Toy-Making at Home Part 5

63).

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 63.]

With patience and care this is not very difficult to make. For the house itself you can use an old cigar box, or, if you prefer it, you can make the entire house in cardboard. This is, of course, easier, but not very durable. If you are going to use the cigar box, you will need first to cut the lid and bottom into something like the shape of a house end. You will then have to nail the lid down, and add two slanting pieces for the sides of the roof: and that will complete the house.

However, before you nail down the lid and put on the roof, you will need to understand the mechanism. First you will bore a round hole in the top of the roof, just behind the front gable. This hole is for a round peg to which the revolving base is attached.

The actual mechanism of the toy consists of a piece of catgut (an old violin string, or a tennis-racket string). This pa.s.ses through the centre of a small flat piece of wood on which the two figures are balanced. Just in front of the string a piece of wire (a bent hairpin will do admirably) is fixed, so as to form a loop through which the catgut can pa.s.s (see Fig. 64). The other end of the catgut is fixed to the peg which fits in the hole in the roof.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 64.]

For the man and woman you can use two of the grotesque figures cut from clothes pegs. Screws pa.s.sed through the revolving base will secure the figures firmly and at the same time add a little weight, and so improve the balance.

When there is moisture in the air the catgut will twist. You must fit together the different parts and then, by turning the peg to right or left, adjust the position of the figures so that the lady appears in fine weather and the gentleman in wet.

A toy of unfailing attraction for boys--and girls as well--is

_The Marble Board._--This may be quite a simple affair--such as a boy can carry in his pocket for use in the playground--just a piece of wood, such as a cigar-box lid, with a number of holes cut along one edge, and a handle added (Fig. 65); or it may be a much more elaborate form intended for use as a table game.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 65.]

In this latter case there is a front board, similar to that in the simple form; but behind each hole there is a little compartment for the collection of the marbles (Fig. 66). To make this you need two pieces of wood, about 2 in. wide, and as long as the table is broad: any sort of wood will do. These are for the front and back of the contrivance. The front must next be marked out for the marble holes, allowing about 1 in.

for the hole and 1 in. for the s.p.a.ce between. Of course, the wider the s.p.a.ces between the more difficult it becomes to score. These holes must then be cut out by means of a fret saw, or, if you do not possess one, by means of saw and chisel. The back and front must then be secured in position by means of end-pieces nailed or screwed on. These should be about 3 in. long.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 66.]

The next piece of work is the adjustment of the part.i.tions. For these cigar-box wood is best. You can either cut these part.i.tions to the exact distance between the front and the back, and glue them into position; or else you can make them a little larger, and fit them into grooves cut into the front and back: but that is a nice little piece of carpentry for you.

When you have done this, all that is necessary is to give the whole thing a coat of paint, and place numbers over the various holes--taking care that you do not put all the high numbers together.

Boards similar to this are used in the Colonies for a game known as "Bobs." Larger b.a.l.l.s are used, and propelled by means of a cue as in billiards. If you can obtain the b.a.l.l.s, this is a delightful game, and one well worth making.

_A Wooden Wind Wheel_ for the garden is a splendid little model to make--interesting in itself, but doubly desirable because so much can be done with it. Of course, it can be made quite small and very simple, and still provide unending amus.e.m.e.nt to smaller brothers and sisters; but for our own purpose it is just as well to make a larger and stronger specimen, one which can be employed as a power station for the working of smaller toys.

The main parts are: (1) a circular hub, about 2-1/2 to 3 in. in diameter, and 1 to 1-1/4 in. in thickness (for the smaller varieties a cotton reel will do admirably); (2) six or eight sails, each about 6 or 7 in. long and 3 in. wide at the extreme end, tapering down to a little more than the width of the hub at the other; (3) a hardwood axle; and (4) a driving wheel. For this last a cotton reel will do splendidly, especially one of those with wide f.l.a.n.g.es and a slender centre. The general arrangement is shown in Fig. 67.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 67.]

The cutting of the hub is not a very difficult matter if you have a fret saw. It should be cut across the grain if you can get a suitable piece of wood. The sails also are quite easy to make. For these you cannot beat cigar-box wood. The cutting of the grooves in the hub for the insertion of the sails is the most trying piece of work. These grooves should be just large enough to allow the sails to fit tightly, and should be cut at an angle of 45 across the hub. The sails should then be glued in with carpenter's glue.

For the axle secure a piece of round wood, such as an odd length of half-inch dowel-rod. This should be cut to a length of about 4-1/2 to 5 in. On this should be fixed the wheel itself, and, at a sufficient distance to prevent the sails catching the string, the bearing wheel. A French nail in each end of the axle will then secure it in position between the side supports and secure an easy running.

If you have a play shed in the garden, this apparatus can be erected at the top of a high post projecting through or at the side of the roof.

The driving strings can then pa.s.s through a hole in the roof or the wall, and the power can be transmitted by a double pulley wheel and another driving string. If you have no play shed, it is not at all difficult to rig it up outside a window. You can try that, and prove your own inventive abilities.

