THE WOODEN WINDMILL.
So common were these little toys among the companions of my childhood, that it seemed almost superfluous to insert what I supposed every boy must be familiar with; but upon questioning my young friends, I find that very few of them away from the sea-coast towns of New England, and the sailor-like influence or atmosphere which permeates them, know anything of the pretty little windmills, or weather-vanes, which we copied from those of our sailor friends.
It was no uncommon thing in those days for some boy less ingenious than his companions to use a little strategy, and so get his work done for him by proxy; and the manner in which he would proceed was generally something like this: Early some bright spring morning, with jackknife and shingle in hand, he would saunter down to the wharf, upon which he knew at an early hour the old sea captains of the village would assemble, and wait his chance. Here the old captains, and the sailors, who by reason of their advanced age took the same honorary title, were wont to gather on the sunny side of the weather-beaten old store-house, and watch from under their heavy gray eyebrows the bay stretched out before them, while they enjoyed their pipes, and lived over again the wonderful adventures and disasters of their successive voyages; and here he would watch for his prey, little suspected by those kindly old souls, who had, years long gone by, ruled with iron will over the crews and destinies of great ships, known to him only by their names. Occasionally two or three would arrive at the wharf together, and he knew his chances were gone for that day at least; but usually some one, whose breakfast may not have claimed as much attention as usual, would be seen making his way down the quiet village street, easily recognized by his rolling gait, his inseparable pipe, and manner of scanning the clouds and horizon. Now our friend would begin to whittle in earnest, soon attracting the attention of the ancient mariner by his awkward movements. Of course, he would receive no end of ridicule for his stupidity; but as that did not sink very deep in his boyish soul, he was prepared to pay a greater price, if necessary, for the work he expected to receive. It not unfreqently happened that the old fellow would take the shingle to show him how to begin, and would get so much interested in the work that he would offer to do it during the day, and would actually whittle away on the little boat, while he or one of his companions related for the fiftieth time how the Nautilus passed through so many hair-breadth escapes, and finally reached port at last, with no soul missing and cargo untouched.
It was during these long voyages, when time hung heavily on their hands, that they acquired their skill in fashioning these mechanical toys, which almost always had for their motive power the wind or the waves.
The simplest form of windmill from this source I remember seeing is very easily constructed. It is made from an oblong piece of wood like Fig. 1. Through the center of this bore a hole, a, for the pivot upon which it will finally turn, and mark the two lines at b. Now, commencing at the point b, cut off the corner, b c, and make the surface flat as in Fig. 2; then cut off the opposite side of the other end, indicated in Fig. 1 by the dotted lines d e, in a like manner. Your figure will now resemble Fig. 2, and both ends will form a prism like b c d e f; but b c d e should be a thin flat blade, so the corner or edge, commencing at f, should be cut down in the same manner that e d was treated in Fig. 1. Make the other blade to correspond and chamfer out the middle, or square piece, as seen in Fig. 3. This middle piece is not a square, although I have spoken of it as such, but is oblong, to allow room for another two-bladed piece made precisely like this to interlock with it. When these two pieces are fitted together, fasten them with one or more nails, and then insert the small round stick upon which the windmill is to turn. Fig. 4 shows an arrangement by which two windmills are operated on the same stick. These should turn in opposite directions to make them effective, and this is easily accomplished by simply cutting the vanes of the one so that the wind shall strike it at an angle opposite to that with which it strikes the other. Should you care to decorate them in colors, it had best be done by painting bands or stripes across each vane, all to correspond with each other in width and shade. For instance, take the windmill in Fig. 4; let the outside bands be of chrome yellow and one inch wide; the next red and two inches wide; while the third yellow, and the fourth blue, should each be an inch in width. The axis should have a greater diameter where the larger revolves upon it, but should be cut smaller where it meets the back of the little windmill. Nails in front and back of the larger, and front of the smaller, are necessary to keep them in place.
Perhaps the most satisfactory way of arranging such a windmill is to place it on the end of a weather-vane, as shown in Fig. 5. It is then always presented to the wind. The vane and the windmill may be painted the same color, or the latter may be decorated in stripes, as before described, and the vane given a color which will harmonize with it. Care must be exercised to fasten each part strongly in place, as the strain is very great during a strong wind or in a storm.
