38720613-Vintage-Playground-Plans-1950s.pdf

JUNIOR BACKHOE

Half-pint sidewalk superintendents will go ape for this boy-size, rugged, easy-to-build digger.

By C. L. Widdicombe

NY healthy lad can do wonderful things with a little loose dirt but a

boy with his own backhoe is an earth-moving hero.

This stout, boy-size toy is rugged but it won't gouge rocks out of a quarry or do much of a job in hard clay. Spaded backyard earth or beach sand are its natural elements.

The scoop can take out enough fill to

load the average toy truck, and the boom swings in a complete circle. The caterpillar treads rotate freely enough to permit moving the backhoe about. Begin with the caterpillar links (see first drawing). These are of maple or any suitable hardwood. The links are notched at either end to form a tongue-and-groove joint. Corner cuts are sawed; surplus material between

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A

Mechanix Illustrated

tongues is removed with a dado head. sand off excess material very carefully. The side view of the link shows a 5/16 Sand edges and corners and apply a inch hole bored through the width at liberal coat of clear shellac. Rub down each end. This hole must be exactly with steel wool when dry and add three the same and perfectly true in each link coats of black enamel. Assemble the so it is wise to improvise a jig for the treads with bolts, flat washers, spring boring operation (no pun intended). Washers and nutsbut dont turn nuts The side view of each link also shows down too tight as this might damage a 3/8 radius at each end. To get this, the joints. cut the corners at a 45 deg. Angle and Wheels. (first drawing). Each wheel June 1965

98 Mechanix Illustrated

assembly is made of two outer circles of 3/4-in. Novaply or plywood and one center circle of half-in. Novaply or ply-wood. The outer circles are 7 1/8-in. diameter; the inner circle is 6 1/8-in. diameter. Bore a half-in. hole through the center of each of the 12 wheel pieces. To assemble the wheels, spread glue on the surfaces to be bonded, pass a half-in.

bolt through the holes and clamp. Run in four 11/2-inch No. 10 flathead steel screws well countersunk and staggered. Shellac the wheels and enamel them red.

Frame sides. (First drawing.) These are of 3/4-inch plywood. Tack together the pieces from which they are to be made and cut [Continued on page 128]

WHEELS are secured with 41/2x41/2-inch car-riage bolts, flat washers, lock washers.

ARMS are sanded, then attached to spacer block. Bolt through pivot hole aligns them.

SEAT and boom assembly as it looks when complete. Seat back is of bent plywood.

SCOOP, assembled. Scoop will not dig in compacted earthit's for loose earth, sand.

June, 1965

Junior Backhoe

them out as a single unit. This must be done twice because you need four of the frame sides (see drawing). Assemble two pairs of frame sides on spacer blocks as shown. Secure the wheels to the frames and mount the tracks on the wheels.

Frame spacers are cut as shown and frame side and track assemblies attached. Make the swivel plate (the platform that rides on the frame spacers) and mount it on spacers. Make a plate ring of two thicknesses of 3/4-inch plywood and mount on swivel plate. Use glue as well as screws to mount ring on plate. Entire frame unit is shellacked and enameled red.

The seat itself and the seat cap need no explanation; the second drawing makes construction of them plain. The seat back is another matter. Cut a piece of straight-grain, solid-core 3/4-inch plywood to the size shown. Bore the three 5/32-inch holes. Round off the corners. Take a sharp, thin plywood saw and make a series of vertical cuts as indicated in the drawing. These should be just deep enough to touch the veneer on the other side of the plywood. Start the cuts a half-in. to either side of the center of the seatback and make them about a quarter-in, apart for 5 inches to either side. These cuts permit the back to be bent as required. Assemble the seat as shown.

Boom. (Second drawing.) This is made of two pieces of 3/4-in. plywood separated by a spacer block of the same material or of 3/4-in. solid stock. Cut the two boom sides from two pieces temporarily tacked together. While they are together bore the pivot hole and sand out saw marks and rough edges. Separate the two pieces and remove sharp edge on each. Attach them to spacer block with four 1 3/4-in. No. 10 flathead steel screws through each side.

Boom base. Cut out as shown in second drawing and attach to boom with four two-in. No. 10 flathead screws.

Make the boom base circle as shown and attach to boom base. Attach four two-in. diameter rubber-wheel casters to the corners of the boom base. Attach seat to boom. Shellac the entire unit and enamel yellow.

Bucket and bucket arm details are shown on the first drawing, along with di-mensions of the boom arm. Details of boom-arm lever, bucket-arm lever, connector and manner of assembling these components are shown on the second drawing. Levers should be of hardwood. This entire assembly should be shellacked and varnished, leaving it natural. Use a good spar varnish.

Give the edge of the boom base circle a liberal coat of paste wax, as well as inside of the swivel-plate ring.

Final step: hide in the attic until Christmas. When the day comes, tell the boy it's from Daddy. Let Santa Claus make his own way.

[Continued from page 99]

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LAMINATED CONSTRUCTION

gether to fo rm the complet-ed shape, using a ha l f - l ap jo int . You can use a regu lar hal f lap or one w i t h a cen-ter piece set in as ind ica ted , the latter be ing stronger. A joint is necessary to prevent spl i t t ing in the center. Fol-l ow the p h o t o s and d ia -grams in g lu ing up the jo int . The top surface is rounded and the bo t t om is f la t ex-cept at the t ips whe re it is beveled. I f you t h r o w lef t-handed , bevel the corners opposi te t h o s e ind ica ted. N o r m a l f l igh t is shown be-low. The d i a g r a m s also show some of the results of f au l t y construct ion a n d how to correct t hem. In t h r o w -i ng , use p lenty of wr i s t ac-t ion fo r a fast sp in , yet not too much, as ind icated in the lower left hand d ia -g r a m . Test the boomerang on a calm d a y as it is er-

rat ic in a breeze

LAMINATED CONSTRUCTION IS STRONG AND HOLDS ITS SHAPE

" RETURNS IN WIDE a \ SWEEPING CURVE TO LEFT J

RETURNS TO THROWER

NORMAL FLIGHT OF

BOOMERANG

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JUNIOR'S EARTH-MOVING and road-buildingprograms will be greatly extended with this toypower shovel. Comfortably seated on the cab, hepushes himself about and can swivel in anydirection. One control lever operates the boom,another the shovel position, while a push rodopens and closes the shovel. There's also a winchto use as a "stump puller," and the cab opensto store valuables.

