Handicraft for boys

If there is as much pleasure in giving as there is in receiving you can get twice as much pleasure out of making toys with your own hands and giving them to your little brothers and sisters—if you have any, and if you haven’t, then I’m truly sorry for you.

Since you know how to use wood and metal working tools it will be easy for you to make any and all of these toys I have described in this chapter and some of them are quite useful too. And when you are making them let the little folks watch you for this will please them greatly and make them doubly happy.

Now some grown-ups don’t know it but however small a kiddie is he or she likes to play with things that look like those the older folks work with. Of course all toys cannot be of this kind for some of them are made to be funny and others are made to be lifelike, but these are the three chief kinds of toys.

How to Make a Policeman’s Puzzle.

—Get two strips of wood ¹⁄₄ inch thick, ¹⁄₂ an inch wide and 11 inches long and cut handles on one end of each strip. Saw with your scroll saw out of ¹⁄₈ inch thick wood, two policemen 6 inches high and also one Baxter Street clothier of Semitic persuasion, 3 inches high as shown in Fig. 96.

Pivot the leg near the foot of each policeman to the ends of both of the strips by driving a couple of brads through and into them and then nail the Israelite fast to the top strip with a couple of brads. Now when you pull the strips apart one of the long arms of the law will crack Ikey on the cranium and when the strips are pushed together again the other minion of authority will bounce his club on the place where his brains ought to be. A little red and blue water color will add to the realism of the toy.

How to Make an Automobile Truck.

—This little toy will bring a lot of unalloyed joy to any tiny, weentie fellow and it’s easy to make, too.

Cut out a board for the bottom ³⁄₄ inch thick, 4¹⁄₂ inches wide and 14 inches long; trim down one end of it so that it is 2 inches wide in front as shown at A Fig. 97. Bore a ¹⁄₄ inch hole 2³⁄₄ inches from the front end.

Saw off a block of wood 1 inch square and 2¹⁄₂ inches long—this is to brace the seat with—and glue this block across the body 6¹⁄₂ inches from the back as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 97. Make a seat of a board ¹⁄₄ inch thick, 1¹⁄₂ inches wide and 3¹⁄₂ inches long and glue or nail it to the block.

To make the body or box, cut out two strips of wood ¹⁄₄ inch thick and make one 2 inches wide and the other 2¹⁄₂ inches wide and 4¹⁄₂ inches long for the front and back, and two strips of wood 2 inches wide and 6³⁄₄ inches long for the sides. Nail one of the short strips on the bottom close up to the seat and the blocks of wood it rests on and nail the side strips on the bottom.

Next round off the lower edge of the short board that is left; set it in between the ends of the sideboards and drive a brad through each of the sideboards and into the tail-board near the bottom; this brings the tail-board so that it can be closed up or let down as the side view at B shows.

Saw off two ³⁄₄ inch square blocks and have both of them just a shade over 4¹⁄₂ inches long and these are for the axles. Nail one fast near the rear of the bottom 2 inches from the back end, and nail the other one fast to the front of the bottom 1 inch from the end.

Make a hood out of a block of wood 1³⁄₄ inches wide and long and 2 inches high and bevel off the top as shown at C; nail this to the bottom in front as shown in the top and side views. For the steering wheel saw out a wheel ¹⁄₄ inch thick and 1¹⁄₂ inches in diameter.

The last thing to do is to saw out four wheels ¹⁄₄ inch thick and 2³⁄₄ inches in diameter; drill a ¹⁄₈ inch hole in the exact center of each wheel and screw it on the end of the axle with a 1 inch long, round head, wood screw. Paint the automobile a bright red when it will look like D and run like a fire engine.

How to Make a Swell Coaster.

—This is a practical toy that every little tot will like immensely. It is just as simple as the automobile but it must be made very much stronger.

Get a board, hardwood is the best, ⁷⁄₈ or 1 inch thick, 5³⁄₄ inches wide and 14 inches long and saw it out so that one end is 2¹⁄₂ inches wide as shown at A in Fig. 98; bore a hole 1 inch in diameter in the front end and ³⁄₁₆ inch holes across the back at the places marked with circles.

