CHAPTER X

A TOY SUPERDREADNOUGHTBATTLESHIP

To make a model thatwould be an exact reproduction

vote lots of time to the work.The author would be glad if you

FIG. 2 5 1 . - A SUPERDREADNOUGHT TOY BATTLESHIP

of a modern battleship, youwould not only have to possessa set of-scale drawings of theship, but an abundance of pa-tience, and a willingness to de-

could make an exact model, be-cause he knows that you wouldget a great deal of enjoymentand practical experience out ofthe work, but he suggests that

from

CARPENTRY & MECHANICS FOR BOYSby A. Neely Hall ©1918

your first model be simple. Youcan elaborate upon a secondmodel as much as you please.

The way to make a simpli-fied model of a battleship, build-ing, piece of machinery, or anyother structure, is to get a pic-ture of it, or to look upon theobject itself, and pick out thehalf dozen or so parts which

form. Details other than thoseshown upon the model illus-trated can be added if you wishto spend more time upon thework.

Materials. The best mate-rial for model making is whitepine, but cypress, spruce, or anyother soft wood, will serve thepurpose. For the hull of the

FIG. 252. — Plan and Side Elevation of Hull

determine its contour; then re-produce these parts in as nearlythe correct proportion as youcan. Take the author's model,shown in the photograph of Fig.251, for example. The essentialparts are not many. They are thehull, deck, masts, funnels, main-

battleship model shown in Fig.251 a piece of 2 by 4 is of theright width and thickness. Thefunnels, turrets, and fighting-tops also can be cut out of a 2by 4. A board 5/8 inch thick isrequired for the superstructure-deck. The masts require a nar-

battery guns and turrets, and thesecondary-battery guns below thedeck. The deck-rails, fighting-tops,and wireless aerial might beomitted without destroying thelines which give the skip its

FIG. 253. — The Completed Hullrow strip of wire cloth with1/4-inch mesh and four spools.The deck rails are also made ofwire cloth. Spools are used forwheels to mount the model on.The guns are cut from dowel-

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FIG. 254. — Plan and Side Elevation of Superstructure-Deck

Sticks 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch indiameter, the small gun mountsare cut from a 3/8-inch dowel-stick. The pins connecting thevarious parts are cut from 1/4-inch dowel-sticks. Button-moulds1-1/4 inches in diameter fit overthe ends of the gun turret piv-ots.

Figure 252 shows a plan andside elevation of

The Hull, with all of the di-mensions necessary for cuttingit out. Figure 253 shows thecompleted hull. The curves ofthe ends should be alike, and thebest way to get them alike is todraw a center-line lengthwise,

FIG. 255. — Detail Showing How the Superstructure-Deck, Funnels, Masts,Fighting-Tops, Gun-Turrets, and Wireless Aerial are Assembled

3

FIG. 257 FIG. 256

FIG. 256. — Detail of Funnels

FIG. 257. — Detail of Conning-Tower, Fighting-Tops, TurretBases and Turret

and another centerline cross-wise of the block; then mark outone-half of the outline of oneside, drawing the straight linewith a ruler, the curved line free-hand. Trace this much upon tis-sue paper, reverse the paper,and transfer the line each sideof the center-lines, to completethe outline. First, cut out theblock roughly with a saw,thenfinish up close to the out-

line with a plane, and sandpa-per the edges smooth.

The Superstructure-Deck(6, Figs. 254 and 255) may bemarked out by placing the hullblock upon a board 5/8 inchthick, and marking out aroundits sides. The deck piece is a triflemore than two-thirds of thelength of the hull. The dimen-sions are on the diagrams (Fig.254). Openings for the gunsmust be cut in the deck piecealong the side edges. The open-ings are made by boring 1/2-inch holes 1/2 inch deep (Figs.251 and 255). They are locatedin Fig. 254. The centers areplaced 1/8 inch inside of the

FIG. 258. — Pattern for CuttingWire Cloth for Masts

FIG. 259 FIG. 260

FIG. 259. — Main-Battery GunsFIG. 260. —Secondary-Battery Guns

edges, so that brads can bedriven through the centers forpivots for the guns. Bore theholes before cutting out piece B,so there will be no danger ofsplitting the edges. Be careful tobore all holes of equal depth.

Funnels C, conning-tower E,fighting-tops K, turret bases AA,and turrets N (Fig. 255) are mosteasily prepared as shown in Figs.256 and 257. If you can getround sticks of this diameter -rug-poles or portiere poles - usethem; otherwise, plane up twoblocks, one 1-1/2 inches square,the other 1-3/4 inches square,describe a circle with the givenradii upon the ends of theblocks, and whittle or plane theedges until the blocks are round.Finish up the surfaces withsandpaper. With the blocks pre-pared, it is an easy matter to sawthem up to the lengths required.

The tops ofThe Funnels will look bet-

ter if bored out for a depth of1/2 inch or so (Fig. 255). Borethe holes before rounding theblock the funnels are to be cutout of, to prevent splitting. Thefunnels are fastened to the deckwith dowel-pins D (Fig. 255).

Bore the pin holes in thedeck where located inFig. 254, and in the cen-ter of the funnel ends.Coat the dowel-pinsand funnel ends withglue, before driving thedowel-pins into the holes.

Flatten two opposite sidesof block E (Fig. 257) for

The Conning-Tower, bycutting away a section of eachside, as shown in Fig. 255. Pegthis block to the deck with adowelpin driven into a holebored at the point located in Fig.254.

The Masts are built up ofstrips of wire cloth (G and H,(Fig. 258) rolled into cylinderswith a spool inserted in eachend (I and J, Fig. 255). The stripsof wire cloth can be rolledaround the spools. Turn in theraw side edges of the wire stripsso the wire cylinders will holdtheir shape. The sticks runningthrough spools J (Fig. 255) arecrosstrees from which the wire-less-telegraph aerial (U) is sus-pended. Peg spool I of the fore-mast to block E with dowel-pinF, and peg spool I of theaftermost mast to the deckwhere the dowel-pin hole is lo-cated in Figs. 254 and 255 withanother dowel-pin (F).

Make the spreaders ofThe Wireless Aerial (Fig.

255) out of slender sticks, anduse black thread for the wirestrands(U).

FIG. 261 — Detail Showing How toCut the Main-Battery Guns froma 1/4-inch Dowel-Stick

FIG. 262. — Detail Showing How toCut Secondary-Battery GunMounts from a 3/8-inch Dowel-Stick

FIG. 263. — Detail Showing How toCut Secondary-Battery Guns froma 1/8-inch Dowel-stick

Fighting-Tops K are fas-tened to mast spools J by meansof dowel-pins L, which aredriven into the spool holes.

The Turret Bases and Tur-rets. Holes must be boredthrough the center of turretblocks N, turret base blocks M,

and into the decks (Figs. 251,253 and 255), for dowel-pin piv-ots P to run through. Theseholes are located in Figs. 252and 254. Make the pivots out of1/4-inch dowel-sticks, orwhittle sticks to this diameter.Glue the lower ends of the piv-ots in the holes bored in thedecks, whittle the upper ends tofit the holes in button-mouldsmeasuring 1-1/4 inches in di-ameter (Q, Fig. 255), and gluethe button-moulds to the pivotends after the turret base blocksand turret blocks have beenslipped over the pivots. Holesmust be bored in the side of theturret blocks for the guns to runinto. To lessen the danger ofsplitting the blocks while boring,it is best to bore the holes be-fore sawing the blocks from thestick from which they are cut.Figure 257 shows the locationof the holes.