Dummy traction treads are mounted on twopairs of holders, each pair fitted with spacers.The four pieces having rounded ends are stackedand clamped together so axle holes can be drilledin alignment. Two of these pieces are assembledto a T-shaped crosspiece with waterproof glueand screws. Then the spacers are glued andnailed on and the two outside pieces are attachedsimilarly.

The cleated treads are made from two stripsof 3/8-in. white pine. Saw kerfs 5/16 in. deep, andspaced 3/4 in., are cut across them. The strips aresoaked with water at points where they are to bebent over the rounded ends of the tread holders.The treads are cut out to fit around the ends ofthe chassis crosspiece, and are attached withwaterproof glue and brads, two brads to eachcleat. Treads project 1/4 in. beyond the outer treadholders.

Ends of the axles come almost flush with theouter surface of the tread holders. Axles aredrilled for cotter pins, then slipped through onetread holder, wheels and washers added, thenslipped through the other tread holder, afterwhich the cotter pins are installed. Use 5-in.rubber-tired wheels which will project % in.below the tread holders.

Dummy drive and bearing wheels for treadscan be made of cardboard (Bristol board) asshown in the lower right detail on page 2342.They are glued and bradded in place, laterpainted and then coated with spar varnish toseal out moisture. The bearing wheels also can

Little diggerfor

junior engineersBy RON ANDERSON

Junior construction engineers can ridethis toy power shovel that operates

realistically by using hand controls

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be cut from tin cans or from polyethylene-plasticfood containers. Wooden side plates, projectingover the drive wheels and fitting between thebearing wheels, are nailed on.

A 4-in. standard lazy-susan bearing is screwedto the chassis crosspiece. Later, after cab as-sembly, the upper plate of the bearing is screwedto the cab bottom, it being possible to drive thescrews when the top plate is turned 45 deg. asshown in lower left detail on this page. If youcan't get such a bearing, just use two 3-in. metaldisks drilled centrally and greased to reducefriction, assembling these on a bolt with largewashers under head and nut.

The shovel arm, its two sides, and the controllevers are made of 3/4-in. wood, while the back,bottom and front are 1/4-in. stock. A 1-in. anglebracket, twisted at one end, forms the mendingplate on the hinge and connects to a push rodwhich opens and closes the bottom of the shovel.

The push rod passes through a screw eye whichis turned down far enough to provide friction onthe rod and prevents the shovel from opening byitself. A ball knob is drilled to fit on the end ofthe push rod and is pinned to it. Control leversand boom pivot on a bolt that passes throughthe boom mount, washers being used betweenthe parts.

The boom mount is drilled at both ends and isfastened to the cab bottom with screws, no gluebeing used. Front and back have two slots thatfit over the boom mount. After assembling thecab it is set over the boom mount and on thebottom. Wood screws then are driven throughthe bottom into the sides. An ordinary door bolton the cab side locks it to the chassis crosspiece.A screw hook on the cab front engages a screweye on the boom-control lever to hold the shovelup when it is in traveling position.

The winch is installed on the rear end of the

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boom mount. There should be enough clearancebetween the winch drum and the boom mountso the drum can move endwise permitting a boltat the end of the crank to slide between two pinson the boom mount to lock the winch. Nyloncord is fastened to the drum and is provided withan S-hook made of No. 11 -ga. wire, for easyattachment to objects to be pulled. When not inuse the cord is wound up on the drum and theS-hook is clipped in a screw eye on the cab.

It is advisable to partly disassemble the unitfor painting. The chassis is flat black; the treadsand dummy wheels are aluminum and the sideplates red. The cab is red as are the handles ofthe control levers. The rest of the levers areblack, as are the doors, windows, boom mountand the ventilating grille, which is cut from ordi-nary screen and tacked in place.

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You'll love the old flipperdingers, whimmydiddles, and theircountry cousins now being made in the Southern mountains

By Henry B. Comstock

TODAY, a group of North Carolinamountain boys are busy carving aniche with their jackknives in thehighly competitive toy industry. They allwork in their homes around Beech Creek,a region just a whoop and a holler westof Boone, N. C. Their products are faith-ful copies of folk toys that have delightedchildren of the Southern Appalachiansfor two centuries or more. Wonderfulgadgets are these, made of bits of laureland rhododendron, seasoned hickory, redcedar, river cane, and acorn cups.

The idea of reviving interest in, and amarket for, these folk toys came fromRichard Chase, authority on the folk tra-ditions of the Appalachian South. One dayChase wondered if there wasn't still aplace for such old-time favorites as thegee-haw whimmydiddle, flipperdinger,fly killer, whizzer, and cornstalk fiddle.

With encouragement from the South-ern Highland Handicraft Guild, he talkedover the idea with his nearest neighborsJack Guy, 31; Sam Ward, 70; ClintHarmon, 16; Dexter Stines, 16; Bill Stines,14; Jerry Greene, 13; and the Guy and

Hicks families. Could they turn out thesetoys in quantity, he asked, if he helpedwith patterns and found the outlets?