Next make the rear axle support and for this saw out of a 1 inch thick board a piece 4 inches wide and 7 inches long and saw out of one end of it a piece 2 inches square. Take your brace and bit and bore a ¹⁄₄ inch hole through the hangers as shown at B.

Screw this support to the seat across it 1¹⁄₂ inches from the rear end. Brace the support by screwing an angle brace, as shown in the side view C, to it and the seat. This done make the steering handle, and for it you want to use a stick of hardwood 1 inch thick, 2 inches wide and 15 inches long; saw a piece out of one end 1¹⁄₈ inches wide and 2¹⁄₂ inches deep for the axle support for the front wheel; saw the other end down until it is 1 inch wide and 6 inches deep.

Round off this smaller end for the handle, as shown at D, and bore a ¹⁄₂ inch hole close to the end for the handle bar. Slip the rounded end through the hole in the front part of the seat, drive a nail through it just above the seat and glue in a piece of wood ¹⁄₂ an inch in diameter and 6 inches long, for the handle bar.

Saw out three wheels each of which is 4 inches in diameter, bore a ¹⁄₄ inch hole in the center of each one. Set one of the wheels between the hangers of the steering handle, slip a bolt through them and screw on a nut.

Push a bolt through each of the other wheels and through a hanger of the axle support and screw on a nut, when the coaster is ready to run, as shown at E. A coat of bright paint will make it more attractive but it won’t run any better.

How to Make a Nifty Wheelbarrow.

—This is a cute wheelbarrow and will tickle any little choptie ’most half to death and you can make it in no time.

Get two sticks of wood ³⁄₄ inch square and 24 inches long and round off one end of each one about 3 inches down for the handle. Next bore ¹⁄₂ inch holes half way through in the other ends of the sticks 4 inches back for the axle; bore two more ¹⁄₂ inch holes 6¹⁄₄ inches back of the first two, and finally 5³⁄₄ inches back of the last ones bore two more ¹⁄₂ inch holes, as shown at A in Fig. 99.

This done cut off four sticks ¹⁄₂ an inch in diameter—or ³⁄₄ inch square ones will do—and make one of them 4¹⁄₂ inches long; the next one 6³⁄₈ inches long, the third 8 inches long, and the last one 10¹⁄₂ inches long.

Out of a board 1 inch thick saw a wheel 5 inches in diameter and bore a hole in its center ¹⁄₂ an inch in diameter. Smear some glue on the middle of the shortest stick and slip the wheel on it so that it is exactly in the middle.

Make the body, that is the box, of the barrow of wood ¹⁄₄ inch thick and have it 4¹⁄₄ inches wide at one end, 6¹⁄₄ inches wide at the other end, 5 inches high and 7 inches long. Through the middle, but a little toward the back and near the upper edge, bore two holes a shade larger than ¹⁄₂ an inch in diameter and slip the third longest stick through the holes in the body; drive a brad through the stick on each side of the body to keep the latter from slipping from side to side, but it must swing easily on the stick.

You are now ready to assemble the wheelbarrow and if you intend to paint it you must do so before you put it together. To assemble it smear glue on the ends of all the cross-sticks, except the one with the wheel on it for this one must revolve, and drive on the handles, being careful that the axle of the wheel does not bind. A side view of the wheel barrow is shown at B.

When it is done, see C, you will see that however high or low the handle-bars are held the body always sets level and if it is a good idea for a toy why wouldn’t it be a good idea for a full grown wheelbarrow?

How to Make a High-Low Swing.

—Here is a peace promoter and a queller of disturbances wherever there are very little kiddies around. It is an indoor swing that can be hung from the top of a door-case. Further, though it may look a little complicated in the drawing, it is simplicity itself.

First take the seat and for this, as for all of the wood for the swing, use ¹⁄₂ inch thick stuff. Cut out two side bars 1 inch wide and 13 inches long and drill a ³⁄₈ inch hole in the end of each one. Across these bars nail four cross bars 2 inches wide and 14 inches long as shown at A in Fig. 100.

