A Back Stop for a Workbench
In planing small pieces on a bench, they usually have a tendency to tip up or slide around. This difficulty can be easily overcome by providing the bench with an extra back stop. For this purpose a discarded plane iron will do very well. Its edge should be notched so that it will easily enter the wood. The edges of its central slot should be beveled off, if an ordinary wood screw is used to fasten it to the bench. A series of holes, several inches apart and in line with the regular back stop, should be bored in the bench so the screw and iron can be readily changed, to fit varying lengths.—Contributed by C. S. Rice, Washington, D. C.
A Plane Bit Fastened to the Top of a Bench to Hold Blocks While Planing Them
Croquet Mallets Protected by Metal Rings
Due to the severe service they are subjected to, croquet mallets very frequently split off at the ends, which spoils them for further use in accurate driving. To prevent this, metal bands may be placed around the ends of the mallets. Thin sheet iron, or tin, can be used for this purpose. One end is bent up at right angles, the opposite end is provided with a loop to fit over the upright portion of the first end, and then the loop is closed up and hammered down to draw the metal tightly around the mallet. The ring is secured in place with several tacks, or short nails, driven through the seam.—Contributed by H. E. Stratmeyer, Rockville, Md.
Distance Marker for Printing Photographs
A convenient homemade printing device, or distance marker, for printing photographs by artificial light consists of a smooth board on which twelve 1-in. marks are drawn, as shown. A wall-base electric socket is attached on the first line and the others are numbered up to 12. A trial test of a negative marks the distance and time of exposure which should be recorded on the negative. Such a device makes uniform prints possible and provides a means of recording time on negative-storage envelopes.—Contributed by Harold Davis, Altoona, Pa.