The Main Battery Guns (0,Fig. 255), mounted in the tur-rets, are shown in detail in Fig.259. Take a 1/4-inch dowel-stick, or a stick whittled to thisdiameter, and cut from it eightpieces of the length shown (Fig.261), then with a small wood-bit or drill, start a hole for thebore in the muzzle end of theguns, and with a jack-knife care-fully taper the guns from end toend, as shown in Fig. 259.Smooth up the guns with sand-paper. Glue them in the holesin the turret blocks.

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FIG. 264.— Detail ShowingHow the Deck-Rails areFastened to Deck

The Secondary-BatteryGuns are mounted in the roundblocks R. (Fig. 255). Cut four-teen of the blocks from a 3/8-inch dowel-stick (Fig. 262).With a small bit or drill make apivot hole through the center ofthe ends of each block, and an-other hole in the side of theblock to run the gun into. Pre-pare the guns of the shapeshown in Fig. 260. Cut themfrom a dowel-stick 1/8 inch indiameter (Fig. 263). Start a holein the muzzle end of each gunfor the bore.

The Flagstaffs (F, Fig. 255)are 3 inches long. Drill holes forthem at the bow and stern ofthedecks.

TheDeck-Railsaremade of

strips of wire cloth.Cut two strips 1/2inch wide, one for thesuperstructure deck,the other for thelower deck. Drive3/4-inch brads intothe decks close to thesides (W, Fig. 264),bend the wire stripsaround the brads, andwith wire bind themto the brads.

By fasteningKeel Strips X (Figs.

265 and 266) to thebottom of the hull, and mount-ing wheels upon axels runthrough screw-eyes screwedinto the keel strips (Fig. 266), for

FIG. 265. — Side-Elevation and Planof Keel Strips

A Running Gear, your toybattleship will both float uponwater and run upon land. Cutoff the ends of a pair of spoolsfor wheels ( Y, Fig. 267), and fit1 /4-inch dowel-sticks into themfor axles (Z).

FIG. 266 FIG. 267FIG. 266. — Details of Keel Strips and Running-GearFIG. 267. — Detail of Spool Wheels

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Painting. With all work done asdirected, the dreadnought willbe ready for its coat of battle-ship-grey. The author suggeststhat you paint all parts beforeassembling. It will be easier, andthe parts can be allowed to be-come thoroughly dry beforethey are assembled, which willprevent the sticking of such piv-oted parts as the gun turrets andrapid-fire gun mounts. Surfacesmarred while

Assembling can be touchedup afterwards. There is not

much work to putting themodel together, when all partshave been properly fitted. Inmounting the secondary batteryguns, slip the fourteen gunmounts into the holes bored inthe deck piece, then nail thedeck piece to the hull, and drivebrad pivots down through thedeck and gun mounts, into thehull. Figure 255 indicates veryplainly where the funnels, mastsand other parts go, and fasten-ing them in place is for the mostpart simply a job of glueing.

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CHAPTER XI

A TOY SUBMARINE

The toy submarine de-scribed on the following pagesis a model recently devised bythe author. A photograph of thistoy is shown in Fig. 268, on thepage facing page 129, a side el-

FIG. 268. - A T O Y SUBMARINE THAT

DIVES THEN RISES TO THE WATER'S

SURFACE

the bottom of the bath-tub - atub furnishes a good "zone" foroperations - nail F in trigger Ecomes in contact with the tubbottom with sufficient force tothrow trigger E out of position

and release catch J.Catch J is sprung out of

evationis shown in Fig.269, and an end eleva-tion is shown in Fig. 270.

This toy submarine dives,then returns to the surface.

The Mechanism is best un-derstood by referring to the dia-grams of Figs. 269 and 270. Thecentral section D is a tin canfilled with sand, for ballast. Oneend is supported upon a brad,the other end upon the triggerE. Trigger E is held by catch J,which slips into a notch cut inthe edge of E. Can D is of suffi-cient weight when filled withsand, to sink the submarine.When the submarine reaches

the way byrubber-bandK, trigger E issprung out ofthe way by rubber-band G (see dotted lines in Fig.269), and can D is released. Re-lieved of its ballast, the subma-rine rises to the surface. Tomake the boat dive again, it isbut necessary to attach the tincan and reset the trigger.

Instead of having the sub-marine dive, discharge itsweight, and instantly rise to thesurface, you can make the trig-

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FIG. 269.—Side Elevation of Completed ToySubmarine Shown in Fig. 268. (See photo-graph facing Page 129)

ger mechanism less delicate, sothat it will not be sprung byslight contact. Then a gentlesubmersion to the tub bottomwill not bring about the spring-ing of the trigger, and the boatwill remain upon the bottom.

With astream ofwater froma bath-s p r a yf o r c e dagainst thestern, theboat maybe pro-pelled for-ward, andby directingthe force ofthe streamagainst dif-

ferent portions of the boat youcan cause the boat to gothrough all sorts of maneuvers,even to rising nearly to the sur-face. Finally, by driving the con-

tact point, forcibly against thefoot of the bath tub, or againstan obstruction placed on thetub bottom, the trigger may besprung, and the boat, relieved ofits weight, will rise to the sur-face.

The simplicity of the workin making this mechanical toywill surprise you. Figure 271shows a pattern for

The Hull and Upper Decks04), which are made in Onepiece. Radii for describing thearcs for the bow and stem of thehull are not given, because af-ter you have located the pointsfor the beginning and end ofthese curves, as shown, you caneasily draw them free-hand. Thecutting can be done with a sawand chisel. Cut the ends of thepocket for the tin can weightwith a saw, then split out thewood between the saw cuts, orkerfs, with a chisel. Taper thesides of the bow as shown inFigs. 268 and 273.

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F I G . 270.—End Eleva-tion of Toy Submarine

FIG. 271. — Pattern for Hull and Upper Decks

FIG. 272. — Pattern for Deck Pieces

Figure 272 shows a patternfor deck pieces B. Lay these outin one piece, as indicated, cutout the piece, saw it in half, andnail the halves to the sides ofblock A in the positions shown(Figs. 269, 270, and 274). StripsC. (Fig. 269) are fastened eachside of block A (Fig. 270), di-rectly below deck pieces 6, tocomplete

The Ballast Pocket for can D.Figure 278 shows a pattern forthese pocket strips. For the canballast procure a 1/4-poundbaking-powder can. Pack thisfull of sand, and if the cover fitsloosely coat the edge with paintto make it stick fast. Figures 276and 279 show details of

The Trigger for Releasing

the Ballast. Drive the nail F, a 3inch finishing-nail, into the edgeof the trigger at the angleshown. Figures 277 and 280show how the trigger catch J ismade. The bow of the hull mustbe slotted to receive the upperends of trigger E and catch J, asindicated in Figs. 271 and 273.The sides of the slot can besawed down to the depth indi-cated by a dotted line in Fig. 271,then the wood between the sawkerfs can be split out with achisel. Use brads for pivoting thetrigger and catch blocks be-tween the sides of the slot. Po-sitions for the pivots are locatedin Fig. 271.

