Fig. 199.—A Toy Electric Motor Truck.
The Toy Electric Motor Truck shown in [Fig. 199] is of light construction, the axle bearings produce very little friction, and the battery is light and of a powerful type.
Get an oblong shaped cigar-box for the bed and sides of the truck, several large thread spools for wheels and pulleys, two small silk-thread spools, four lead-pencils, or sticks whittled perfectly round and ¼ inch in diameter, for axles, belt-shaft, and steering-wheel post, and six screw-eyes 5/16 inch in diameter for the bearings.
First, place the cigar-box in a wash-boiler or wash-tub of hot water, and allow it to remain there until the paper labels have soaked off or loosened sufficiently so they can be scraped off with a knife.
Fig. 200.—Top view of Electric Motor Truck.
Then, after the box has thoroughly dried, cut the two strips A ([Fig. 208]), and fasten them to the bottom, one at each side. Screw the screw-eye axle bearings into these strips. Place them at equal distances from the ends of the strips.
The Wheels are made from the flange ends of the large spools. [Figure 202] shows the front pencil axle. Slip the center portion of one of the large spools on to this for a pulley, then stick the pencil ends through the screw-eyes in strips A, and glue the spool-end wheels on to them. The rear axle is like the front one, with the spool pulley omitted ([Fig. 203]).