Fig. 504
A Lift. There are a variety of ways of making a lift. One of the simplest is shown in this chapter. The first essential is a wooden box, oblong if possible, so that there can be many floors. The measurements given in this chapter are for quite a small model made from a shallow oblong box, 9½ inches by 14¾ inches, and about 2½ inches in depth.
Sand-paper the inside and cover it with some pretty paper. Mark off distances A C and B D (Fig. 504) equal to 2½ inches; rule lines A B and C D along the bottom of the box; glue pieces of stripwood ¼ inch by ½ inch (A B and C D in Fig. 504) along the bottom of the box for the lift to run up and down between.
The lift is made next. Cut two pieces of wood 2½ inches by 2¼ inches; nail to the corners of one piece four pieces of stripwood, ¼" × ¼" × 3". Fasten the other piece of wood to these four posts by means of screw-eyes. Now leave the lift for a while.
Cut two pieces of cardboard, A B E F and C D H G, to divide the box into three long divisions, as in Fig. 504. See that they project ¼ inch beyond the box. Divide these strips into three parts and draw and cut out doors as in the diagram; the line for the floors must, of course, be well above the top of the lift, while the height of the doors must correspond to that of the lift. Now glue these strips of cardboard to the pieces of stripwood A B and C D as in diagram; see that the doors open into the rooms on each side, and not into the lift.
See that the lift runs easily up and down between the cardboard strips; sand-paper it if it does not.
Make four holes in the top of the box, a, b, c, d in Fig. 505. Tie thread or black yarn to the screw-eyes, cross it and pass it through the holes as in the figure, then pass the four cables through screw-eye K. When the lift is on the ground, pull the strings taut and tie a knot below the screw-eye. The lift can be raised by means of winding gear attached to the side as described in Chapter V, on the crane; the weight of the lift will pull it down again, or if this is not enough it can be weighted with lead.
Fig. 505 shows another way of working the model. Screw-eyes can be fastened to the bottom of the lift and thread tied to them as before; these threads must pass through four holes in the bottom of the box, through a hole in the support L M and through screw-eye Q; the bottom strings are then knotted to the top strings at R, and the lift can be lowered and raised by moving knot R up and down.
The supports N P and L M are made of pieces of stripwood ½ inch by ¼ inch.