Things To Make | Page 2

the more elaborate and costly articles, it may enable one to possess things which otherwise would be unobtainable. Secondly, a home-made article may give a satisfaction more lasting than is conferred by a bought one, though it may be less beautiful to look upon. Thirdly, the mere making should be a pleasure, and must be an education in itself.
To encourage readers to "use their hands" the following chapters have been written. The subjects chosen provide ample scope for the exercise of ingenuity and patience; but in making my selection I have kept before me the fact that a well-equipped workshop falls to the lot of but a few of the boys who are anxious to develop into amateur craftsmen. Therefore, while the easiest tasks set herein are very easy, the most difficult will not be found to demand a very high degree of skill, or more than a very moderate outlay on tools. I may say here that I have been over the ground myself to find out its difficulties for my readers, and that I made an engine similar to that described in Chapter XV (the most elaborate mechanism included in the book) with very simple tools. Some of the items which I had on my original list were abandoned, because they presupposed the possession of comparatively expensive machines.
My selection has also been guided by the desire to cater for different tastes. In some cases the actual manufacture of the thing described may be regarded as the most instructive and valuable element, and may appeal most forcibly to the "handy" boy; in others--the Harmonograph provides a good instance--the interest centres round the experiments made possible by the construction of a simple piece of apparatus; in some the utility of the article manufactured is its chief recommendation.
I feel certain that anyone who follows out the pages of this volume with hand as well as with eye, will have little reason to regret the time so spent. The things made may in course of time be put aside and forgotten, but the manual skill acquired will remain. Nowadays one can buy almost anything ready-made, or get it made without difficulty; yet he who is able to make things for himself will always have an advantage over the person to whom the use of tools is an unprobed mystery.

CONTENTS.
I. SAWING TRESTLE II. A JOINER'S BENCH III. A HANDY BOOKSTAND IV. A HOUSE LADDER V. A DEVELOPING SINK VI. A POULTRY HOUSE AND RUN VII. A SHED FOR YOUR BICYCLE VIII. A TARGET APPARATUS FOR RIFLE SHOOTING IX. CABINET-MAKING X. TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS XI. A RECIPROCATING ELECTRIC MOTOR XII. AN ELECTRIC ALARM CLOCK XIII. A MODEL ELECTRIC RAILWAY XIV. A SIMPLE RECIPROCATING ENGINE XV. A HORIZONTAL SLIDE-VALVE ENGINE XVI. MODEL STEAM TURBINES XVII. STEAM TOPS XVIII. MODEL BOILERS XIX. QUICK-BOILING KETTLES XX. A HOT-AIR ENGINE XXI. A WATER MOTOR XXII. MODEL PUMPS XXIII. KITES XXIV. PAPER GLIDERS XXV. A SELF-LAUNCHING MODEL AEROPLANE XXVI. APPARATUS FOR SIMPLE SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS XXVII. A RAIN GAUGE XXVIII. WIND VANES WITH DIALS XXIX. A STRENGTH-TESTING MACHINE XXX. LUNG-TESTING APPARATUS XXXI. HOME-MADE HARMONOGRAPHS XXXII. A SELF-SUPPLYING MATCHBOX XXXIII. A WOODEN WORKBOX XXXIV. WRESTLING PUPPETS XXXV. DOUBLE BELLOWS XXXVI. A HOME-MADE PANTOGRAPH XXXVII. A SILHOUETTE DRAWING MACHINE XXXVIII. A SIGNALLING LAMP XXXIX. A MINIATURE GASWORKS

THINGS TO MAKE.

I. A SAWING TRESTLE
A strong and stable sawing trestle is one of the most important accessories of the carpenter's shop, whether amateur or professional. The saw is constantly being used, and for it to do its work accurately the material must be properly supported, so that it cannot sway or shift. Anybody who has been in the habit of using a wobbly chair or box to saw on will be surprised to find how much more easily wood can be cut when resting on a trestle like that illustrated by Figs. 1 to 3.
The top, a, of the trestle is 29 inches long, 4 inches wide, and 2 inches thick. At one end it has a deep nick, to serve much the same purpose as the notched board used in fretworking; also to hold on edge such things as doors while their edges are planed up. Pushed back against the wall the trestle is then "as good as a boy."
[Illustration: Fig I.--Leg of sawing trestle (left). Trestle seen from above (right).]
The four legs are made of 2 by 2 inch stuff. To start with, the pieces should be 24 inches long, to allow for the waste of cutting on the angle.
Cutting the Notches.--Make four marks 7 inches from the four corners of the top, set your bevel to an angle of 70 degrees (or cut an angle out of a card with the help of a protractor), and lay a leg against each mark in turn, the end projecting an inch or so above the