Figure 269 and Figs. 273 to277 explain the assembling and

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FIG. 275

FIG. 273. — Detail of Hull, Decks andPeriscopes

FIG. 274. — Detail of Deck Side PiecesFIG. 275. — Tin Can Filled with Sand,

for Submerging BallastFIGS. 276 and 277. — Detail of Trigger

and Catch

adjustment of the trigger andcatch blocks, also of the rubber-bands for springing them. Rub-ber-band G extends from con-tact nail Fto a screw / in the bow(Figs. 273 and 276). To keep itfrom interfering with rubber-band K, which extends from abrad in the lower end of catch Jto screw / (Figs. 273 and 277),rubber-band G is run up andover a pair of brads (H) driveninto block A upon oppositesides, then over to screw 1 (Fig.273).

When you have connectedthe trigger mechanism, you will

probably find slight readjust-ments necessary to bring abouta nicety of operation. To supportthe stern end of the tin can,drive a brad into block A in theposition indicated in Fig. 273.The projecting rim on the canbottom will rest upon the headof this brad.

This type of submarine hastwo

Periscopes. Two brassscrew-hooks 2 inches in length(L, Fig. 269) answer the purpose.Screw a round-head screw (M,Figs. 269 and 273) into the bowend of the second deck.

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Painting. Use a battleship-grey in painting the toy subma-rine. Remove the rubber-bands,to keep them from beinggobbed with paint, and sandpa-per all surfaces smooth.

Submerging the Subma-rine Upon Lake or Pond can bedone successfully, if provision ismade for recovering, the tin canballast. Try this scheme. Con-nect one end of a line to the tin

FIG.280

FIG. 279.—TriggerFIG. 280. — Trigger Catch

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Fig. 278. — Detail of Ballast-Pocket Strips

can, and retain the other end ofthe line-in your hand. After theballast has been released, it willbe easy enough to pull it out ofthe water by means of the line.

MAKE a fleet of toy battle-ships and submarines, and youwill be able to have all sorts offun. With them mounted onwheels, you can work out yourfleet maneuvers on the floor. In

warfare with ships, forts, can-non, and paper and lead sol-diers, you don't know what ex-citing fun you have missed.

In building the ships for afleet, you probably will not want

conjunction with the fort andtoy cannon described in the fol-lowing chapter, you can stagewonderful land and naval en-gagements that will take hoursto fight out to a finish. If youhave never played at miniature

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FIG. 281. — A Simple Toy Battleship

to make them all of the formshown in Fig. 251 of Chapter X.Several of that size will do. Makethe others simpler, of the cruisertypes shown in Figs. 281 and293 of this chapter.

Figure 282 shows a detail of

CHAPTER XII

A FLEET OF TOY BATTLESHIPS

FIG. 282. — Detail Showing How the Hull (A), Superstructure-Deck (B),Masts (C), Fighting-Tops (D and E), Funnels (G), Conning-Tower(H, I) Gun Turrets (K), Main-Battery Guns (i) , Secondary BatteryGuns (N), Running Gear (P, Q, R), and Aerial (S, T, U) are Assembled

15

FIG. 283. — Plan and Side Elevation of Hull

every part required forThe Battleship shown in

Fig. 281, with an indication asto how each part is assembled.Dimensions for the parts aregiven in the detail workingdrawings of Figs. 283 to 292. Ifyou build several ships alike, youwill save time by making all ofthe parts for one ship, first, andthen using these parts as pat-terns. Mark out and cut the hulls(A)for all theother boats,then the decks(8), then themasts (C),and so on.Use soft pine,cypress, orother softwood, for themodels.

In mark-ing out

The Hull (A, Fig. 282), drawa center-line upon the workingmaterial, as shown in Fig. 283,and lay off the measurementseach side of this, to get the sides

alike.The Superstructure-Deck

(6, Fig. 282) extends three quar-ters of the length of the hull,and it is of the same shape anddimensions as that portion ofthe hull (Fig. 284); therefore, itcan be marked out with the hullas a pattern. The holes shownalong the edge (Fig. 284) aremade to receive the guns of thesecondary-battery, the holes in

FIG. 284. — Plan and Side Elevation of Superstructure-Deck

the upper face are made to re-ceive the masts, funnels, etc.

The Masts (C, Figs. 282 and285) can be whittled out ofsticks, or dowel-sticks can beused.

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FIGS. 286 and 287.—Fighting-Tops

FIG. 285.—Mast

The Fighting-Tops (D andE, Fig. 282) are button-mouldsof the sizes shown in Figs. 286and 287. The larger one(D) must have its holeenlarged so it will slipover the mast, thesmaller one (E) rests onthe mast-top, and isheld in place by the nailF driven into the mast(Fig. 282).

Figure 288 shows a detail ofThe Funnels (G). Use a

dowel-stick if you can get one,otherwise whittle a stick to thegiven diameter.

The Conn ing-Tower is

made of two square blocks (Hand l, Fig. 282). Figure 289shows the.sizes of the blocks.Nail the blocks together, andpeg the lower one (H) to. thedeck with dowel-pin .7 (Fig. 282).

The Gun Turrets (K, Fig.282) are small pieces of dowel-stick (Fig. 290).

The Main-Battery Guns(0- mounted in holes bored inthe sides of the turrets (Fig.290), are small pieces of dowel-stick cut of the shape shown inFig. 291. Drill a small holethrough the center of the endsof each turret, through which todrive the nail pivot M (Fig. 282).

The Secondary-Battery

FIG. 290. — Turret and GunsFIGS. 291 and 292. —Guns

FIG. 288. — FunnelFIG. 289. — Details of Conning Tower

Guns (A/, Fig. 282) are the endsof burnt matches. Figure 292shows the length to cut them.This toy model is mounted uponwheels so that it can be runupon the floor, as well as floatedupon water. Use

Spool Wheels (P, Fig. 282),cut the stick axles (Qto lit snuglyin the spool holes, and supportthe axle ends with screweyes R,screwing these into the hull.

The Wireless Aerial is sus-pended between the mast-tops

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FIG. 293. — Toy Battleship with Propeller

FIG. 294. — Plan of Completed Toy Battleship

FIG. 295. — Plan of Hull

(Fig. 282). Use toothpicks forspreaders S and thread for wirestrands T and end loops U.

The Cruiser shown in Fig.293 is propelled by a paddle-wheel operated by a twistedrubber-band. The rubberband

untwists rapidly, so that theboat does not travel far beforea re-twisting is necessary, butboys who have made this modelhave been satisfied with the re-sults, so the author believes thatyou will be satisfied, also.

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FIG.297

FIG.296

FIGS. 296 and 297.—Plans of Superstructure-Deck Blocks

Figure 294 shows a plan ofthe completed ship. Themethod of constructionis quite similar to thatof the battleship justdescribed, so read overthe instructions formaking that model be-fore beginning work onthis one.

The Hull (A) isshown in plan in Fig.295. After marking thisout and cutting it, in thesame way as describedfor the. other model,prepare the blockswhich form

The Superstruc-ture-Deck (8 and C,Figs. 296 and 297). Cutblock B out of material5/8-inch thick, by thewidth and length given.Bore the turret open-ings along the sides be-fore cutting out theblock, to prevent split-ting it. Make theseopenings 1 inch in di-ameter. You will find

the location of their cen-ters shown upon the dia-gram. Holes E are for thefunnel ends to fit in. Makethem 5/8 inch in diameter.Holes F are for the mastends to fit in. Bore them inthe positions indicatedmaking them 1/4 inch indiameter.

Cut block C of the samewidth and length as block 8, out

FIG. 298. — Detail Showing How Superstructure-Deck (Band C), Gun Turrets (D),Funnels(E), Masts (F), and Fighting-Tops (H) areAssembled

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of material 1/4 inchthick. Bore holes E and Fthrough it in the sameplaces as those boredthrough block B, so thatwhen the two blocks areplaced together, theholes will come over oneanother (Fig. 298).