Next make the sides of the swing and from each of these saw off two strips 1 inch wide and 13 inches long as shown at B. Bore a hole in each end of both sticks to match the holes in the side bars of the seat and then bore two ¹⁄₂ inch holes in both sticks and have each hole 2¹⁄₂ inches from the end.

Saw off two strips of wood ¹⁄₂ inch thick and 1 inch wide for each side, cut down and round the ends, smear glue on them and drive them into the cross-sticks. The backs of the swing, as you will see at C, are made exactly like the sides except that they are 14 inches long, and finally a single bar 1 inch thick and wide and 14 inches long with a ¹⁄₂ inch hole in each end goes across the front of the swing to keep the little fellow from falling out.

Now get two pieces of good ³⁄₈ inch thick manila rope about 10 feet long; double each piece in the middle and pass one end through the hole in the front bar, thence through two holes in the side-strips and finally through the hole in the cross-bar of the seat and then knot it.

This done pass the other end through the holes in the cross-strips of the back, then through the holes in the cross-strips of the side and last of all through the cross-bars of the seat. Fix the other piece of rope the same way and swing is done, as shown at D.

All you have to do now is to loop the top of the ropes over a couple of hooks screwed into the top of the door-case, put the little tot in and give him or her a swing.

How to Make a Stick Horse.

—This is a great improvement over riding a broomstick because it doesn’t take so much imagination to change it into a runaway horse.

Saw out of a board 5 inches square the head of a fiery steed as shown at A in Fig. 101 and paint it a dapple-gray, with a mane on its neck to look like a real pony. Make a rein of webbing and then nail the head on a stick ³⁄₄ or 1 inch square and 3 feet long for the rider to straddle.

Make an axle of a stick 1 inch square and 4 inches long; whittle the ends down until they are ¹⁄₂ an inch in diameter and nail the axle to the free end of the long stick. Saw out a pair of wheels of ³⁄₄ inch thick stuff, 4 inches in diameter and bore a ¹⁄₂ inch hole through their centers.

Slip a wheel over each end of the axle and drive a thin nail through each end to prevent the wheels from coming off, and it will be fit and ready to ride as shown at B.

How to Make a Pony and Cart.

—If this little pony and cart are to be played with in the house you can make it the size marked in Fig. 102 but if it is to be used out-of-doors then you should make it twice the size.

Get a nice smooth board ¹⁄₂ an inch thick, draw on it a horse, at least as good as the one shown in the picture, and then saw it out. Paint it any color but red or green, for ponies, even in little picture books, are never of these colors.

Make a frame 1⁵⁄₈ inches wide and 4 inches long by nailing two strips of wood ¹⁄₂ an inch square with a block of wood ¹⁄₂ an inch square and 1 inch long between them. This leaves an opening ¹⁄₂ an inch wide and 1³⁄₄ inches long as shown at A. Saw out of a piece of ³⁄₈ inch thick wood a wheel 1 inch in diameter and drill a ¹⁄₁₆ inch hole through its center. Set the wheel in the opening and drive a wire nail through the frame and the center of the wheel for it to run on. This done nail, glue or screw the horse to it as shown at B.

Make the cart next, see C, which is simply a box made of ¹⁄₄ or ³⁄₈ inch stuff, 3 inches high, 4 inches wide and 6 inches long. Nail a strip of wood ¹⁄₂ an inch square and 4¹⁄₈ inches long on the bottom and in the middle of it. Saw out a pair of wheels 2⁵⁄₈ inches in diameter and screw them to the ends of the strip of wood so that they can turn freely.

Next make the shafts; these are formed of two strips of wood ¹⁄₄ inch thick and about 5¹⁄₂ inches long. Nail the ends of these to the front end of the cart in the middle and at a distance apart so that the horse will just slip in between them.

Glue, or otherwise fasten the shafts to the horse, as shown at D, and you can then show your little brother how to play with it, but don’t break it before you give him a chance to play with it too. The finished pony and cart will then look like the picture.

