Part 4

To make the curves on the uprights, lay them edge to edge in the vise and start the spur of a large bit in the crack, 1-1/2" from each end. If a big spool cannot be obtained for the wheel, plane out an octagonal block 1-3/8" long, 1" in diameter. The slanting part of the spool must be whittled away. Divide one end into eight equal parts and draw lines lengthwise on the spool at each division. On these lines, measure very carefully 11/16" from one end. Then, holding the spool level in the vise bore 3/16" holes half thru the spool at each of these dots. The easiest way to lay out the paddles is in one long piece as shown in Fig. 4. If lines A and B are sawed carefully (see page 12) they will fit the spool well enough to glue. The stems of the paddles go into the holes bored in the spool. They are easily made round by paring the corners a little, and then screwing them around in a 3/16" hole in a piece of hard wood. The ends of the paddles where the sand strikes are bevelled on the under side. The holes in the uprights, thru which 1-1/4" brads are pushed into the center of the spool, must be exactly opposite each other, 3-1/4" from the bottom. Little leather washers should be put between the spool and the uprights.

Now make the boxes. To nail the boxes to the upright follow the suggestions on page 59 for nailing the floor of the weather cottage. Keep the brads near the center of the uprights lest they split the curves. A 5/16" hole for the sand is bored in the upper box in such a position that the sand will strike near the middle of the ends of the paddles. The peg is tapered to fit this hole.

RUNNING WHEEL--PLATE 22.

It is fine fun for several boys to race down the street with running wheels. Each boy can have a different kind of wheel by following the suggestions on Plate 22.

The wheel may be made any convenient size. Saw a board off square and plane it flat. To be sure that it is flat, it must be tested with a straight-edge from corner to corner, crosswise, and lengthwise. Draw the circle with a string pinned to the center, if a large compass is not at hand. Saw it with a turning saw and finish it as suggested on page 20. Bore and countersink a hole in the center for a 1-1/2" flat-head screw. Make the handle and drill a small hole in it where the wheel is to be screwed on. Round off the upper end and edges of the handle so that it feels good to the hand grasping it. The screws used in the connecting rod should slip easily thru the holes at each end. Altho one arm will do, two look better. To draw the boy, draw as many 3/4" squares on the board as there are in Fig. 5, then sketch the outline one square at a time. To cut it out, a scroll-saw or turning-saw is almost surely needed, tho a patient boy can do it with auger-bits, back-saw, knife, and file--the bits to be used first at all the inside angles. On the handle, must be put a block on which to screw the boy. To fasten the two arms loosely at the shoulders, the screw should be loose in the shoulder and first arm, and tight in the second arm. The same is true of the hands and flagpole. In the top of the flagpole, bore a hole to fit a small flag. Paint of bright colors makes the model look much more pleasing.

An easy way to make the sliding part of the lower right-hand running wheel, Plate 22, is to cut out with bit and chisel a narrow slot thru the handle, wide enough for two screws, with washers on them, which screw into the block holding the flag.

RATTLE--PLATE 23.

This is a noisy toy and will make a safe substitute for fire-crackers on the Fourth of July. Some of the dimensions may be changed to suit such a spool as can be obtained. It should be a rather deep spool, that is, one that held a lot of thread.

The noise is made by the spring snapping off the slats in the spool as the head of the rattle is swung round and round. Draw lines across one end of the spool to divide it into eight equal parts. Place the spool endwise in the vise and, with the back-saw, cut eight notches a little more than 1/16" wide straight towards the opposite side of the spool. By sawing twice at each notch, the wood which remains can easily be removed with the saw held slanting. There are several ways of making the eight little slats which fit into these notches; the easiest, perhaps, is to split them from a block (1-5/8" × 1-1/2" × 5/16") of a straight-grained wood, and plane them on the jig described at the foot of page 19. Glue them in the notches. Plane the back and the spring this same way. Square both ends of the back but do not plane it quite to width until it is glued and nailed in place. In the two sides, bore a 5/16" hole for the dowel, 3/4" from the end and a little over 3/4" from the back edge. (Holes are always located by their centers.) This dowel must fit tightly in the handle and spool, and loosely in the two sides. Plane the spring thinner at the narrow end. It should be narrow enough and its corners cut off enough so as not to touch the spool when it snaps. The handle might well be octagonal rather than round.

