Home-made Toys for Girls and Boys Part 13

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 227.--The Chimney.]

The cutting of the elevator-shaft has already been described. For material, procure two small pulleys such as is shown in Fig. 230, four feet of bra.s.s chain, six feet of No. 12 wire, half a dozen double-pointed tacks or very small screw-eyes, a short piece of lead pipe, and a cigar-box. Make

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 228.--Front View of Elevator-shaft and Stairs.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGS. 229-232.--Details of the Elevator.]

=The Car= out of the cigar-box, cutting it down to two and one-quarter inches wide, three and three-quarters inches deep, and seven inches high (see Fig. 231). Place two of the double-pointed tacks or screw-eyes in each side of the car for the guide-wires to run through and another in the center of the top from which to attach the bra.s.s chain.

=The Guide-wires= are made of very heavy wire that will not bend easily.

Cut two of a length to reach from the first floor to the ball-room ceiling, and after running them through the tacks in the sides of the car, stick their ends into small holes bored at _E_, _F_, _G_, and _H_ (Fig. 228). The upper holes should be bored through the ball-room ceiling, while the lower ones need be bored but part way through the first floor. Care must be taken to have these holes in the correct position, so the elevator will run up and down upon the wires without striking the sides of the shaft. The easiest way of fastening the wires in place is to run the upper ends through the holes, until the lower ends can be set into their sockets, and then drive two double-pointed tacks over the top of each wire, as shown at _E_ and _F_ in Fig. 228.

Now run the elevator up to the top of the shaft, and mark upon the ceiling where the screw-eye in the top of the car strikes. At this point bore a hole through the ceiling and two inches back of it bore another hole, through which to run the weight-chain. When this has been done, cut a short block of wood to fit the peak of the roof and

=Screw the Pulleys= into it two inches apart (Fig. 229). Fit the block in the peak of the roof, centering the front pulley over the top of the car as nearly as possible, and drive a couple of nails through the roof boards into it to hold it in place temporarily. Then

=Attach the Chain= to the tack in the top of the car, slip a piece of lead pipe about an inch long over the chain, allowing it to set on the top of the car to make the latter heavier (Fig. 231), and run the chain up through the first hole in the ceiling, over the pulleys, and down through the second hole. To the end of the chain attach a piece of lead pipe for

=The Counter-balance= (_C_, Fig. 232). This should be just heavy enough to make a perfect balance between it and the car, which can be obtained by whittling off the end of the pipe until the weight of the two is the same. Make the chain of sufficient length so the weight will rest upon the first floor when the car is at the third floor. You can now tell whether or not the pulleys are in the right positions. When they have been adjusted properly, nail the block firmly in place.

=The Gable-Ends.= The front gable-end consists of four pieces (_A_, _B_, _C_, and _D_, in Fig. 233), the dimensions for the cutting of which are given in the ill.u.s.tration. After preparing these, nail _A_, _B_, and _C_ in their proper positions in the gable of the roof, and trim the edges of _D_, if they need it, to fit between. To prevent the movable section from pushing in too far, it will be necessary to nail a narrow strip of wood to the roof and third floor, just inside of it. The rear gable is made in one piece, and is fastened in place permanently.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 233.--The Front Gable-End.]

The movable gable and all hinged portions should have

=Spring-Catches= with which to shut up and lock the house (see the ill.u.s.trations).

=The Stairway= is shown in Fig. 228, and the details for its construction will be found in Figs. 234, 235, 236, 237. This stairway is made in two parts, with a platform between. Cut a block of wood the shape and size shown in Fig. 234 for the platform, with notches at _A_ and _B_ for the tops of the lower stringers to fit in. Then

=Prepare Two Stringers= of thirteen steps similar to Fig. 235, and two stringers of five steps similar to Fig. 236, laying off the steps by means of a cardboard pattern, or _pitch-board_, of the size shown in Fig. 237. After cutting out these pieces, fasten the tops of the lower stringers in the notches A and B in the platform, and nail the platform in its proper position in the corner of the hall. When this has been done, nail the bottoms of the upper stringers (_E_ in Fig. 236) to the sides of the platform at _C_ and _D_ (Fig. 234), and set the tops in notches cut in the edge of the second floor.

