An Easy Way to Make a Shelf
Procure an ordinary packing box and mark a line from corner to corner on both ends, as shown, from A to B in Fig. 1. Pull out all the nails from the corners that may cross the line. Nail the top to the box and saw it on the lines marked and two shelves will be formed which may be used as shown in Fig. 2. Boxes dovetailed at the corners will make excellent shelves and look neat if painted.
Two Shelves Made of One Box (Fig. 1, Fig. 2)
Multiplying Attachment for a Camera
By J. C. Moore
The hand camera suitable for this work is the kind commonly known as the reversible back, which is a detachable part that carries a ground glass for focusing and a place to insert the plate holders. When this part is removed, it will be seen that the back of the camera is mortised to prevent light from entering. Construct a frame to take the place of the back, but make it about 5/8 in. larger all around, and make one surface to fit the mortise of the camera box.
The Attachment as It is Fitted to the Camera and the Reversible Back in the Frame
A back is now made and attached to the frame, to carry the ground-glass reversible back, so that it can be shifted over the center of focus for each small portion of the plate on which the picture is to be made. Measure the outside of the plate holder and, doubling the dimensions both ways, lay out a diagram on a piece of paper. Lay the plate holder on the paper and move it to the extreme left, then to the right, to see if the center of the plate will coincide with the center of the back. In the same manner locate the center in a vertical position. If the center lines do not coincide, increase the dimensions until this occurs. Mark, in the exact center, an opening the size of the plate and cut out the wood. It is best to use a three-ply wood for making the back, but if this cannot be obtained, procure a dry piece of wood and mortise and glue strips to the ends to keep the wood from warping. Glue the frame to this back, over the opening, and make attachments to hold it to the camera in the same manner as the reversible back was attached.
Manner of Laying Out the Pattern for the Back and Locating the Exact Center
If pictures of two or three different sizes are to be made, the opening in the new back should be fitted with as many new pieces as there are sizes of pictures, each to have an opening of corresponding size. For a 5 by 7-in. plate, 1-1/8 by 1-1/4-in. pictures is a good size, as there will be room for 24 pictures on the plate with a small margin left for notes. The piece to fill the opening should be made of the same material as the back so that a smooth joint will result. As a board cannot be made smooth enough for a perfectly light-tight joint, the surface on the new back, over which the reversible back travels, must be covered with cloth—a piece of black velvet is suitable—to exclude all light as the plate holder is shifted over the back.
A frame is now made to carry the reversible back of the camera, the size of which will depend on the size of the other parts, as well as on the size of the camera to be used. This frame consists of two horizontal strips joined at the ends with grooved pieces, fitting the edge of the new back, so that it may be slid up and down in the grooves. The crosspieces are also rabbeted to receive the reversible back and allow it to be moved back and forth horizontally. The rabbet in the horizontal strips should not be so deep as to permit the extending edge to overlap the ground-glass frame, thus preventing it from moving back as the plate holder is inserted.
If the frame on the back and the reversible back fit tightly, they will remain in any position, but if they are loosely fitted, it will be necessary to provide some means to hold them. Small springs with pins may be fitted to the vertically moving frame to hold it in the position for the horizontal rows of pictures.
The ground glass should be marked for the size picture to be taken. The positions of the frame and plate carrier should also be marked so that the plate holder need not be taken out to find the location and focus for the next picture.