The parts may now be put together as follows: Glue and nail the sides first to the thick end, second to the thin end. The distance between the ends inside is 3-5/16". Keep these four parts flush on the back edges so that the back will fit. Glue and nail the back. Glue the dowel in the handle. Put glue inside the spool and on the middle portion of the dowel, then, with the spool between the two sides, push the dowel thru all three holes. Glue and nail the spring in place. It should be as far towards the spool as it will go without snapping the next slat when it snaps off one slat.

CART--PLATE 24.

The important features of a cart are the wheels and axle and the tongue; if these are strong and the tongue securely fastened, almost any box will do for the body. Two tongues, nailed or screwed to the sides of the body, probably make the strongest handle, but they are not so good looking as the one shown in Plate 24. If this one is screwed to the box with six 1" screws, two in the tongue and two in each block, it will be strong enough. Some of the nicer boxes to be secured of a grocer will do for a body, tho it is better to make one one's self.

Four wheels of 1/2" hard wood should be made (see page 20) and then each two of the four glued and nailed together very securely with the grain crosswise. For this purpose, 1-1/4" clout, or clinch nails are best. Do not drive them too near the center nor the rim. To clinch nails, they should be driven onto a piece of iron. After this is done, a 7/8" hole (or larger if you can get a larger stick for the axle) is bored straight thru the center. To cut the cylindrical ends of the axle, first draw a 7/8" circle at the center of each end, then lay out and saw out two rectangular pieces, one on each side of the circles so as to leave a 7/8" square pin, 2-1/4" long. Proceed to make these pins; first, eight sided; then, sixteen sided; then, round; using knife or chisel and a coarse flat file. Make the hole in the washers before cutting off each corner 9/16". These washers are to be fastened to the axle when held rather snugly against the wheel with two 1" screws put crosswise the grain. Before putting the wheels on the last time, rub the axles and holes well with hard soap to make them run easier. Draw a line across the bottom of the body 5" from the back end, and bore four screw holes thru the bottom; countersink them well on the inside of the body, and put 1" screws thru into the flat side of the axle. The axle is planned so that the wheels run within 1/8" of the body.

With a curved lower edge, the tongue is 2-1/2" wide at one end and 1-1/2" at the other. To get the correct slant at the wide end, block up the cart level, have some one (or the vise) hold the tongue in the position wanted when finished, then with a strip of wood about 2" wide placed upright against the front of the body, draw a line on the tongue. From the lowest corner of the tongue, draw another line parallel to the first, and saw off. After making the two blocks and fastening them securely to the tongue, saw the lower ends flush with the curve of the tongue. Place the tongue in position, draw a line around it on the body, then bore holes where screws will go best into the tongue and blocks. Six 1" screws well countersunk will hold the tongue securely. Since the tongue is fastened to the _front_, the sides and bottom must be well nailed to _it_; or, the corners may be strengthened with a piece of tin inside and outside each corner, tacked or riveted together. Each piece of tin should be about 3" square.

A piece of old bicycle frame forced tightly into the hole of a wheel, makes it very durable. Such a hole would doubtless have to be bored with an expansive bit. A bicycle frame is easily filed in two at some distance from the reinforced joints. Such a piece should be longer than the thickness of the wheel to allow filing it flush after it is driven in. To force it in, use a strong vise, or, after protecting it with hard wood, drive it slowly with a heavy hammer.

Small carts can be made with wheels made of spools like those of the cannon. (See Plate 25.)

CANNON--PLATE 25.

