A portable stool that a boy can make

Title

Year

1941

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

AucusT, 1941 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 295 A PORTABLE STOOL THAT A BOY CAN MAKE ANY BOY can make a simple stool or camp-chair out of two pieces of wood ana· a small strip of canvas. The wood should be about half an inc� thick, twenty-four or twenty-six inches long, and of suitable width. Half-way up each pi-ece, through half of each piece of. wood, cut a narrow rectangular slot, as shown in the picture. For this purpose use a small, sharp saw and a chisel. Then, at the bottom of each .Piece of wood, saw out a triangular piece, as shown in the picture. This will make feet upon which the camp-chair can stand securely. Provide the seat to the stool by tack ing the canvas to the wood with small nails with large heads. The piece of canvas should be aboi.lt twelve inches long. Nail one end to orie piece of wood and the other end to the other pie.ce of wood. In doing this, it is -w-ell to turn in the edge of the canvas. The stool is now ready for use. Fit the two slots to one another. and perrpit the legs to open as wide as the canvas will allow them. Set the camp-chair firmly on the ground or the floor, and it will hold considerable weight. The wood may be stained or painted. In order that the camp-chair may hay.e a neat appearance, it is important that the slots be cut to a point exactly half -way up the piece of wood. Then, when the two pieces ar.e fitted together, each will fit exactly into the other. For fold ing up, the legs are pulled apart and are placed side by side. Th� camp-chair can be used· in a sum mer camp, or it would make a nice pres ent. A SPOOL TOP Do YOU KNOW YOU can make a very good spinning top from a spool on which thread was wound? Ask mother for a good-sized spool after she has used all the thread from it. With a sharp pen knife cut away one end until the spool becomes the shape of a pencil-point. Then get a round piece of wood which is just the· same size as the hole through the spool. Push it through the hole, hav ing first put a little glue on it so it will stick tight. Then let the stick dry. Next take· the penknife and sharpen the end of the projecting stic!� in line with the spool, so that it' \Vill form a peg for the top. This sharpening must be done very carefully and evenly. In order that the peg may be perfectly smooth, rub it with fine sandpaper. The part of the stick which appears above the spool. may also be nicely smoothed off with sandpaper. It will then form a good stem or handle with which the top may be spun.

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