inside of the circle and some at the outside so as to make a
water-tight basin.
[Illustration:
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
]
Earth is to be put back into the hole outside the circle of bricks and
the sod replaced, so that grass will grow right up to the edge of the
basin rim, which should project an inch or two above the surface of the
ground.
From a plumber or gas-fitter obtain some old pieces of brass tubing an
inch in diameter, cut one of them fourteen inches long, and slip it down
over the stand-pipe. The lowest and largest plate rests on this. Next
cut a piece of tubing nine inches long and slip it over the pipe. The
second plate rests on this and the top plate is supported by a piece of
the tubing cut six inches in length and slipped over the pipe. If
porcelain dishes are used, make the first hole in them as follows:
Obtain a stout, three-inch steel wire nail, a block of wood about three
inches square, having an inch hole bored at one end, and a small
hard-wood mallet. Place a plate on the block of wood, inverted so that
its centre will be exactly over the hole. Place the point of the nail on
the plate, taking care to get it in the centre; then give it a sharp,
quick blow with the mallet. If this is properly done a small piece of
the porcelain will be driven out, but remember that if the blow is not
properly centred it will break the plate. For this reason it is best to
practise first on a broken plate; or if the porcelain seems to be
impossible, the painted tin or enamelled plates will have to answer. A
perforated porcelain plate is shown in Fig. 11 A. The ragged hole can be
smoothed out or chafed away with an old rat-tail or half-round file. A
brass reducer and a gas pillar should be screwed fast to the top of the
stand-pipe so that a jet of water about a quarter of an inch in diameter
will shoot above the pipe.
If a little wooden ball is to dance at the top of the jet, a
half-circular basket will be necessary to catch the ball when it falls,
so that the stream of water can pick it up again. This is made from
brass or galvanized wire, and where the wires cross bind the joint with
fine copper wire and solder the joints so as to make them rigid. A small
brass ferrule or short piece of pipe should be soldered to the bottom of
this basket, so as to hold it in place when slipped over the pillar or
nozzle. This basket and its shape is more clearly shown in Fig. 11 B. It
should be six or eight inches in diameter and three inches deep, with
the wires close enough together to prevent the ball from falling
through.
If it is not possible to get the bricks of which to form the basin, a
concrete wall can be made instead. Dig the hole as before described;
then construct a cylinder of wood twenty-four inches in diameter and
eight inches thick. Floor over the bottom of the hole with concrete,
after the stand-pipe is in place, and around the edge of the concrete
floor and outside the cylinder embed some small stones so that the
filling will hold fast. This is shown at _c c_ in Fig. 12. Slip the
wooden cylinder over the stand-pipe so that it will occupy the position
as shown in Fig. 12. Make a mixture of coarse sand or gravel and cement,
half and half, and add a shovel or two of small stones, preferably
cracked, such as are used for the under-dressing to macadam roads. Tamp
this down in the opening in the ground so as to fill up the ditch or
moat as shown at Fig. 13. The outside of the cylinder should be
thoroughly coated with lard or some heavy grease before the concrete is
poured in, so that the wood will not absorb the moisture from the
concrete and cause it to bind in the hole. As a precaution it would be
well to make the bottom of the cylinder an inch smaller in diameter than
the top, so that it may draw out easily after the concrete has set. The
two slots shown in the top of the cylinder are hand holes to grasp it
by.
With nearly clear cement, having but a small portion of sand added,
finish the inside of the basin and the rim with a trowel so as to give
it a smooth and even surface. The force of water may be regulated with a
faucet.
An Aquarium
[Illustration:
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
]
There is nothing difficult in the construction of a glass-and-wood
aquarium like the one shown in Fig. 14, and the boy who is handy with
tools and careful in joining wood-work accurately will be able to knock
it together in short order. The best size will be twenty-four inches
long, fifteen wide, and ten inches high. This will be generous enough in
proportions to accommodate a dozen or so of small fish, some baby eels,
crawfish, a turtle or two, and some water-lizards.
From a carpenter obtain a piece of white-wood twenty-seven inches long,
seventeen inches wide, and one and a half inches in thickness. This must
be of selected stock, hard and free from knots or sappy places. Cut four
battens of hard-wood two inches wide, an inch thick, and fifteen inches
long, and with brass screws attach them securely to the underside of the
board to prevent its warping from the action of the water. Obtain a
stick one inch and a half square and four feet long; cut this into
lengths of eleven inches each and also prepare one eight feet long, two
inches wide, and seven-eighths of an inch thick. With a groove-plane
having a quarter-inch blade cut into the square stick on two sides as
shown in Fig. 15 A. The edge of the stick between the two grooves may
then be planed off so that an end view of the stick will appear as shown
at Fig. 15 B. A groove should be cut at one side of the long stick
three-eighths of an inch from one edge so that when turned groove side
down an end will appear as shown at C in Fig. 15. This stick is to be
cut in lengths fifteen and twenty-four inches respectively for top
rails.
In the four corners of the white-wood board cut a hole with bit and
chisel three-quarters of an inch square as shown at Fig. 16. Saw the
bottom of each square stick so as to cut away about a quarter of an inch
of wood on each side as shown at the lower part of A in Fig. 15. This is
made so that the uprights will fit snugly into the holes and the
shoulder formed by the saw-cuts will rest on the top of the base board.
With straight rule and pencil mark parallel lines connecting each hole
as shown at D D in Fig. 16. These lines should correspond in position
with the grooves cut in the posts; then remove the posts and with
grooving-plane or chisel and mallet cut the grooves about three-eighths
of an inch in depth. The glass sides fit into these grooves, and the top
rails made from the long stick cap the upper edges of the glass sides.
The ends should be lapped and screwed down to the top of the
corner-posts to bind the glass and wood-work in one compact framework.
Before any of the wood-work is put together give it three successive
thin coats of black asphaltum varnish, which can be purchased at a paint
or hardware store. Each hole and the plug ends of the corner-posts are
to be coated with thick asphaltum varnish, and when wet with the varnish
the posts are to be driven into the holes. Screws passed in through the
sides of the base board will hold them securely in place.
From a glazier or hardware store purchase two panes of double-thick
glass ten by fourteen inches, and two measuring ten by twenty-two
inches. Give the grooves a thick coat of the asphaltum varnish, slide
the glass down into the grooves, and screw the top rails in place. When
the glass is in place and before the top rails are put on, the glass
should stand a quarter of an inch above the top of the corner-posts.
When the rails are laid in place the top edge of the glass should be
caught by the groove in the rails, otherwise the glass, having no
support at the top, would bow out on account of the pressure of water,
and either cause the glass to break or the joints to leak. Press the
glass sides against the outer edges of the grooves and lightly insert
some wooden wedges into the grooves to hold the glass in place
temporarily for a day or two or until the varnish sets. Then fill the
open spaces in the grooves with a putty made from whiting and asphaltum
varnish. This you will have to make yourself with a putty-knife on a
plate of glass, marble, or slate, for you cannot purchase it. Common
putty is not hard enough and will not dry for months, while the special
putty will set quickly and dry hard in a few days. When all the work is
completed about the aquarium allow it to stand for at least a week, in
which time the putty and varnish will harden.
At a paint store purchase some marine paint, also known as “copper
paint,” and give the wood-work two or three thin successive coats,
allowing it to dry for a few days between each coat. Scrape the paint
from the glass where it may have been smeared, and the complete aquarium
is ready for water and stock.
Another way in which to construct the framework is to take a
curtain-pole one and a half inches in diameter, and at a planing-mill
have a quarter section sawed out, as shown at Fig. 17, so that an end
rim will appear as shown at B. The part of the wood-work the buzz-saw
cuts away will correspond with the grooves cut in the square sticks.
[Illustration:
Fig. 17
Fig. 18
Fig. 19
Fig. 20
Fig. 21
Fig. 22
]
Four holes one and a half inches in diameter, or the same size as the
stick, are bored half-way-through the bottom-board of the aquarium and
V-shaped channels are cut in the board connecting the holes (Fig. 18).
The wood-work is treated in a manner similar to that already described,
and the corner-posts are held in place by long brass screws driven up
through the bottom and into the lower ends of the posts. The top rail is
made the same as shown in Fig. 15 C, and the glass is set as described.
At the corner-posts the lap is well smeared with asphaltum varnish and
putty and the angle strips are screwed fast to the posts as indicated at
A in Fig. 17. While this is somewhat easier to make it is not quite so
substantial for large tanks as the square post and channels.
When catching the stock for the aquarium it is best to use a drop-net.
This is made of two iron hoops fifteen or twenty inches in diameter and
held one below the other with cord as shown at Fig. 19. Mosquito-netting
is drawn across the lower hoop and sewed fast; then a band of it is
sewed about both hoops to close in the sides, to form a cylinder open at
the top only. Some bait is placed in the bottom of the net, and then it
is lowered into the water so that the top hoop drops down and the whole
net lies flat on the bottom of a pond. When a number of fish are around
the bait a quick haul will raise the upper ring; then pull the net up
with the fish captives within the cylinder. You can quickly select the
ones you want, and these may be placed in a pail partly filled with
water.
For turtles, crawfish, and lizards a scap-net will be necessary. This
may be made from stout wire, a broom-handle, and some netting. The ring
may be almost any size, from six to twelve inches in diameter, the ends
being sharpened with a file and turned so that they may be driven into
the end of the stick, which should first be bound with wire to prevent
it from splitting. The bag of mosquito-netting is made on the hoop and
sewed fast, as shown at Fig. 20. When changing the water in the aquarium
it is not necessary to empty it all out. A siphon made of a small rubber
tube will answer very well to drain off a portion. The part of the tube
in the tank should be held close to the bottom so as to suck up any dirt
or sediment that may be there. Good ventilation, light, healthy aquatic
plants, clean sand, and a proper proportion of fish to the volume of
water are absolutely necessary to the successful aquarium. A few
tadpoles and snails are advantageous in an aquarium, as they consume
decaying vegetable matter and help to prevent the formation of algæ on
the glass.
For the aquarium large enough to contain them, some artificial rockeries
may be made from cement, gravel, and stones, as shown in the
illustrations of the concrete rockeries Figs. 21 and 22. They should be
made with openings beneath for the fish to swim through, and pockets
should be made at the top to hold sand and the roots of aquatic plants.
The rockeries should have a good flat base so as to rest securely on the
bottom of the aquarium. Always have plenty of pebbles and river-sand at
the bottom of the aquarium to make the fishes feel at home.
How to Manage an Aquarium
It is generally supposed that it is necessary to change the water in an
aquarium at least once a day; but that is not the case. The true
principle on which an aquarium should be conducted is not to change the
water at all, but so to aërate and refresh the original supply as to
maintain it always in a pure and perfect state. There are several means
by which this may be done. The healthy growth of plants is very
important, and active and brisk contact with the air of the atmosphere
will greatly freshen the water. Motion in the water is absolutely
necessary. In large aquaria this is obtained by an arrangement of tanks
into which the water is pumped, and from which it flows rapidly,
circulating through the tanks where the fish live. In its passage
through the air it absorbs considerable oxygen, without which no fish
can live. Fish placed in water that has been boiled die in a very few
minutes.