How to Make a Life-like Goose.

—Nearly all geese, including goslings, are lifelike unless they are being made ready for the pot but this gray-goose is lifelike in that her head moves out from and back toward her body when she is drawn over the floor by a string.

Get two pieces of thin wood ¹⁄₄ inch thick, 3¹⁄₂ inches wide and 6 inches long; draw the outline of a goose’s body on one of them, as shown at A in Fig. 103, and then fasten them together with a couple of brads. Saw them out and drill a ¹⁄₁₆ inch hole through them in the center of the circle which is the wheel; also drill, or bore, three ¹⁄₄ inch holes at the points near the edge of the body as shown by the larger circles.

On a board ¹⁄₄ inch thick, 2³⁄₈ inches wide and 5¹⁄₄ inches long draw out the head and the neck of a goose, as shown at B, saw it out and drill a ¹⁄₁₆ inch hole near the end of its neck. Now paint the bird’s body and the anterior part of its anatomy—by which I mean its head and neck. Saw out two wooden wheels 2 inches in diameter and drill a ¹⁄₁₆ hole in the center of each one.

Cut off a piece of iron wire ¹⁄₁₆ inch thick, slip it through the hole in the goose’s neck and bend the wire on both sides of it to form a crankshaft as shown at C. The next move is to put each end of the wire through the small hole in the body, then force a wheel on each end of the wire tight and bend up what is left of the latter.

Make three pins of wood ¹⁄₄ inch in diameter and ⁷⁄₈ inch long; smear some glue on the ends and drive them gently through the holes; these pins will keep the boards which form the body the right distance apart and the pins in front also act as a guide for the goose’s head. When finished it will look like C. Now when a string is tied to the front part of the goose’s body and your little sister (or you) pulls it over the floor, the goose will run its head to and fro and forth and back in a most real and life-like fashion.

How to Make a Dancing Sambo.

—Here is a chance for you to get in your fine work with your scroll saw and to do a bit of wood carving at the same time if you want to.

Saw out, or carve out, or both, the head and body of a black rascal named Sambo, and make them of a single piece of wood; saw out a pair of arms and legs but make each one of the latter in two parts and joint them at the knees as shown at A in Fig. 104.

Fasten the arms and legs to the body with pins so that they will swing freely. The figure should be about 6 inches high and painted in 3 or 4 bright colors. When you have it done fix the end of a wire ¹⁄₁₆ inch in diameter and 5 inches long, firmly into the back of Sambo’s body.

Make a box 3 inches wide, 3 inches high and 6 inches long; bore or cut a hole ³⁄₄ inch in diameter in one end; turn it upside down and drill a ¹⁄₁₆ hole through the middle of the top and drill a ¹⁄₁₆ inch hole through both sides 2 inches back from the large hole in it as shown at B.

Cut off a strip of wood ¹⁄₂ an inch square and as long as the box is wide, drill a ¹⁄₁₆ inch hole through it and glue it inside the box so that the hole in the strip and the one in the top of the box will be in a line.

Now cut off a strip of hardwood ¹⁄₄ inch thick and 3¹⁄₂ inches long for the lever and drill a ¹⁄₁₆ inch hole through it 2 inches from one end; slip the lever through the hole in the end of the box with its end under the cross-bar; pivot the lever by running a wire through the hole in it and the sides of the box as shown at B.

Slip the wire which is fixed to Sambo through the hole in the top of the box and on down through the hole in the cross-bar so that its free end rests on the end of the lever. This is all there is to the working mechanism of Sambo.

By working the end of the lever with your fingers as though you were sending a telegraph message, as shown at A, the small time Ethiopian will execute all sorts of fancy dance steps and cut up antics that will keep the children, and the grown-ups too, in great good humor for a long time.

By working the lever cleverly you can give the darkey distinctive characteristics that not even a member of his own race ever possessed.

How to Make a Wireless Pup.

