10 minute read
The Malay tailless kite is probably the most practical kind ever invented. It will fly in a wind that the tail variety could not withstand, and it will fly in a breeze too light to carry up most other forms of kites. It is also a strong pulling kite, and can be used for sending aloft lanterns and flags. For the purpose of lifting, the pulling strength can be doubled by flying two Malays in tandem. Fig. 17. —A Malay Tailless Kite. How to Make a Malay. Figure 17 shows a Malay kite in flight, Fig. 18 a detail of the completed kite, Fig. 19 the completed framework, and Figs. 20 , 21 , and 22 the details for preparing the frame sticks. The Sticks. This kite has a vertical stick and a bow-stick, each of which should be 40 inches long, about ¾ inch wide, and 3 / 8...
12 minute read
Model aeronautics has become nearly as popular as kite flying, and girls as well as boys have taken to building these unique air toys. The model aeroplane requires more work than ordinary kite construction. It also requires more patience and greater accuracy, because each part of the little aircraft must be made just so, assembled just so, and "tuned-up" just so, to produce a model which will give a good account of itself. Of course your first model will probably not be perfect. But if you do your work correctly and carefully it will fly, and the experience you have acquired will make it possible to turn out a more nearly perfect second model. Many types of model aeroplanes have been devised, but those of the simplest form of construction have made the best showing. The majority of record-breaking models have been of one type—a triangular framework, equipped with two...
4 minute read
The toy motor-boat shown in Figs. 48 and 49 is propelled by a tin propeller run by a rubber-band motor. A handful of rubber-bands will cost only a few cents, and the rest of the working material can be picked up at home. Fig. 49. —The Completed Motor-boat. Fig. 50. —Stern, with Motor in Place. Prepare the Bottom of the Hull out of a piece of wood 1 inch thick, making it of the shape and dimensions shown in Fig. 51 . Be careful to curve the side edges the same. Use a saw for cutting out the piece, then smooth up the edges with a plane and sandpaper. The stern should be sawed off on a bevel as shown in Fig. 52 . Fig. 51. —Diagram of Hull. The Sides of the hull ( B , Figs. 52 and 53 ) are thin strips 2½ inches wide. Nail one...
7 minute read
You can own a water-motor like the one shown in Fig. 61 , because its construction requires nothing but easily obtained materials. Fig. 61. —A Varnish-can Water-motor in Operation. The Case of this water-motor is made of an empty varnish can—preferably one of gallon capacity. Nothing better could be desired. The tin can makes a lightweight compact case; the spout in the top is in just the right place and of the right size to receive the water power from a faucet; and as the water connections can be made tight there is no possibility of water splashing on to the floor—a big argument in your favor when seeking permission to use the motor in the bath-tub, wash-basin, or kitchen sink. Fig. 62. —The Completed Varnish-can Water-motor. You can get an empty varnish can from any painter, or at a paint store. The first step in converting the can into...
11 minute read
Fig. 75. —Upright. It is often thought that a toy railway is beyond a boy's ingenuity to construct, whereas, in reality, it is one of the simplest toys he can make. This applies to the tracks, stations, and cars of every description, all of which can be made with a few strips of wood, some spools, nails, cardboard, and a bottle of glue, for materials. If you have passed the age of caring for such toys as this, you will, no doubt, enjoy the making of one for your younger brother, or for one of your boy relatives. Figure 76 shows a railway set up and in running order. As shown in the illustration, Fig. 76. —The Toy Railway in Operation. Fig. 77. —Support for Trolley-line. The Trolley-line , or overhead cable, runs around the wheels of two supports, one at either end of the track. Prepare four pieces of...
12 minute read
The elevator shown in Fig. 96 is a unique mechanical toy well worth one's making. Release the little car at the top floor, and it will descend to the ground floor, and then return to the starting point, without you having to touch it a second time. A magical elevator? Perhaps so. A little mechanical device performs the trick. The same plan may be followed for installing the doll-house elevator in Chapter XIII, but the more stories there are the more fun there is in operating the elevator. This is why I have adapted the scheme to A Toy Office Building. Six stories are shown in Fig. 96 , but you can make a modern sky-scraper with as many stories as you like. A packing-case 3 feet 6 inches long, stood on end, was used for the model. Another box or two can be added to the top for additional...