The eight revolvingGun Turrets (D, Fig. 294)

can be sawed from a broomhandle or portiere-pole. Figure299 shows the size to cut them.The hole in the side is made toreceive a gun. The turrets "foreand aft" have two holes each,for two guns. Another smallhole must be drilled through thecenter of the ends of the turrets,as a provision for pivoting theturrets so that they will revolve.

FIG. 300

FIG. 299 — Detail of Gun TurretFIG. 300. — Detail of Funnel

FIG. 301 FIG. 303

FIGS. 301-303. — Details of Propeller

Figure 298 shows the size to spool by while sawing.

Guns. Set five of these in holesbored along each side of thehull, and three in holes in eachside edge of deck piece C. (Fig.293). You can cut these like themain battery guns.

The Funnels (F, Fig. 298)are shown in detail in Fig. 300.They drive down through theholes bored in blocks B and C ofthe deck.

The Masts (F) are 1/4 inchin diameter and 6 incheslong. Slip spools G uponthem to come at thefoot, and halfway be-tween the spools andthe mast tops fasten thespool ends H forFighting-Tops. You willfind it easy to cut off theends of a spool if youwill slip a stick throughthe spool, to hold the

cutThe Main-Battery Guns. If

you want to save work, do nottaper the sides of the guns asshown. The tapering, however,adds much to their appearance.

The Secondary-Battery

The first step inAssembling the model con-

sists in nailing block B to hull Ain the position indicated by dot-ted lines in Fig. 295. Thenmount the gun-turrets, six toturn in the openings in the sides

20

FIG. 299

of block B, the remaining two"fore and aft" 1 /4 inch from theends of block 8. Havingmounted the turrets, nail deckblock C to block B.

The PaddleWheel (Fig.301) is made of two pieces (/and J, Fig. 302), halved together-that is, each piece has a slot cutacross half its depth, so that thetwo will interlock as shown inFig. 301. Cut the pieces out ofwood 1/8 inch thick. Drive adouble pointed tack into thecenter of each end of the as-sembled paddle-wheel, andconnect a rubberband to eachtack. Then take a pair of screw-

eyes, open each eye enough toform a hook (K, Fig. 303), screwthe pair into the corners of thestern of the hull, at the angleshown in Figs. 293 and 294, andslip the ends of the rubber-bands over them. By setting thescrew-eyes at the angle indi-cated, there is greater length ofrubber-band to twist in windingthe motor. This is important.

If you make this cruisermodel for your indoor battle-ship fleet, you had better mountit upon wheels in the samemanner as the model shown inFig. 281 is mounted.

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CHAPTER XIII

TOY ARTILLERY ANDMINIATURE WARFARE

MINITAURE battles foughtwith toy soldiers and toy artil-lery can be made as scientific as

excitement.When visiting several large

toy shops recently, the author

FIG. 3 0 4 . - MINIATURE BATTLES CAN BE FOUGHT SCIENTIFICALLY

those of real war, if one under-stands military tactics. Withoutthat knowledge, however, youcan make up your own rules ofwarfare, and the author believesthat no more interesting gamefor an evening, or for a wholeday, in fact, could be found. Thatmore boys do not play with-toysoldiers is probably becausethey haven't sufficient proper-ties for staging a battle. A hand-ful of soldiers and "dummy"cannon will not answer the pur-pose. There must be men andequipment enough for two op-posing armies, and the gunsmust be of a type that shoot playshells, else they will afford little

was impressed with the com-pleteness of equipment for min-iature warfare, yet realized howimpractical it was to expect thatthe average boy with limitedpocket-money might buyenough of the equipment for abattle-field setting. Then he re-membered as a lad how easilyhe had made guns, forts, etc.,for miniature battles, and hedecided to show you how youcan do the same. Accordingly,when he went home he sum-moned his own lead soldiers,who had last seen service sometwenty-five years ago, and to aman they responded (includingthree men decapitated by shell

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FIG. 3 0 5 . - FIELD ARTILLERY GUN

fire in one of the engagementsof the early nineties). A "muni-tion factory" was then orga-nized, miniature fortificationsbuilt, and a battlefieldprepared with men andartillery in battle forma-tion, as pictured in thephotograph of Fig. 304.

If you do not own anylead soldiers, you will finda good type of soldiers inthe stores right now thatSell at 50 cents a dozen.Paper soldiers can be pur-chased for 2 cents a dozen. Leadsoldiers look best, of course, butpaper soldiers serve excellently.

The author neverowned more than asmall company oflead soldiers, andtherefore dependedupon paper soldiersfor the main fightingstrength of hisarmies.Next to toy soldiers

in importance are guns, and inFigs. 305 and 306 you will findtwo excellent models that arenot hard to make. Shaping the

FIG. 307. — Detail of Field Artillery Gun

FIG. 306. - SIEGE ARTILLERY GUN.

guns is a simple problem in bor-ing and whittling.

A working detail ofThe Field Artillery Gun is

shown in Fig. 307. The gun tubeis made in two pieces, as isshown in the longitudinal sec-tion of Fig. 308 (A and B). Usestraight-grained, soft pine, freefrom knots and other defects for

the tube pieces. First cuta pair of blocks to the di-mensions of A and 6(Figs. 309 and 310).Then with a 3/8-inch bitbore a hole through theentire length of block A,

23

at its center. A hole must bebored through block B from endto end, also, but three diametersmust be used for this, hole, as isindicated by dotted lines in Fig.310. To make this hole, first borea hole 3/4 inch deep with a5/8-inch bit, then with a 3/8-inch bit and the same center,continue the hole for a distanceof 3 inches, and from that pointbore the hole through the re-maining 3/4-inch length of theblock with a 1/4-inch bit. In or-der to produce a bore that isstraight, it is necessary to borethe holes exactly in a straight

line.With the blocks bored, put

a keen edge upon your jackknifeblade, preparatory to

Shaping the Outside of theGun. Figures 311 and 312 showthe diameters to which theblocks should be cut. Shapedown the small end of eachblock first, then work back tothe other end. At the muzzle endof the block A, make the woodaround the bore as thin as youcan cut it without cuttingthrough, and from that pointtaper the wood up to the otherend. Round off the breech end

FIG 314

FIG. 313 Fig. 3 1 5

FIG. 308. — Longitudinal Section of Gun Shown in Fig. 307FIGS. 309 and 310. — Wooden Blocks Required for Tube of GunFIGS. 311 and 312. — How the Blocks are Bored and ShapedFIGS. 313 and 314. — Details of PlungerFIG. 315. — Detail of 3/8-inch Shell

24

FIG. 315FIG. 313

FIG. 323

FIG. 317

FIG. 316.—Rear Elevation of Mounted Gun FIG. 320. —WheelsFIG. 317.—Detail of Gun Carriage FIG. 321. — Spool Wheel HubFIG. 318.—Pattern for Carriages FIG. 322. — Wheel AxleFIG. 319.—Carriage Separator Block FIG. 323. — Bed Block for Gun

25

of block B, and taper off theother end, as shown.

After cutting, sandpaper thesurfaces of both pieces of thetube until absolutely smooth,and see that the end of piece Afits snugly into the hole in theend of B; these sections are tobe glued together later.