Small initial orders, placed by giftshops throughout the Asheville-GreatSmoky Mountains National Park areawere followed quickly by big ones. Visit-ing youngsters from 50 states were goingfor the toys like corn pone. So were theirfathers. Swinging a whizzer vigorously,one red-faced tourist puffed: "They'vegot the wrong name on this one. Backwhere I come from, we used to call it abullroarer."

Chase knows better than to argue. A

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thorough researcher, he's found that noneof these playthings are peculiar to theAppalachian South. The whimmydiddle,for example, has been reported fromSweden and China. And a Czechoslova-kian book on early Central European toysdescribes many such items.

The important thing is not who in-vented these toys, or what they're called.It's the fact that they are bringing em-ployment to one small Southern mountainsettlement. The profits of Folk Toys In-dustry, Beech Creek, N. C, go into thelocal work of the Council of the South-ern Mountains, an organization dedicatedto helping rural families.

And now, just in case you don't knowwhat a whimmydiddle isor a flipper-dinger, fly killer, bullroarer, or cornstalkfiddlehere's a rundown:

Gee-haw whimmydiddle, also called aziggerboo (Tenn.), geehaw (Ga.),hoodoostick (Cherokee Indians), and lie detec-tor (Ohio). In the Folk Toys' version,it's made of rhododendron twigs, strippedto the smooth inner bark. Its two partsare a notched stick with a spinnerorwhirligigpivoted on one end, and asmaller rubbing stick.

In operating the whimmydiddle, the146 POPULAR SCIENCE MARCH 1960

object is to make the whirligig spinsmoothly to the right (gee), or to theleft (haw), seemingly at your spokencommand. To do this, you must holdboth parts lightly to produce maximumvibration. This vibration is set up whenyou stroke the rubbing stick rapidly backand forth across the notches. If, at thesame time, you let the tip of your indexfinger slide along the far side of thenotches, the whirligig will twirl unfail-ingly to the right. To reverse its direc-tion, you simply bring your thumb tobear on the near side of the notches. Witha little practice, you can switch contactsso inconspicuously that anyone whodoesn't know the trick will have a hardtime guessing why the whirligig responds.

Flipperdinger. This is a hollow-reedblower with a plug in one end, and anozzle, made of a smaller reed, project-ing from it just behind the plug. In onemodel, an acorn cup with its center boredout is cemented over the nozzle. In an-other, a little "basketball ring" bent fromcopper wire is aligned with the nozzleabout three inches above the tip. Bothmodels come with a featherweight ballformed from cornstalk pith.

To work the first flipperdinger, you

This depresses a trigger made from asliver of springy wood.

To load the fly killer, you slip a flat-headed wood shaft into it. Pressing thetrigger pops the bow tip out of the holeand sends it flying forward in the slot,snapping the missile out with enoughforce to shatter a window at 10 paces.

Bullroarer. Simplest of the toys, thebullroarer (whizzer) is a thin cedar pad-dle attached to a rhododendron handlewith a doubled length of stout cord. Whenit's swung in circles through the air, itmakes an awesome, buzzing sound. Acopper-wire swivel on the handle pre-vents the cord from winding around thewood.

Cornstalk fiddle. Not even a tone-deafCherokee could confuse this with a Strad-ivarius. But for caterwauls that wouldmake a mountain lion lift his eyebrows,you can't beat a two-string cornstalkfiddle. Instrument and bow have strips oftheir bark slit in such a way that, with"bridges" formed of twigs inserted be-neath them, they become tensioned bowand fiddle strings. Properly rosined be-fore it leaves the Folk Toys Industryworkshop, a cornstalk fiddle is good formonths of ear-piercing screeches.

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place the pith ball in the acorn cup andblow lightly but steadily into the openend of the larger reed. When done right,the ball rises slowly in a jet stream ofair, hovers a few inches above the nozzle,and then as you ease off, settles back.

The other flipperdinger is harder tomaster. Here the pith ball has a wirethrust through itone with a crook inone end. You hang the crook over thebasketball ring. Then, with plenty ofwell-controlled lung power, you can un-hook the ball, lower it through the ring,and, finally, blow it back up again andreplace the crook on the wire.

Fly killer. This potent and fairly ac-curate little weapon could almost becalled a one-armed crossbow. It has abarrel made of a short elderberry stickwith its forward end hollowed out, and along slot cut through its side wall andinto this cavity. Near the back of thebarrel a strip of seasoned hickory is fas-tened in an angled notch with a woodscrew. The other end of the hickory stripis slimmed down and bent in a perma-nent bow by soaking. In cocked position,the pointed tip of the bow is placed inthe slot and drawn back until it enters ahole in the opposite side of the barrel.

This go-roundputs kids in orbitBy DAVID A. GATTIS

You DON'T NEED NASA to put your kids inorbit. They'll really get a blast out of this attach-ment that adds whiz-around variety to the back-and-forth motion of a set of swings. If your backyard is already graced with a sturdy swingset, youcan add the whole pedal-plane unit at a cost ofabout $14 for materials. The only power toolsyou'll need: an electric drill and an arc welder.Don't own the latter? Then you can prepare all

If you have a backyard swing set, you can add this flyer to itand give it all the thrills of a big-time amusement park.

No swing set? Then hang it from its own freestanding pole.Either way, you'll be the hero of the local merry-go-round set

pieces for assembly and take them to a weldingshop. If you don't have a swingset now, you canerect the pedal-plane as a separate unit, taking abit more care with the "planting" of the pivotpole, and adding prop-type supports.

