Popular Science Monthly 



599 



long and arc also made of the 2-in. 

 square stock. Tlie common ral)i)i't 

 joint may he used for the front and 

 side rails of the stand and the side rails 

 are then nailed to the front and back rails 

 with finishing nails. The rabbet joint 

 may also be used for making the drawer. 

 The legs are screwed to the rails as 

 shown. Four slotted bars are used for 

 supporting the drawing board above the 

 stand. Each bar is made of two strips 



1 in. by ^ in. The front bars are i6 in. 

 and the -back bars, E4 in. long. Select 

 two strips which are to constitute one 

 bar and place small blocks of wood 



2 in. long between them at their ends 

 and nail the strips together. 



Screws pass through the bars about 

 I in. from their upper ends and enter the 

 cleats, thus supporting the drawing board. 



When changing the adjustment of the 

 drawing board, it is best to raise or 

 lower one side, say the front or the back, 

 at a time. Since the drawing board is 

 supported at four points, it provides a 

 more solid working surface than the 

 usual t>pe of boards supported at the 

 center only. — C. H. Patterson. 



A Spanish Windlass Made from 

 Two Broomsticks 



ROBIXSON CRUSOE had a hard 

 time of it moving his big canoe 

 down to the water, but if he had known 

 of the Spanish windlass his task would 

 have been much easier. This windlass 

 is used by lumbermen for pulling with 

 ropes, the only apparatus needed being 

 two stout sticks. 



Two broom-sticks are strong enough 

 to pull to the limit of the strength of a 

 large rope. One end of the rope being 

 tied to the boat, log, or other object to 

 be moved, and the other end being made 

 fast to something stationary, one of the 

 sticks is held upright against the rope, 

 with one end resting firmly on the 

 ground. 



The first stick should be held by the 

 left hand on the near side of the rope. 

 The other stick, held in the right hand, 

 is next thrust down on the far side of the 

 rope, and brought against the near side 

 of the first stick. By pulling and bearing 

 downward it is brought to the position 

 shown in Fig. i. By continuing to swing 



the second stick, it is an easy matter to 

 wind the rope on the first stick, as 

 shown in Fig. 2. 



The first stick, which serves as the 

 windlass, will move toward the station- 

 ary object half as fast as the movable 



Manner of using two broomsticks as a 

 windlass for hauling objects with a rope 



object at the other end of the rope, and 

 must be held approximately upright, 

 so that the two parts of the rope will 

 wind as closely together as may be. If 

 these are not allowed to run apart, the 

 tilting strain on the windlass will be 

 comparatively slight. 



of course two can work the device 

 much more easily than one, but one 

 alone can do very effective work with it. 

 The object cannot be moved any great 

 distance at one operation, but if you 

 unwind the rope after the windlass is 

 wound full and take up the slack and 

 repeat the operation, the probable dis- 

 tance which it can be mov'ed becomes 

 unliniittd. — K. R. Thortox. 



How to Protect the Surface of an 

 Enameled Road- Sign 



THE use of enameled road-signs has 

 become very pojiular, but although 

 the>' are \-ery attractive when in perfect 

 con<lilion they are anything but thing? 

 of beauty when the enamel has begun tc? 

 chip. There is a remedy for this evil, 

 which will efTectually protect the signs 

 from serious injury from stones or 

 other objects. Drill holes at the back of 

 the sign, at the top and bottom. .Attach 

 supporting brackets for holding a thin 

 wire mesh o\er the face. This will not 

 interfere in the least with the reading 

 of the sign. — C. U. Tiioma-. 