The first thing to be done in the formation of a fresh-water aquarium is
to start your plants in proper soil at the bottom of your tank, fill the
tank with water, and leave it undisturbed until the plants begin to grow
and the little bubbles of oxygen are to be seen rising to the surface of
the water.
Choose your plants from such as you may collect from rivers or brooks or
ponds anywhere in the country. Plant them, and then cover the surface of
the soil with pebbles and small bits of rock, or anything that is
suitable and in keeping with the rest of your arrangements. Never put
sea-shells into a fresh-water aquarium.
Now fill your tank with water poured through a siphon or funnel, being
very careful not to disturb the soil or the roots of the plants. You
should have some clean river-sand in the bottom of your tank, and your
pieces of rock should be so arranged as to form little caves and
hiding-places for your fish. It will take perhaps two weeks to get your
tank into a proper condition for fish to live in. Every bit of dead or
decaying vegetation should be carefully removed. Keep your tank shaded
from the heat of the sun, and expose it to the bright light only once in
a while.
In order to manage your aquarium properly you will require a few simple
tools. A little hand-net that can be bought for a few cents, or made for
even less out of a bit of wire and a small piece of mosquito-netting, is
useful for catching the fish or shells without putting your hands into
the water. A pair of wooden forceps, like a glove-stretcher, will be
found most convenient for nipping off bits of decaying plants or for
catching objects that may have accidentally fallen into the water. Glass
tubes of various sizes are also useful. If you want to catch any small
object in the water with the tube, place the tube in the water with your
finger over the hole in the top. Until your finger is removed the tube
will remain full of air. Place it over the bit of refuse or whatever it
is you want to catch, remove your finger, and the water will rush in,
carrying the object with it into the tube, which should then be closed
at the upper end by placing your finger over it as before. A glass or
hard-rubber syringe is necessary with which to aërate the water
thoroughly at least once a day, and oftener if possible. Fill the
syringe, hold it high above the tank, and then squirt the water back
again.
If a green film begins to gather on the side of the tank that is most
exposed to the light, it should be cleaned away every day, and the sides
of the glass polished carefully. A small piece of clean sponge tied on
the end of a stick will answer the purpose very well, and, if used
daily, you can keep the glass clear with very little trouble; but if the
scum is neglected and left to accumulate, you will find it almost
impossible to remove it from the glass even by hard scouring.
It is best to have only small fish in your aquarium, and for this reason
trout are not desirable. Although very beautiful and intelligent, they
grow so rapidly that they are likely to become in a short time too
unwieldy for your tank. Goldfish and minnows are very good, and the
common little sunfish or “pumpkin-seed” is excellent.
You must keep careful watch over the fish in your aquarium, and if any
one of them appears to be sick he should be removed at once, very
gently, with the hand-net, and placed in fresh water, where he will
often recover. If, however, the little sufferer is doomed to die, it is
better not to run the risk of his doing so among his healthy companions.
It is best always to have a hospital for your sickly pets, and as soon
as one of them, whether a fish or a bird or any animal, shows signs of
ill health, he should be taken away from the others and placed by
himself.
Certain varieties of snails live well in fresh water, and will be found
useful in clearing away the green film that is almost certain to collect
on the side of the glass; but you must be careful or they will devour
your plants as well; and if your tank is very small it is hardly worth
while to try to keep them.
Water-beetles and water-spiders also thrive well, and their habits are
most interesting to watch; but water-beetles fly by night, and unless
you are careful to cover your tank you are likely to discover some
morning that a number of your tenants have taken French leave.
You must be careful not to overstock your aquarium, for your fish will
not thrive if they are overcrowded. Remember, also, that heat and dust
are fatal to your pets. The water must be kept clean and cool at all
times, and all foreign matter and every particle of decaying vegetation
should be removed immediately.
To manage an aquarium successfully, no matter on how small a scale,
requires a good deal of care and time, but you will find it time well
spent, and the pleasure and knowledge the study of your pets will give
you will be an ample return for the time you spend on them.
A Merry-go-round
A great deal of fun may be had with a merry-go-round in the rear yard,
and while it may not be run by an engine or its motion accompanied by an
organ, hand power will turn the table and music can be made with an old
accordion or concertina. The only difficult thing about the whole affair
is the bevelled gear, the shaft and crank; but if an old reaper can be
found at a blacksmith-shop the difficulty is solved, for a pair of
bevelled gears are on every reaping-machine. Of course a machine-shop or
foundry would contain gearing of various sizes, and a five and twelve
inch gear wheel will answer the purpose very well.
In the practical back-yard merry-go-round shown in Fig. 23 the revolving
post is four inches square and may be of spruce or white-wood planed on
all sides and provided with a ferrule at both ends. These may be taken
from old buggy-wheels, and will prevent the wood from splitting when the
pins are driven in. The lower cross-beams _a a_ in Fig. 24 are of
spruce, eight feet long and two by three inches. The beams _b b_ are six
feet and six inches long, and on these four the cross-plates are made
fast that hold the top or deck planks. The six cross-timbers are of
spruce, one by four inches, and are from two to eight feet in length,
according to their location. The beam plan (Fig. 24) shows quite clearly
how these supporting beams are arranged. They are held together with
steel wire-nails driven down from the upper beams diagonally into the
lower ones.
[Illustration:
Fig. 23
Fig. 24
Fig. 25
Fig. 26
Fig. 27
Fig. 28
A MERRY-GO-ROUND
]
The longest beams are securely spiked to the revolving shaft, and in
securing them in place take care to see that they are perfectly true, so
that the outer edge of the platform will not dip and rise as it
revolves. Drive a three-quarter-inch rod in the top of the shaft and
another one in the bottom having a bevelled point as shown at Fig. 25.
At the lower end of the shaft arrange the larger gear wheel and pin it
fast so that it is fixed to the shaft and will not move.
An iron base-plate with an upright arm welded to it will hold the shaft
and the smaller gear, which is to be arranged the right height to lock
in with the teeth of the large gear. This plate is shown in Fig. 26; and
through the four holes at the corners long screws are passed to bolt the
plate securely to a wooden base, which last is set in the ground as
shown at A in Fig. 27. The shaft B, to the end of which the small gear
wheel is made fast, extends out beyond one of the upright posts, and at
the outer end a crank and handle C are made fast, so that by hand-power
the platform and shaft may be revolved.
Construct an overhead framework of six by two inch spruce beams twelve
feet long, and set them in the ground twelve feet apart, bracing the
uprights well, braced at both sides with angle beams as shown in Fig.
23. The top bar should be well braced also with one or two angle
brackets, to prevent the frame from rocking. If the ground props are not
strong enough to properly brace the frame, attach heavy wires to the
corners and carry them out in both directions, making the ends fast to
stout pieces of joist embedded in the ground.
At the middle of the top cross-bar arrange a plate of wood eighteen
inches long with a groove cut in it in which the pin at the top of the
square shaft may revolve. This plate should be attached to the bar with
lag screws, so that it can be removed when it is necessary to unstep the
shaft and platform. The outer line of deck planking is shown in the deck
plan (Fig. 28), and inside of these boards as many others can be laid
down as desired; or the entire frame may be all decked over, leaving a
small space near the middle so as to reach the gear and lower pin in
order to grease them. Where the shaft passes one of the uprights of the
supporting frame an iron strap will hold it in place against the wood,
and this bearing will require lubrication from time to time.
Four stout wire guys must be drawn from the top of the shaft and
fastened at the outer edge of the platform to one of the beam ends. The
anchorage should be made with very stout, strong screw-eyes, and to make
it easier to draw the wires taut four small turn-buckles should be
purchased at a hardware store and made fast to the lower ends of the
wires, the hook on the buckle being caught in the large screw-eyes.
Seats may be made from boxes and nailed to the deck, and as a safeguard
to prevent falling from the turn-table ropes should be attached to the
stanchion wires and to the shaft as shown in Fig. 23.
It would be well to paint all the wood-work in order to give it a good
appearance, and all the iron parts should be coated with asphaltum
varnish to prevent rusting.
If the gears are properly adjusted and there is no friction at the
bearings, it will not be a difficult matter to move the table with
several children occupying the seats. The bevelled point bearing at the
bottom rests in a drilled depression in the plate, and the friction
there is reduced to a minimum, while at the top the friction will be
slight if the weight is properly distributed on the turn-table.
Chapter II
PET SHELTERS
Most boys are interested in pet animals, and at one time or another
possess them. Cats and dogs are domesticated and will always stay about
the house if they are properly cared for and treated kindly, but
rabbits, guinea-pigs, squirrels, monkeys, and reptiles often forget
where they belong and will wander away and neglect to come back.
For this reason it will be necessary to build houses and hutches for
them, and so safeguard the doorways and screenings that they cannot
escape.
It is not possible, of course, to give a lengthy description of pet
shelters, since there are so many different kinds in use by boys all
over the world; but the illustrations on these pages will give some
ideas for the American and English boys to follow in making houses,
hutches, and retreats to shelter their pet animals, birds, and reptiles.
In speaking of reptiles, that does not necessarily mean snakes, for
under this classification come the horned-toads, lizards, turtles, and
many of the beautiful tropical creeping and crawling things that in warm
countries take the place of the white mice, rabbits, guinea-pigs, and
canary-birds of our northern climes.
Some boys have a natural aptitude for carpenter-work, but there may be
ideas in these illustrations and the accompanying descriptions that will
be helpful both to them, and to the boy who has as yet to make his first
kennel or pigeon-cote.
Martin Boxes
In the early spring, when the birds return to the north, the martins are
among the first to appear, and long before the swallows, whom they
closely resemble, begin to nest they have hatched their young and have
taken their departure from the southland.
They are cold-weather birds, fly rapidly, and do not stay long in one
place. They seldom build their nests in the branches of trees, but
prefer to find a hole in a tree-trunk, and there build a nest safe from
the wind and storm. The sand-martin burrows a hole in the side of a
bank, but never builds a nest in the chimneys as do his brother and
sister swallows. The martin, when sitting on her eggs, likes a dark and
sheltered place, and for that reason she takes kindly to a martin box in
which a hole is made sufficiently large for her to fly in and out of.
In Fig. 1 a small keg is supported at the top of a post and braced at
the bottom with two bracket pieces. A hole two inches and a half in
diameter is made at each end of the keg, through which the martins can
enter, and the post to which the keg is fastened is cut away at the
upper end as shown in Fig. 2.
In one side of the bilge of the keg a hole is cut as large as the post
is square or round, and at the other side a corresponding hole is cut
the size of the upper part of the post. The keg is then dropped down
over the post so that the shoulder, formed by cutting away the wood,
will rest under the upper side of the keg, in which the smaller square
hole has been cut.
If a round post is employed, the upper part should be cut square so as
to prevent the wind from blowing the keg round the post. A cross-stick
fastened at the top of the post will form a perch on which the birds may
alight.
A box with a peaked roof and three divisions, intended to accommodate
three families of the birds, is shown in Fig. 3.