Roller and ball bearings eliminate virtually alldrag, making the rotating mechanism surpris-ingly easy to operate. A three-year-old can "solo"at speeds up to 15 mph (circular miles) at analtitude of from 1 to 4 ft. The unit is designedfor youngsters under 120 lbs., but additionalsupports could be added to adapt it for largerchildren. The truss and center post have beentested at over 200 lbs., but with this weight ap-plied, only the most rugged swingset frames willprovide necessary bracing.

In the sketch on page 1693, we show a two-seater unit, for small youngsters, balanced by asingle-seater for older kids. In this arrangement,you've got a double pedal action, with both drivebelts bearing on the same bicycle rim. But as thesketch on page 1694 indicates, a single pedal-plane unit will spin the structure nicely, and youcan provide balance by hanging a baby swing,basket, hobby horse or what have you from theother end of the beam. Surprisingly, the extraweight is hardly noticed by the pedaler.

front seat provides tensionThe front of the seat unit actually hangs on

the endless beltits weight is what gives thisdrive loop enough tension against the pivotedbicycle rim to send the whole unit spinning. Thebelt (1/4-in. manila rope for economy) passesaround the pedal pulley, up through guide pulleysbehind the wind-spun prop, up past pulleys onthe end of the support beam and across to the cen-tral rim. The front chain is merely a safety fac-tor, since the drive belt is subject to wear andcould, in time, break; a small spring between afew top links keeps this chain taut in normal use.The rear chain is, of course, what holds the backof the plane up. It attaches about 2 ft. above thecenter of gravity, for stabilization.

The belt is made by untwisting 12 in. of ropeat one end and weaving the strands back throughan untwisted portion of the other end. Trim offthe loose ends and you've a splice that can't pullapart. To eliminate belt slippage, rubber elec-trical tape (or a strip of old inner-tube) iswrapped around the bicycle rim and a vacuum-cleaner belt is snapped over the drive pulley.

The plane unit itself is of the simplest possible

construction. The seat frame is a double bend of1/2-in. water pipe; the size indicated is adequatefor two seats for children 2 to 5 yrs. old, andthe seat positions are adjustable.

The fork of an old tricycle provides the drivemechanism. Remove the wheel, but leave the1/2-in. shaft at the center. With the crank used, a5/8-in. hole in the pulley just clears the elbows.After positioning the pulley shim the shaft withsheet-metal strips and, to eliminate slippage, drillthe shaft to provide a seat for a setscrew. If notricycle fork is available, suspend a bicycle crankbetween two hangers of steel plate, welded to theframe's front bend.

make plywood pulleysGuide pulleys are made from %-in. waterproof

plywood, with an old auto generator ball bearingepoxied in the center. Not owning a lathe, youcan turn pulleys on a portable drill. Just insert abolt through the center of each rough disk andchuck it in the drill, which is secured in an up-right bracket. Then, with a round file, cut theedge groove about 3/8-in. wide and 1/2-in. deep.The bearing holes are cut with a circle cutter setfor a diameter slightly less than that of the bear-ing. Degrease the outside of the bearing beforeapplying epoxy and drive it into the hole; beforethe cement sets, align the bearing so the pulleywill spin without wobble.

The support post is 2-1/2-in. steel water pipe-the length determined by the height of yourswingset's top beam. Two U-bolts clamp thepipes together, and a length of 2 x 4 is boltedacross the post's lower end to keep the pipefrom sinking. Or you could provide a concretefooting.

The hub and knuckle (spindle) were from anold Dodge front end; however, almost any type(except a ball joint) could be substituted. Allparts attached to the hub and knuckle should bearc-welded to minimize heat distortion. You mayhave to modify the pipe to insert the knuckleshank. The knuckle-pipe weld should be as strongas possible.

The main beams are two lengths of 1/2-in. pipeflattened on each end. These ends are bent andwelded together after you weld the beams to thehub plates.

If you want to add up-and-down motion, youcould tilt the center pole or bolt the bicycle rimoff center.

KITE TIME REQUIRING no tails to balance them in

flight, here are three easy-to-make kites which will give you a lot of fun both in constructing and flying them. While di-mensions given for the French war kite, Fig. 1, should be followed closely to assure perfect balance, the kite can be made any size provided the dimensions are increased proportionately. The sticks s h o u l d be lightweight wood such as bass, pine spruce

or ash. Slots V2 in. deep, to take the strings, are cut in the ends of each stick forming the outer edge of the kite.

Now, begin assembling the pieces by laying the two upright sticks on the table, spacing them 12 in. apart, and lay the u p -per crossbar over these in the position shown in Fig. 1. The sticks are notched 32 in. where they intersect and are ce-

mented with shellac and bound together in the manner shown. The lower crossbar is next notched to lap slightly over the uprights, being glued and bound as before. Now, to keep the kite from buckling, run a string through the slots in the sticks and lash the ends as shown. The center u p -right is fitted in place, this being supported at each end with notched sticks to form a

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triangular shaped assembly. When dry, run a string around the inner edges of the triangles to support the covering and, then brace them with several cross strings s t r e t c h e d o n e a c h s ide . P a r c h m e n t o r heavy-grade kite paper is the best covering material. Cellophane can be used also.

Cover the three sides of the two t r ian-gles and fold and glue the edges of the paper over the string. The covering of the

lower triangle is made V2 in. wider than that on the upper one. This is done to cor-rect balancing. The capacity of the wing surface should be smaller than the surface covering of the triangle. This prevents the kite from diving. The ends and center, you will notice, are left open. The wings are covered next, turning and gluing the edges over the strings as before. Do not pull the covering tight, but allow it to bag slightly to catch all the air currents. Protect the corners of the wings by reinforcing with an extra covering of paper. The bridle should be attached to the top and run to a point two-thirds the way down. The tow-ing point should be 4 to 6 in. from the top.

