281. Your Workshop. If possible, keep all your work, tools and apparatus in one room, and lock the door when you leave.
The work-bench may be made of an old kitchen table, or of a strong, large box. The tool chest may be made of any clean box about the size of a soap box. Shelves can be made by setting soap or starch boxes on their sides, one above the other.
282. The tools needed are generally mentioned in the proper places, under the directions for construction. It is better to buy your tools as required, than to buy too many at once, some of which you may not need. If you have absolutely no tools, not even a saw or hammer, you will be obliged to buy or borrow, although a great deal can be done with a good knife. Do not be satisfied with rough-looking pieces of apparatus.
There are a few important tools needed for this work. While substitutes can be found for most of them, the boy who has access to a wood-working bench and tools will be able to do better and more rapid work than the boy who has no such tools.
283. List of tools. The following tools are needed, if rapid, accurate work is desired:
(1.) Lead pencil. (2.) A rule, divided into sixteenths for measuring. A straight foot rule will do,—cost one cent. (3.) Steel point for scratching lines on tin and copper. A stout needle-point is just the thing. (4.) An awl for making holes in wood; one that is a little less than ⅛ in. in diameter is best. ([See App. 25].) (5.) A try-square with a 6 in. blade, so that you can mark out your apparatus with square corners. You can use a square-cornered box or piece of pasteboard, if you have no try-square. (6.) Chisels are very useful, but you can do wonders with a good sharp knife. (7.) Screw-driver. Do not use a good knife-blade for a screw-driver. (8.) A saw, one with teeth that are not too coarse is to be preferred. (9.) A plane is extremely useful to make your wood-work smooth and neat; but a great deal can be done with the sharp edges of broken glass, followed by a good rubbing with fine sand-paper. (10.) A brace and a set of bits may be needed in 2 or 3 cases, but nearly all of the holes can be made as in [App. 25]. (11.) Punches for sheet-tin, etc., will save much time. ([See App. 26], [27].) For small holes in binding-posts, etc., use a flat-ended punch, ⅛ in. in diameter. You should have one ¼ or 5⁄16 in. in diameter, if you make your yokes, armatures, etc., as in Chapter VIII. A blacksmith will help you out with this. (12.) A center-punch or sharp-pointed punch for making dents in metal. A sharp-pointed wire nail will do for tin and copper. (13.) Files for metal. (14.) Some sort of a vice or clamp. (See [App. 79], [80].) (15.) Shears for cutting sheet-tin, etc. A pair of old shears will do. (16.) An anvil or piece of old iron that may be used to hammer on to flatten tin, etc. An old flat-iron makes a good anvil. (17.) Hammer.
The small hollow handle tool sets are very handy, and they contain small chisels, awls, screw-driver, etc. These sets cost from 50 cents up.
284. Materials. For wood you will find the sides and ends of clean soap or starch boxes about the right thickness; they are fairly smooth to begin with. For thin wood use cigar boxes. The pieces from old boxes should be removed with care, and saved in one place, which may be called your lumber yard. All nails should be removed with a claw-hammer. Look out for nails when using a saw, plane or other edged tool. ([See § 297].) The edges of bases, etc., may be bevelled as shown in Fig. 95. This is not necessary, but it adds greatly to the appearance.
285. Screw-Eyes. Brass screw-eyes, with copper burs, make excellent binding-posts. ([App. 45], [46].) Those that are ⅜ in. in diameter inside the circle are about right. These are about 1¼ in. long in all, with a ½ in. thread.
286. Copper Burs, such as are used with rivets, are very handy. The size that is ½ in. in diameter, with a ⅛ in. hole, is good.