[Illustration:
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
]
An ordinary box may be cut and rearranged with a pitched roof, an inner
floor, and the three divisions. A small hole is bored at each side of
the box and a round stick passed through it, so that six or eight inches
of the wood will project at either side to serve as perches. Another
perch can be arranged at the top of the box, and this bird-house is then
securely fastened to the upper end of a post and braced there with
bracket-pieces nailed both to the bottom of the box and to the post.
The divisions in the box should be not less than six inches square and
six or eight inches high. If the box used be square it will probably be
an easier job to divide it into four divisions for as many families.
Each compartment, of course, must be provided with its separate hole for
ingress and egress.
Bird Shelters
Birds do not always seek the shelter of trees in a storm; they will
often gather about the house and under barn eaves and piazza sheds,
where they are protected from the rain and the drippings from wet
leaves. They like a dry shelter, and structures suitable for their needs
can be knocked together from very simple material. In the illustration
of a bird shelter (Fig. 4), a canvas or heavy muslin roof is supported
on two uprights, and under it five perches are arranged from side to
side, upon which a great many birds can rest.
The uprights are one and a half by three inches, and the strips forming
the Y braces are two inches wide and seven-eighths of an inch thick.
The perches are three-quarter-inch dowels three feet long. If they
cannot be had at a carpenter’s shop or a hardware store, some small
scantling may be planed nearly round to answer the same purpose. Where
the perches are attached to the uprights and Y pieces, holes are bored
half-way through the wood. Into these the ends of the perches are driven
and nailed fast.
In Fig. 5 the canvas is left off from one side so that the
constructional parts of the upright, braces, and roof strips may be
seen. When the wood-work is put together the roof should be covered with
canvas, heavy unbleached muslin, or a piece of oil-cloth, and tacked all
around the edges.
[Illustration:
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
]
To make the barrel-hoop shelter, shown in Fig. 6, a flat barrel-hoop is
loosely covered with canvas or muslin tacked all around the edge. In the
top of a post a wooden peg is driven, and over this the middle of the
canvas disk is slipped, having first made a hole in the fabric through
which the peg can pass. Four wires are attached to the hoop at equal
distances apart, and the lower ends caught through staples or screw-eyes
driven in the post a foot or two from the top. Two or three holes should
be made through the post in which round perches may be driven.
A shelter for the side of a house or barn can be made from a piece of
board, two bracket strips, and three dowels or round sticks to act as
perches.
The board should be three feet long and fifteen inches wide. Where it is
attached to the house or barn a strip is first attached, and the inner
edge of the board is then nailed fast to the strip. The two bracket
strips that support the roof at the outer edge should be twenty-four
inches long, one inch thick, and two inches wide. Three or four sets of
holes are bored in the strips to receive the ends of the dowels or
perches.
Pigeon-cotes
For the ordinary pigeons that fly about the house and barn some open
cotes are shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, but for the more valuable pigeons
a large wire enclosure should be made and the lodges placed within them,
unless the birds are very tame and will not leave the premises.
In Fig. 7 A, a cote with three holes is shown that is easily made from
thin boards. It should measure thirty inches long, nine inches wide, and
twelve inches high at the back, while at the front the board with the
holes cut in it should be nine inches wide, with the holes five inches
high and four inches wide.
[Illustration:
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
]
The wood is put together as shown in Fig. 9, and the roof boards
overhang the ends and front for an inch or two. The upper ends of the
two divisions need not extend beyond the height of the front board, and
this open space will insure good ventilation. Sticks an inch square are
made fast under the ends of the cote, and on the projecting ends a ledge
three inches wide is fastened upon which the pigeons may alight.
The cote shown in Fig. 7 B is made from a shoe-case divided as shown in
Fig. 10; on each floor the entrances are alternated from front to sides.
Outside each entrance a ledge three inches wide is supported on
brackets, and under the pitched roof the ninth compartment is arranged.
The large pigeon-cote (Fig. 8) is a more pretentious affair to make and
will tax the young carpenter’s skill. This cote can be made a very
attractive pigeon shelter if it is carefully put together and nicely
painted.
It is thirty-two inches long, twenty-four high to the eaves or
thirty-four to the peak, and twelve inches deep. It is divided as shown
in Fig. 11, and the ledges are supported with brackets cut from
half-inch wood with a compass saw. From the eaves to the peak the front
of the cote may be shingled, and above the peak a perch is erected.
This cote may be attached to the side of a barn or supported on stout
uprights embedded securely in the ground.
Dog-kennels
When building a dog-kennel the important features to bear in mind are to
make it strong, weather-proof, and large enough for a good-sized dog to
turn around in comfortably. A poorly built kennel soon falls apart, and
if it is not weather-proof rain will get in on the dog, and dogs do not
like to get wet while sleeping any more than boys. Moreover, if the
kennel is not large enough it is cramped and stuffy, and, while the dog
cannot say so, he resents it, and in his own dog way of reasoning feels
that he is imposed upon in being housed in such small quarters. The
dimensions of a kennel must be naturally governed by the size of the dog
who is to inhabit it; but for one of medium size, such as a setter or
collie, a kennel with a peaked roof, similar to the one shown in Fig.
12, should be three feet long, two feet wide, two feet high at the
sides, and three feet high from the ground to the peak or ridge-pole.
The floor frame is the first thing in constructing a kennel, and it
should be made of two by three inch spruce, thirty-four inches long and
twenty-two inches wide, with lap joints at the corners as shown in Fig.
13. On this the flooring of tongue and grooved boards is laid and nailed
down.
From three matched boards eight inches wide make the front and back to
the kennel as shown in Fig. 14. The lower ends of the boards are nailed
to the floor frame, and where they are sawed off to form the peak a
batten is placed at the inside and made fast with clinch nails driven
into it from the outside through the boards.
The nail heads in the front of Fig. 14 will show the location of one
batten, and the other can clearly be seen at the inside of the back,
where the clinched nail ends are shown.
Beginning at the bottom and working up, the sides are laid on. Always
place the tongue up and the groove down when using matched boards in a
horizontal position, as otherwise the rain and moisture will work into
the groove and cause the wood to decay.
A ridge-pole is nailed between the front and back at the peak, and to
this the upper ends of the roof boards are fastened.
In the front a hole large enough for a dog to pass through is cut with a
compass saw, and above it, near the peak, one large and three smaller
holes are bored, as shown in Fig. 14, and the wood cut away between the
holes, as shown in Fig. 12. This is for ventilation, for dogs as well as
human beings require plenty of fresh air. Another hole at the top of the
back board will allow free circulation of air across the top of the
kennel.
[Illustration:
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
]
Two or three good coats of paint will finish the wood-work, and with the
addition of a chain fastened to a staple-plate this dog-kennel will be
ready for occupancy.
This dog-hut in Fig 15 is built against the side of a house or barn, and
is forty inches long, twenty-four wide, and twenty-eight inches high at
the outer side, and thirty-six inches high next the house or barn. The
floor frame is thirty-eight inches long, twenty-two inches wide, and
made like Fig. 13. Stakes are driven in the ground, one under each
corner, and to these the floor frame is spiked fast.
When constructed against a building a strip is fastened to the siding of
the building on which to nail the roof boards and to the upper edges of
the front, back, and side boards battens are made fast to strengthen the
hut.
The wall or side of the building may, in such a “lean-to,” be used as a
fourth side of the dog-hut. A ventilator is cut in the upper corner of
the back and at the front a swinging door can be hung in the doorway or
opening. This is a weather-door and is made an inch narrower on each
side than the width of the doorway. It is hung on screw-eyes and staples
so that it will act as a flap and can be pushed in or out by the dog
when entering or leaving the hut. In the winter-time, and when it is
raining, this door will keep out snow and water and also protect a dog
from strong winds.
Guinea-pig Houses
When making houses or huts for guinea-pigs it will be necessary to make
at least one-third of the coop dark, or nearly so, as the little pigs
like darkened places in which to spend a portion of their time.
The illustration of the guinea-pig house in Fig. 16 shows how this can
be done by partitioning off a portion of the house and making
ventilating holes or small windows near the top.
[Illustration:
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
]
A substantial double-decked house, similar to the one shown in the
illustration, should be thirty-six inches long, twenty-four inches wide,
twenty-four inches high to the roof eaves and thirty-two inches to the
peak. A small dry-goods case can be adapted to this use, and the floor
nailed in midway between the top and bottom.
The darkened compartment is fourteen inches wide and extends up on both
floors. Holes three by four inches made in the sidings will permit the
pigs to have access to the open and closed compartments. A door at one
side is made high enough to open into both upper and lower compartments;
this is swung on hinges, and for safety it may be provided with a hasp
and padlock.
The open compartments are to be screened with square-mesh galvanized
wire cloth substantially heavy to prevent the pigs escaping or dogs from
entering and molesting them. This wire cloth can be purchased at a
hardware store and attached to the wood with galvanized wire staples.
A guinea-pig house should not be placed on the ground, but attached to
the tops of posts from twenty-four to thirty-six inches above the
ground. Locust posts about four inches in diameter are the best for this
purpose as they are tough and will not decay in the ground as quickly as
other wood.
The guinea-pig hut shown in Fig. 17 has but one floor and it is much
longer than the house, the floor plan being forty-two inches long and
eighteen inches wide. The ends are fifteen inches high at the front,
twelve at the back, and eighteen at the peak. The dark compartment is
fifteen inches wide and the door at the front is six by eight inches,
hung on hinges and fastened with a hasp and padlock.
At the front the roof extends over for six inches to shade the open
compartment, and at both ends and the back it overhangs about two
inches.
This hut is held up on sticks implanted in the ground, and braced so
that the wind will not blow it over.
Chicken-coops
In the spring-time when little chickens are hatched, and it is not
possible to let the hen wander about at random to scratch up the garden
or the flower beds, some small coops and shelters should be constructed
and placed in a corner of the back yard, or in some other vacant space,
where the little chicks can run without being molested by the larger
fowls, as they would be if put in the big chicken-coop or runway.
[Illustration:
Fig. 18
Fig. 19
]
The easiest coop to make is shown in the illustration of the young
chicken shelter (Fig. 18). It consists of a pitched roof mounted on
three boards six inches high. This shelter may be three feet wide and
two feet deep, and from the ground to the peak the distance is
twenty-four inches. Slats are nailed across the front to prevent the hen
from getting out, although not so close as to prevent the chicks from
squeezing through. A coat or two of paint will improve the appearance of
this shelter, and each mother-hen should be provided with a separate
coop for her family.
In the illustration of the young chicken coop (Fig. 19) a little more
care is taken with the construction, and a canopy fly is arranged at the
front to keep off rain and to shade the interior of the coop. This coop
is three feet long, two feet wide, and thirty inches high at the front,
but at the back it need not be more than twenty-four inches high.
It may be constructed from boards with matched edges, or perhaps from a
dry-goods case, and if it is raised from the ground an inch or two, and
a few holes bored in the bottom, it will insure a dry floor. The cross
rail at the bottom to which the upright slats are nailed is three inches
above the floor; and if made two inches wide and the slats one inch and
a half in width, they will be heavy enough to resist dogs and cats, if
they should try to disturb mother-hen and her brood.
