The San Francisco call. [volume], February 24, 1907, Page 15, Image 15

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
«:/« v^ncisco; Sunday 'Call.
• .iIUW TO MAKE. A UODKL, GRAIN
'* P* "ELEVATOR. "
John Mewer. better known among the
boys as Jack Knelff. (pronounced Jack
knife), was proudly happy.
For years ha had been working at ah
•education with school, coUeg* and travel
a» a basis and some hard knocks alnc«
in' setting started la the world; but at
last he had come Into his own, and was
settled In a most unique position and
on*e he never dreamed of occupying, even
when be left college.
John, or Jack, as w* a&all call him.
vr&* always Interested la boys and In
' milking things, and eoxne way he never
coald Just glv« up that hobby of bis ot
getting the boys about hia one* In a
while and telling them . how to make
! somo ingenious toy or model machine he
had contrived, until fc« had several
clubs of boys, with whom he mat or
to whom he wrote about bis new-j ideas
from time to time.
But now It was his work, and Jack
smiled' at ceiling it work— ha 'so thor
oughly enjoyed It.
On _a certain memorable trip to Metrop
olis a few weeks before he had made
some acquaintances on the train to whom;
Introduced by a chance drawing, he had
explained one of his toys and his habit
of telline boys how to make -, things.
One of the men. it chanced, was promi
nent in the newspaper world of Metropolis
and thus it was thai Jack now stood
In his own workshop satisfied with know.
Ing that he was to wriu and "draw up
some new machine for the boys every
week to be published for their amuse
ment and instruction while he would be
able to meet the boys themselves In
his chop after school hour* and help
them about things they were making
or in the selection of tools— ln fact, every
thing pertaining to making things.
Ills shop was fixed op mainly for his
own work, . experimenting and working
out the things he got up for the boys,
but he had several extra manual train-.
Ing benches too in the shop for the
boys to use when he was showing them
some special contrivance they
wanted to work out right away.
In an adjoining room Jack had his
office with the usual office tufniture, a'
drawing table, and typewriter, and her*
If was he worked out the ideas began
In his shop and got them into shape by
drawing : and writing for publication la
Ux« paper* every week. The newspaper
calces were in the same, bunding.
X friend of Jack's came into his office
the first, day after he had opened It up
to congratulate him on his success. Jack
wat at the typewriter when he came in
but arose and came forward, sheeting
him with a friendly handclasp.
\ "What's up now?*'.- asked the new-
V*tomer. "What kind of a scheme is thlsT".
tie continued, his eye catching sight of.
«. large drawing near Jack.
"Oh, that's ray stunt for next wAek,
JL miniature grain elevator."
. M X grain. «J»yator2" "aciioed the (ottuir/
JACK KNEIFF'S PAGE
"Looks good In .the drawin?, .but .Isn't
It kind of hard to make?"'
. -**Not half as /hard as it looks." There
i Isn't anything used in making it that can.
. not b« picked up around any house, and
there's no fine fitting to be done, so, al
i tocsther it's an. easy thins to make."
I "But what does "it *> 7" 1 \ '/\u25a0'\u25a0
i Jack l'uaiced to the picture at the bot
: torn of the page. . \u0084
i "Here," li© said "Is the whole works,
1 with the drawings at the top there to
i h*U> out- . . '
Tou see first there's a frame, sort f>t
box shaped, made of two side pieces A.
| with pieces F. at th e ends. A cigar box
. set on end would make a good frame for
, this if you were making; a small one.*
"One of the ends, the one on the right
| hand in this drawing. Is cut off a- little
short and from fciere three thin wooden
pieces fitting Inside the box at O, (a), and
(c), form a sort'of Z-shaped frame, a lit
tle space being left between the end place
5 F and the slanting piece O.
"Down In the trough-shaped j part be
tween <a) and G a spool S is mounted on
f an axle (s) and another spool is mounted
Jast above where (e) "and fa) join. This"
spool you see too at S above. '^•^^^^01
. "Then we run a belt between ' the two j
' spools with little' tin buckets ] on and
then if we pour the grain In at the hopper
' formed by 1 G it will go down around-; the ,
spool Siln; the trough so when .w e ;turn ;
a crank that will , turn the . shaf t (s), the .
buckets on the revolving belt will scoop
up" the i grain, . carry It up. and dump it
into the bin above,"
The othei', was Interested. \u0084
."It \ doesn't look y^ry hard" he . said.