The Plunger (C, Fig. 308)may be either a piece of adowel-stick, or a stick whittledround, of the size shown in Fig.313. Drill a small hole throughthe plunger stick 1-1/2 inchesfrom one end, slip a piece ofspring-brass wire through thehole, and wind the wire looselyaround the stick to about thepoint shown, to form a spiralspring. Slip the end of theplunger into section B of thegun, and out through the holein the breech. Saw off the endof a spool (D, Fig. 314), glue itupon the end of the plunger(Fig. 308), and drive a smallbrad through the spool end intothe plunger end, to reinforce theconnection.

Test the Gun to see that thespring rebounds properly afterits compression, before you gluesections A and B together. Fig-ure 315 shows a detail of the

Three-Eighths Inch Shells.These can be sawed up quickly,to the given length, if you willcut them from a 3/8-inchdowel-stick. Taper one end ofeach shell to a point, as shown,and sandpaper smooth. To

make the shells discharge fromthe gun with a minimumamount of friction, wax themand wax the bore of the gun.

If you find that the springdoes not recoil satisfactorily, trya smaller or larger gauge ofbrass wire. Provided you usespring-brass wire, you shouldhave no trouble with the coil.Space the turns of the coil aboutas shown in Fig. 313. With thespring properly adjusted, gluetogether the two sections of thegun tube, and the gun will beready for mounting on

The Gun-Carriage. Figure316 shows a rear elevation of themounted gun, and Fig. 317shows a detail of the carriageframework. The pair of carriagesF may be prepared in one piece,cut out of a piece of wood 5/8inch thick, then sawed in half.Figure 318 shows a dimen-sioned pattern for marking outthe piece. The 1/4-inch hole isfor the wheel axle; the 1 /8-inchhole is for the trunnion screwson which the gun is to bemounted. Separator block G(Fig. 317) braces the trail of thecarriage. Make it of the sizeshown in Fig. 319. Before fasten-ing carriages F to G, cut wheelaxle K (Fig. 322), and slip it intothe holes bored for it, to keepthe holes opposite one anotherwhile you nail the pieces to-gether.

The Gun-Carriage Wheels(l) may be prepared in one

26

piece, then sawed in half. Fig-ure 320 shows the pattern. Thebest way to cut a wheel is to sawout the pieces roughly, first,then trim up to the finish linewith a sharp chisel, and sand-paper the edge smooth. Thewheel hubs are spool ends (J,Fig. 321). Fasten them to thewheels with glue. Drive bradsthrough the axle ends for pinsto keep the wheels from com-

FiG. 324. — Detail of Siege Artillery Gun

ing off.Mounting the Gun. Be-

cause of the thinness of the tubeof the gun, the screw trunnionscannot be driven into it. The gunmust be mounted upon a bed-block (E, Figs. 316 and 323), andthe trunnions screwed into theblock's sides. The upper side ofblock E must be curved thesame as the surface of the gun.To get the right curve, bore a 1 -inch hole through a block, thencut this block through at thecenter of the hole, and trim itup to the dimensions shown in

the diagram of Fig. 323. Gluethe gun to the bed block, andwhen the glue has set drive asmall screw through each 1 car-riage into it.

The Elevating Device ofthis home-made gun is simple.Drive four brads into the topedge of each carriage (Fig. 317),and cut the cross-bar H to slipbetween the brads. The bar canbe adjusted to four positions.

The Siege Gun shownin Fig. 306 is made inmuch the same way asthe field artillery gun justdescribed. In the detail ofthe completed gun (Fig.324), the dotted lines in-dicate two of the posi-tions to which the guncan be elevated. The car-riage is pivoted-like aturntable to provide forshifting the position lat-erally.

Figure 325 shows a longitu-dinal section of the gun. Thetube is made of two pieces (Aand 8), and Figs. 326 and 327show the dimensions of theblocks out of which to cut them.Bore a 5/8 inch hole throughthe center of block A, from endto end, and a hole of the samesize through all but 1 /4 inch ofthe length of block B then witha 1/4-inch bit bore a holethrough the remaining 1 /4-inchof the length of block B (Fig.327). Care must be taken tobore the holes absolutely

27

FIG. 332 FIG.333FIG. 325. — Longitudinal Section of Gun Shown in Fig. 324FIGS. 326 and 327. — Wooden Blocks Required for Tube of GunFIGS. 328 and 329. — How the Blocks are Bored and ShapedFIGS. 330 and 331. — Tube Blocks CompletedFIG. 332. —Spool ConnectorFIGS. 333-335. — Details of Plunger FIG. 336. — Half-inch Shell

28

straight, else the bore of the gunwill not be straight, and the toyshells will lose momentum be-fore leaving the muzzle of thegun.

The first step inShaping the Gun is similar

to that of shaping the field ar-tillery gun. Whittle off the edgesof blocks A and B as shown inFigs. 328 and 329. The sides ofblock B must be kept straight;the sides of block. A must taperto a smaller diameter at themuzzle end. Figures 330 and331 give the diameters for thefinished ends. In trimming upblock A, cut the flange at themuzzle, end to the same diam-eter as the opposite end Cl-inch), then taper the wood fromthe opposite end towards theflange, making the thicknessover the bore directly back ofthe flange, not much more thanthe thickness of paper. Roundblock B at both ends, as shownin Fig. 331. The pieces will thenbe ready for sandpapering.

Pieces A and B are con-nected by the tube C, a spool(Fig. 332) with its flanges cutoff, and its sides whittled to fitsnugly in the bores of A and B(Figs. 325 and 332). Beforejoin-ingthe gun-tube sections, how-ever.

The Plunger for projectingthe toy shells (D, Fig. 32.5) mustbe prepared, and be fastened inplace in-the breech end of thebore. Drill a hole through rod D

1-1/2 inches from one end, stickthe end of a piece of spring-brass wire through the hole (Fig.333), and wrap several turns ofthe wire about the rod to forma spiral spring (Fig. 334). Withthe spring prepared, stick therod through the breech open-ing, and fasten a spool-endupon it with glue and a brad (E,Figs. 325 and 335).

When you have tried outthe gun and found it to fire sat-isfactorily with

One-half Inch Shells (Fig.336), cut out of dowel-sticks inthe way that the shells for theother gun were made, glue to-gether parts A, B, and C.

The Gun Carriage is shownin detail in Fig. 337. Cut car-riages A in one piece, out of5/8-inch stuff (Fig. 338), thensaw in half for the pair. Drill ahole where indicated, throughwhich to run the trunnions onwhich the cannon is to bemounted. Cut base block B tothe dimensions given in Fig.339, nail the carriages to itssides, and drive lever C into ahole bored in one end. Cut turn-table base D of the size shownin Fig. 340, bore a screw-holethrough its center and drive ascrew through the hole intobase B of the gun carriage. Thetrunnion screws on which thegun is mounted, can be screwedthrough the holes in carriagesA directly into tube B of the gun,because the thickness of the

29

FIG. 339FIG. 337. — Detail of Gun-CarriageFIG. 338. — Pattern for Carriages

FIG. 340FIG. 339. — Carriage BaseFIG. 340. — Turntable Base

wood around the bore is 3/8inch. Do not drive the screwsdeeper than one-half of thisthickness.

The Elevating Device is thesame as that provided for theother gun (Fig. 337).

You can leave your gunswithout

Painting, but a coat of blackor grey paint will much improvetheir appearance. Do not at-tempt to paint the inside of the

bores; in fact, be careful not tolet any paint run into them, forthis would gum them up, andpossibly spoil the action of theplunger.