Outriggers may be nailed at each end so that about fifteen inches of the
wood projects beyond the sides. A strip of lath should be fastened
between the ends, and light canvas or muslin may then be tacked fast to
the roof and to the strip to serve as an awning.
Rabbit-hutches
Among animal pets rabbits seem to be general favorites all over the
country, perhaps because they are such beautiful and harmless little
creatures and so prettily marked. They are worthy of a comfortable home,
and the boy who is fortunate enough to have some good rabbits should
take pleasure in building a substantial hutch in which they can live and
thrive.
In Fig. 20 a double-floored rabbit-hutch is shown, and if it is made
large enough quite a family of rabbits can live in it, the larger ones
down-stairs and the smaller ones upstairs. An inclined plane will make
it possible for the friends and relatives to visit each other.
This hutch should be from four to five feet long, twenty-four inches
wide, and twenty-four inches high. The second floor is arranged so that
it will be midway between the top and bottom, and at the rear an opening
five inches wide and ten inches long will receive an inclined board,
across which short sticks have been nailed to prevent the rabbits
slipping when going up or coming down the stairs.
[Illustration:
Fig. 20
Fig. 21
]
At one end a compartment is made eighteen inches wide, and provided with
a door six inches wide hung on hinges and fastened with a hasp and lock.
Openings five inches wide and six inches high are cut in the side of
this compartment, so that the rabbits may enter it from either floor. A
drop front, on hinges, will permit the hutch to be partially closed in
very severe weather, but when it is pleasant the front should be raised
and propped up with a stick, in the ends of which hooks are arranged
that will fit into screw-eyes driven into the lid and along the side of
the compartment, as shown in the illustration.
In the end of the hutch, opposite the bottom of the stairway, a
feeding-doorway six inches square should be cut with a compass saw, and
a door hung on hinges. This hutch should be supported on stout sticks or
posts embedded in the ground for at least two feet, and it should be
thirty to forty inches above the ground. Across the open runs,
galvanized wire cloth, with half to three-quarter inch meshes, is to be
nailed fast with staples. With a few coats of paint on the outside, this
hutch will present a very good appearance.
The rabbit-house (Fig. 21) is a large, one-story structure, in which a
family of rabbits can live very comfortably. It is thirty-six inches
long, twenty-four inches wide, eighteen inches high at the back and
twenty-two at the front. At one side a compartment is made twelve inches
wide, and at the outer side a door seven by nine inches is hung and
fastened with a lock. This house is supported on four posts, two or
three feet above the ground, and when painted it should look very
homelike to a rabbit’s eyes.
A house of this same description, but larger, may be made for a monkey,
a fox, an opossum, a raccoon, or even for bear cubs. For the latter,
bars will have to be used instead of the wire cloth, for the bears would
soon tear away the lighter material.
Squirrel Cages
For squirrels, chipmunks, and white rats very good cages can be made
from wire cloth, tin boxes, and wood, and in the illustration of a
squirrel cage (Fig. 22) a simple house is shown.
To make it, a base-board is cut twenty-eight inches long, fifteen inches
wide, and one inch and a quarter thick. Ten inches from one end the
edges of the board are sawed off so that the end will be six inches
wide. Eleven inches from the small end a square piece of wood is mounted
on the base-board to form the back to the square compartment. This is
covered with tin on the inside, so that the rodents cannot gnaw the wood
away at the edges or about the hole that leads into the cylinder.
A wedge-shaped piece of wood, six inches broad at the bottom and two
inches at the top, is attached to the small end of the base-board, and
from the top of this piece to the top of the back-board a connection
strip is nailed fast. From thick wire or quarter-inch iron rod a wicket
is made and driven into holes at the wide end of the board. It should be
the same size as the back-board, and is placed there to support the wire
cloth of which the cage is made.
[Illustration:
Fig. 22
Fig. 23
]
Small holes are made in the base-board with an awl, so that the ends of
the wire cloth will slip into them. When the edges of the cloth are
tacked to the back-board and wired to the wicket, the ends in the holes
will remain in place.
A wire door made from the cloth can be hung on hinges, which should be
soldered to the galvanized cloth. With straight wires or wire cloth an
exercising cylinder can be made with wooden or tin ends. It is supported
between the back of the cage and the wedge-shaped upright. Tacks driven
around the hole that leads into the cylinder will prevent the occupants
from gnawing away the edges of the wood-work.
The squirrel house (Fig. 23) is constructed in the same manner as the
cage, but it has the advantage of a covered shelter at one end of the
base-board. This is made from a tin cracker-box with the lid removed,
and inverted so the bottom acts as the roof. In one side an oval opening
is cut and a wire screen is fastened to it at the inside.
The wire cylinder is seven inches in diameter and twelve inches long,
quite large enough for two squirrels to run a great race at the same
time. A piece of hair felt, an old woollen cloth, or some curled hair
will be comfortable for the squirrels to lie on in the enclosed cage.
Reptile Pens
In some parts of the country pets are made of reptiles, and very
interesting and tame ones are found among the lizard family.
When making a reptile pen, care should be taken to get the joints tight
and not have any small openings or cracks between boards, for snakes can
get through a very small space, often much smaller than you would think
it possible, judging from the size of their bodies.
In Fig. 24, the design for a very substantial reptile pen is shown, and
instead of fine wire screening, two heavy plates of glass may be used at
the front of each compartment. This is a double pen, and one side can be
used for snakes, while the other may harbor some lizards or small
land-turtles.
This pen is forty-eight inches long, twenty-four deep, and twenty-six
high. The bottom rail at the front is four inches wide, and the top and
upright ones are two inches wide.
[Illustration:
Fig. 24
Fig. 25
]
The wood from which the pen is made should be tongue-and-grooved, and
planed on both sides. It may be from three-quarters to one inch and a
quarter thick, and narrow boards are preferable to wide ones.
In the lizard compartment an upper floor is fastened in, having an
opening at one side where an inclined board, with cross sticks attached,
is arranged so that the animals may climb up and down.
The snake pen should have a portion of a small tree fastened at top and
bottom, on which the reptiles may climb and coil. The more short
branches it has, the better, for it will then give the snakes a more
satisfactory perch to move about on. At the bottom of each end a small
trap doorway four inches high and six inches long is cut, and protected
by a stout wire-cloth door, hinged and locked. These trap-doors are for
the purpose of removing refuse or for feeding the reptiles; or a smaller
opening at the back, near the top, and about two inches in diameter, can
be used as a food door.
A ventilator is cut in the roof twelve inches long and six inches wide,
so that each compartment gets the advantage of an opening about six
inches square. Over this a roof is made three inches above the main
roof, and with stout wire cloth the opening is covered first at the
under side. Then the strip of wire cloth, four inches wide, is tacked
around the inside of the opening and to a board the same size as the
hole, or six by twelve inches, attached to the under side of the cap.
This arrangement is more clearly shown in Fig. 25, which is a sectional
view, A being the cap, B the board to which the upper edge of the wire
cloth is attached, C the wire cloth, and D the main roof to the pen. The
line E represents the wire cloth tacked to the under side of the
opening, to prevent the reptiles crawling up and over the partition.
At the lower end of the partition an opening four inches square may be
made and fitted with a wire-netting door that can be raised and lowered
by a rod that extends through the cap of the ventilator. One or two
staples driven over the rod at the inside of the reptile pen will
prevent the rod from bending, and the wire door should slide on runners
provided with a rabbet at the inside, so that it cannot be dislodged.
With this construction, the reptiles may be allowed to mingle if they
are peaceable, but if the snakes molest the small lizards they must be
driven into their own side and the trap-door closed. With the outer
doors at the bottom and the ventilator at the top, a free circulation of
air can be had; and if the floor is kept well sanded and clean, this
reptile pen will make a comfortable home for a collection of such pets.
[Illustration: Fig. 26]
The lizard run shown in Fig. 26 is made from a wooden shoe-case open at
the front, and on top of which a smaller box is mounted and connected
with the lower one by means of an inclined board and an opening, through
which the lizards can crawl. A ventilator is cut in the upper box and
covered with wire netting; and in the lower box, at one end, a doorway
is made, four by six inches, and protected by a heavy wire screen door
on hinges.
A raised platform and ladder is made at one end of the large box, and in
the open space one or two branches should be made fast on which the
lizards can climb.
The top of the box should be enclosed with wire netting, as shown in the
illustration. A doorway three inches square cut in the side of the upper
box will allow access to this roof-garden.
A few coats of dark-green paint will finish these reptile pens on the
outside, and they should be enamelled cream color, buff, or light green
on the inside, so that the reptiles may be seen against the light
background.
Chapter III
SUMMER-HOUSES AND PERGOLAS
A Simple Summer-house
For the back yard, or in the fields and woods near the house, a
summer-house or pergola will be found a comfortable nook in which to
spend many pleasant hours.
A simple summer-house is shown in the illustration, Fig. 1. This is made
of four posts, has a shingled roof, and is provided with seats on three
sides. Obtain four spruce posts four inches square, or four tree-trunks
from four to six inches in diameter. Plant them in the ground, forming a
square of six feet. The posts should be embedded for at least two feet,
and, to insure them from decaying too quickly, tar or pitch the bottoms,
or give them two or three good coats of asphaltum varnish. The posts
should stand seven feet above ground. Across the tops of the posts nail
two-by-four-inch joist, with lap joints as shown at A in Fig. 2. With
four more pieces of joist form the roof rafters, cutting a notch in each
joist where it fits over the corners at the head of the posts. At the
peak, the joist are bevelled where they meet.
[Illustration:
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
]
Join two of the pieces at first; then lap the remaining two on both
sides of them, nailing all the ends securely with steel wire nails. Put
one middle rafter in on each side between eaves to the roof. It would
not look well to have to roof the corner ones; then nail shingle lath or
scantling on the four sides to receive the shingles. The rafters should
overhang the top frame about twelve inches, so as to form the stop on a
line with the posts. Begin at the bottom and at the middle of each side
to shingle the roof, working out to the corners and up through the
middle to the peak. To prevent the roof leaking at the corners, bevel
the shingles at one side, then lap those on the other side over them and
bevel the edges. Some builders lay a strip of tin flashing over the
edges as well as in the valleys of a roof to insure a perfectly
water-tight joint. Use galvanized nails. To hide the rough rafters and
shingle lath, the inside of the roof may be lined with narrow, matched
boards; then the wood-work may be given a coat or two of paint in some
desirable color.
A Back-yard Pergola
A back-yard pergola is constructed from two upright posts four inches
square, a cross beam two by six inches, and eight joists laid across
from the post bar to the top of the back fence. This style of pergola is
particularly adapted to city yards and those surrounded by a board
fence. In the event of there being no fence, the ends of the joist or
roofing beams may bear on a two-by-six-inch cross bar that rests on two
more posts corresponding with the front ones.
The posts are four inches square, of spruce or any other available wood,
and are planed on all four sides. They are embedded in the ground for
about two feet, and, to prevent them from sinking or shifting, place a
large, flat stone in the hole on which the post will rest, and around it
pack earth and stones instead of earth only. A lap cut in the front top
end of the post will admit the two-by-six-inch cross beam. The posts are
seven feet apart, and the cross beam ten feet long, with the ends cut as
shown in Fig. 3 on page 56. The front end of each joist is rounded under
as shown, and to make a more secure anchorage a notch two inches long
and an inch deep may be cut at the under side of each joist, so that
they will fit down over the upper edge of the cross beam. Make all the
joints and laps fast with steel wire nails; then give the wood-work a
few coats of paint.