This cannon will shoot small marbles very well. The force of it depends, of course, on the strength of the rubber bands. Because the ramrod and handle are rather heavy, a strong dowel is put thru the handle and ramrod. The rubber washer absorbs some of the shock.

For the barrel draw a 1-1/4" circle on one end of a stick 6-1/2" × 1-1/2" × 1-1/2". From the center of this circle, bore a 9/16" hole straight thru the stick endwise, stopping as soon as the spur comes thru. Set the needle of the compass in this spur hole and draw a 1" circle and, if possible, a 1-1/4" circle; then finish boring.

Plane the stick round to the 1-1/4" circle. To hold the stick while doing this, put a rod thru the hole, open the vise 6-1/2" and let the barrel rest endwise in the vise. Two and one-half inches from the breech end of the barrel, draw a line around it to limit the taper of the muzzle end. Plane the muzzle to the 1" circle. Two inches from the breech, bore a 3/8" hole straight thru the barrel; and into this hole glue the axle. After the glue is dry, bore out the barrel again, and sandpaper the hole well.

Make the ramrod fit loosely in the barrel. (See directions for Dart, page 16.) Make the handle in the same manner as the barrel was made, except that, after drawing the 1-1/4" circle at the end where the spur just appears, the hole is _not_ bored further. Glue the ramrod in place, and fasten it with the 3/8" dowel. The curved notch into which the rubber bands are tied, can be worked out patiently with a round file, first cutting a V-shaped notch with a knife. Pare the corners and sandpaper all parts well.

The rubber washer can be made of an old rubber heel. To bore a hole in it, squeeze it between two boards and bore thru both together.

At least one of the uprights must be screwed to the base. The first one may be nailed. Glue and nail this one 1/4" from the edge of the base. Hold the other in place and draw a line around it. Bore holes for the screws, put the screws in the holes, and press the upright on them to mark where to bore in the upright. After boring in the uprights, put the cannon and upright in place, and tighten the screws. The wheels can be made of the ends of large spools, well countersunk for a short, large screw.

AUTOMOBILE--PLATE 26.

Tho the motor (an elastic band) which makes this automobile go is a short-winded affair, still, if the wheels are easy running, it will go alone for a short distance on a wooden floor. A stronger elastic can be used if the automobile carries a load. If the parts are painted with bright colors before they are entirely put together, the automobile will look very well.

First, make the body, then 4-1/4" from the front end and 3/4" from the right side, bore a 1/4" hole in the body for the steering post. This should fit tightly so as to hold the wheels in any position desired. Leather washers are nailed to the post close to the body. The steering post must be put in place before any other parts are fastened to the body.

The ends of the rails which are later fastened to the bottom of the body, slant 1/2". The center of the holes for the axles is 3/4" beyond this slanting line and 1/4" above the lower edge of the rails. When boring these 1/4" holes, the rails should be clamped together so that the holes will be exactly opposite each other. The forward holes are made long to allow the axles to swing back and forth. To make this hole, two 1/4" holes are bored side by side and the top and bottom smoothed with a 1/4" chisel. When nailing the body to the rails, put the rear axle thru the holes to aid in keeping them opposite each other.

The forward axle is made in one piece and kept so until after the steering "rope" is in place. The axle must be held carefully in place while the brad holes are bored 1/8" from the outer edge of the rails and straight thru the center of the axle. A tight fitting brad is driven into this hole. The steering rope must not stretch; large, hard thread is suitable. Wind a piece about 18" long tightly around the axle about 1/4" from one rail and tie it. Pass one end thru the small screw-eyes shown in the lower drawing, and wind it around the axle near the other rail leaving no slack in the screw-eyes; then wind six to eight turns smoothly around the steering post, and fasten the end to the beginning with several half-hitches. (See Plate 15.) A separate thread should be tied around the axle and steering rope at the second place. Should there be any slack, it can be taken up by laying a V-shaped thread over the steering rope near the axle and passing the two ends over the upper side of the axle, and tying them across the steering rope on the other side of the axle. This tends to pull the steering rope together on top of the axle.