_How to use the Wind Power Machine._--One thing which this mechanism will drive in good fashion is an overhead tramway system--a very pretty little toy when in working order.

For this all that is required is a number of cotton reels, a length of stout cord, and one or two of the model trams described on page 21. If you care to, you can make proper "standards" for the cotton reels. Fig.

68 shows such an arrangement. The flat base is for heavy weights when the system is rigged up on a table or other place where nails cannot be used. These reels must turn freely to allow the easy pa.s.sage of the cable. In one place there must be a double reel (Fig. 69) for the transmission of the power. The lower reel will act as the ordinary cable wheel, while the other, glued firmly to it, will carry the driving belt from the wind machine described above.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 68.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 69.]

The model trams must be fixed to the cable. This is done by means of two wires, fixed to the pole of the tram and twined round the cable. When this is connected up and the cable drawn tightly round the standard reels, the vehicles circulate rapidly on what is really a complete model tramway system.

Another interesting contrivance to which the wind power can be harnessed is

_A Roundabout._--This attractive little toy can be made quite readily from one or two reels, and four ordinary wooden skewers.

The first thing required is a base board, for which any tolerably smooth and heavy piece of wood will suffice. Now in the centre of this fix an upright piece of thick wire (a knitting needle will do); and glue on a cotton reel at the base of this.

In order to secure the absolutely smooth running of the roundabout it will be necessary to improvise some sort of "bearings." For this there is nothing better than two hard gla.s.s beads. If one of these beads be sunk into the top of the reel just mentioned, and the other fixed in the bottom of another loose reel, the upper one will revolve freely on the lower (Fig. 70). This loose reel will be the driving wheel of the contrivance and will hold the power band from the wind wheel. Fixed to this running wheel, and immediately above, will be another reel for the actual merry-go-round. Into the sides of this uppermost reel bore four holes, and insert the pointed ends of the four skewers, arranging them so that all four are at right angles. The running will be facilitated if another gla.s.s bead is sunk in the top of this reel.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 70.]

All that remains now to complete the roundabout is to fix four figures--horses, boats, or similar--at one end of each skewer. These figures can be drawn on cardboard and cut out; or they can be sawn from fretwood.

Another interesting variation of this toy is the

_Fairy Light Wheel._--For this, instead of fixing figures at the ends of the skewers, obtain four egg sh.e.l.ls, and suspend them by means of wires from the ends of the arms (Fig. 71). Now if little night-lights or odd ends of candle be placed in the egg sh.e.l.ls and lighted, a very pretty effect is obtained when the whole is made to revolve.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 71.]

A toy which is always welcome to boys and girls is

_A Pair of Scales._--Moreover this is a toy which can be made quite accurately with the aid of a few quite ordinary materials. To a pair of scales--or a balance, as it is sometimes called--there are generally these parts: (1) a balancing arm, generally called the beam; (2) an upright standard on which the beam is supported; (3) two scale pins, and chains (or strings) to suspend them; (4) a base board to which the upright standard is fixed. Fig. 72 shows the sort of thing we mean.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 72.]

Now of these things not one presents any real difficulty. For the base board any piece of wood about a foot long, 5 in. wide, and 3/4 in. thick will do quite well. For the upright standard you require a piece of wood about 9 in. long and 1 in. square--one end of which must be fixed to the base board. The method of doing this will depend very largely on your degree of proficiency in the art of carpentry. If you know how to make a mortise and tenon joint, that will be the most suitable. If you cannot attain to that, then perhaps you can make a hole just as large as the standard, and sink the standard in the base. If you are not at all an expert, then you must just nail or screw your standard to the centre of the base.

Before you do this, however, there is something to be done to the other end. You must cut a slot 1/2 in. wide and 1-1/2 in. deep (Fig. 73_a_); then you must cut away small triangular pieces from the centres of the tongues left (Fig. 73_b_); and finally you must nail to the sides of the V so formed two little strips of tin (Fig. 73_c_).

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 73.]

The next thing to be constructed is the "beam." For this you will need a piece of fretwood (or other thin wood) about 9 or 10 in. long and about 1 in. wide. To support this on the metal V pieces you will need a thin piece of steel--such as a piece of an old pocket-knife blade. This will be driven through the centre of the beam, and will project equally on either side (Fig. 74). Remember, it must fit tightly; so when you cut the slot for it, do not make it too wide.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 74.]

For the scale pans two canister lids will do quite well. Bore three holes in each of the rims--measuring off the distances with a compa.s.s, so that the holes are equally far apart, and suspend the pans by means of three strings pa.s.sing into holes in the ends of the beam. If, when you have completed the work, the beam does not hang perfectly horizontal, then you must add weight or subtract weight from one side or the other. You can do this by paring off tiny pieces from the end of the beam, or you can stick on dabs of sealing wax till the correct balance is obtained.

If you cannot get any proper _weights_, then it is not a very difficult matter to make some. To do this, all that you need is to get some cardboard and a supply of sand, and to borrow a complete set of weights.