Seats may be built in on two sides and supported with under braces or
brackets to prop up the front edge, and a back-board may be nailed fast
to the posts and fence.
A Toadstool Tree Canopy
Where there is a large tree on the place or near the house, a toadstool
canopy (Fig. 4) may be constructed above a comfortable seat. The framing
of the canopy is shown in Fig. 5, where the arrangement of corner
rafters and braces can be clearly seen. The tree end of each rafter is
bevelled (or cut on a slant) and nailed fast with steel wire nails. The
under braces are keyed to the tree by cutting out a wedge of the bark,
so that the lower end or point of the bracket will fit into it. These
ends are to be well nailed to the tree-trunk, as they are the main props
to hold up the roof. Between the corner rafters let one rafter in on
each side; then nail shingle lath on the top of the rafters, and to
these the shingles are fastened.
A seat eighteen inches wide may be built about the foot of the trunk and
supported by two-by-three-inch joist let into the ground a foot or
eighteen inches. Instead of shingling this roof, it may be thatched with
salt hay arranged in flat tufts and nailed onto the lath. Begin at the
lower edge to do this and thatch one line first; then begin on the end
of the line above it and arrange the tufts closely side by side, and
nail them fast. The last line at the top should have tar paper under it,
closely fitted, and nailed to the tree trunk with copper tacks and
painted. This will deflect the water and prevent it from running down
the trunk and wetting the seat.
A Rustic Pergola
A simple but effective and useful rustic pergola is shown in Fig. 6. All
the posts, cross-pieces, braces, and stringers at the top are of
undressed wood, having the bark on. The corner posts are from four to
six inches in diameter, and are embedded two feet in the ground. They
are seven feet above the ground, and on top of two sets cross-stringers
are made fast and braced with angle brackets. A sharp hatchet, a saw,
and a hammer will be the only tools required for this work; and where an
angle piece is attached to a post, the bark and wood should be cut away
on the post, so that the bevelled edge of the bracket will lie snugly
against it. It should then be nailed fast with long steel wire nails.
This pergola can be made of almost any size, but for one of moderate
proportions it should measure eight feet square and seven feet high.
Seats of smooth boards may be arranged on three sides between posts, and
wires may be run up and down and crosswise, on which climbing vines may
be supported.
[Illustration:
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
]
A Circular Pergola
A circular pergola will present a pleasing appearance in any yard. It is
made from six rustic posts, six supporting beams, and eleven top
rafters, as shown in Fig. 7.
Tree-trunks of the proper size and length may be cut in the woods, or
some locust posts can be purchased at a lumber-yard. The bark is to be
left on, and the posts are to be planted two feet in the ground in a
circle eight feet in diameter. The tops of the posts should be sawed off
so that they are all an equal distance from the ground. On top of them
nail six pieces of joist, two by four inches, with the narrower side
resting on the posts.
The joist must be bevelled or mitred so that they will fit snugly at the
posts. Spike them fast to each other and to the posts with large steel
wire nails. The top rafters should be of two-by-three or two-by-four
inch spruce, planed or left rough, and arranged equal distances apart,
so that they will form a large circle on the supporting beams. These are
to be nailed fast and painted if desired. Vines may be planted close to
the posts, so that as they grow the thick mass of foliage will make a
shady top to the pergola.
If desired, a few seats may be arranged between the posts or columns,
but portable seats would be more in keeping with this style of pergola.
A Summer Shelter
A design for a comfortable summer-house is shown in Fig. 8. The posts
are set on an oblong, seven feet wide and twelve feet long. Seven or
eight inch posts are planted in the ground, and the top rails are
arranged as shown in Fig. 2. The rails can be of two-by-four-inch joist,
and should be cut and neatly lapped at the ends, as shown at A in Fig.
2. A ridge-pole forms the centre support to this roof, and from it the
rafters are run down to the top rails. Over these the shingle lath are
nailed, and then the thatching of salt hay or shingles may be laid on. A
wind-speeder and a weather-vane may be arranged at either end of the
roof, as shown in the drawing, and seats may be built in between the end
posts, with a supporting rib at the middle and braces under the seats.
There is room enough under this roof to swing a hammock.
Chapter IV
WEATHER-VANES AND WINDMILLS
From the time of the earliest habitation of the earth, nature’s great
forces, wind and water, have been employed to furnish power for man’s
uses. Wind engines and mills for motive power have become almost
obsolete in and about the great cities, as they are so cumbersome and
uncertain, but in the country they are still used to a great extent for
pumping water, milling, and operating light machinery.
Windmills have been made in a number of shapes by the people of
different nations, and some of them are very picturesque, especially the
Dutch wheels and those made in the eastern part of the United States a
century or more ago, many of which are still working.
Windmills will never go out of use entirely, no matter what cheap motive
power will eventually run the world; for when they are once set up
properly they cost nothing to operate, and if a wheel is well made it
will last for years with but trifling cost for repairs.
Windmills, weather-vanes, pinion-wheels, and wind toys of all
descriptions have been made by boys in every age, and each generation
goes on to invent or think of something new for the same old wind to
play with that has toyed with the world’s wheels for centuries. The
illustrations and descriptions on this and the following pages will be
found helpful in the construction of wind machinery that shall be both
novel and practicable.
A Pinion-wheel Weather-vane
The easiest sort of a pinion-wheel and weather-vane to construct is
shown in Fig. 1. It consists of a piece of stout tin or sheet-iron, a
wooden shaft twenty inches long, and a fan-tail twelve inches long and
seven inches wide at the rear end.
[Illustration:
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
]
Punch a small hole in the centre of a sheet of tin or iron not less than
ten inches square, and with a lead-pencil compass draw a circle ten
inches in diameter. Half an inch inside of this draw another one nine
inches in diameter, as indicated by the light lines in Fig. 2. One inch
from the centre draw a third circle making it two inches in diameter;
then divide the disk into eight equal parts.
With a cold chisel cut on the lines, as indicated in Fig. 2, and bend
the metal ears as shown in drawing No. 1, so that the corners will set
back an inch from the rim. With a stout pair of shears cut around the
outside line and free the wheel from the sheet of metal.
At the front of the wheel fasten a spool with steel wire nails driven
through the tin to act as a hub. Then give them both a coat or two of
paint.
Make a shaft from hard wood an inch square, and cut it in from one end
about ten inches, as shown in Fig. 3. At the other end bind the wood for
an inch or two with linen line or fine wire to prevent its splitting,
and bore a hole in the end with an awl. Through the spool and disk, and
into the hole in the shaft, drive a flat-headed steel wire nail or a
screw, three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter, to act as the pinion on
which the wheel may revolve.
From light wood, three-eighths of an inch in thickness, cut a fan-tail
seven inches wide at one end and two at the other, and, having passed it
through the cut in the shaft, make it fast with small nails or screws.
Balance the shaft and wheel on your finger to determine where to pierce
the hole through which the upright shaft on the pole should pass; then
bore it out with bit and brace so that the shaft will fit snug but not
tight.
To the top of the shaft, over the hole, attach another spool, so as to
form a longer bearing; or a strap of metal may be tacked so that it will
bridge up over the hole about two inches. In this bridge a corresponding
hole may be cut, through which the vertical shaft or pin will pass. This
is to hold the vane steady on the long pin of quarter-inch round iron
driven into the top of the pole, and prevent it from dipping forward or
backward.
Place this vane on a shed, the end of a barn roof, or on a high pole
where the wind has free access to it.
A Wind-speeder
Wind-speeders may be constructed of metal or partly of wood, but one
that can easily be made by a boy consists of two sticks, four ordinary
tin funnels having their ends stopped up with a plug of wood, and a
pole, into the end of which a long iron pin is driven and on which the
hub revolves. Fig. 4.
Two hard-wood sticks thirty inches long and three-quarters of an inch
square are cut at the middle so that they will lap, and with steel nails
they are attached to a hub three-quarters of an inch thick and three
inches in diameter, in the centre of which a quarter-inch hole is bored.
The end of each stick or arm is cut in to receive the funnels, and they
are held in place by straps of tin passed around each neck and tacked
fast to the top and bottom of the cross sticks.
With a sharp-pointed awl or punch a small hole is made through the strap
and neck, and a long, slim steel nail is driven through both into the
end of the sticks to give the funnels an additional purchase.
[Illustration:
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
]
To reduce the friction and to prevent the wood from wearing away at the
under side of the hub, a large flat washer should be attached to the
wood with copper tacks driven closely all around the outer edge. Before
the speeder is slipped over the upright pin, a short piece of small
gas-pipe or tubing should be placed over it so it will rest between the
hub and the top of the pole. Two coats of white or light-colored paint
will improve the appearance of this speeder.
The Arrow Weather-vane
Of all the weather-vanes that have ever been made, the balanced arrow is
undoubtedly the oldest and most popular; it is the universal type of its
class, and, from the simple arrow that a boy can whittle from a shingle
to the beautifully gilded vane that crowns the pinnacle of some great
building, it is everywhere in evidence. Fig. 5.
The arrow-vane can be made any length to suit the height at which it may
be placed, but for the house, barn, flag-pole, or tower not more than
fifty or sixty feet high, it should be from twenty-four to thirty-six
inches long, with the blade from five to six inches in width.
The most substantial vane is made in three pieces, the point, shaft, and
blade. The shaft is made from hard wood, three-quarters of an inch
square, in the ends of which cuts are made to receive a tin or
sheet-metal point and blade. These are held in place with steel nails
driven through the wood and clinched on the opposite side. The arrow is
balanced and a hole is then made in the shaft through which the upright
pin or rod will pass.
A ferule or ring is driven on the upright rod to hold the arrow in the
proper place, and below it two rods should be arranged at right angles,
at the ends of which the letters N, E, S, W are soldered. These rods may
be of brass or wood, and if the wood is used it should be of hickory or
locust, half an inch square or round, and slit at the ends to receive
the letters of tin or sheet metal. These latter are held in place with
slim steel wire nails driven through the wood and metal.
At the top of a flag-pole these arms should be mounted above a gilded
ball, and they should be, if of brass or copper, held securely in place
with wire or solder. If they are of iron, it would be well to have a
blacksmith weld them, so that they will be rigid and stay in place.
Wooden Vanes
In Fig. 6 some suggestions for wooden vanes are shown that can be
followed with the scroll saw and jackknife or a compass saw and carving
chisels. These vanes can be made in almost any size that will not be out
of proportion to the building or pole they are to be mounted on.
The fish is cut from wood five-eighths of an inch thick, and all around
the edges the wood is bevelled so as to give the fish a rounded effect.
The fish is balanced on the edge of a piece of wood to determine where
the rod will pass through it; then with a quarter-inch bit the hole is
carefully bored through from top to bottom. The compass-point letters
can be made from sheet tin and supported on two cross sticks and a stout
wire hoop from twelve to fifteen inches in diameter.