—This is a most remarkable bull-pup for he will jump out of the kennel when you or any one else calls him, when you clap your hands or on any other occasion when a loud noise is made.

Always make a dog-house for a pup before you catch him so that when he gets home he’ll know he’s there. Use smooth ¹⁄₂ inch thick pine boards for the house and cut out a piece 7 inches wide and 8 inches long for the floor. Cut a slot clear through the board 1³⁄₄ inches from one end and parallel with the edge of the back and have it ¹⁄₂ an inch wide and 1¹⁄₄ inches long; then on each end of the slot cut a groove ¹⁄₂ an inch long and ¹⁄₄ inch deep as shown at A in Fig. 105.

Cut out two pieces for the sides of the house 4 inches wide and 8 inches long and screw them to the floor. Now bevel off the top edges of the sides with a plane to allow for the slope of the roof but before you put it on you must install the wireless apparatus that makes the pup jump out of the dog-house. Make a back out of a board 7 inches square as shown at B.

This apparatus consists of five chief parts and these are (1) a spanker; (2) a solenoid; (3) a stiff piece of clock-spring; (4) a telephone transmitter and (5) two or three cells of dry battery.

The spanker, so called because it spanks the pup out of his kennel, is shown at C; it is simply a strip of wood ¹⁄₈ inch thick, 1 inch wide and 3¹⁄₂ inches long. Tack, or otherwise fix, a piece of tin to one side of it to form an electrical contact; cut a ³⁄₈ inch hole in the middle of it and then drive a brad in each edge near one end. The spanker sets in the slot in the floor and the brads rest in the grooves and serve as pivots.

A solenoid is merely an electromagnet with a loose iron core in it. Make a cardboard spool 1¹⁄₄ inches long and 1¹⁄₂ inches in diameter and have the hole in it ⁷⁄₁₆ inch in diameter; wind it full of No. 20 or 22 double cotton covered magnet wire and your solenoid is done. An iron bolt ³⁄₈ inch in diameter and 1¹⁄₄ inches long makes a good plunger, as the loose iron core is called. Slip it through the hole in the spanker and screw the solenoid to the inside of the back of the house as shown in the cross section drawing at D.

Make a contact plate of a strip of tin or sheet brass and screw this to the floor back of the spanker so that when the plunger is drawn into the solenoid and the spanker is back as far as it will go the plate will come in contact with the tin on the spanker. Put a stop in front of the spanker to prevent the latter from falling too far forward.

Next get a strong, stiff piece of clock-spring, punch two holes in one end and screw it to the back of the house near the top, with the free end of the spring pressing out the spanker. Fasten by means of hangers, or otherwise, an ordinary telephone transmitter to the roof of the house as shown at D. Now make the front of the house and cut 4 × 5 opening in it for the pup to get in and out, and a hole 1¹⁄₂ inches in diameter, as shown at E, so that when you put the front on, the hole will be directly over the mouthpiece of the transmitter.

Before putting on the front connect up the apparatus as shown at D, that is, connect one of the wires of the transmitter to the contact plate; join the other wire of the transmitter to the battery; lead one of the wires of the solenoid to the tin on the spanker. When these connections are made the circuit will be complete if a battery is connected in and the spanker is pushed back. Now put on the front of the house and then make the pup.

Saw the body of the pup and his legs out of separate pieces of wood and glue them together. He should be 2³⁄₄ inches high and 5 inches long when done and he must slide easily on the floor. See F, Fig. 105.

The action of the wireless pup is like this: You push the pup into the house and back against the spanker as far as he will go; this presses the spring back and at the same time makes connection with the contact plate which closes the circuit.

The current from the battery then flows through the solenoid and transmitter and this magnetizes the iron plunger core and holds the spanker back against the force of the spring.

If now you call loudly, or clap your hands, the carbon granules in the transmitter will vibrate and this will suddenly weaken the current, and, hence, the magnetism of the solenoid. The instant the magnetic pull of the solenoid is weaker than the spring the latter will force the spanker against the posterior end of the pup’s anatomy and boost him out of his kennel.