Home-made Toys for Girls and Boys Part 9

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 157.--How the Spokes, Rims, and Axles are Fastened Together.]

When the hubs, rims, and spokes have been a.s.sembled, lay them aside and get some heavy wrapping-paper or thin cardboard out of which

=To Make the Cars.= The pattern for the cars is shown in Fig. 158, and on it you will find all the dimensions necessary for laying it out to the proper size. It will be understood that the unfigured portions of the drawing are the same as those with dimensions marked upon them. The dotted lines at the door and window openings indicate where the cutting is to be done, while all other dotted lines indicate where the cardboard is to be _scored_ and folded.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 158.--Pattern for the Ferris Wheel Cars.]

Use a ruler in making the drawing of the car to get the lines straight, and when you have finished it go over it carefully and compare it with the ill.u.s.tration to be sure it is correct, after which make a careful tracing of it, turn it over and transfer the drawing five times upon cardboard. These and your original drawing will give you the required number of cars. Cut out the openings with a sharp knife and then do the rest of the cutting with a pair of scissors; punch a 1/4-inch hole in each end of each car with a lead-pencil (Fig. 158), being careful to get the holes exactly opposite. In folding and gluing the cars, slip the flaps inside and bend the roofs so they will follow the curve of the ends (Fig. 159).

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 159.--A Completed Car for the Ferris Wheel.]

When the cars have been completed, cut six sticks 5 inches long, whittle them down until they are about 3/16 inch in diameter, and sandpaper them until they are perfectly round and smooth. These sticks connect the rims of the wheel and form

=The Axles= from which the cars are hung (Fig. 159). Great care must be used in fastening them between the rims, for they are easily split, and the best way to do is to start a hole first in the ends of each axle with an awl or by driving a brad part way in and then withdrawing it; then drive a brad through each spoke of one rim into an axle (Fig. 157); slip the other ends of the axles through the holes in the ends of the cars (Fig. 159), and nail the spokes of the other rim to them.

=To Mount the Wheel= upon its standard, whittle an axle 8-1/2 inches long to fit the hubs, then hold the wheel between the two uprights, with the hubs on a line with the spool bearings and run the axle through the holes (Fig. 137).

=Build Steps= at each end of the platform out of heavy writing-paper or light cardboard. Fold the paper or cardboard back and forth, making pleats about 1/4 inch wide for the steps, and after gluing it in place cut out the _bal.u.s.trades_ and glue them to the edges of the steps. Make the top step low enough so there will be about 1/4-inch clearance between it and the bottom of the cars (Fig. 137).

After you have made a final inspection to see that everything has been put together properly, your toy will be ready for operation, and I am sure that when you set the clockwork machinery in motion, and the little wheel begins to revolve slowly with each little car balancing upon its axle, you will agree that you have constructed a very interesting toy.

=The "Flying Airs.h.i.+ps"= is a riding device consisting of a number of cars suspended by steel cables from large arms pivoted to the top of a tower. When the machinery is started, the arms begin to revolve slowly, and the motion produced causes the cars to swing out away from the center. As the speed of the arms increases, the cars swing out farther and farther, until when the highest speed has been reached the cables by which the cars are suspended have taken an oblique position and raised the cars some distance above the ground; then the speed of the engine is gradually diminished, and the cars finally regain their former position. This piece of apparatus is also known as an _aerostat_.

You will find the miniature flying airs.h.i.+ps (Fig. 138) easy to construct after making a merry-go-round or Ferris wheel, as many of its details are identical with those of the other toys.

=The Standard= for the toy is made similar to the one for the merry-go-round (Fig. 135), except that the top board is omitted and a circular piece of cardboard of the size of the disks removed in cutting out the rims of the Ferris wheel is subst.i.tuted in its place. Cut a hole through the exact center of the piece large enough so it will fit over spool _D_ (Fig. 136).

=Cut a Mast= about 14 inches long and of the diameter of the hole in the spool and stick it into spool _D_; then 3 inches below the top of the mast fasten a spool with four horizontal arms 6 inches long glued into holes bored in it. Fasten a crosspiece 4-1/2 inches long to the end of each arm with brads, and from these suspend

=Cars= made similar to those of the Ferris wheel, with cords. Set a small flag in a hole bored in the top of the mast and then run cords from the top of the mast out to the ends of the arm pieces.

With this toy the cars cannot be swung out obliquely as on the large flying airs.h.i.+ps except by

=Increasing the Speed of the Clockwork.= This can be accomplished by removing one or two of the wheels of the clockwork, but it is not advisable to take out more than one wheel in addition to those removed for the merry-go-round (Fig. 139) because the mainspring would require rewinding too often to make the toy enjoyable.

=An Electric Motor= can be belted to these toys as a subst.i.tute for the clockwork, if you own one and prefer to try it out.

The clockwork toys just described were invented by the author for his book "Handicraft for Handy Boys," and were the first designs, he believes, devised for home-made mechanical toys of this nature. No doubt you have noticed that manufacturers of the so-called "construction sets"--steel and wood strips supplied with bolts and screws for a.s.sembling--have used these very same forms of models to show what can be made with their outfits. But your Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and aerostat, built as described in this chapter, with materials picked up at home, will be the equal of any that can be built, and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you haven't required an expensive "construction set" for making them.

All sorts of toy vehicles can be operated by clockwork. Figure 160 shows

=An Automobile=, and Fig. 161 shows how the clockwork motor is mounted upon the cha.s.sis and belted to the driving wheel. The same scheme that was used for the cars of the toy railway described in Chapter VI will be followed in making

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 160. THE CAR COMPLETED.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 161. THE FRAMEWORK.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 162.--Top View of Wooden Frame.]