The lady with the parasol is cut from wood half an inch in thickness.
She is fifteen inches high and twelve inches wide across the bottom of
the skirt. From the shoes to the hat, a quarter-inch hole is bored
entirely through the body, but if this be found too difficult, a staple
at the top and bottom will answer instead. Through these staples the rod
will pass.
The squirrel is made in the same manner as the lady, and either balanced
on the rod which passes through the body or by means of staples driven
at one side. A ring and washer should be provided on the rod for the
bottom of the vane to rest on, as there would be too much friction if
the vane rested on the top end of the pole into which the rod is driven.
The bird vane is cut out and balanced the same as the fish, and the
modelling may be carved in the wood or painted, to give shape and
character to the vane. Otherwise it would be but a blank piece of thin
board cut in the shape of the outline.
In all of these vanes it is necessary, of course, to have the greatest
overhang on the side opposite to that facing the wind, otherwise they
would not indicate properly.
A Wind-pennant
An excellent and reliable wind indicator is shown in Fig. 7, the
illustration of the wind-pennant. It consists of a metal hoop on which a
funnel-shaped silk or cotton fabric pennant is sewed fast, and when this
latter is filled by a breeze it stands out, as the illustration shows.
A pennant fifteen inches long should have a hoop five inches in
diameter, and it can be made either from wire rings bent as shown in
Fig. 8 A, or from sheet metal, as shown at Fig. 8 B.
The sheet metal should be perforated with small holes all around one
edge to pass the thread through, when sewing the fabric fast, and the
edges should be smoothed so as not to cut the threads. If the hoop is
made of wire, a ring should be formed at top and bottom for the upright
rod to pass through; but if it is of sheet metal a hole at the top and
bottom will admit the rod.
This pennant is very useful at the mast-head of a boat, and is much more
satisfactory to watch than the perpetually bobbing flat pennant, as it
does not break or fall down unless it is calm, and only shifts from side
to side as the wind blows it.
On a flag-pole or staff above the pennant the compass points are
arranged, and if these are made from copper or brass, the letters may be
soldered fast to the ends of the arms. Where the arms cross, they are to
be flattened as shown in Fig. 9 A, and lapped together, as shown in Fig.
9 B. After the hole is bored they should be bound to the upright rod
with copper wire and soldered so they will remain in a fixed position
that the wind cannot alter. Fig. 9 C.
Sticks of hard wood may be substituted for the metal arms, and the
sheet-metal letters let into saw cuts made at the outer ends.
A Basket-ball Vane
An odd wind indicator is shown in Fig. 10, illustrating a ball vane in a
basket. It consists of a flat basket, with a rim six inches high, made
of wire cloth with square meshes; inside of this a silk or cotton
covered ball of wire is placed and blown by the wind from one side to
the other of the basket. Of course, the direction the wind is coming
from is opposite to that taken by the ball.
The basket should be twenty-four inches in diameter, six inches high,
and supported at the top of a pole by wires attached from the upper and
lower edge of the outer rim, and leading up and down to the pole, the
ends being made fast to staples or screw-eyes.
[Illustration:
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
]
The ball, which is made of wire hoops and fastened together with fine
wires, should be from four to six inches in diameter. It is covered with
silk or thin muslin sewed on in the same manner in which a baseball is
covered with leather. The framework must be of light spring brass or
copper wire, and where the hoops cross it would be well to touch the
unions with solder to insure a firm joint and make the ball rigid.
If the ball should blow out of the basket at any time, it may be
necessary to lace wires across the outer rim at the top, so as to form a
confining net-work.
Above the basket the compass points can be arranged on wood or metal
arms, and when complete and mounted this weather-vane will present a
most unique appearance.
A Merry-go-round
A merry-go-round like the one shown in Fig. 11 is an interesting wind
toy and pleasing to watch, as the boats keep sailing round and round. It
is made from a child’s hoople properly braced with cross sticks and
mounted on a hub. Four flat-boats are made and attached to the outer
edge of the frame. When rigged with sails and placed at the top of a
post, on a rod, the boats will keep up a continual sailing so long as
there is any breeze. A hoople three feet in diameter is best for this
purpose, as it gives more space between the boats.
Double sets of braces or cross strips are arranged inside the hoople,
and, where they meet at the middle, laps are cut in the sticks so that
they will fit flush, as shown in Fig. 12.
The sticks are placed seven inches apart, and are five-eighths of an
inch square; under the lap joints a plate of wood nine inches square is
attached by means of screws or steel wire nails, to strengthen the
unions of the cross sticks as well as to make a platform, at the under
side of which the hub is arranged. A plan of the hoople, the cross
sticks, and the location of one boat is shown in Fig. 13.
The boats are placed so that the outer edges of the bottoms rest on the
top of the hoople. The inner edges rest on two of the cross sticks,
where they are securely attached with long, slim screws passed up
through the sticks and hoople and into the bottoms of the boats.
A block of wood four or five inches square and six inches long is to be
shaved down at one end so that it is round and about one inch and a half
in diameter. This is attached to the under side of the plate, at the
middle of the hoople frame, so that the small end projects down; and
through it a half-inch hole is bored.
An iron pin half an inch in thickness and eighteen inches long is to be
driven into the upper end of a post over which the hub and hoople frame
will fit. The upper end of the iron pin is threaded and provided with
two nuts. One of these should be screwed down tight on the other with a
washer between to act as a lock-nut, so that the revolution of the
merry-go-round will not tighten or loosen them when once adjusted.
The boats are ten inches long and three inches wide at the middle, but
they taper fore and aft, as shown in Fig. 13 A. They are cut from pine
or white-wood two inches thick, and painted in gay colors. The masts are
fifteen inches high, and the sails are provided with booms, gaffs, and
jib-booms, also with rings which hold the sails close to the masts. The
rigging is of copper wire, as the constant motion would soon wear out
string or line and the sails would fly loose.
Each boat must be in good trim to keep the motion uniform, and if the
sails wear out too soon, tin ones should be made or the muslin ones may
be given a coat or two of white paint. Pennants at the tops of the masts
will add to the effect.
A Wind Turbine
The wind turbine shown in Fig. 14, on the following page, is made of two
hooples about thirty inches in diameter, four cross sticks, two wire
hoops, and eight V-shaped tin blades.
The cross sticks, thirty inches long, are cut and lapped at the middle
and attached to the edge of each hoop with screws or nails. The wire
hoops are twenty-two inches in diameter, and are fastened to the cross
sticks with staples. The plan of one hoople and the cross sticks, the
wire hoop and the location of the blades, is shown in Fig. 15.
The outer corners of each blade are tacked fast to both the upper and
lower hoople, while the inner corners are wired fast to the stout wire
hoop. The blades are made from tin or sheet iron twelve inches long and
six inches wide, and, when bent in the shape of a V, the width across
the open end should be four inches.
The blades are depended upon to hold the upper and lower frames in
place, and when the turbine is on the top of a post with a rod running
through the middle of the cross sticks, around which it revolves, the
wind will keep it spinning at a high speed.
Power can be developed with this turbine, but only a very small
percentage as compared with a windmill the entire surface of which is
continually exposed to the breeze. In the turbine only two or three of
the blades are effective at any one time.
A Barrel-hoop Pinion-wheel
From a flat hoop, a few pieces of tin or sheet iron, and some thin wood,
a barrel-hoop pinion-wheel may be made similar to the one shown in Fig.
16.
[Illustration:
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
]
The barrel-hoop will measure about twenty-one inches in diameter, and
the hub should be made five inches in diameter, two inches thick, and
cut in, as shown in Fig. 17 A, with nine places to receive the small
ends of the metal blades. The hub revolves on a pin which is driven into
a block of wood three inches square, as shown at Fig. 17 B. A hole is
made in the block from top to bottom, through which a half-inch rod will
pass. The rails that support the tail are let into each side of the
block and are securely fastened with screws, as shown also at Fig. 17 B.
The fan-tails are twenty-four inches long, one inch and a half wide, and
half an inch thick, made of ash or hickory that will bend easily, so as
to be drawn in against the blades forming the tail.
The tin blades are cut five inches wide at one end and one inch and a
half at the other, and fastened to both the hoop and hub with tacks, as
shown in the illustration.
The blades forming the fan are of half-inch wood, one V-shaped piece and
two end slats cut as shown in the illustration. They are all held in
position by the two rails that extend back from the pinion block and two
that are set at right angles to them, and which hold the upper and lower
edge blades.
This wheel may be placed at the top of a post two or three inches square
or round, in which a half-inch iron rod or long pin has been driven,
leaving about six or eight inches of it projecting above the top of the
post. On this the block turns as the wind acts on the fan-tail.
A Pumping Windmill
A simple wheel, with spokes and sails, that is commonly employed on
canal-boats and barges, and in a small way for raising water in a
suction-pump, is shown in the illustration of a pumping windmill. Fig.
18.
[Illustration: Fig. 18]
It consists of a hub, six spokes, a fan-tail, and a trunk or upright to
which the wheel is attached. The hub is a hexagon of six inches and six
inches long, so that one spoke can be driven into a hole made in each
side, as shown in Fig. 19. The spokes are three feet long, three by one
inch and a half at the hub end, and one by one inch and a half at the
outer end. They are driven snugly into holes in the hub three inches
long and one inch and a half wide, and pinned to hold them in place.
The hub should be made of hard wood, and it would be well to have a
blacksmith put a thin iron band around each end to prevent it from
splitting. The holes may be cut with a mortise chisel and mallet, and
care must be taken to shape them evenly, so that the spokes will line
properly.
Triangular pieces of twilled muslin sheeting are tacked to the face of
each spoke, and the loose corner of each is caught to the next spoke end
with a rope and snap. This makes an outlet between the leech and spoke
of each space between spokes for the wind to pass through, thereby
causing the wheel to revolve.
The wheel is held in place to the head of the supporting post by a shaft
which passes through the hub and is bolted fast at the front of it with
a nut. A blacksmith will make this shaft, as it is somewhat beyond a
boy’s ability unless he has had some experience in blacksmithing. It
should be shaped as shown in Fig. 20.
The shaft is an inch square where it passes through the hub, and at the
front end it is threaded and provided with a nut and washer. At the end
of the square part, A, where the rear of the hub will stop, a shoulder,
B, should be welded on to hold the hub in the proper place.
An inch beyond this square shoulder, another one, C, is welded on the
shaft, which for the balance of its length is three-quarters of an inch
in diameter.
Just beyond the shoulder or collar, C, the crank is formed, two inches
wide and three inches out from the shaft. Beyond the crank another
collar, C C, is welded on, and beyond this the shaft should measure six
inches in length.
The total length of the shaft is fifteen inches, and all the collars and
smooth surfaces should be dressed down with a file and then painted. The
head to which the fan-tail is attached is made of two blocks, cut as
shown in Fig. 21, and fastened five inches apart on the lower rails that
support the long rails to which, in turn, the tail is attached.
[Illustration:
Fig. 19
Fig. 20
Fig. 21
Fig. 22
Fig. 23
]
The upper ends of the blocks are cut out so as to admit the shaft. The
collars, C, and C C, are at the inside of the blocks. To hold the shaft
in place, straps of iron are screwed fast over the top of each block.
