HOW TO MAKE A SHAVING HORSE

One of the most useful devices on a farm is a shaving horse. Make a bench 18 feet high of a good 2-inch plank, c, level off the edges so that it will make a comfortable seat. Upon this place a slanting platform, b, through which is cut a hole in which the clamp, a, works.

The clamp must be made of heavy hard wood that is tough and will not split. The shank, f, must

be an extension of the clamp, a.

Several holes in the plank will allow the clamp to be raised so as to take in larger pieces of wood. The treadle, g, is kept in place by a peg at h. To operate this horse the workman places his foot upon the treadle, inserts the wood to be clamped under the edge of a, and pushes backward upon the treadle. This clamps the wood and the drawing knife can be used readily and much more rapidly than with a vise.

A CONVENIENT FARM HORSE

On the farm there is continual use for such a horse as is shown in the drawing. Not only when

doing little jobs of carpentering, but also in many other operations, such a support is found necessary. This little horse is an improvement over the ordinary stiff affair, in that it shuts together when not in use, and so can be packed out of the way.

HORSE READY FOR USE

It is made of boards cut in strips, the two horizontal boards at the top being hinged together, as shown herewith. While in use the legs are kept apart by long hooks, as may be plainly seen in the picture.

When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.-Daniel Webster.

A WIRE SPLICER

The neatest and strongest splice can be made with this little instrument. It is a strip of iron I inch wide and % inch thick. One end is cut narrow and is bent into a hook large enough to fit

neatly the largest wire to be spliced. At the sides of this two notches are filed, as shown at the left. At the right the splicer is seen in position on the wire. The splicer

should be turned

backward, as it ap

pears in the right

hand drawing, to make the splice. A pair of large pincers or a vise should be used to hold the two wires between the coils while turning the splicer. The

下

WIRE SPLICING

splice as finished appears above. The length of the handle may vary. If the splicer is to be used for net wire, of course the handle cannot be longer than the width of the mesh. Otherwise, 6 or 7 inches is about right for No. 8 wire. If it is to be used only for small wire, the length of the handle should be reduced for the sake of convenience.

SERVICEABLE HOMEMADE LEVEL

A serviceable level is shown in the illustration. Take two I-inch boards of rather hard wood, wellseasoned, 2 to 3 feet long, bolt or screw them together at right angles. This union must be so strong as never to be moved by ordinary pressure. At the top of the perpendicular piece cut a slit and insert a piece of strong thread. To the bottom of the thread tie a thin circular

LEVEL

weight. Lay the device across two trestles of nearly the same level. Just above the weight mark the place where the string hangs. Reverse the position of the instrument by turning it end for end, and again mark the position of the string. Half way between the two marks place a third. When the string hangs over this mark the lower board will be level. A shield of tin may be placed over the weight. A nail on each side of the string, just above the weight, will keep it from swinging far out of place. It must be allowed to swing freely.

A simple level may be improvised by filling a small flat bottle with water, so that only a bubble of air remains, and attaching it lengthwise and near the middle of a straight stick or narrow board.

TO MAKE A HANDLE STAY ON

To secure the handle of a hammer or ax is often quite a bothersome problem. A special wedge made with a piece of wood as at a, in the sketch, held in place by a fence staple, b, has been devised to meet the need for a wedge that really holds. The prongs of the staple should be bent slightly outward before it is driven in, so that they will spread in the handle. There is little danger of handles coming loose when they are attached in this manner, and it is little more difficult to set a handle as indicated than in the old-fashioned way.

HOLDS WEDGE

A TOOL BOX REQUISITE

Among the handiest things to have in the tool box are some small bolts about 2 inches long with thumb nuts. A dozen or so of these will prove their value many times over in the course of a year. In making tables for fairs or suppers or in any sort of knock-down arrangement, or temporary convenience where strength is essential, nothing surpasses a bolt of this description. With a brace and a bit the right size, one may be entirely independent of nails and screws.

A farmer friend of ours was once called upon to make a fence about a child's crib without any marring nails. A slot in the fence post with a thumb bolt just above the crib line gave an alligator jaw result which was very satisfactory. On another occasion a knock-down stage was carried from the storeroom in pieces and put together by two men in 20 minutes. An actual computation of its strength showed that a locomotive might safely run over it.

The man referred to above has 100 feet of tables for hall purposes, depending entirely upon the 2inch bolt and thumb nut for their fastenings and braces. There is never any trouble about knocking out nails. To one having a brace and bit these handy things will suggest of themselves many satisfactory uses. A supply of iron washers should be kept in hand, and in time a collection of various sizes of wooden washers will accumulate.

SOLDERING

Soldering may be done by anyone having a very simple outfit. All that is required is a copper sol