THE SCREW-PROPELLER; OR, WEATHER-VANE AND WINDMILL COMBINED.
Take a piece of board, seven-eighths of an inch thick, and large enough to make a vessel of the size you desire. Cut out a hull like that in the illustration. Make a small windmill like that just described, but with rounded ends to the vanes, like that represented in Fig. 2. Pass a strong wire through the hole in the center, and drive it into the stern of Fig. 1; fasten the other end into the rudder, which should be stationary. Be careful when planning your vessel to allow sufficient room for the windmill to revolve below the over hang. Bore a hole at a for the pivot to rest in, upon which the weather-vane is to turn, and insert the two masts in their proper places. Cut a small mizzen-sail from thin board and nail it to the mast.
The flags are of red and blue flannel, the stays of copper or galvanized wire, and the bowsprit a small stick, cut from a tough bit of wood. This propeller may be painted to suit the fancy, but usually is black, with a narrow yellow or white stripe near the top. The lower third is frequently painted green, however, which adds considerably to its nautical appearance. The windmill should be a bright red, and the entire vessel should have plenty of time to dry before being placed in its final position.
THE SIDE-WHEELER.
Another, and very pretty windmill, which can be easily constructed by a boy, is in the form of a steam-boat, the paddles of which are always presented to the wind by the position of the boat itself. Cut out of a seven-eighths of an inch board a hull like that seen in the illustration, and make the hole for the pivot at the middle point between bow and stern; bore another hole just aft of this for the axle of the paddle-wheels. Out of thin wood cut two circular disks for these wheels, and dovetail the paddles into their edges as seen in Fig. 2. Next cut out two half circles of your thin wood for paddle-boxes, and bore a hole in each for the axle of the wheels. These are to shield the upper half of the wheels from the wind. Now take a piece of tin, in shape like Fig. 3, and wide enough to accommodate the wheels on either side, and nail it to the edges of the paddle-boxes, as seen in the figure; the ends, a, are to be nailed upon the deck of the steamer, and answer the purpose of keeping these boxes in position. Paint this boat black and green, the latter occupying the lower third of the hull, while a narrow line of yellow or white around the top relieves the somberness of the upper part. The paddle-boxes should be black, with narrow lines of light red radiating from a small semicircular figure of the same color near the bottom. This boat should also be fitted with a small mizzen-sail, made of tin or thin board, and painted white. The top of the paddle-boxes is buff or light yellow, and the wheels or windmills are a bright red.
In this steam-boat, a “dummy” walking-beam, cut out of a single piece of thin wood, can be added if desired, and should be painted in solid black, or, if liked, it can be striped like that in the “Toy Steam-boat,” elsewhere described in this book. The smoke-stack in this, as well as the screw-propeller, should be nailed in place before the first painting.
If you should care to take the trouble, the walking-beam can be made to move by simply cutting away the hull between the paddle-boxes, to allow the crank to turn in, and bending the axle of the wheels in the form of the crank described in the “Toy Steam-boat.” A long slit must also be cut in the tin cover of the paddle-boxes, to allow of the play of the connecting-rod. Small flags of bright-colored strong cloth can be placed in the proper places if desired, and really add considerable to the bright, pretty effect when first made; but as they are soon ruined by the combined influences of sun, rain, and wind, they are hardly desirable, unless the boat is in some position where it can be easily reached, and the little flags changed for new ones, as they become faded or torn.
THE REGATTA WINDMILL.
Take two sticks of wood, about three feet long, and one inch in diameter; fasten them together at their central points, so that their arms shall be at right angles with each other (see Fig. 1); and bore a large hole through the point of intersection. From shingles cut out four boats, each eight inches long, and fit them with masts; next cut from strong new cloth four small triangular pieces for sails, and sew them to the masts; fasten the lower corner by a strong bit of cord to the stern, as seen in Fig. 2; then cut a small flag from red flannel and nail it to the top of the mast. You can paint these boats if you like, and also the cross-pieces upon which they are finally nailed. Care must be taken that they all head the same way. Observe their positions in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1 shows the affair finished and mounted on its pole. Place them in as high a position as possible, so that they may catch the breeze from all directions.
—————◀▶—————