Home-made Toys for Girls and Boys Part 12

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 210--Details of Seat and Canopy-top.]

=The Seat and Canopy-top= details are shown in Fig. 210. Make these in about the proportion to the cigar-box shown in Fig. 199. Fasten the seat to the edge of the seat-back _B_ with glue and brads, and then fasten the side pieces _A_ to the ends of the seat. The dashboard _E_ is nailed to the bottom piece _D_, and _D_ is nailed to the lower ends of side pieces _A_. Figure 211 shows the pattern for the canopy-top. Make it of light-weight cardboard, or heavy writing-paper. Slash the ends as shown; then turn down the corners, and lap and glue them to form the turned-down canopy ends. Fasten the ends to the canopy uprights with tacks.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 211.--Pattern of Canopy-top.]

=The Seat-arms= are pieces of bent wire, with their ends stuck into holes in the canopy uprights and front edge of the seat.

=The Steering-wheel= is a section of a spool 1/8 inch thick, and is glued upon the end of a pencil or a stick. Run the lower end of the pencil through a hole in the bottom of _D_ (Fig. 210). For

=The Levers=, fasten two small sticks to the end of the bottom piece _D_ with small staples.

CHAPTER XII

A HOME-MADE TOY SHOOTING GALLERY

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 212.--The Completed Toy Shooting Gallery.]

This interesting toy, with its funny animal targets, and a harmless pistol with which to shoot at them, will provide an endless amount of fun for a winter's evening or stormy afternoon.

Figure 212 shows the completed toy, and Fig. 213 the box that forms

=The Framework.= The targets can be arranged to suit the form of box that you find, and the number may be increased or decreased to suit the s.p.a.ce.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 213.--The Box Framework.]

The right position for the box is upon its side so its open top forms the front of the target box (Fig. 213). The horizontal piece _A_ (Fig.

213) is fastened between the ends of the box, to support targets. It is held in place by nails driven through the box ends into its ends. If your box is much larger than the one shown in the ill.u.s.tration, you can provide two crosspiece supports for targets, instead of one.

=The Circular Target= should be drawn upon a piece of cardboard with a compa.s.s, or, by marking around a cup or small saucer to make the outer circle, marking around a can cover for the second circle, and a coin for the center circle. Blacken the outside and center rings with ink, or by rubbing with a soft pencil.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGS. 214-215.--Details of Targets.]

Figure 214 shows how the target should be hinged in place to the horizontal strip _A_. Tack or glue the lower edge of the piece of cardboard to a block of wood _B_. Then cut a hinge-strip out of a piece of dress lining, and either tack or glue one-half of it to block _B_ and the other half to the target support _A_.

=The Animal Targets= are made with pictures cut from magazines and newspapers. The pictures should be colored with crayons or water-colors, to make them as nearly like their right colors as possible.

After cutting out the pictures, paste them upon cardboard, mount the pieces of cardboard upon blocks of wood, as shown at _B_ and _C_ (Figs.

214 and 215), and hinge the blocks to the target supports with cloth strips. _B_ shows the method of hinging the targets to strip _A_, and to the lower side of the box, and _C_ shows the method of hinging the targets to the ends of the box. The former targets fall backwards when struck; the latter targets swing sideways when struck.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 216.--The Card-shooting Pistol.]

Figure 216 shows

=The Card-shooting Pistol=, and Figs. 217, 218, and 219 show the details for making it. Cut block _A_ about 8 inches long, and block _B_ about 3 inches long. Nail _A_ to _B_ as shown. Then take two rubber-bands, loop them together end to end, as shown in Fig. 218, and fasten one end of the looped bands to the end of block _A_ by means of a nail driven into the block and bent over as shown in Fig. 217. Cut a piece of cardboard about I inch square, notch the center of two opposite edges (Fig. 219), and fit the loop of the free end of the rubber-bands over the piece of cardboard and into the notches, as shown in Figs. 217 and 218. This completes the pistol.

The toy pistol shoots small squares of cardboard, placed in it as shown in Figs. 216 and 218, with one corner slipped beneath the rubber-band loop.

=Number the Targets= as shown in Fig. 212, marking the circular target "25," four of the animal targets "10," and the remaining four "5." Each number represents the score of that particular target.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGS. 217-219.--Detail of Card-shooting Pistol.]

=When Shooting=, stand 3 or 4 feet away from the target box. Aim at the circular target, because that one counts the most. If you miss it, there is the chance, of course, of hitting one of the other targets below or to one side of it and making a smaller score.

CHAPTER XIII

A HOME-MADE DOLL-HOUSE

There is nothing more interesting to build than a doll-house, and the construction is within the ability of the average girl. If brother is willing to lend a hand with the carpenter work so much the better.

Sister can attend to the finis.h.i.+ng and furnis.h.i.+ng, which are important parts of the work that she can do more handily than a boy can. But there is no reason why either a girl or boy cannot undertake a doll-house like that shown in Figs. 220 and 221, and carry the work to a successful completion, by carefully following the instructions and diagrams in this chapter.

=The Building Material.= The doll-house in the photographs was built of packing cases. You can buy these at a drygoods store at 15 or 20 cents apiece.

=The Floor Plans= are shown in Figs. 222, 223, and 224. Your boxes may make it necessary to alter the dimensions given, but that will be simple to do. Patterns for

=The Part.i.tions= are shown in Figs. 225 and 226. In cutting the second-floor part.i.tions (Fig. 226), miter one edge of _E_ and _F_ to allow for the bedroom door opening, shown upon the plan, and miter the edges of _G_ to fit between them above the door. The mitering is shown in the drawings (Fig. 226).

Besides cutting a stair opening in the second floor, make an opening three by five inches in the second and third floors for

=The Elevator-shaft.= Care must be taken to have these openings exactly over one another. Make the opening in the second floor six by eight inches in the place indicated upon the plan. This will allow for the elevator shaft and stairway. No stairway has been built to the third story, as the elevator serves the purpose, and one would take up too much of the ball-room s.p.a.ce.

=The Side Walls= should measure nineteen inches wide by twenty-four inches high, and the other two walls thirty inches wide by twenty-four inches high. That portion of

=The Rear Wall= enclosing the kitchen and bathroom is hinged to open (see Fig. 222), and

=The Front Wall= is made in two sections, each hinged to a strip of wood an inch and one-half wide nailed to the two edges of the house, as shown in Fig. 220.

=The Windows= are four by five inches, so four-by-five camera plates can be used for the gla.s.s.

=The Roof= had best be made in two sections, each measuring twenty-eight inches long by twenty-four inches wide. Fasten the boards together with battens on the under side and, after mitering the upper edge of each, nail them to the house so that the ridge is fifteen inches above the third floor. Then nail a board nineteen inches long by ten inches wide in the peak of the roof (_D_ in Fig. 228), and a narrow strip three inches from each side wall (_K_ and _L_ in Fig.

224). These cut off the triangular shape of the ball-room and give it a better appearance.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 220. THE HOME-MADE DOLL-HOUSE.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 221. INTERIOR VIEW OF DOLL-HOUSE.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGS. 222-226.--Plans of Doll-house and Patterns for Part.i.tions.]

=The Chimney= is a solid block of wood with narrow strips nailed to all sides near the top (Fig. 227). Make it eight or ten inches long, and cut off the bottom to fit the slant of the roof. Paint the block red, and mark off the mortar joints in white.

=An Elevator= is something which is found in but few doll-houses. It was built in this house, thinking it might please the young mistress, and it proved such a success that the scheme has been worked out carefully in Figs. 228, 229, 230, 231, and 232, that you may include it in the house you build.