Figure 341 showsA Fortification made out of

a piece of 2 by 4. Figure 342shows how to mark out the em-brasures, or openings for guns.Cut down the sides of the em-brasures with a saw, and splitout the wood between the sawkerfs with a chisel.

Pieces cut from a 1 /2-inchdowel-stick, 2 3/4 inches long,

with a hole started in oneend of each (Fig. 343),

will answer admira-bly for play

FIG. 341. — Fortification

30

Disappearing Guns. Drivea tack into the breech end ofeach gun, and another into thefortification, beneath each em-brasure, then connect the tackswith pieces of string (Fig. 341).The purpose of the strings ismerely to keep the guns frombecoming separated from thefort, and getting lost.

A Flagstaff is mounted in

up along a wall of a room, andcovered with a rug, will give el-evation and perspective to thebackground. Notice that theborders of the rug used in thebattle scene shown in Fig. 304make roads. Hang a sheet fromtacks driven into the picturemoulding, for a sky background.Build small houses, churches,and other buildings out of card-

FIG. 342. — Pattern for FortificationFIG. 343. — Detail of Gun FIG. 344. — Flagstaff

the center embrasure of the for-tification, instead of a gun (Fig.341). Stick a small flag in a blockof wood, set the block in the em-brasure, and connect a string totacks driven into the block andinto the fortification. As the flagis to be fired upon, don't use anAmerican flag. That would be anact of disloyalty. You can makea small flag by fastening a pieceof cardboard to the end of astick, as shown in Fig. 344

Suggestions forLaying Out the Battlefield

will be obtained from the pho-tograph of Fig. 304. Books piled

board. Use evergreen twigs fortrees. Make tents out of smallpieces of cardboard folded V-shape. The author wishes thathe might show some of theother battle scenes he has mod-eled, with hills, valleys, streams,bridges, etc., but space does notpermit it.

There are many ways ofwaging miniature wars. You canmake and develop your ownrules for fighting, and for deter-mining the victors. Mr. H.G.Wells, the English author, liter-ary critic, and war correspon-dent, wrote an interesting vol-

31

FIG. 344FIG. 343

ume several years ago, entitled"Little Wars ," which, if you canprocure at your local public li-brary, will give you many valu-able suggestions for operatingon both a large and a smallscale. Mr. Wells has spent sev-eral days at a stretch, withfriends, in working out minia-ture war maneuvers, and youwill find his descriptions ofbattles won and lost, intensely

interesting. The author's minia-ture battles, participated in byhis brother, and his chum Cap-tain David Ross Fraser, U.S.A.,will always be remembered byeach as among the most thrill-ing of their boyhood pastimes.Battles were fought out to a fin-ish, until every gun on one sidehad been silenced, every manslain.

32

CHAPTER XVII

A TOY MACHINE-GUN

IF you will carefully followthe instructions and workingdetails given in this chapter, you

twelve revolutions. It will wipeout an army of toy soldiers inno time at all. If you want to,

will have in your possession af-ter a few hours work, the toymachine-gun shown in Fig. 408.This gun will fire twelve woodencartridges in as short a time asit takes to turn the firing-crank

you can organize a machine-gunsquad and drill out in the openas the boys in the photographof Fig. 409 are doing. A pam-phlet on machine-gun drill canbe obtained from the Superin-

33

= • . * •

FIG. 4 0 9 . - SQUAD WITH TOY MACHINE-GUN.

THE HELMETS ARE MADE OF TIN WASH-BASINS.

tendent of Documents, Govern-ment Printing Office; Washing-ton, D.C

Figure 410 shows a detail ofthe completed machine-gun,and the tripod mount. Figures411 and 412 are longitudinal sec-tions through the stock, barrel,and cartridge chamber and maga-zine, showing the hammer andfiring mechanism.

Figure 413 shows a longitu-dinal section of the gun-stock.This is the first part of the gunto prepare. It is made of threeparts (A, B, and C). Figure 414shows dimensions of the. blocksrequired for parts A and B. Af-ter planing up these blockssquare and true, and of thegiven dimensions, draw diago-nal lines across both ends ofblock A, and across one end ofblock B, to locate the centers.Then with a 5/8-inch bit bore ahole through the center of blockA from end to end, and another

hole through the center of B fora distance of 7 inches. Theseholes are for the barrel (F, Figs.411 and 417), a piece of brass-tubing 1 /2 inch in diameter. Thereason for boring the hole largerthan the barrel is so that thebarrel can be mounted straighteven though the hole runs atrifle off center. This will allowfor only a slight correction, soyou must bore the holes accu-rately. The brass tubing used forthe barrel must not be forcedinto a crooked hole, as it willbend easily, and a bent borewould make a poor gun. It isbest to bore from both ends ofblock A halfway through thelength. When the holes havebeen bored, round off the topof block A from end to end, asshown in Fig. 415, and shape offthe top of block B at the endthrough which the barrel holehas been bored, so when blocksA and 6 are joined their ends will

34

match. Two mortises must be cutin block B, one mortise downthrough the top as far as the bar-rel bore, the other up throughthe bottom as far as the bore.The mortises are located, andtheir sizes are indicated, on Figs.413 and 415. Mark out themortises carefully. Boreseveral 1/2-inch holes in-side of the mortise lines,boring them as deep asthe barrel bore, then cutout the wood betweenthe holes with a chisel,and square up the mor-tises.

When blocks Aand B have been prepared, fas-ten them together with plate C(Fig. 413). Cut this of the samewidth as the blocks, and 10inches long, and lap it as shown.Handle E on the breech end is awire coat-hook. Mark Out sidepieces D of the stock frameby the pattern shownin Fig. 416. Theeasiest way

to prepare these parts so theywill be alike is to tack togethertwo 3/8-inch boards, mark outthe outline upon one board, andthen saw out the two pieces at

FIG. 410. — Detail of Machine-Gun and Tripod

35

FIG. 411. — Machine-Gun before Hammer has been Drawn Back

one time. Plane up and sandpa-per the edges before separatingthe pieces. Also, bore the holesshown in Fig. 416 - four 1/8-inch holes near the top edge,and four holes of the sizesmarked, in the positions located.Use for these holes will beshown later.

The piece of tubing forThe Barrel must be free

from corroSion on the inside, it

must be straight, and its endsmust be reamed out with a fileif burrs remain on the insideedges from the cutting of thepipe. The author used a piece ofiron gas-pipe in his first model,but found that brass tubing isbetter as it presents a smootherinside surface, it is easier to cut,also. You can get brass tubing atalmost any machine-shop. Ifthey haven't a piece of the rightsize at hand, they will likely geta piece for you, or be able to tell

FIG. 412. — Machine-Gun with Hammer in Position for Firing

36

FIG. 415

FIG. 416

FIG. 413. — Longitudinal Section of Machine-Gun StockFIGS. 414 and 415. — Details of StockFIG. 416. — Detail of Stock Frame

you where you can get it. A piece20 inches long is required. Fig-ures 417 and 418 show how thechamber end of the barrel mustbe slotted for a length of 2inches, and how the upper halfof the tubing must be cut away

for a distance of 4 inches. Youcan cut the slot with a flat file1/8 inch thick, using it edge-wise, and making the slot equalin width to the thickness of thefile. The upper part of the tub-ing can be cut away by using the

37

FIG. 417FIG. FIG.420 419

FIG. 418

FIGS. 417 and 418. — Details of Tubing for Machine-Gun BarrelFIGS. 419 and 420. — Details of Front Sight

file flatwise. The pair of smallholes shown pierced throughthe tubing near its end are pro-vided for anchoring the barrelin the gun-stock by driving a fin-ishing-nail through the gun-stock and through the holes.