"How^ do yoa make , the belt and buckle
part though and how are the spools fast
ened ooV' ' -
"That's easy. . Tou drive a wood
en shaft through the hole in the spool,
this shaft being' long enough bo it ; will
just fit nicely. 'lnside the box crosswise,
between the sides "A. ; > , .
"Tou punch brad awl. holes In the -side;
of the box at the place;you* want the"
spools to be mounted and. then through
these holes you drive small brads or
needles into the, wooden axles you put In
the spool, beine careful that they go just .V
!n the middle.
\u25a0"The bottom spool has the shaft left
lone on one end running through a hole
In the side of the box pan;" the other
short end has a brad or ; needle* bearing
the same as the upper spool. "Then out
side \u25a0 a crank is fastened : to Hho shaft , (s)
to turn the lower spool. In the drawing
UP aboveil.have ghown it ;flxe;d witaa '
little wheel or pullcy} ; P withia cranked
handle fastened to it at H. ; J n r th \ s Jf*?
if you I , have a litUe-niotor, water* motor,
O r .Steam 'engine, . or. something .. 0f ..; the
kind, you can run . a \ belt around l this
piitlcy and - then : you won't t need to \ turn \u25a0
the "crank by but -"can* work; your
elevator from th« 'power of your \ water
motor. ; .
"The belt B Is just >ome, ordinary^ cot- :
ten tape such as your mother uses- for,
sewing. 1 • If you are making a larger . ele- ;
vator youcan^ get a military .braid , up to
eeveral inches In width" which "will -. an-*;
»wer the i purpose,' ? butj : ; of course, then ;
.tyou would have to use /some jjther; kind
of "rollers Instead ;'ofj spools at S. •" ' "
"I am ; taklni^it''or ; ;sVantedKhat;the ;
boys will use" this narrbw*^ : tape and so k
, I »m" rlvlnr niy^description^atfcordingly^ \
"The f belt should v not 1 be/ sewed , on,: bui
fastened possibly^ with a pin' so that •*
it . stretches^ it , may be tightened^ enough
so !t will not slip. A little % powdered
rosin rubbed on spools and belt will help
this out, too." :
" ""Uow^ do you f*fli those buckets on the
belt, though?* asked the visitor.
"Here; look at Fig. 8, up above there,
and you'll see the pattern to cut out to
make the buckets. The boys can just cut
this pattern out of the paper and with an
old pair of . scissors cut " from tin as many
patterns just like^ it as they want buck
ets. Then when they fold them on the
dotted lines, the slot L, they have knock
ed in with a hammer and a screw driver,
the flap (b) .will ko , into j the slot or hole
L on either side. 'Then | the - pieces (b) ar«
bent backwards to hold them in., . ; .
"Kow, if you fit the bucket on the belt,
the flaps (d) may ; be ' bent around ; to
clasp the belt tightly,- and v there , you are.
The T bucket fits ' so' snug and won't' slip*
easily; and still : is-flat ; g"6; it will : go around
the " pulley easily/" the . place : holding it to
the i belt being so .narrow. •:*\u25a0- -V ; ."
" "Another, s way would be to punch little
brad :; holes ' in v the f tin", along . the" upper
edge .of the 'bucket,, anl sew/ it : to the :
belt ? (B) through these holes.
' 'Fig. '; 5 here ; shows'* how i the lower spool
is r fixed like I was ; ; telling ' you about a
little « time ago, ' *Ith va ','< wooden; shafts (s) :
through and J the! bradv (n) ; at i the shorter.
end. /^.^•V : "oth«r,>»pooi,^:yl»u": ; rein«mbi'r^»'
the upper, one— has .a- shorter shaft and
»y brad at both" ends.' !,. 1W ..^ . : .
"Now we've finished the machine part,
or most of-iC I'll finish the frame part.
'"This : i a shown . an end l view . in; Fig. 4. .
.-"Tou can see \ the frame side pieces of
the .box at A^and^ the; base of inch, wood
they're fastened ; to | at : the bottom. The
end pieces F I I've left off in this draw
ing." ••' * '," ' -• " \ '-\u25a0 ".-'-- '\u25a0' J: ""\u25a0 '\u25a0 r, .