The simplicity of the bow kite, shown in Fig. 2, makes it very easy to construct. Here a cross strip, bowed 3% in. with a cord stretched through slots made in the ends, is notched %2 in. at midpoint as shown, to fit a similar notch cut in a center upright. When these two are joined a string is run around the outside of the kite and then the covering is applied as before.

To make the box kite in Fig. 3, four slot-ted uprights of identical size are assembled into two pairs of corresponding units by notched cross sticks. The units are joined t hen , i n to b o x - s h a p e , a n d t r u s s s t r i n g s a r e stretched from the corner slots to keep it rigid and straight. The paper covering is made V2 in. wider on the lower box than on the upper. The towing point should equal the length of the kite.

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Parachutes carried up to a lofty kite and automatically released when the carrier hits a cross stick tied in the kite line, will keep up a lively interest. The carrier must be lightweight and there should be very little friction on the line so that ascent of

the carrier will not be impeded. A card-board sail and a parachute are held on a sliding member, which is pushed back when it strikes the cross stick, releasing sail and parachute. By going over the de-tails you will see how the device -works.

Scale Markings on Kite String Aid in Measuring Distance When a group of boys are flying kites in

neighborhood competition meets to see who can pay out the most string and fly the greatest distance, it will help to mark the string with red .ink at intervals of 25, 50 or 100 ft. This is much better than the usual method of tying small ribbons to the string to serve as markers. Red is also highly visible and the marks can be seen for quite a distance, although the marks can be counted as the string is let out.

Novel Holder for Kite String A wooden cleat riveted to a belt to go

around your waist provides a novel holder for kite string. The string is wound on the cleat and is unwound as desired. If the end is tied to the cleat, there will be no danger of the kite getting away.

The hole saw is perfect for making the cutouts in theupper half of your Mancala board. If you don't haveone, use a jigsaw for this job. To cut out scoring binswith a hole saw, make two overlapping hole cuts andtrim the waste to leave a smooth side

Africa's most popular game has caughton in the United States. You can join in bymaking a playing board in your home workshop

MancalaBy VOLTA TORREY

THE NATIONAL GAME of Africa, known as"Mancala," has caught on with Americans.

You can join in the fun by making a Mancalaboard in your home workshop. All you have todo is follow the details below.

One of the oldest games in the world, Man-cala is played by two people. The object is tocapture the most counters. Each player placesthe same number of counters (coins, marbles,etc.) in six holes on his side of the board.

You can start with six counters and use moreas you gain proficiency.

To begin the game, the first player picks up allthe counters from any one of his six holes anddistributes them to his right, placing one in eachhole. If the last one lands in his scoring bin, hegets another turn, but otherwise the turn passesto his opponent.

If he has enough counters to go beyond hisscoring bin, after dropping one there, he pro-ceeds from right to left along his opponent's sideof the board. When he can go around the otherend (skipping the other player's scoring bin)and drop the last counter in any empty hole onhis own side of the board, he captures all thecounters in the hole opposite.

The game of Mancala is over when all theholes on either side of the playing board areempty. The player with the most counters inhis scoring bin is the winner. Mancala can beenjoyed by everyone except for the smallestyoungster.

MERRY-GO-ROUNDS

BACKYARD MERRY-GO-ROUND By Robert E, Wilson

P R E S E N T I N G y o u r y o u n g s t e r s w i t h their very own merry-go-round will make you a very popular father, and your children will be the envy of every child in the neighborhood.

Construction starts with digging a hole 20 in. square and 18 in. deep. In areas of severe cold, make the hole 30 in. deep. A form of 2 x 6s around the top of the exca-vation produces a concrete "pillar" that projects above ground level. Next obtain the front-wheel assembly from an auto-wrecking yard, including the spindle, bearings, backing plate and wheel. Be sure the bearings a r e in good condition. Drill four holes in the backing plate to accom-modate four 1/2-in. bolts, 12 in, long. Sus-pend the spindle and backing plate, with the long bulls in place and nuts turned just hand-tight, over the excavation and fill it with concrete. After the concrete has seasoned several days, remove the nuts, install lock washers and tighten the nuts thoroughly so the backing plate is solid. Fit the inner bearing on the spindle, slip the brake drum in place and tighten the

large retaining nut. The wheel now is bolt-ed to the drum.

The next step is to build the 2 x 4 frame-work that supports the merry-go-round platform. Two pairs of 2 x 4s, 8 ft. long, are half-lapped as shown in the detail, and all joints strengthened with steel angles. Two 4 x 8-ft. sheets of 5/8-ln, exterior-grade ply-wood are nailed to the frame and bolted to the wheel. The intersection of diagonal lines from the comers of the platform locate the center from which is scribed an 8-ft-dia. circle. Cut an opening at the center of the platform over the wheel nut.

Power for the ride is supplied by a 1/4- hp- electric motor. A 2-in. pulley on the motor is V-belted to a 4-in. pulley on the gearbox of an old washing-machine base. A 5-in. pulley is fitted on the vertical shaft of this gearbox. that originally rotated the wringer rollers. From this pulley a 56-in. V-belt is fitted around the car wheel. The platform on which the gearbox is bolted is hinged so the weight of the box keeps ten sion on the belt Speed of the ride is about 14 to 16 r.p.m- * * *

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MERRY-GO-ROUNDS

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tical uses as well. In a store or otherplace where a person on duty cannotwatch all parts of the establishment.

SIDE VIEW FRONT VIEWThis Simple Periscope Is Useful Both for Play and

Practical Purposes

MIRROR

MIRROR

END

such a device is convenient in that itwill reflect persons entering the door.As a toy or for experimental purposesthe periscope shown has many possi-bilities, and will appeal to youngsters.