The wheels can be sawed from short lengths of curtain poles, obtained at a furniture store. The 1/4" holes for the axle, must be bored exactly at the center. The wheels must turn freely on the front axle, but be glued to the rear axle, which must itself turn freely in the rails. After the wheels are in place, the front axle can be sawed in two with a back-saw, using very short strokes, and sawing two cuts nearly thru before either is sawed completely.

Nail the wind-shield to the engine, then glue both to the body. Nail the seat-back to the seat so that the top of the seat will be 3/4" above the body, then nail the two sides to the end and to the seat-back and seat. Glue the whole to the body. Nails can be driven up thru the body into the engine, the seat back, and the end, if care is used in locating them.

One end of the elastic band (motor) is tied with a bit of string to a brad driven in the forward end of the body of the automobile. On the other end of the elastic band is tied a piece of string about 8" long. This is put just under the body and above the steering rope and wound two or three times tightly around the rear axle and tied. The string and elastic band should be simply straight, the elastic neither stretched nor loose. To wind up the motor, move the automobile backwards on the floor and hold the rear wheels until ready to let the automobile go.

BOW PISTOL--PLATE 27.

For target shooting in the house, this is a fine toy. With nicely made arrows and a good bow, it will shoot very well.

Make a good bow of rattan, or other tough wood. An old spoke of a carriage wheel could doubtless be obtained of a blacksmith or wheelwright, and such a hickory spoke would make a good bow. Make the bow much like that shown on Plate 8, except that it should be round at the center to fit the 3/8" hole in the pistol. The bowstring should be a hard cord so that it will slip easily from the notches in the barrel when the trigger is pulled.

Before shaping the pistol, make the groove in the center of one edge of the board. This should be made with a 3/8" round plane. It can be made, however, with the tool shown in Fig. 6, a gouge, and a round file. This tool is much like the one described on page 41 tho a larger nail is used. Make the groove 7/32" deep; gage a line 3/16" from each side of the board; then use the gouge inside these lines and as deep as the groove. When the gouging is well done, smooth the groove with a round file or coarse sandpaper wrapped around a pencil.

Draw and shape the pistol. Make the lower edge of the barrel half round. Sandpaper it well. Make the trigger of hard wood and screw it on the pistol. The shape of the notch next to the trigger is very important but the shape of the other one is not so. Both notches, however, must be so smooth and well rounded as not to injure the bowstring. They should be not deeper than one-half the depth of the groove.

Arrows are quickly made by sawing long strips of straight-grained wood, 3/16" square, planing the corners, and sandpapering; then cutting them 5" long, splitting the ends (see page 16), inserting a paper 1" × 1/2" and tying the end with thread.

ELASTIC GUN--PLATE 28.

If cash carrier elastic cord about 5/16" in diameter and 18" long is used on this gun, it will shoot buckshot, peas, small arrows, etc., with considerable force; in fact, if the cord is fastened far enough forward, it will require all a boy's strength to pull the rider back to the hook. The gun may be made of pine, whitewood or clear spruce.

To lay out the gun (see Fig. 7) first draw A B, then A C, then measure B D and draw C D; next measure the width of the barrel and draw E F; add 3/8" below this for the gun-stock, and finally draw the curves freehand. To saw it out, first rip it along E F, then cross cut it at H F, then rip it as far the curve along C D, and then along the lower side of the gun-stock to meet C D, finally along A B. Of course, none of this sawing should quite touch the lines. Plane to these lines wherever possible, then use the spokeshave. The curve and corner at F should be pared with a chisel. The lower edge of the gun-stock and barrel is made half-round, but the upper edge, especially where the spring is screwed, is only slightly round. The curve at the butt of the gun-stock should be cut out with the turning-saw, and rounded with a half-round file. The groove can be made as in the bow pistol. (See page 86.)