8 minute read
Those of you boys who have examined the little mechanical toys sold upon the street corners just before Christmas probably have been surprised to find how simply they are made, and perhaps it has never occurred to you that you might make toys equally as good for presents for your younger brothers, sisters, or cousins. Most of the smaller mechanical toys are not only easy to make, but they require materials which cost little and can usually be picked up at home. Sometimes it takes considerable thinking and planning to discover just the things which can be adapted to the various parts of toys; but that is where part of the fun of toy making comes in. A Buzz-saw Whirligig is an interesting toy ( Fig. 108 ). Lay out a disk about 5 inches in diameter upon a piece of cardboard, locate the position for the spool-end on the...
8 minute read
There are many styles of tops, probably more than you ever dreamed of, and it will surprise you to hear that the owners of some of the most curious forms are bearded men who take as much delight as any girl or boy in spinning them. A few years ago on Murray Island, which is way down among the South Sea Islands, top spinning took such a strong hold upon the attention of the natives that they neglected their work, and families often were without food, boys and girls having to go to school hungry. Matters became so serious, in fact, as a result of this fad for top spinning, that, finally, the head chieftain was compelled to restrict it to certain days. There are many experts among these South Sea Islanders. The men sing songs while their tops spin, cheer them on, and take the greatest precautions to shelter...
32 minute read
The toys shown opposite page 90 are a few of the many mechanical toys which can be operated by clockwork, and they are easy to make, too, requiring no more mechanical ability than is possessed by the average boy old enough to handle the simplest of tools. Generally it is easy to find an old clock somewhere about the house, and a clock which has been discarded simply because it has become worthless as a timekeeper is perfectly good for operating these toys, provided the mainspring is in working order. It is not necessary to have a set of works for each toy, for they are so quickly fastened in place that but a minute is required to transfer the works from one toy to another. Before commencing work upon the toys, get together The Other Necessary Materials. These will consist of cigar boxes, cardboard, cotton or silk spools, glue,...
22 minute read
An entire volume might be filled with plans for electrical toys and yet not exhaust the innumerable forms that are within the ability of a boy to construct. There is room in this chapter for only a few, and I have selected simple ideas, those that can be carried out by a boy having no knowledge of working with electricity, with materials that can be obtained at an expenditure of little or nothing. Thus every boy will be able to make these electrical toys. The Electro-magnet Derrick shown in Fig. 176 will hoist nails and other small pieces of hardware from the floor to a table top, and as the boom , or arm, can be swung from side to side, and raised and lowered, loads can be moved from place to place in the same way as with large derricks. The toy derrick may be used for loading and...
3 minute read
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 space. 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...
10 minute read
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 finishing and furnishing, 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 dry-goods store at 15 or 20 cents apiece. The Floor Plans are shown in Figs. 222 , 223 , and 224 . Your boxes may make it...
3 minute read
With the carpenter work of a doll-house completed, the finishing of the inside,—wall papering and painting,—and selecting of furnishings for the various rooms, remain to be done. This requires as much care as the building of the house, and while any boy can do the work, the help of a sister will perhaps simplify matters and give to the rooms a daintier appearance. The Walls and Ceiling of the kitchen and bath-room should be painted with white lead or white enamel. For the other rooms select paper having a small design, such as is to be found on most ceiling papers. If you have ever watched the paper-hanger at work, you have noticed he puts on the ceiling first, allowing the paper to run down the walls a little way all around instead of trimming it off. Then he hangs the wall paper, and if there is no border to...
3 minute read
Fig. 238. —Exterior of Stable. The stable illustrated in Figs. 238 and 239 is designed in keeping with the doll-house in Chapter XIII. It is shown in the background of the photograph of this doll-house ( Fig. 220 ). If you prefer a garage instead of this stable, you may omit the stalls, and make one or two large windows in the rear wall in place of the small high windows shown. The building's construction is very simple. The dimensions are: width, twenty-four inches; depth, twelve inches; and height, twenty-two inches. The barn contains five stalls on the ground floor and a hay-loft above. Fig. 239. —Interior of Stable. To build the stable according to the drawings, a box ten by twelve by twenty-four inches should be procured for The First Story. If you have a box of different proportions it will be a simple matter to make such alterations...
