A Stove-Wood Carrier
A handy wood carrier, for bringing wood and kindling from the basement or yard to the wood box in the house, may be made from a grain sack, as shown in the sketch. Use a complete sack and make rope handles at each end. When used, place only sufficient wood or kindling in it to permit the handles to come together over the top of the load. This will make a comfortable grip and it is no harder to carry than a medium-weight suitcase. When the wood is removed the carrier can be taken to the back yard and shaken out, thus doing away with the dirt that usually results from other methods of filling wood boxes.—Contributed by Walter Nelson Kidston, Seattle, Wash.
The Ropes at the Ends of the Sack Make a Handle to Carry It Like a Grip
A Pencil Sharpener
A pencil sharpened with the device shown will have a better point and one that will not break easily while being sharpened. The lower arm A is made from a strip of sheet steel, 1/16 in. thick. An extension, 1/4 in. wide, is cut and bent in a circle to form the lower finger hold. The upper arm B forms the cutter, which is made from a piece of hacksaw blade. The teeth are ground off and the temper is drawn from the extension that forms the upper circle. A portion of the arm A is bent over, as shown at C, to form a support for the pencil point to rest upon. A hole, large enough for a pencil to turn in, is bored through a stick of hardwood, D, and tapered so that the center of the hole meets the inner edge of C. It is fastened to the lower arm with screws. A sharp cutting edge is ground on the blade which is then attached to the arm A with a rivet loosely enough to swing freely.—Contributed by J. V. Loeffler, Evansville, Ind.
A Pencil Sharpener That will Make a Point without Breaking the Lead
Cleaning an Oilstone
Use kerosene oil and a sprinkling of emery flour and proceed to sharpen tools. It is not necessary to clean a stone thus treated before placing the tool on it, as the emery and kerosene will make a good surface on the stone as well as assisting in producing a sharp edge on the tool.—Contributed by James M. Kane, Doylestown, Pa.