=The Treads and Risers= of the steps--the horizontal and vertical boards--should be cut out of cigar-box wood.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGS. 234-237.--Details of Stairs.]

Cut

=The Newel-posts= out of short square blocks, and

=The Hand-rails= out of strips of cigar-box wood. Make a groove in the under side of the hand-rails to receive the ends of

=The Bal.u.s.ters=, or spindles. Toothpicks are of just the right size for bal.u.s.ters.

The delicate portions of the stairways should be glued in place. Make slits in the stair treads to stick the bottoms of the bal.u.s.ters in.

=The Front Steps= are clearly shown in Fig. 220. Make the solid bal.u.s.trades out of pieces of box board, and the step treads and risers out of cigar-box wood. Prepare the rear steps in the same way.

=Cut the Window Openings= in the places indicated upon the plans (Figs.

222 to 224) and the photographs. First bore holes in the four corners of each window s.p.a.ce; then saw from hole to hole with a compa.s.s-saw.

Old camera plates are excellent material for

=The Window Gla.s.s.= Fasten the gla.s.s in the openings with small brads in the same way that gla.s.s is fastened in picture-frames, and putty it in the same way that window gla.s.s is puttied, to hold it firm.

=The Front and Rear Doors= can be painted upon the front of the house.

Openings are not necessary.

=The Outside Tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs.= Strips of cigar-box wood should be cut up for the outside door and window casings, and be tacked around the openings as shown in Fig. 220. Nail a molding or a plain strip of wood to the front edge of the third floor, as shown in Fig. 220.

=Castors= will make it easier to move the doll-house about. Cut four blocks of wood, fasten a castor to each, and nail one block inside each corner of the foundation frame.

=The Interior Woodwork.= Cigar-boxes make excellent hardwood floors. Fit the pieces close together and fasten with small brads.

Make the door and window casings, picture-moldings, and baseboards out of strips of cigar-box wood.

After completing the carpenter work of the house,

=Set the Nail-heads=,--that is, drive them below the surface of the wood,--putty these holes and all cracks and other defective places, and sandpaper rough surfaces.

=Paint the House= a cream color, with white tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs and a green roof.

Stripe the foundation walls to indicate courses of stone work. Paint the front door a mahogany color, with panels indicated upon it, and make the rear door white. The painting of the chimney has already been described.

The inside walls should be finished as suggested in Chapter XIV. The woodwork may be oiled, or painted with white enamel or any other color desired.

=A Colonial Doll-house= with a number of features not included in this house is described and ill.u.s.trated in Chapter V of "The Boy Craftsman."

CHAPTER XIV

FURNISHING THE HOME-MADE DOLL-HOUSE

With the carpenter work of a doll-house completed, the finishing of the inside,--wall papering and painting,--and selecting of furnishings for the various rooms, remain to be done. This requires as much care as the building of the house, and while any boy can do the work, the help of a sister will perhaps simplify matters and give to the rooms a daintier appearance.

=The Walls and Ceiling= of the kitchen and bathroom should be painted with white lead or white enamel. For the other rooms select paper having a small design, such as is to be found on most ceiling papers. If you have ever watched the paper-hanger at work, you have noticed he puts on the ceiling first, allowing the paper to run down the walls a little way all around instead of tr.i.m.m.i.n.g it off. Then he hangs the wall paper, and if there is no border to cover the joints of the ceiling and wall papers he carries the wall paper up to the ceiling. Use flour paste to stick on the paper, and a cloth or photograph-print roller to smooth out the wrinkles. The dining-room should have a wainscot of dark paper below the chair-rail, and a paper with little or no figure upon it above.

=All Hardwood Floors=, the stairs, door and window casings, baseboards, and picture moldings should be varnished thoroughly or given several coats of boiled linseed-oil.

All floors, with the exception of the kitchen, bathroom, and hardwood floors, should be fitted with

=Carpets.= If you do not happen to have suitable sc.r.a.ps on hand, they can be procured at almost any furnishing store where they make up carpets. Select pieces with as small patterns as possible. The floors of the bathroom and kitchen should be covered with oilcloth.

=Rugs= for the hardwood floors may be made out of sc.r.a.ps of carpet.

=Window-shades= may be made for each window out of linen, and tacked to the top casing so that the bottom of the curtain reaches just above the center of the opening. Each window should also have