This head rests on the top of a trunk or hollow square post, through
which the rod passes that connects the crank with the piston-rod of a
pump. This trunk is of three-quarter-inch wood and seven inches square,
as shown in Fig. 22 A; and at the top of it a flat iron collar, B, is
screwed fast.
To hold the head on and keep it in the proper place, four iron cleats
(Fig. 22 C) are screwed fast to the under corners of the head to grip
the projecting edge of the collar. This arrangement will hold the head
stiff, but will allow it to move about as impelled by the wind acting on
the tail.
A little grease or vaseline should be placed on top of the collar, so
that the head will move on it easily. The top of the connection rod
should be attached to the crank, as shown in Fig. 22 D, where a strap of
iron passes over the crank and is bolted to the top of the hard-wood
rod.
The tail is attached to the head as shown in Fig. 23, which is a rear
view of the head block and a portion of the forward part of the tail.
The tail is thirty-three inches long and twenty-four inches wide at the
rear end, and is made of boards three-quarters of an inch in thickness.
If the mill is to be placed over a pump, a platform should be erected to
which the trunk may be braced with props, as shown in the illustration,
and on which the lower end of the trunk may rest.
Guy rods or wires can also be carried from the upper part of the trunk
down to pegs driven in the ground, which will lend additional support
and steadiness to the upright shaft. To start the wheel, snap the ends
of the sheets to the spoke ends; to stop it, unsnap the ends and furl
the sails around the spokes, and tie them securely with a cotton cord.
A Windmill and Tower
Windmills, of course, can be put to many different uses and are
generally of sufficient size to develop a considerable amount of power.
Fig. 24 shows a windmill and tower that any smart boy can make of wood,
an old buggy wheel, and a few iron fittings that a blacksmith will make
at a nominal cost.
[Illustration:
Fig. 24
Fig. 25
Fig. 26
]
The tower is the first thing to make, and it should be constructed of
four spruce sticks sixteen feet long and four inches square, thirty
inches square at the top and seventy-two inches square at the base.
The deck is thirty-six inches square, and projects two inches over the
top rails all around. The rails and cross braces are of spruce or pine
strips four inches wide and seven-eighths of an inch thick, and are
attached to the corner posts with steel wire nails. The corner posts are
embedded two feet in the ground, leaving fourteen feet of tower above
the surface. The rail at the bottom, attached to the four posts, is
three feet above the ground, and, midway between this and the top rail
under the deck, the middle rail is run around the posts.
The cross braces are bevelled at the ends, so that they will fit snugly
against the corner posts and in behind the rails where they are securely
nailed to both posts and rails.
One of the posts with its binding of rails and cross brace is shown in
Fig. 25, and this clearly illustrates how the union is made.
The posts, rails, and braces are all to be planed, so that they will
present a good appearance when painted; and at one side of the tower a
ladder can be made of scantling, and the lower end of it attached to a
rail nailed to the corner posts a few inches above the ground.
Across two of the rails half-way up the tower a board is nailed, to
which the lower end of a trunk is made fast, if a wheel similar to the
pumping-mill is to be used. But if a wooden mill is desired, it can be
constructed from a buggy-wheel and six blades of wood, to appear as
shown in the illustration.
At a wagon-shop an old wheel can be had for little or nothing, and with
a little work it may be converted into the frame of a windmill.
Each spoke is to be cut at an angle on one side so that the blades, when
attached to them, will have the necessary pitch to make the wind act on
them. This can be seen in Fig. 26, which is an edge view of the wheel
showing a top, bottom, and middle blade.
The blades are eighteen inches long, twelve inches wide at the outer
end, and six inches in width next the hub. They are three-quarters of an
inch thick, and are attached to the spokes with screws. If it is found
necessary, a wire can be run from the outer end of each blade to the end
of the next spoke, to steady the blades, as shown in the illustration.
The crank and shaft can be arranged as described for the pumping-mill,
and a fan-tail to keep the wheel up into the wind is made in proportion
to the size of the mill.
All the wood-work should be painted to give it a good appearance. A mill
of this size will develop at least quarter of a horse-power in a
fifteen-mile breeze.
Chapter V
AËRIAL TOYS
The Elastic Flying-machine
To have a flying-machine is the dream of every boy. To build a large one
is exceedingly difficult, but a small one run by a rubber band can be
easily constructed. You will not be able to fly up to the roofs of
houses and spires of churches, but it will furnish you much amusement,
without the danger of a broken neck.
I will tell you exactly how I constructed one of these machines, and
then you can make one for yourself. The backbone was a knitting-needle.
The wings, or more properly aëroplanes, were light bamboo strips (taken
from a Japanese fan) and covered with the Japanese paper which is used
for napkins. (Fig. 1.)
Fig. 2 shows the backbone and its parts. Cut from thin brass or copper a
piece shaped like No. 1, and bend the top over, as shown at No. 2. Brass
suitable for this may be bought at any hardware-store, or an old article
made of proper metal may be cut up. The shell of a metallic cartridge is
excellent. The brass should be as thin as possible, to be light, and so
that it may be cut with an old pair of shears and bent easily. First cut
the piece out roughly with the shears, and then trim it into shape with
a small file. Scrape that part of the metal bright and clean which will
form the inside of the roll, and then bend it around the needle so that
it will fit nicely and snugly.
[Illustration:
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
]
This must be fastened to the forward end of the backbone. The best and
lightest way is to braze it, as the tinsmiths call it. File the polish
from the end of the needle, and wet it with soldering fluid, which may
be bought at a tinner’s, or made by adding zinc to muriatic acid until
no more is dissolved. Slip on the brass support just where you want it,
and lay on a piece of solder about half the size of a grain of wheat.
Now hold this in the flame of a candle, in the gas, or near a hot stove,
until the solder melts. Take it away and let it cool, and you will find
that the solder has run into all the cracks and joined the pieces
beautifully. File off any excess of solder or rough ends, and you will
have a neat and workman-like joint, as well as a very light one.
Cut out the piece No. 3, and bend it into the shape shown at No. 4. In
this case you will need to file the upper surface of the groove bright
and clean. Take off the polish from the other end of the needle, and
then put the stern-post, as it may be called, in place, and hold it
there by twisting a fine wire around it and the needle. Be careful to
get both supports turned the same way. Then braze and finish it as
before.
Make the piece No. 5, and form it into the shape No. 6. This is fastened
by brazing to the backbone, as shown in the lower diagram. Take a piece
of another knitting-needle, and make a shaft like No. 7 by heating
red-hot and pounding the end into a hook with a small hammer.
Put the straight end of this shaft through the hole in the stern-post
which was formed by bending the metal, and then make a shoulder on it,
as follows: bend a piece of fine wire into a ring the size of the
needle, and braze this to the shaft about a quarter-inch from the
stern-post. This ring of wire keeps the shaft from slipping through the
hole when the rubber is stretched. File a flat point on the straight end
of the shaft.
Next make the wings. For the ribs I used the thin bamboo strips taken
from a Japanese fan. The paper is pulled or soaked off, and the thin
strips cut close to the handle. The front of the wings is made as in the
upper diagram of Fig. 3. Take one of the largest and stiffest strips of
the bamboo, find the exact middle, and lay it evenly across the
wing-support (No. 6 in Fig. 2), which is already in place on the
backbone. Lash it to the support with waxed sewing-silk. Over this piece
lay two others of equal length, making them come together (but not lap
over) just above the backbone. When well secured, add three pieces of
the same length above the two, placing them in such a way that the
joinings shall not come over the joinings of either of the other pieces,
and thus weaken the wings.
The ribs are made from the bamboo strips, cut the proper length and
lashed to the front edge. The other ends are fastened to a cross-rib to
make them take the same curvature. The lower diagram of Fig. 3 shows how
the ribs are spaced.
Cover the wings with thin, strong paper. The best is Japanese paper,
such as is used in making napkins. This is exceedingly light and very
strong. It should be sewed, not gummed, as the gum makes the paper tear
easily, and your sticky fingers spoil the whole cover very quickly. The
paper is tough enough to be sewed, using a fine needle and white cotton,
and you will get a neater and much more satisfactory job.
Make a triangle by lashing together three pieces of bamboo, two being
about two inches long, and the third one inch. This triangle is lashed
to the backbone just behind the wings, with the short side down; its
position may be seen by a glance at the picture of the finished machine.
It is kept rigid by running stays, made of waxed sewing-silk, from the
lower corners to the stern-post, from the right-hand corner to the
middle of the left wing, and from the left-hand corner to the middle of
the right wing.
Just in front of this triangle fasten a piece of the bamboo, and make
two small guiding vanes or rudders. These are made in a similar manner
to the wings. Tie threads to the lower corners of the wings, and then to
the triangle, drawing them down until they have the proper angle. The
guiding-vanes should have a greater angle than the wings—that is, they
should be drawn farther down.
It only remains now to make the screw and attach the rubber band. For
the hub of the wheel you will need a small cork. This cork must be kept
from turning on the end of the shaft. If the sharpened end of the shaft
carrying the hook for the rudder was simply stuck into the cork, it
would soon wear loose and turn easily. To make a firm hold for the
shaft, bore a hole through the cork about a quarter-inch from the large
end, and drive a plug of soft wood into this hole. The flat-pointed end
of the shaft can now pass into the cork and be forced into the wood,
being careful to have the end of the point parallel to the grain of the
wood. This will give a firm hold and prevent the screw slipping.
The blades of the screw are made of thin paper gummed on to short pieces
of bamboo. Lay one of the bamboo spokes on a piece of thin, stiff paper,
and then gum over it a small strip of the thin Japanese paper before
referred to. When this is dry, cut it down to the proper shape and
sharpen the end of the spoke. Force these spokes into the cork so that
all the blades will turn the same way, as shown in the picture—_i. e._,
so that when the screw is turned the blades will all strike the air in
the same manner and tend to force the machine forward, not so that some
try to push it forward and some backward.
Select a rubber band of the proper size—such a one as will stretch the
length of the backbone easily and not be so strong that, when stretched,
the backbone is bent into a bow. Tie this band to the forward support
with a string, and then draw it back and slip it over the hook on the
shaft.
To wind up the machine, hold it by the backbone and turn the screw the
wrong way until the rubber is twisted tight. Then hold the machine up,
let go the screw, and when it is revolving rapidly, give it a gentle
push forward. If it pitches head-first, draw down the wings; if
tail-first, let up the wings or turn the screw the other way. If the
wheel does not revolve rapidly cut off part of the blades or use a
stronger rubber. Some little adjustment of the kind is usually required
before the thing moves properly.
A contrivance of this sort should be very light. The one before me has
wings two feet from tip to tip, and it weighs when complete—backbone,
wings, rubber, screw, etc.—only one-third of an ounce.