All parts of the gun should be well sandpapered, especially where the elastic will rub on the barrel.

Make the trigger of tough wood.

Bore a 1/4" hole for the trigger post about 3/4" from the back end of the groove, making it slant forward about 3/4". Make this hole smooth as possible. Where the hole comes thru the gun-stock, start the mortise in which the trigger belongs. This should be 3/8" deep and an easy fit for the trigger. Put the trigger in place, and drill a small hole straight thru the gun-stock and trigger. Consider carefully where to bore this hole so that it will not come too near the edge of the trigger. Insert a good-fitting brad and see if the trigger post will move up and down about 1/4". Do not make the mortise so long that the trigger post will slip by the trigger.

Now make the spring of hard wood. Pare the curve from each end with a chisel, holding the spring endwise in the bench-hook. The holes for the screw and the hook must be large enough so that the spring will not be split, and yet the hook must be screwed in strongly to hold the elastic. The hook must be filed off enough, and slanting, so that the screw-eye in the rider will slide under it and be caught.

The rider is the hardest part to make because it is small and must be of hard wood; also, the block must be nicely fitted into the long piece. Make the lower edge of the long piece round so as to slide well in the groove. Bore a 5/16" hole thru the block _endwise_ the grain, countersink the ends, and smooth them so that they cannot injure the elastic. Next lay out, saw, and chisel a notch 5/16" deep in the long piece in which the block will fit snugly. Glue it and nail it from the under side, or put in a 1/2" screw. Holes will have to be bored carefully for either brads or screw. Bore a hole, and put the screw-eye in such a position that it will slide under the hook with a snap. Be careful not to twist the eye off in this hard wood. The back end of the eye might well be filed somewhat slanting so as to slip under the hook better.

Put the elastic thru the rider, snap the rider on the hook, and pull the ends of the elastic as far as seems best,--don't have it too strong! Where the ends of the elastic are pulled, bore two 1/4" holes thru the barrel one above the other. Bind the elastic securely between these holes; to make it doubly secure, wind a string between the elastic and the barrel to pull the first strings closer together.

Now saw off the ends of a spool about 1/2" and screw them to the barrel in such a place that they will hold the elastic, without stretching, against the sides of the barrel. These spools should turn easily. They cannot be placed exactly opposite because the screws will interfere.

Snap the rider to the hook, pull the trigger, and notice that the rider goes up with the trigger post. To hold it down, put a slender 3/4" screw on each side of the groove in such a place that the screw heads will come over the outside of the screw-eye; or, 1" brads may be bent over the screw-eye. When everything is in working order, drive a 1" brad on each side of the spring to keep the hook always in place.

RATTLE-BANG GUN--PLATE 29.

For boys who want to play soldier, here is a gun which will make a big noise but will not hurt anybody.

First, make the rattle of maple. The slot in it can be made with the rip-saw. The solid end must be nicely squared to fit the forward end of the pocket cut out of the gun-stock. Here it must be held firmly in place by glue and two screws. One screw is put slanting from the top of the gun-stock; the other is put straight from the bottom. That the rattle may sound the loudest, it must not touch anywhere else than this solid end. When putting the knocker and trigger in place, see that they also do not touch the rattle. The gun-stock is made like that of the elastic gun (Plate 28) except that it has to be 2-3/8" wide in that portion which holds the rattle. The pocket is 3-1/2" from the forward end and 1-1/2" deep where the solid part of the rattle fits. To put the slanting screw in nicely, a place must be cut out with a small chisel for its head, 3/8" deep and 1/2" away from the pocket. Clamp the rattle in position, bore a hole for the screw, then glue and screw the rattle in place. Before the glue is dry, see that the rattle is straight, then put the lower screw into it.

Make the knocker of maple. The reason for the triangular notch in its bottom edge will be evident when the trigger is turned around. The stiffer the spring is, the harder, of course, it will strike the rattle, and also, the harder the trigger will turn; 1/8" will be thick enough for the thinnest place.