9 minute read
The doll apartment building in this chapter is a new idea in doll-houses. By the illustrations you will see that the apartment building is three stories high, and consists of three units—each one story high—and a roof. During playtime the units are arranged side by side upon the floor so as to form a six-room apartment ( Fig. 244 ); and afterward they are piled up one upon another as shown in Fig. 243 , and the roof placed on top, in a compact form that takes up but little floor space. Building Material. The apartment building is built out of grocery boxes. The boxes used for the units must be of equal size, and the thing to do is to select those in which a standard brand of goods come packed. If one grocery store doesn't have what you want, go to another. If the sides and ends of...
14 minute read
The metal furniture which you can buy is very pretty when it is new, but this new appearance does not last long after it has come into a youngster's possession, for the pieces are very slender and delicate, and thus easily broken. Wooden furniture is the most durable kind, and plain and simple pieces will generally outlast the fancy ones. The designs illustrated in this chapter make very substantial pieces, as there are no spindle legs or fancy arms to break off. They follow the lines of the mission furniture, that simple style used in the early American mission schools, and which is to-day being extensively made in handsome pieces for the furnishings of modern homes. You will find the Miniature Mission Furniture , illustrated and described in this chapter, simple to make and something which is easy to sell, for there is nothing like it at present upon the...
6 minute read
Cigar-boxes are splendid material for a variety of home-made toys. In this chapter are shown some easily constructed wagons, a Jack-in-the-box, a cradle, and several tables and chairs of a different pattern from the doll furniture for which working drawings were given in the preceding chapter. Get an assortment of shapes and sizes of boxes at a cigar store, and prepare them for use as directed on page 175 . Use 3 / 8 inch and ½ inch brads, and glue, for fastening the pieces together. A scroll-saw, bracket-saw, coping-saw, or a very sharp jack-knife should be used where Cutting is necessary. Do not attempt to split the wood, as the grain is seldom straight, but lay it down upon a board and score it with a knife in the way in which you would score a piece of cardboard; then break it along the scored line, or continue cutting...
7 minute read
Fig. 299. —Doll Carriage. All that is required for making the little toys shown in this chapter are spools, cardboard, paper, a straight-grained stick out of which to cut pegs, some tacks, pins, and glue. Did you ever see a better model of A Baby Carriage than that shown in Fig. 299 , with its rounded ends, arched bottom, and adjustable hood? It is easy to make. Figure 300 shows the details for constructing the carriage body. Cut four wooden pegs to fit loosely in the holes of four spools of equal size, and make them of the right length so when slipped into the holes their ends will project about ¼ inch beyond the spool ends. Then cut the bottom strip B 5 inches long by the width of the spools, bend it slightly as shown, to give a curve to the carriage bottom, and tack the ends of...
5 minute read
Who wants to play at being Uncle Sam, and have a postal system right in the house, or out on the front porch where it will be convenient for the children next door to enjoy it, too? Every small boy and girl loves to play postman, collect mail from the toy mail-box, cancel the stamps, sort out the letters into the proper routes, and then deliver them to those whom they are addressed to. The mail-box shown in Figs. 325 and 326 is easily made, and with The Working Material on hand can be completed in an evening. Two sheets of cardboard, a piece of muslin, some silver paper or paint, a piece of tape about 2 yards long, and a needle and thread, are required. The cardboard should be stiff enough to hold its shape, and yet be of light enough weight to cut and fold easily. Sheets 22...
13 minute read
Fig. 339. —The Complete Reflectoscope. Fig. 340. —Detail of Ventilator Top. This reflecting lantern, shown completed in Fig. 339 , is more magical in its operation than a magic-lantern is, because, instead of projecting through transparent slides, it reflects opaque pictures. That makes it possible to use magazine and newspaper pictures, post cards, and photograph prints. You may reflect a greatly enlarged picture of the movements of your watch, and by placing your face against the opening in the reflectoscope, you may show a view of your mouth opening and closing, giant size. The ease with which slides are obtained makes this a desirable lantern to own. Fig. 341. —Plan of Reflectoscope. The Material. You must get a box about 10 by 10 by 20 inches in size for the case of the reflectoscope, two oil-lamps, or two 16 or 32 candle-power electric lamps with the parts necessary for connecting...