Self-acting Aërial Car
Here is an idea for a mechanical toy to be used either on a kite-string
or a cord stretched from a flag-pole in the yard or a handy tree. The
only condition is that the lower end of the cord is directly against the
wind. The elevation at which the car can run will depend on the strength
of the wind and sail area of the machine. The only wood used is the
lightest and driest pine that can be procured. The carriage is made
entirely of one-half by one-quarter inch wood, and is composed of two
strips, fourteen inches long, placed one inch apart. The two guiders are
two inches from each end, and have a small screw-eye on the lower
extremity, through which the cord is passed. On the upper side of the
carriage, exactly in the centre, are screwed two eyes, which should
measure a little over a half-inch in diameter of the inside of their
circle. Through these is passed the spar of the sail, allowing enough
space to insure easy turning, as the spar acts as an axis on which the
sail turns when on its downward trip. This spar is at right angles with
the carriage. Two upright sticks measuring twenty inches, and the same
dimensions as the material used for the construction of the carriage,
are next added. These should be slightly pointed at both ends, and a
cross-bar at the top of these uprights securely fastened gives
additional strength. The balancing-bar is made of three-eighths by
three-eighths inch pine, tapering at the lower end, and is ten inches in
length, and fastened to the carriage by two strips of wood—five by
one-quarter by one-eighth inch. The wheels are formed as follows: Take a
piece of one-eighth inch pine, which should be at least three inches
wide. On this place a strip of wood, we will say, for instance, ten by
one-quarter by one-half inch. By driving a small wire nail through both
pieces of wood, and inserting a sharp knife-blade through the upper
piece of wood, and turning (the upper piece) slowly from left to right,
you will find you can cut a perfect circle in the lower piece of wood.
The wheels are formed by this process. It takes four pieces of stiff
card-board and two of wood to make the wheels for the carriage. The
diameter of the wooden wheel is one and one-half inches, while the
card-board disks are two and one-quarter inches. The wheels in the
draught are a trifle smaller, but by experiments it is found that the
above-sized wheel makes faster time. You will see that after cutting out
your disks the hole made by the wire nail is exactly in the centre. Run
a small wire nail through the three disks, placing the wooden disk in
the centre and the card-board ones on each side (this makes three disks
for each wheel). Put some glue on touching surface, and clinch the three
together with pins or wire brads. The place where these nails go is
shown by the spots on side draught of the wheel. The axle-tree is made
of oak, and at the extremities a piece of stout wire is inserted, which
extends one-eighth of an inch beyond the wood of the axle-tree. The
hardest axle-tree is one made from the shafts of an old clock. Take
particular care that the wheels run very true, as the success of the
machine depends to a great extent upon this.
[Illustration: Fig. 4]
From the lower extremity of the balancing-rod hangs a weight. The
easiest way to make this weight is to take a small bag, and fill it with
sand until the machine balances (the sail in horizontal position).
Having progressed thus far in the construction of the machine, turn the
sail in a horizontal position, and attach a cord from one side of the
cross-bar to a small grooved wheel at the aft end of the carriage. From
the screw-eye at lower extremity of the balancing-bar is attached a
small rubber band; when stretched it will reach within three-quarters of
an inch of the small wheel at the aft end of the carriage. It will be
found, after the cord and rubber band have been joined, that upon
letting go the perpendicular bars the sail will turn in a horizontal
position. At the forward end of the carriage is a catch, to which is
fastened a ring. The catch comes in contact with a block (previously
placed three-quarters up the string). The detail drawings show the
formation and working of the catch. Fig. 4.
[Illustration:
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
]
The sail is made of light muslin, and extends in the form of a pair of
wings, the cloth only reaching from the outside of the uprights to the
ends of the spar, leaving a free space in the centre for the sail to
pass through the carriage. The parachute is a small Chinese umbrella
(pick out one that opens easily), and can be bought for a few cents. A
small weight is attached to the handle with a few feet of cord. We will
say that now you have completed the machine—you have a kite flying; run
the string through the two guiders, place the two wheels of the carriage
upon the kite-string, set the sail perpendicular, and fasten the catch
with the cord. A stop-block has been previously placed on the cord
twenty feet from the kite; now attach the parachute (Chinese umbrella).
The force of the wind acting on the sail forces the machine up the
incline of the kite-string at a rapid rate, skyward, until it reaches
the block, which throws off the catch. The sail swings back to a
horizontal position, letting the parachute drop. The sail being folded
and presenting no resistance to the wind, the force of gravitation
acting on the weight of the machine causes it to descend the kite-cord
quickly, and return to the original starting-point of its flight. See
Fig. 5, a side and end view, and Fig. 6, the parachute and the car on
its return.
Aërial Boat-sailing
Study with care the accompanying plans. The materials are one-half by
one-quarter-inch pine, free from knots, ten common brass rings
three-quarters of an inch in diameter, two round-headed brass screws one
inch in length, two flat-headed ones of the same dimensions, two small
screw-hooks, and eight assorted brass screw-eyes, there being two of
each size. Now that we have the material for the frames, we will begin
with Fig. 7, which shows the sail and sheer plan. The frame is made of
six pieces of wood. The top piece is exactly two feet in length. The two
uprights which hold the wheels are each one foot and one inch long. The
two angle pieces are one foot nine inches each. The lower horizontal
strip measures two feet three and one-half inches, and is joined to the
two angle strips by means of a screw-eye and screw at each extremity.
Now cut a strip of pine, making it exactly three feet in length. Set it
on the frame in an upright position, allowing a half-inch clearance from
the upper horizontal piece. It should be eleven inches from one of the
angle pieces at the lower end. Round the upper part above the horizontal
strip; it should be brought to a taper at the upper end. This forms the
mast. The lower part is uniform, and allows the weight to be moved up
and down to insure a correct balance, which is regulated according to
the force of the wind. The weight is made of one-and-a-half-inch lead
pipe, and is two inches in length. A round plug of pine is driven in the
centre of the lead pipe, and a hole is bored in the centre of the plug
to fit the balancing-bar.
[Illustration: Fig. 7]
One of the screw-eyes is inserted through the piece of lead pipe, and by
this means the weight can be elevated or brought down the shaft and held
firmly in the required place, which will depend on the force of the
wind. In regard to the wheels, Fig. 8 shows the simplest constructed.
They are made in three parts. Take two of the largest-sized wooden
button moulds and a piece of thin board (cut in a circle) smaller than
the button moulds. We will say, for instance, the button moulds are one
and one-half inches in diameter, and the centre piece of pine is one
inch in diameter and one-eighth of an inch thick. The way to get a true
circle on this soft pine is to take the one-eighth-inch wood and measure
on a separate piece of pine one-half inch, drive in a small wire nail in
one extreme of the previously measured strip, and on the other extremity
insert the point of a sharp knife. Place on the board used for centre of
wheel, and turn in a circle from right to left several times. If the
distance between the knife-blade and nail is one-half inch, the wheel
cut out will be exactly one inch in diameter.
Insert a wire nail through the two button moulds, and place the inch
wheel in the centre, gluing it at each contact surface. This will give
you the grooved wheel.
[Illustration: Fig. 8]
The drawing (Fig. 7) indicates how this wheel is fastened to the frame.
The wheel can be made of two card-board disks two and one-half inches in
diameter, and one wooden wheel two inches in diameter placed between
them. They are joined by clinched pins, shown by the circle of dots in
Fig. 8.
The dimensions of the sail are as follows: Main-sail—hoist, ten and
one-half inches; gaff, eight and one-half inches; leech, nineteen and
one-quarter inches; boom, fourteen and one-half inches. Jib—foot, eleven
inches; hoist, sixteen inches—on the stay, twenty and one-quarter
inches. The jib carries a boom, and the main-sail a gaff and boom. The
material used for the sails is light muslin with hemmed edges.
Take a long chalk-line or heavy cord, and stretch at right angles to the
direction of the wind. If the wind is from the north, the cord must
reach east and west. Each extremity of the cord must be the same height
from the ground, and can be attached from tree to tree, or from an
upper-story window to a house near by.
When the boat reaches the extremity of the cord the operator at that end
of the cord turns it, and starts it on the return journey.
If the cord is strung between two houses you will find the boat will
sail back and forth, except when the wind is dead ahead or a few points
either way.
A “High-flyer”
To make the “flyer” you will need a piece of thin sheet tin, zinc, or
iron, that may be purchased from a tinsmith for a few cents; and for the
engine a linen-thread spool, a piece of hard-wood stick, and a few steel
wire nails will be required.
To begin with, obtain an empty linen-thread spool having a smooth hole
through it, and in one end drive four one-inch steel-wire nails at
regular distances apart, so as to form the corners of a perfect square;
drive the nails in half-way, then file the heads off, and the spool will
appear like Fig. 9. Next get a round hard-wood stick seven inches long,
and around it, two inches from one end, make a deep cut with your knife.
From this cut to the end of the stick shave the wood away so it will
look like Fig. 11.
These two parts will complete the engine, and the next thing to make
will be the flyer. Thin sheet-zinc will be found the best to make it of;
and having obtained a piece, mark on it with a compass a circle five
inches in diameter; mark two lines across this circle from edge to edge,
at right angles, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 14.
From a piece of stiff paper cut a pattern in the form of one of the ears
shown in Fig. 14. Lay this pattern on the zinc so that one of the lines
will be in the centre of it, and mark the shape on the zinc; mark the
other three ears in a similar manner, and then with a stout pair of
shears cut out the flyer.
In the centre of it make a hole large enough for the small end of the
stick to pass through it, and around it make four small holes at the
centre of each ear, to correspond with the pins on the spool.
The flyer will then fit over the stick and pins and lay flat on top of
the spool; bend its ears with your fingers so they appear like the
propeller-blades of a steamboat, or like a windmill, and it will then be
ready to fly. Fig. 10.
[Illustration:
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
A “HIGH-FLYER”
]
When bending the ears they must be arranged so that the edge that
catches the wind first will be inclined upward, as otherwise the flyer,
instead of flying, will hug the spool tightly.
Another style of flyer is shown in Fig. 12, and is made of a circular
disk of zinc four inches in diameter.
Make the five holes in the centre fit over the stick and pins. When all
the places have been cut, bend the ears down as shown in Fig. 13, and
when flying it turn it upside-down, letting the ears project upward.
To put the flyer in action, take the stick in your left hand, and over
the small end of it place the spool, against which put your thumb to
keep it from slipping. Wind strong cord around the spool, to the end of
which a button is fastened to keep the cord from slipping through your
fingers; on top of the spool place the flyer, and give the string a
vigorous pull, at the same time releasing the spool with your thumb, and
the centrifugal force will cause the flyer to revolve rapidly, shoot
upward, and sail to a height of fifty or a hundred feet in the air,
slowly descending as the revolutions diminish.
Larger flyers can be made in a similar manner; and to make a very large
one, plant a post in the ground, having its upper end reduced to form a
shoulder, as explained for the small stick. Get a round piece of wood
several inches in diameter, and arrange four very stout steel-wire nails
in the top of it. Make a tin or iron flyer twelve or fifteen inches in
diameter, and use a piece of small clothes-line or cotton line to spin
it with.
To operate it, wind the spool with the rope, and have some one under it
to keep it from slipping. When you are ready to pull the rope, place the
flyer on the pins, and as the spool is released give the rope a quick,
strong pull, and the flyer will rise.
Part II
AFIELD