=The Frame= of the automobile, as that is about the simplest way, and makes a light, easy-running vehicle. The bed will be cut of a different pattern, however, as will be seen in Fig. 162. Lay out the piece to the dimensions shown upon this drawing, and then cut it out, making a mortise in each end for the wheels to fit in. The spool wheels should be mounted in the same manner as those of the railway cars, for which see Fig. 80, Chapter VI, and the directions upon page 51. One end of spool _A_ should be pivoted with a longer finis.h.i.+ng nail than those used for the other pivots, so that when driven in place about half an inch will project beyond the frame. A small silk spool should be fastened upon this for a belt-wheel (see _B_, Fig. 162). The hole in one of these spools is about three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter, so, in order to make it fit tightly upon the nail, it is necessary to fill in around the nail with sealing-wax. To do this, turn the wooden frame upon its edge and place the spool over the nail, being careful to get the nail in the exact center of the hole. Then hold a stick of sealing-wax over the spool, and with a lighted match melt the end and allow it to drip into the hole. When the hole has been partially filled, allow the wax to harden a little, and then press it down around the nail with the end of a match, being careful not to throw the spool out of center by doing so.

The hole should then be filled to the top.

We are now ready to prepare the clockwork for mounting upon the wooden frame. The works shown in Fig. 161 are from an alarm clock, but if you have a striking clock, or one with works a little different from those shown in the ill.u.s.tration, it does not make a bit of difference in the scheme for attaching the works. The three parts shown in the foreground of Fig. 161 must first be removed from the works. These will be recognized readily in any clock, as they are pivoted close together, and regulate the speed of the other wheels. When they have been removed, the mainspring will unwind rapidly. The frame of the works shown in the ill.u.s.tration is held together with nuts, so that in removing the wheels it was necessary to unscrew two of them, spring the frame open enough to let the wheels drop out, and then replace the nuts again in their former positions. If the frame of your clockwork is riveted together, the wheels will have to be broken out. A small silk spool, such as _B_ (Fig.

162), should be fastened upon the small pivot which originally operated the clock's hands, for a belt-wheel. Lay the works upon a table with the face-side down, and, after centering the hole of the spool upon the pivot, fasten it in place with sealing-wax in the same manner as you attached spool _B_ (Fig. 161).

The works should now be attached to the wooden frame. Place them with the striker uppermost, near the edge of the frame, so that the small belt-wheels are in line with one another. Then bore a number of gimlet holes in the wooden frame and run copper wire through them, pa.s.sing it around the posts of the clock-frame and twisting its ends until the works are firmly fastened in place.

A rubber band about an eighth of an inch wide and long enough to reach from one belt-wheel to the other should be procured for

=The Belt.= This should stretch just enough to cling upon the spools, as more than that would cause too much friction.

Before going any further with the construction of the automobile

=Test the Machine=, to be sure that it is in perfect running order. Wind up the mainspring, pressing a finger against one of the wheels to hold it in check until you are ready to start the machine. When properly made, the clockwork automobile should run a distance of from twenty to twenty-five feet upon a wooden floor, while about three-quarters of that distance should be covered upon a floor with a fairly smooth carpet.

=The Cardboard Sides= and other details of the automobile should now be made. The patterns for these have been so shown in Figs 163 to 170 that they can easily be laid out to the proper shape and size by means of the process of enlarging by squares described on page 175, Chapter XVII.

White cardboard should be used upon which to draw these pieces, and the thinner it is the easier you will find it to work with.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGS. 163-170.--Patterns for the Automobile Touring-car.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 171.--Chauffeur.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 172.--Cardboard Side of Automobile.]

First prepare the two sides, cutting them out by the pattern of Fig.

163. Then glue the bottom edge of each side to the edge of the wooden frame, cutting holes in the left side for the belt-wheels and projecting posts to run through (see Fig. 160 and _A_, _B_, _C_, _D_, and _E_, Fig.

172). The top to the front of the car should now be cut as shown in Fig.

173, the distance between the sides being measured to get the piece of proper dimensions. Bend the edges as in Fig. 173, and glue them to the inner surfaces of the side pieces as shown by the dotted lines in Fig.

172. In the same way cut and glue a piece of cardboard between the side pieces at _G_ and _H_ (Fig. 172) for the seat-backs. The bent edges of these pieces are shown by dotted lines in the ill.u.s.tration. Draw four

=Wheels= as shown in Fig. 164, using a compa.s.s with which to describe the circles, and cut them out with a sharp knife. You can cut out between the spokes, if you wish, or leave them solid. Glue the wheels to the cardboard, placing their centers about as located at _I_ and _J_, Fig. 172. Four

=Mud-Guards= should be cut like Fig. 165, with flaps made along one edge. Then bend these guards around the tops of the wheels, and, after applying glue to the flaps, press them against the cardboard side, holding your fingers upon the flaps until the glue has dried (see Fig.

160). The guards should be placed a little above the tops of the wheels.

Cut four

=Lamps= like Fig. 166 and glue end _K_ of two upon the front of the automobile at _L_ (Fig. 172) and one of the other two upon each side at _M_. These lamps are shown in position in the ill.u.s.tration of the completed automobile (Fig. 160). Draw and cut

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 173.--The Hood.]

=The Steering-wheel= similar to Fig. 167, and, after pivoting it to the end of a strip of cardboard with a pin as shown in Fig. 174, bend the lower end and glue it to the under side of the cardboard top _F_ at _N_ (see Fig. 172, also Fig. 160). Make a

=Horn= like Fig. 168 and glue it to the steering-wheel as shown in Fig.

174. A strip of cardboard about the size of that used for the upright of the steering-wheel should be cut for

=The Brake=, and glued to the inside surface of the right side of the car at _O_ (Fig. 172).