It consists of a square box, 18 in.long, open at the ends. It is 3 in.wide and made of wood, .375 in. thick.A mirror is fitted at an angle of 45 nearone end of the box or tube, as shown inthe sketch. The front of the mirror isopposite a three-cornered opening inthe box which extends across one side.The opposite end of the tube is alsofitted with a mirror in the same man-ner, except that the front of the mirrorfaces to the opposite side of the boxat which there is also an open-ing. In using this device, the usersights from the point indicated by theeye. The image is reflected in themirror at the top and thrown ontothe lower mirror, where it may be seenwithout exposing the head above thelevel of the lower opening. It is thisapplication of reflection by mirrors thatmakes it possible for soldiers to see dis-tant objects without exposing them-selves to fire, by the use of the peri-scope.

Useful Periscope Which a BoyCan Make

Mention of periscopes is quite com-mon in the reports from Europeanbattle fields; such a device in a simpleform can be made easily by boys whohave fair skill with tools. The illus-tration shows a periscope which maybe used for play, and has other prac-

Kid-powered "squaris" wheelDESIGNED By ROBERT WOOLSON

P R E P A R E D By W. CLYDE LAMMEYDUBBED A "SQUARIS WHEEL" by its designer

because of its square wheel, this pint-sized back-yard version of its big brother, the ferris wheel,will bring safe carnival fun right to your ownhome.

Braced to make it as sturdy as possible, thewheel is designed to operate on "kid power."That is, each time around, each passenger givesthe wheel a backward push with his feet. There

that can be fun for up to eight tots

If you'd like to start a carnival in your own yard,here's an unusual ride

The shafts on which the balanced bucket seats pivot also serve as safetybars. The mending plates on the side panels save wear at the shaft holes

is no danger of traveling too fast for safety, andno danger of falling out of the bucket seats, sincethe small riders are held in by a safety bar.

Another safety feature is a set of wheel locks,which prevent the toy from being used whenmom or dad can't be around to supervise gettingon and getting off.

As a first step in construction, carefully lookover the pull-apart drawing on page 968. Notethat many of the individual assemblies are de-tailed in the drawing on page 969. If you followthese details with care, the assembly will not bedifficult. One word of caution: The base, theA-frames and the wheel spider are made of2 x 4s. It is very important that you obtain clear,straight stock for these parts. There must be noknots, no weakening blemishes and no crookedpieces, as otherwise you may have trouble build-ing and operating the wheel.

wheel must run trueThe wheel must run true after assembly, and

A-frames must stand plumb with the baseleveled. The stand, which consists of the baseand A-frame, must be set up and leveled on asolid foundation, made either by pouring acouple of narrow concrete slabs on a tamped-gravel fill or two rows of concrete blocks placedon a tamped gravel fill. Then you level the struc-ture by shimming up the low corners. Woodenshingles are just the thing for shimming. Al-though standard 2 x 4s are held to quite closesectional sizes, you may occasionally find somevariations in widths and thicknesses. Usually it'sa good idea to check before cutting stock as anyappreciable variation might affect some of thedimensions given.

no glue in assemblyAfter you have a proper foundation, make the

base, which consists of two lengthwise membersand three cross members, the latter mortised thefull thickness into the lengthwise members andjoined with bolts. No glue is used in the entireassembly; only bolts and lagscrews. Next, youmake the A-frames, joining at the top ends firstas shown in one of the pulled-apart assemblies onpage 969. When cutting the top ends of theA-frame members, or legs, lay out according tothe detail and saw outside the line in the waste.This permits planing the cut surface to a smoothfit against the filler.

The hole pattern on the inside and outsideplywood gussets is identical except for the upper1/4i-in. hole in each outside gusset. This hole takes

Pivoted wheel locks are provided as a safeguard toprevent use when no adults are present

the bent end of the pin, the lower end of whichpasses through a cross hole drilled near eachend of the wheel shaft, preventing the latter fromturning or working out of place. The shaft holesin both inside and outside gussets should becarefully located, but location of the bolt holesis not critical; just locate them uniform distancesfrom the edges.

To assure register of all bolt and shaft holes,drill the shaft holes first through both gussetsand the filler piece, then insert the shaft, clampthe parts together and drill through all threethicknesses. Remember to check beforehand thediameter of the pipe which is used as a wheelshaft.

With the top ends of the A-frames joined, boltthe legs to the base, plumb with a level and bracetemporarily until you can install the permanentbraces. The lower ends of the latter are joinedto the center cross member of the base with lag-screws, the washered heads seating in pocketscut into the wide face of the brace with a chiseland gouge as indicated in the assembly view, A.The carriage-bolt heads at the top ends of thebraces are seated in shallow counterbores, thelarge diameter of the latter being slightly largerthan the bolt head. Tighten the bolts before re-leasing the temporary braces. Then check againfor plumb.

Next, make the wheel spiders, noting that inthe pulled-apart view on page 969 each consists

968

of three members joined at the center to a ply-wood gusset, making four equally spaced spokesof equal length. Note also that there is a spacerbetween each wheel gusset and the inside gussetat the top end of each A-frame. These spacerscan be band-sawed round as detailed or theycan be squares center-drilled to a free fit on thewheel shaft.

Assemble the wheel spiders on the shaft withthe spacers in position, making sure that bothturn freely. Then locate and drill the holes forthe lagscrews which hold the four spreaders asin the detail, D. It's important to cut the ends ofthe spreaders square and all pieces to exactlength. Drill a 1/4-in. hole edgewise near the endof each spoke, insert and tighten a carriagebolt in each of the holes to prevent the spokeends from splitting. Then drill the 5/8-in. holes inthe spokes for the shafts on which the seats pivot.The 1 x 2 wheel-spider braces are installed later.

