The material needed for making this porch swing chair are two pieces of round wood 2-1/2 in. in diameter and 20 in. long, and two pieces 1-1/4 in. in diameter and 40 in. long. These longer pieces can be made square, but for appearance it is best to have them round or square with the corners rounded. A piece of canvas, or other stout cloth, 16 in. wide and 50 in. long, is to be used for the seat. The two short pieces of wood are used for the ends of the chair and two 1-in. holes are bored in each end of them 1-1/2 in. from the ends, and between the holes and the ends grooves are cut around them to make a place to fasten ropes, as shown at B, Fig. 1. The two longer pieces are used for the sides and a tenon is cut on each end of them to fit in the 1-in. holes bored in the end pieces, as shown at A, Fig. 1. The canvas is now tacked on the end pieces and the pieces given one turn before placing the mortising together.
The chair is now hung up to the porch ceiling with ropes attached to a large screw eye or hook. The end of the chair to be used for the lower part is held about 16 in. from the floor with ropes direct from the grooves in the end pieces to the hook. The upper end is supported by using a rope in the form of a loop or bail, as shown in Fig. 2. The middle of the loop or bail should be about 15 in. from the end piece of the chair. Another rope is attached to the loop and through the hook and to a slide as shown. This will allow for adjustment to make the device into a chair or a hammock.
Contributed by Earl R. Hastings, Corinth, Vt.
How to Find the Blind Spot in the Eye
Make a small black circular dot 1/2 in. in diameter on a piece of cardboard and about 3 in. from the center of this dot draw a star. Hold the cardboard so that the star will be directly in front of one eye, while the dot will be in front of the other. If the star is in front of the left eye, close the right eye and look steadily at the star while you move the cardboard until the point is reached where the dot disappears. This will prove the presence of a blind spot in a person's eye. The other eye can be given the same experiment by turning the cardboard end for end. The blind spot does not indicate diseased eyes, but it simply marks the point where the optic nerve enters the eyeball, which point is not provided with the necessary visual end organs of the sight, known as rods and cones.
Beeswax Substitute
A wax from the rafie palm of Madagascar is being used as a substitute for beeswax.