The Front Sight (Z, Fig. 410)is a strip of tin of the size shownin Fig. 419, bent to fit over themuzzle of the barrel, with thetip of one end of the strip ham-mered over on to the other end(Fig. 420).

The wire forThe Hammer Rod (G, Figs.

411 and 412) must be of No. 6gauge. Figures 421 and 422show the correct shape and size.To make the turns at the pointfor pivoting, bend the wirearound a bolt or do,wel-stick.Spools H (Fig. 421) are used tokeep the rod centered half waybetween sides D of the gun-stock frame. Cut off as much ofthe end of each spool as is nec-essary to make the pair of the

FIG. 423

FIGS. 421 and 422. — Details of Hammer-Rod and PivotFIG. 423. — Detail of Firing-Crank

38

FIG. 428 FIG. 427

FIG. 424

FIG. 425

FIG. 424. — Detail of CartridgeFIG. 425. — Magazine Filled with CartridgesFIGS. 426 and 427. — Details of MagazineFIG. 428. — Weight for Holding Cartridges in Position

right length to fill the space eachside of the rod. A 1 /4-inch bolt3 inches in length is required forthe hammer-rod pivot (/, Fig.421).

The Hammer Spring is ascreen-door spring (J, Figs. 411

and 421). Pull out several turnsof one end as shown in Fig. 421,and slip them over the upperend of the hammer rod. Pin theother end of the spring betweenpieces D with the nail K (Figs.410 and 411), slipping the nail

39

FIG. 435

FIG. 437 FIG. 429 FIG. 432 FIG. 433 FIG. 431

FIG. 429. — Machine-Gun TripodFIGS. 430-434. — Details of TripodFIGS. 435-437. — Details of Yoke for Mounting Gun on Tripod

through the holes in the foreend of pieces D. It may be nec-essary to break off an inch orso of one end of the spring, tomake it short enough so it willbe held in tension when its endsare fastened.

The Firing Crank (L., Figs.410 and 411) is made of wire ofthe same thickness as that usedfor the hammer-rod. Figure 423shows dimensions for bendingthe piece. The loop bent in thispiece of wire acts as a tripperon the hammer-rod end, as youwill see by looking at Figs. 410and 411. The hammer-rod,spring, and firing-crank must bemounted in the gun-stockframe between side pieces D

before the latter are fastened tothe stock. Figure 411 shows theright position for the hammertip when the hammer-rod hasbeen released, and Fig. 412shows the point to which thehammer must be drawn by thefiring-crank rod tripper beforebeing released. If you have bentthe hammer-rod and firing-crank rod as shown in the draw-ings, the hammer tip shouldcome at the two points shown.If it does not, bending the wiresat slightly different angles willbring about the proper adjust-ment.

Before proceeding furtherwith the construction, it will bewell to test out the machine-gun

40

FIG-441

FIG. 439

withCartridges. These are

pieces of dowel-sticks 3/8 inchin diameter, cut to the lengthshown in Fig. 424, with one endwhittled cartridge-shape. Sand-paper the cartridges smooth,

then wax and polishthem. To make thebore of the barrel assmooth as possible,pour oil into it, andthen, with a piece ofsoft rag on the end ofa slender stick, spreadthe oil and remove thesurplus. Give plenty oftime to testing the fir-ing efficiency of thegun, and adjust and re-adjust the hammer-rod

and firing-crank roduntil you are satisfied with

the results obtained.The Magazine (Fig. 425) is

fastened to the gun-stockdirectly over the uppermortise, so that thecartridges droppedinto it will slip into thechamber beneath. Fig-

ure 426 shows how tocut the piece of tin required

for the magazine, from the sideof a tin can. Leave the turnedover edge on the can side, asshown, to reinforce the upperedge of the magazine. Figure

427 gives the dimen-sions for cutting andfolding the piece of tin.Bend the lower edge to

form flanges through which todrive tacks for fastening themagazine to the top of the gun-stock.

The weight shown in Fig.428 is necessary to hold downthe cartridges so the bottom

41

FIG. 438

FIG. 438. — Wash-Basin HelmetFIGS. 439-441.—HOW to Attach Rings and Straps

to Wash-Basin

cartridge will always be in theright position in the chamberfor the hammer to strike. Apiece of solder, or a piece of al-most any kind of metal, will do.If you use solder, a screw-eyecan be set into one side, towhich to attach a piece of stringas a means for lifting out theweight after the last of the car-tridges has been fired, prepara-tory to refilling (Fig. 425). Theslot in the side of the magazineis made wide enough so the fin-ger can be slipped along it toguide the cartridges droppedinto the magazine.

Figure 410 showsThe Tripod mount for the

machine-gun, and Figs. 429 to434 show details of its construc-tion. Prepare the head block Pof the dimensions given in Fig.434, and cut three notches inthe edge, of the sizes shown,and spaced equidistantly, for thelegs. Bore the center hole to re-ceive the yoke spindle V (Fig.436). Cut the front pair of legsR and the rear leg S of the sizesshown in Fig. 431 Bore a 3/8-inch hole through each leg1-1/4 inches from the upperend, and cut off the corners ofthe lower end as shown. Tomount the legs, screw a screw-eye into the tripod head eachside of each notch (7", Fig. 432),then cut the dowel-pin pivots U(Fig. 433), and drive themthrough screw-eyes T andthrough the holes in the legs

(Fig. 429). Cut socket block Q ofthe size shown in Fig. 434, borea hole through its center to re-ceive the yoke V, and fasten itto the exact center of tripodhead P.

Prepare yoke V and lever W(Fig. 435) of the dimensionsshown in Figs, 436 and 437. Cutthe spindle on the lower end ofyoke V to fit the hole in socketblock Q, and bore a holethrough the upper end of theyoke through which to drive theaxis bolt for pivoting the gun, toprovide for changing elevations.Use the thumb-bolt X and wing-bolt Y (Fig. 410) for making thisconnection.

Paint all parts of the gunblack or grey. To make them lessconspicuous in the field, it iscommon practice to paint gunsby what is known as the "rain-bow smudge" system. But youwill not want to dabble in theart of camouflage when finish-ingyour toy machine-gun. To bean up-todate machine gunner,you must wear

A Helmet like that the boysin Fig. 409 are wearing. A detailof this helmet is shown in Fig.438. It consists of a tin wash-basin 11 inches in diameter (Fig.439) with a pair of rings bentout of wire (Fig. 440) solderedto the inside, through which torun the chin-strap (Fig. 441)Stitch the strap to the rings, tokeep the basin from slippingsidewise.

42

CHAPTER XVIII

DRILL-GUNS

EVERY boy wants to belong toa drill-club, and if instructionfrom a man with military train-ing can be obtained, there is no

When the author was a lad,the neighborhood boys orga-nized a drill club, and commis-sioned him to make guns. These

FIG. 442. - MAKING DRILL-GUNS.

reason why a boys' club or classshould not organize a drill club.The handbook INFANTRY DRILLREGULATIONS, which can be pur-chased for 50 cents, should beobtained as a reference book,and should be followed closely.Its instructions will be under-stood more easily after drillmovements have been demon-strated by the drill master.

must have fallen far short ofstandard specifications, becausethere were no dimensioned-drawings in the woodshed"arms plant" to work by; but, asthe author recollects, the gunswere fearsome looking weap-ons, with long tinfoil-coveredstick bayonets, which, by theway, were "fixed" at all timeswhich is strictly against regula-

43

• * ! ' .