Assembly of the seats, sizes of the parts andthe method of pivoting each seat are shown indetail. Cut four bottoms and four backs to thesizes given from 1/2-in. plywood, then eight endpieces from 3/4-in. plywood to the size given.Smooth all cut edges with sandpaper and thenround them slightly. Be sure there are no slivers.Then note that the backs and bottoms are butt-joined to the ends with steel inside "corner irons"as they are often referred to, nine corners beingrequired for each seat. The ninth corner is at-tached to the bottom and back at the center ofthe seat. Precise spacing of the corners at theends is not important; just equalize the spacing.

steel plate bearingsThe method of pivoting the seats is shown in

the assembly, E. Spacers and two washers areplaced between the ends of the seat and thewheel spokes as indicated. The shaft on whicheach seat pivots is held in place by shaft collars,one at each end. A steel mending plate is placedover the shaft at each end of the seat as shown.These plates serve as metal-to-metal bearings andwhen screwed in place they also prevent anypossibility of the plywood end piece splitting. Inone seat detail metal corners of the type used onsuitcases and machinist's tool boxes are sug-gested. These are essentially ornamental and canbe attached to all four corners of each seat, tothe two back corners only or may be omittedentirely if desired. At this stage the wheel braces,of 1 x 2 stock, and the platform of plywood

covered partially with corrugated rubber or plas-tic matting can be installed.

To finish the job you need two wheel locks,one on each A-frame and attached to theA-frame cross member. One of the two units isshown in the assembly, B. The units are dupli-cates with one exception which is the installationof an eyebolt in one or the other of the locks. Theeyebolt permits locking one unit in the downposition with a conventional bike lock, thus pre-venting the wheel from turning.

The hole for the eyebolt is drilled in onehandle in approximately the position shown atA in the assembly, B.

use outdoor plywoodAs the wheel will be exposed to weathering all

plywood parts should be of the grade known as"outdoor plywood." Plywood parts should havethe exposed edges filled with wood putty or othersuitable filler and should be primed and paintedin the color of your choice. On the original wheelplywood parts and the 1 x 2 wheel braces werepainted a bright red with gold striping. All otherparts were coated with a sealer and finished inthe natural color with spar varnish.

When operating the wheel in your yard, it islikely that you will have riders of varying agesand weights, and probably plenty of them. Be-cause of this, you will have to balance the wheelso that it will rotate easily. To do this, purchasesome heavy weights5-lb. lead weights, ingotsof the type used by plumbers, or old windowsash weightsand keep them handy.

To load the squaris wheel, release the wheellocks and hold the wheel steady. Admit tworiders to the lowest car, remembering to instructthe riders to duck their heads under the shaft onwhich the seat is pivoted and which serves as asafety bar. Now swing the wheel a quarter turnand admit two more riders.

Continue the procedure until the wheel isloaded and ready to run.

Now remove your hands and let the wheelroll on its own for a minute. You will be able totell which seat is the heaviest because it willswing to the bottom. When that happens, balancethe wheel by putting one or more heavy weightson the seat opposite the heavy one. Fasten theweights securely so that they cannot fall fromthe seat during the ride and injure the tiny pas-senger in the opposite car.

in Your Own Back Yard Scaled down to fit your plot and pocketbook, but big enough to carry grownups, midget trains offer fun for the whole family.

By Harry Walton

IVE the kids a train they can ride,Gand you'll share in the fun, Back-yard railroatlin~is a man-sized hobby for all the family. Once you han-dle the throttle of a midget engine and feel the thrust of drivers on rails, ordi-nary lnoclel railroading becomes a spec-tntor sport. A passenger-carrying pike costs less

than you may think. It can give you scope for as I I I L I C ~or as little time and skill as you care to invest. Like its tin-

plate cousins, it can grow up along with the children from year to year. You don't need a big lot. One type of

track can be laid in a circle as small a\ 12' across. Intercsting layouts can be put on a city lot. Here's what it takes:

A reasonably levcl space, preferably at least 30' by 40'.

As much cash as a modest electric-t l , i i t i I . i y u~~ tYOU^^ cost .

Ordinary garden and hand tools. One or more children so that you

can clnirn that you're doing it for tltcrn. What will it cost? For as little as $20

AUGUST 1956 147

Either wood or metal rail can start you on the right track

FURR ING-STR IP RA l L is c5nsy to I;I!. in notchctl tics I ' :rl):~rt. ' l 'oc~~ail it ill \\,it11 (itl. g,;~lv:unizetl lillishi~~gnails. Creosote the ties for longer life. Fill hollo\vs ill grountl to yrovicle :I solitl rnntl- I>ctl. For curves. set one rail into tics I' apart, Iwnd ant1 lloltl it to the r:~tlius wilntecl ( 12' is :~l>outthe snl;~llcst possible) ant1 tl1c11 hcntl and press the otller rail in pl:lce.

to 840 !.ou c:111 p r ~ t tlonw track ant1 get ;I car rolling on it. T h c !~o1111gstcrs \\,ill enjoy ptlsl~ing c,i~cll othcr ;lror~nd on the ciu or coastin!!

, . tlo\vl) ;un incline. Th e tlic-

st.1 strc~;~rnlinc.r, 1)ritlgcs ant1 otllcr trim- minss ci111 I,c ntltlctl as yo^^ scc fit.

You II;IVC' il c;~sIi or in- choice of r ~ s i ~ i g gclluity for rnilll!, of tlicsc improvc~nc,nts.

