Before beginning work read carefully Marking, Rule, Square, Saw, Plane, in [Part V]., and look up any other references.
Fig. 223.
The size can vary from 3' long by 1' wide to 10' or 12' long by 20" to 22" wide; 4' long by 15" or 16" wide is good for a single toboggan; 8' long by 18" is a good size for three or more persons. You will probably find the stock most readily in the form of 12' boards. One-half inch in the rough will be thick enough, though you may have to take inch (rough) or 7/8" (planed) boards. Let us make an 8' toboggan (Fig. 223). Have the stock planed and sawed in strips about 10' long, 2½" wide, and not less than ¼" nor more than 3/8" in thickness. If they are tapered a little in thickness for 12" or 15" at the forward end they can be bent more easily, but do not shave them down too much (see Plane and Drawshave). Smooth the bottom surfaces of the strips with plane and scraper (see Scraper). It is hardly necessary to plane the upper surfaces by hand, as the planer will leave them fairly smooth, though they will look a little nicer smoothed by hand. Plane the edges. Next get out eight cross-bars or cleats 18" long × 3/8" thick and from 1½" to 3" wide. If wide they can be tapered at the edges, and if narrow, the edges should be rounded (Fig. 224). Get out also two or three cleats 18" long, ¼" thick, and 1¼" wide, and one piece 18" long and about ¾" × 7/8" (half of a hardwood broomstick will do).
Fig. 224.
The long strips must now be bent at the forward end (see Bending Wood). After they are bent take the eight cleats and, laying one across the strips as it is to go, mark points for three holes at each strip (Fig. 224). Bore 3/16" or ¼" holes in the cross strips and countersink them very carefully (see Boring and Countersink), so that the heads of the screws will be very slightly lower than the surface—sunk barely enough to prevent any corners or edges from sticking above the surface. Take great care not to countersink too deeply, for the long strips are so thin that the screws may come through on the under side. Mark and bore the other seven cleats by this first one.
Now take one cleat, to be put on at the rear end 8' from the beginning of the curve. Screw one end of this cleat in place (see Screws), test with the square, and screw the other end. Then put in the intermediate screws, driving them all firmly home, and saw off the ends of the long strips just beyond this cleat. Square lines across every foot to the curve at the front, and screw on the other cleats. The length of the screws (which can be quite stout) should be such that they will almost, but not quite, go through to the under side of the toboggan. Be careful about this or the points will have to be filed off. Then screw the smaller cleats on the inside of the curve. Screw the remaining (stouter) cleat on the outside of the curve at the place where the curve is to end, and then saw off the projecting ends of the strips by this cleat. By thongs, belt-lacing, or strong cord at the ends of the cleat last put on fasten the curve (which will naturally tend to straighten somewhat) in the required position to the cleat beneath (Fig. 225).
Fig. 225.