";"Now -to make the finished' elevator . ;
look , like a | ceal one, |we add . some inch
pieces (O nailed to the sides and slanted:
off , a II ttle on top with a plane " to give ;
the effect of a -slanting roof. -
; 'These* . can • run ;the entire . length of
either side and'the'shaft (s) of the driv
ing, spool run dear through side pieces A
ond inch .pieces C, or, as In my drawing, •
the piece C ; can be left a little : «hort ; on .
one . side *• and }, the »haft V (a) »tick " onl y;
through the^flrsr side 'pkce a; .Thepifice;
G on '\u25a0< the further side, 5 ' how«v«r. 'will ? W
the) full of.; the^ piece^A{v : -:;' '\u25a0 '\»<
-; *^w/abbut;the roof. \,/\/ \u25a0' .. : ; .;'
, "This . Is : Just^aVpiece of ; inch wood cm ;
to elze ' and planed - off slanting : like : R- in
the i; drawings. .It is j fastened on top— or
better by"; 1 fastening^a > little piece (r)
u^d^rneathJS^taJ ~*}§Sj^fc, '"taVen *
on ' an d off like a covers when you want "
tovr eet'*; at"'the .;• machinery. r or. ;< see '\u25a0 the
buckets work." \u25a0 \ -m^
••'If you- can't, set hold ofanj: w^eat
or oats, or the ; likfc.': for your elevator,
there are plenty of jother [things that can
be used; Rice is fUI c, and J suppose you
"could even , "try \u25a0' aatrvd. / though ": being - soi.
m uch heavier; and^ilen^er the belt " would
be more likely^ to t ejip.
"But when .iyou'frej lifted the grain' or
whatever you ha #6 into ; the upper bin,
how do' you shoot fit out * into your .wagons
or cars?'* asked Ohe visitor.
so; I '\u25a0\u25a0", tell | about that.
Look : hexe :In Vthijse two drawings, t Figs
;6'and 7. ; ;.''. ; \u25a0\u0084''. '; •_ '-f\u25a0 '\u25a0: /.'
"Six shows a tttle wooden trough run
ning out at the* end of the elevator so
that the grain, .- as you ' say, can : 'shoof
out *: of. it : when,' It"s : left • tree and open, .
Ths \u25a0 lower .end? Is ;. left • slantlnt: and a
little : piece off 'board E is fastened by
little' side pieces A (t) so it can b« lifted out
oC ; the ifay- P* 1 - dropped ; down ; tight. , The
rlfflit liaad end of ttie atlcki (t)^are"plv<M
•d •on a ' ; braid on U>e ' sJda of ., the ; trou^li
\u25a0mother brad ; pivots* each if of I these •tV the
Btob' l>oa.x^l \u25a0B i to] hold * it", tight ag alna t the
end <; of .: the Ttr bugh. \u25a0 -The rlsht^haiid _; eivJ
of lit)^Jbould'ibe a^jitUe : hlsHer"; than ; Uie
lef t,V«> Vh'en \ the* piece' E HiT, lifted /it ' will
swing away : from the trough ,T"ew»lly 4 and
yet r fit tightly when : : it " swings . "'down
again."; ,y/ : -_^* -V-'; V r " -V.j'" : -" ' ; . :^ /
' "There's Jonly, one^ thing lnxore fl. don't
sust ! ;understanii/,V;«aJ4^to'»;.Tlsltor; again,
''asxk j about Z the; partlUons ; O, (a)
and («). , How are they fastened la?"
/'"Well, In the first place, of course," aa
swered .Jack, "they^; are made /Just •\u25a0
wide as the end T pieces F so they ' will
just fit between the side; pieces A. Then,
after you've marked where they ' come
you can \u25a0 fasten them In place with brads
through A. .
