Harper's indoor book for boys

by Joseph H. Adams

Fig. 6. WAND A BALL-BAR B

Fig. 7. Fig. 8. Fig. 9.

The rings should give a good grip, and there is nothing better for this than to bind them with tire-tape, or sew leather around them, making the seam at the outside, as shown in Fig. 7. The sewing should be done with doubled and waxed linen thread; if this should prove too difficult, a shoe or harness maker will help you out for a small sum.

In Fig. 8 a triangle is shown having the lower side bound with tape or leather. This triangle is six inches across the bottom, eight inches high, and is made from half-inch round iron. As the lower side is a straight bar, it is somewhat easier to grip than the segment of a circle.

The rings, or triangles, should be suspended by means of ropes, at the lower ends of which straps are provided so that they will hold rings, rods, or trapeze bars. A harness-maker will make these straps for fifteen or twenty cents each, of substantially heavy leather. They should be provided with a stout buckle and a loop under which to slip the strap end, as shown in Fig. 9. The rope ends, through which the straps are caught, may be spliced or formed into a loop-end and bound tightly with twine to make a strong union, as also shown in Fig. 9.

Trapeze Bars

For the house gymnasium a trapeze bar should measure four feet long and one and three-quarter inches in diameter; it should be cut with a path at each end, as shown in Fig. 10, so that the strap may be wrapped around it and drawn tight. The bar should be made of seasoned hickory. The wood may be bought from a wheelwright or wagon-maker, and then dressed down with a plane and spokeshave. The arrangement for the suspension is shown in Fig. 10 B.

The adjustable flying trapeze, as shown in Fig. 11, is made from trunk-straps, provided with two extra loops, and a four-foot bar cut from two-inch hickory and shaped with a spokeshave. At the ends, paths are cut to receive the straps, and, if possible, have the bar turned in a lathe to insure a more accurate job. Small rings at the upper ends of the ropes or straps, and hooks driven securely into the ceiling-beams, will afford the needed suspension.