FIG. 4 4 3 . - SQUAD AT "PORT ARMS" (EQUIPPED WITH HOME-MADE

DRILL-GUNS AND WASH-BASIN HELMETS.)

tions, but unknown to the boysat that time. You can make bet-ter guns than these were, forthis chapter presents all of theworking details necessary.

The-Simple Model of Drill-Gun shown in Fig. 444 has astock cut in one piece. A patternfor this, ruled off into squaresmeasuring 1/8 inch each way,each square representing 1 inch,is shown in Fig. 445. To lay outa full-size pattern, draw a simi-lar set of squares, 1 inch square,

upon a piece of paper, and re-produce the outline exactly asit is shown upon the smallsquares. Saw out the piece,round the edges, and sandpaperthe wood. This will provide

A Pattern for Marking OutDuplicate Stocks. You will savetime by marking out at one timeas many of the stocks as you willrequire.

The Barrel is made of abroom-handle (Fig. 447). Cut ashallow groove along the top

FIG. 444 — A Simple Model of Drill-Gun

44

edge of the stock forthe barrel to fit in,and fasten the barrelwith screws andwire bands.

For a Trigger,drive a bent nail (C,Fig. 448) into thestock at the point in-dicated in Fig. 446,and for

A Trigger-Guard fasten aplumber's pipe-strap (D, Fig. 448) tothe stock, coveringthe trigger.

For the FrontSight, bend a piece FlGof tin into the shapeof E (Fig. 449), for

The Rear Sight

FIG. 447

445. — Pattern ofStock of Drill-GunShown in Fig. 444

and bend down the tips ofthese. Tack the sights to thebarrel in the positions shownin Fig. 444.

The gun will now be readyfor

Finishing. Give the stock acoat of stain or paint of awalnut color. Stain is prefer-able to paint. When thestain has dried, apply a coat

of shellac, then a coat offlat varnish. Paint thebarrel black; also thetrigger, triggerguard,and sights.The drill-gun shown in

Fig. 452 isA Springfield

Rifle Model. Its stockrequires considerablemore work to cut than

FIG. 446 FIG. 448 FIG. 451 FIG. 450 FIG. 449FlG. 446. — StockFlG. 447. — Barrel

FIG. 448. •

FIG. 449. — Front SightFIG. 450 and 451. — Rear Sight

- Trigger and Trigger-Guard

(F, Fig. 450) cut a piece of tin ofthe shape shown in Fig. 451,bend it in half, turn up the ends,

the stock of the simpler model,but most boys prefer it for drill-ing because its lines more nearly

FIG. 452. — Springfield Model of Drill-Gun

45

FIG. 454. — Detail of Front Sight FIG. 465FIG. 455. — Pattern of Front Sight

FIG. 457 FIG. 458 FIG. 456FIGS. 456-458.— Details of Rear Sight Drop-Leaf

FIG. 460 FIG. 459

FIG. 453. — Pattern ofStock and Barrel ofDrill Gun shown inFig. 452

approach the lines of the mod-ern army rifle.

Enlarge the pattern forThe Stock and Barrel,

shown in Fig. 453, in the man-ner directed for the othermodel's stock. Be careful in en-larging this pattern to locate the

FIGS. 459 and 460. — Details of Sling

various points correctly. Beforecutting out the piece, it will bewell to check up your measure-ments to be certain that youhave made no errors. The bar-rel end may be either a piece of1/2 inch dowel-stick, or 1/4-inch gas-pipe, 6 inches long (B,Fig. 454). Bore a hole 2 inchesin depth in the barrel and drivethe piece B into it. Fasten withnails if a dowel-stick is used, orwith a screw driven through adrilled hole, if iron pipe is used.

The Trigger and Trigger-Guard (C and D) axe the sameas those of the other model ofgun (Fig. 448)

The Front Sight (f) isshown in detail in Fig. 454. Fig-

46

ure 455 shows the shape andsize to cut the strip required. Apiece of a tin can wilt do. Trimoff the ends of the strip asshown, bend the piece to fitaround the barrel, and hammerthe ends together.

The Rear Sight is made tofold flat against the top of thebarrel (F, Figs. 452 and 456).When laid down, the positionis known as battle sight; whenraised, the semicircular notch inthe upper edge is known as theopen sight, the hole beneath it isknown as the peep sight. Cut apiece of tin of the size shown inFig. 457, for leaf F, and turn thelower end over a piece of wire(G, Fig. 458). Bend the ends ofthe piece of wire into loops, andtack these loops to the sides ofthe gun-stock (Fig. 456). Theleaf will turn up and down withthe wire as an axis. Tack H (Fig456, driven close to the fringeof the leaf, will act as a stopwhen the leaf is raised, and canbe used as the rear sight whenthe leaf is laid flat.

Finish the Drill-Gun in themanner suggested for the othermodel. Then it will be ready for

The Sling (J, Fig. 452), with-out which it would not be com-plete. An excellent sling that willresemble more or less closely amodern rifle sling, can be madeof an old pair of suspenders. Fig-ure 459 shows a sling so made.Separate the suspenders wherecrossed (Fig. 460), cut off the

FIG. 461. —Bayonet

FIG. 462. -Scabbard

buttonhole tips on the rearends, and sew the two lengthstogether. The snaps on the frontends will then snap over theeyes l, screwed into the stock(Fig. 452), and the slide-bucklescan be used to shorten thestraps. For the eyes use bent-over screweyes (/, Fig. 452).Stain the sling with walnutstain, to make it look as nearlylike leather as possible.

The Weight of a Spring-field is 8.69 pounds. Your drill-gun, even if made of heavy

47

FG. 463. — Detail of Bayonet

FIG. 465 FIG. 466 FIG. 464

FIGS. 464-466.—How Grip of BayonetAttaches to Gun

FIG. 467. — Gun with FixedBayonet

wood, will be extremely light bycomparison.

To Increase the Weightof Drill-Guns, the author hasfound it a good scheme to boreseveral holes in the stock andbarrel, and pour these full ofmelted lead. In doing this, becareful to keep the center-of-balance at about the position ofthe rear-sight leaf.

A Bayonet is easily-madeout of wood (Fig. 461). Cut theblade of the shape and size of A(Fig. 463), and build up the grip

end with the blocks B.Bend a piece of heavywire into a double loop,like C (Fig. 465) for theguard, and cut a grooveacross the inner face of

blocks B for the wire to fit into(Figs. 463 and 464). Cut a slot2 inches long in the end of theblade (Fig. 464). Nail the gripblocks to the end of the blade,and then shape the assembledgrip as shown in Fig. 467. If theloops of the guard have been

bent properly, they will slip overthe muzzle of the barrel. To holdthe end of the grip, fasten themetal strip D (Fig. 466) to thestock, to fit in the slot cut in theend of the blade (Fig. 454).

Finish the bayonet by firstsandpapering the wood verycarefully, making the edge sharpand straight. Then paint theblade with aluminum paint, andfinish the grip with walnutstain.

A Scabbard for the bayonetis shown in Fig. 462. Make thisout of two pieces of cardboard,glued together along the edges,with a covering of khaki-coloredcloth. Make the top loop largeenough for your belt to runthrough.

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