Fig. 45. The boxers assembled
The boys learned many things not to do: for example, all the finer details of the face and hands must be omitted, as they are very apt to be broken off in sawing. It was found best to make the feet nearly round or the brads would split the wood. For that reason wherever a brad has to be driven through, the arm or leg should be made larger than the proportionate size.
Fig. 46. The racing automobile
The most surprising feature about the figures was the fact that the shadow they cast on a white wall or sheet was more realistic than the figures themselves, and our boys never tired of exercising these toys in order to watch the shadow pictures.
Of all combinations, perhaps the design and construction of a racing automobile, that would actually go, gave them the greatest amount of amusement as well as the largest number of problems to solve. The history of trials and failures need not be given, but the machine, as finished, is shown in [Fig. 46]. The body and hood are comparatively simple. The principal trouble, as with larger machines, was with the motive power, and the boys finally compromised by using a rubber band. The four wheels were sawed out of 3⁄16-inch basswood, and smoothed with sand-paper, the two driving wheels for the rear having a 1⁄4-inch hole drilled to receive the ends of the axle. The rear axle was 1⁄4 inch square at the centre for half an inch, and the rest of it 1⁄4 inch in diameter, rounded with the knife and sand-paper. The total length of the axle was four inches, and the wheel base seven and one-half inches.
For the driving gear, three disks shown at a ([Fig. 47]) were sawed out, the two large ones, 11⁄4 inches in diameter, from 1⁄8-inch basswood. The edges of these two were rounded with knife and sand-paper. The small disk, 3⁄4 inch in diameter, was cut from 1⁄4-inch wood or two 1⁄8-inch pieces placed together and glued.