• "Tou* see," continued Jack, "nearly all
the things I tell the boys about are made
at no expense. There's nothing in this
that can't be picked up around the house,
pieces of board, spools., tin and tape, and
so there's no money -laid out In making
it. ;'•\u25a0 :'.; '"-'•- ; i [\u25a0 \u25a0 '< :'\u25a0 ;\u25a0. " \u25a0
''Then all - that's really , necessary In
making ; this is a saw, a knife and some
old \u25a0 scissors to cut • the tin with. .Ot
course- a hammer, too, and a plane would
come handy, but there isn't any. need for
a , whole lot of . tools, for It there ' were
then mighty -few boys could .work at
them.".-'; .' ' '\u25a0'':' \u25a0'" ''*-*\u25a0':'--\u25a0\u25a0:\u25a0 - •":\u25a0'
.« "It's been a kind of a surprise .to "me to
see | how- ! few Jboys •; there ; were -anywhere
that Interested, : and very ; much
Interested;? In making things, and at the*
same*; time* helping '_ them out on. * this line
of. work is abig help in their educitian,
tOO.'. 1 o' -\u0084";-'\u25a0.\u25a0 : '""'. :-"" :',. .-:VV"''
""I agree,"- said the visitor, "and you've
gbt*something new- that's worth white."
i Next week i Jack ; Kneiff will", tell how to
maka a ; little ' automobile out of a cigar
box. one that will run and run a lons
way on on* winding.
Like every thins else Jack tells about, it
; will be easily made, cost . almost nothing
to make and y«t be an extremely lat*r»
eating toy . when done.
Watch out for It next week.
DOTS AND CROSSES.
aCddle-Aged Man Emancipated From
the Thrall of Petty Things.
"I find." said the middle-aged man.
that I am now. In writing, more and more
Inclined to leave the dots off my l's and
the crosses off my t's.
"Once, when I was myself more precise*
such omissions seemed to me to Indloata
slovenliness or undue haste on the part
of a writer, and so they might reveal a
lack of proper consideration for the per*
son addressed; but now When X find* that
I am myself falling into such ways- X
have a feeling of rreater leniency toward
those whom I once thought offending.
"Now It no longer seems ; to me that
failure to dot bur l's and cross one's f •
Indicates carelessness or indifference: It
may show simply an effort to save tlme>
on the part of a writer hurried, or s>
philosophical desire to avoid the waste of,
time, the mast valuable of all things to
us, and the only thins that is allotted
tq all men without regard to worth or ca
pacity, in absolutely equal and Inalien
able, shares.
"And so now. If I get from a friend •
letter without all the ,I's and fs - duly
dotted and crossed, it may not mdioats
that he is careless himself, or thoughtless
of me, but that he values time and trusts
mo not: to be offended that he writes tto
me in his accustomed way."
t "Aiwt grow older time, which w» so
thoughtlessly waste In our youth. . be
comes more and more ' precious torn.
Fortunately for us. however, we neve»
realize how little J>f it we now have left,
else we should worry over that, and so.
as we :; grow older—if blessed with good
health— we * find more and more- Joy I»
existence. '"".', .
."So it is In my growing year* an*
keener knowledge of the value of tlmo
that I , find ono reason for my dropping:
my dots and crosses, but I am Inclined to
think, after all. that the controlling rea
son for this lies in" our common later Uf«
tendency to make les3 ot details. As wo
grow older we come to discover that prin
ciples are> the- things, not ' tfco mlllloa
petty details. (
• \u25a0\u0084. "In youth.': wlth*our narrow vision, all
details are' Important to us, and they
. may seem all Important; their punctilious
observance \u25a0 may then constitute for us
cur main duty, but as we grow older ant!
take a broader view we . ara likely to
smile : and perhaps to wonder over tho
time we wasted and tit v worries we onco
r gave ourselves - over \u25a0 innumerable • thtears
that seemed to us of Importance, but that
really were "of no account at aJL As w«
groW ; older we sain that great advaataga
In life— a", freedom and power likely to'
come to" ua only as the rs3Ult of observa
tion and experience— an %bmty /to get
along without worry ins over trifles.
• ''And so lam lncltaed tt> think that !t ia
not'so : rnuea ,the saving of time thereby
as it is this later, life emancipation from
the thraldom of petty things that moves
me now In my manner of writing. ;1 am
not less careful of the substance : I think.
Indeed, that I am cow. more thoughtful ot
that and more thoughtful as .well of mak
ing my meaning clear and even my writ-
Ing plain and easy to read, but I no long
<er < worry " as I once did about the dots
and crosses."— New Torlc Sun.
To Him.
"The total. cost of the expedition to dis
cover America is said to have been *T,200.'*
"And ? Rockefeller .will doubtless' admit
that It is worth all 1U dlscov kt cost."—