Accurately formed ratchet wheels of small size may be made without special appliances in a lathe. A triangular file and a simple gauge, made of a piece of hardened steel, are the only tools required, as shown in the illustration.
Ratchet Wheels may be Cut Accurately with a File, Using a Hardened-Steel Gauge as a Guide
The lathe is prepared as an index for the ratchet wheels by dividing the face of one of the steps, preferably the largest of the cone pulley. A center punch may be used in marking the graduations slightly, and another point should be marked in the headstock base, from which dividers are used to gauge the movement of the spindle. The dividers should be set, when the work is begun so that one point rests in the punch mark on the headstock and the other in one of the marks on the pulley. The bearings should be tightened so that the work will not shift easily. The blank to be cut is supported on an arbor provided with a shoulder, and is held in place by a small machine screw threaded into the end of the arbor.
The teeth are cut by filing them with the gauge as a guide. If the spindle is turned carefully so that the dividers register the graduations precisely, the ratchet wheel will be cut accurately. By first roughing out the teeth and then refiling them with a fine file, a more smoothly finished surface will result. Other forms of teeth might also be made if a properly shaped gauge is provided.—Charles F. Merrill, Hopedale, Mass.
Front-Opening Hatbox
Lifting a hatbox down from a high shelf, only to find that the desired hat is not among the several hats contained therein, is annoying. If the hat shelves of the clothes closet are provided with boxes that open on the front, the hats may be removed easily without taking the boxes from the shelves. Rectangular boxes are used for making the front-opening containers by cutting the side corners of the front, and using the front lower edge as a hinge. The top, or cover, is placed over the box, holding the hinged front in place when closed. These boxes have been found to afford ample protection and are convenient.—D. J. Hough, Toledo, Ohio.
Plaster of Paris to Set Screws into Wall
Screws holding light fittings in a bathroom were found to be driven into the plaster between laths and became loosened. No strain was placed upon them, and as it was desired to replace the screws in the same holes, the following method was employed: A cotton string was wrapped around the threads of the screw, and the screw then dipped into plaster of Paris until sufficient of this adhered to it to fill the hole in the wall and to permit some of it to be forced behind the plaster. When the plugs thus formed were dry, they resisted a considerable pressure, by reason of the enlarged portions behind the plaster.—H. A. Trester, Milwaukee, Wis.