CHAPTER XXII

TOYS WORKED BY WHEELS, ETC.

Fig. 458 shows how a clown can be mounted on a cart so that when the cart is drawn along he dances and waves his arms. In toys of this kind, the wheels should be quite half-an-inch in thickness. They are glued on to round axles which turn freely in small screw-eyes or in holes in wooden blocks fastened under the car or cart. If any part of the axle projects beyond the wheel it gets in the way of the wires. The clown is made of cardboard or three-ply, according to design given in Chapter XVI. It is then fastened securely to rod B, and the latter glued into a hole in the middle of the cart. Fairly strong wire is fastened to the wheel by a nail with a broad head so that when the wire is looped round the nail it turns freely on the nail but does not come off. The wire is bent at right angles twice to bring it close to the figure, as shown at A. It must fit accurately into the holes in the figure. Notice that one leg passes on each side of the post.

The clown works best when cut out of wood. In this case the body E and post B may be cut out in one piece, one leg and one arm are then attached to the front of the body, and one leg and one arm behind.

Fig. 459 shows a soldier on the march. He is made of three pieces of wood. Head, body, arms and stand A are cut out in one piece, the legs are cut out separately and riveted loosely to the body; only two pieces of wire are needed, one on each side, to work the legs. The gun may be a piece of wire or wood fixed on after-ward. The wheels are 1/2 inch in thickness.

Other similar toys worked by wheels can be made by cutting a hole in the bottom of the cart. One axle of the cart must run exactly under this hole, it must be made of wire and bent as B C in Fig. 460.

D and E are pieces of tin nailed to the cart, through holes in which axle B C freely turns; or wooden blocks may be nailed on for the axle to turn in, if tin cannot be obtained. The ends of the axle are securely fastened into solid wooden wheels. As the wheels revolve they will push up and down a piece of wire or wooden rod, F, which is fastened to the bent part of the axle. Now F can be used to work a number of simple toys, if its free end is fastened to the part which it is desired to move. For example by this means an animal's mouth may be made to open and shut as it is wheeled along, or its head to wag; a blacksmith may be made to strike his anvil, the drummer to beat his drum. The ingenious child will be able to adapt this simple piece of mechanism to many a toy.

=A Lively Dog.= Cut out with a fret-saw two pieces of wood as F in Fig. 461, which represents the body and legs of a dog in one piece. Now cut out the head H (notice length of neck behind body) and the tail K from wood 1/4 inch thick.

Now glue the two bodies to a piece of stripwood A (1/2 inch by 1/2 inch) placed along the tops of bodies inside (Fig. 462), and bevelled so that the legs of the dog will be further apart than the upper portion. The legs are joined by pieces of stripwood, M, 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch, about 1-1/2 inches long. Notice that the ends of these strips are bevelled. Now make hole, E, in the head-piece; notice that there is the same length of wood above E as below it. Make corresponding holes E in sides F. Pass a piece of wire through the hole in the dog's head and see how it hangs; the head portion will be the heavier and sink. Now take the head off, saw out a piece of wood at B, insert a piece of lead and try again. It is an easy matter if too much lead has been added to cut off a little. When the head is correctly balanced, as in Fig. 461, bend over the wire so that it cannot come off. The tail, K, is attached in the same way.

Small wheels, N, cut from some convenient round rod are then nailed to M. The dog should be suitably coloured. When drawn along he wags his tail and bends his head.

The legs look rather better if cut out separately and glued to the sides.

=The Tumbling Clown or Monkey.= Cut out cardboard or wooden animals similar to those in Part I, Chapter XX, but use no lead. Now, instead of swinging them on a perch, make a hole at B where they stand; take a piece of copper wire, about 1/8 inch thick and 6 inches long.

Bend it slightly as in Fig. 463. Pass the wire through the hole in the animal, so that the animal fits tightly on it exactly in the middle of wire.

The animals are best cut out of thick cardboard. Fig. 464 shows a suitable animal, and the following from Chapter XX--Figs. 256, 257, 259, 263 and 264--can be adapted. As no lead can be used for the purpose to which we are now going to put them, animals that balance without lead, as in Fig. 464, are the most suitable. Therefore in designing them, one must take care that the hole B is exactly at the centre of gravity, and the bend of body, D (that is widest part of body), just below B.

=To make the Monkey tumble.= Cut a piece of wood 12 inches by 2-1/2 inches, and fix parallel bars to this as in Fig. 465. File or cut notches in the ends at A, to keep the monkey from tumbling off in his zeal. Now put the wire with the monkey in the middle across one end of the rails. Push the monkey head over heels and he will go on solemnly turning over and over, however long the rails are, until he lands in safety in the notches at the other end. It is the bend in the wire and carefully balanced body of the monkey that makes him behave so delightfully.

The longer the stand is the better, for then two or three clowns, monkeys and cockatoos can follow each other rapidly.

The bars must be high enough to allow the monkey to turn without touching the ground--4-1/2 inches high will just do if length of monkey from B to C (Fig. 464) is 4-1/2 inches.

Fig. 466 shows two clowns swinging together; a variety of funny figures can be made to follow each other along the bars.