T-SECTION DURAL RA l L is Illc re;d Illil~g ,c:11cd tlo\vn. \\'it11 ;~lirminrl~n tics. it I'orlns sections :IS nl,o\;c. l'hcse call I)e laid or talien rip like to!.- tr;~in track. \ let;~l straps (fislll)l:~tes) are I>oltecl :Icross the joints. Dr~r:rl rnil can ;llso be houglit 11:. t l ~ c foot ;ultl spiked to creosotetl wootlen ties \\.it11 roofing 11;lils. The best ro;ltll)ecl for tics is ;I 2" I:~ycrof gr;lveI or cinders.

tlo\vn strap-iron rail ; I IN~;I 11~1ntl-cranked car. This is light enollgh for tots to pro- pc.1, ):ct 1i11sky c11ougI1 to convert to ~ ,o \ \~e rlater. Various :~ccc:ssoricbs. i n ch~d - ing po\vcr locolnoti\lt~s arc nvailnlde for this trnck. nztrrcl scrrle rnil. D c lu s e track can

IIO m;~ t l c\\lit11 this, spiked to wootlen ties Gas or c~lcctric loco~notivescan be I>o~~g l i t i~n t l joined with fishp1;ttes. It's light and ~ 1 1reatly to highball. O r yon call 1 ~ 1 y 1)ut corrles to 25 cents ;I foot in r ~~ s t p roo f only tho piwts ! .~ I I can't i ~ n d~ i ~ ; ~ c h i ~ i e , br~i ld ):our o\vn cllgine \vith 11othing but 1l;uitl tools. If you can ~ilacliinc some p;~rts h-o~n castings, t he cost will be lcss.

W/tich prrrcpa is host? 1,ivc-stei~rn cnthusi;~sts 1,nrrrl along l)c:lii~ltl cilitlcr- s1)itting little engi~ies on :3%" trnck. X~ n u s rm c~~~ t - p ; ~ r k run 15"roads 1111 to garlgc. For holne t~sc , 7%"gauge is a good compromise,; it's I)ig c.no~~lgli for cvcn ~ I . O \ V I ~ L I L > S t o ~ r i c l c C O I I I ~ O ~ I ~ I I J I ~ ,1 1 1 ~~111~1 cost is reuso~i:~l)lc. T-Ierc is \vlr;~t you can rlse to lay 7%" track: f'refnh s l r t ~ p rc~il . For $40, you gct n

l)fickage t l r ;~ l : n 12' circle of knockctl-148 POPULAR SCIENCE

100' lots, plrls shipping costs. Evcn so, yo r~can lay 50' of trnck. l)r~iltl a c;lr from nn rlnmacliinc~tl truck kit (\vliicli yo11 c;un mncl~ilic on a tlrill prcss) ;111tl still stay insitlc n 8.50 I ~ ~ ~ t l g e t .

F~oorletz rail. For rnt1c.11 lcss money, yo11 can In): onc-l)!~-t\vo furring strips on tirs cut from t\vo-l)y-fours. Five tlolli~rs \vill 1)11y newr Irlml~cr for :~l)ont 40' of tr;lck, ;inti sc~contlli;~ntlwood, it' ovailal~le,

W I TH W OO D E N RAIL, use notched ties, or nail b~ocks outside W I T H A H OME WELDER, you rails. If you have it circular saw, mount a tlaclo 11e;itl ancl cut can make rail from %':-by- one notch in all the ties. Then fit n block into the miter-gauge :% , or larger, strap Iron. heail as sl~o\vn. Drop first notch on block to c ~ ~ tseco11t1. Bolt plates across joints.

SPACE RAILS %" wider on curves. The home- RAIL n~ndetrack gauge shown does this nutomntically TRUCK if used with its wide WHEELBASE end on the outsicte rail. To join rail lengths, nail the two adjoining encls THREE POINTS to n common tic. SPACE RAILS

Easily finished kit of castings makes car trucks and couplers

DRILLING HOLES 1'01. ?I.''iixlcs :111d;I Ic\\. 11i1ls ASSEMBLED like the fir~ished truck aho\re, these is all it t:tkes t o finis11 tllcse castings. The 47.11,. units can bc mot~ntetl on n ply\vootl floor to casting set ~nnkcs two cnr trucks, two \ r o r k i ~ ~g m:tke any kind of car. Fittccl \\,it11 sprockets knucklc couplers ntitl n I~rnkc \vhcel. or pulleys, they mily hc used in a locomotive.

AUGUST 1956 149

. .

W O O D TIES COME SLOTTED and strap-iron rails prerlrilled for wire clips. These are bent as shown to assemble the track in either straight or curved form. Extra track runs 419 for 40'.

SW ITCH O R TURNOUT comes right hand or left. I t is spring-lontled so that wheels running into an open switcl~can trail through the points. Switches are $15 each and the crossings $10.

A CIRCLE OF TRACK 1'2' in diameter plus the Iinntl-crankcd car ;rhove costs about 440. The trailer car is $16. The power loco~notiveson the facing page can he run on the same track.

will halve even this very modest cost. Unpowered cars will roll nicely 011

wooden track, but powered wheels may tend to climb the soft edge corner. You can lick this by shoeing the rails with strap iron when you have R Iocnrnotive. Other mil.\Vith a slnall welder, you

can make low-cost rail out of strap iron by weldinq on foot plates, spacing them like ties. Track has also been made of angle iron, pipe, and conduit. How nborrt rolling stock? You have

several choices, from buying ready-made cars to building your own. You can, for instance:

Buy a trailer car to ride on the pre-fab strap rail. Price is $16.

Get a casting kit to make realistic 1%"-scale car trucks. hlount these 011 a plywood floor, and you have a play push car that can later be convertccl into a caboose, box, tank or cattle car. Unfin-izllecl c

or~tof steel plate, angle iron or liartl~\~ood. ;Nofive power. This is the lilost thrill-

ing part of railroatling, m ~ d you're lim- itcd only I,y your butlget at one entl or your ingenuity at the other. There's plenty of room in between. For up\v;lrtls of $200 you can buy a