Popvlar Science Monthly 



123 



bricks to make the front opening. On 

 top of this lay ten more bars imbedded in the 

 mortar, then lay five layers of brick, finishing 

 the top by rounding it oflf with mortar. 



When this is completed the incinerator 

 will have a fire grate below and another grate 

 above entirely surrounded with bricks. The 

 second grate forms a receptacle for garbage. 

 The mortar should be made of slacked lime 

 and sharp sand. — Ronald F. Riblet. 



Holder for the Starting Crank 

 of an Automobile 



ON some older types of automobiles no 

 provision was made for securing the 

 starting crank when it was disengaged. The 



BEARING 



The pin on the jaw-clutch that slips into a 

 notch for holding crank in an upright position 



arrangement shown herewith for holding the 

 starting crank is easy to make and apply and 

 will be found very effective. The sketch 

 shows the usual jaw-clutch shaft held in a 

 bearing fastened to the underside of the 

 radiator channel. 



The crank-holding device consists of a 

 hardened steel pin driven in the large part of 

 the clutch shaft so that it will engage the 

 slot plate when the spring forces the shaft 

 outward. When cranking the motor the pin 

 clears the slot plate. The pin is either a 

 drive fit in the clutch shaft or is threaded. 

 If the shaft is hardened it will be necessary 

 to anneal it before trying to drill the 

 holes. — W. Burr Bennett. 



Cut Your Ice Silently and Easily 

 With a Needle and Thimble 



A BLOCK of ice can be split into small 

 pieces in a very short time by the use 

 of a needle and thimble, without the trouble 

 of putting the ice in a bag and pounding it 

 or the muss attending the shaving or picking 

 process. 



A rather coarse needle of the variety used 

 for hand sewing, or a small darning needle, 



and a thimble are the only tools required. 

 Hold the needle between the thumb and 

 index fmger of the right hand, and with the 

 thimble on the second finger of the same 

 hand press the needle firmly and steadily 

 into the ice. In a second or two the piece of 

 ice of the size desired will quietly crack off. 

 This method has its silence to recommend 

 it. — C. B Whitehouse. 



A Built-in Writing Desk Made 

 from a Bre^d Board 



WHEREVER a compact writing desk is 

 needed this type can be used to ad- 

 vantage, especially in the summer cottage. 

 The desk itself is nothing more than a flat 

 board. A bread board 16 by 22 in. woulc'. 

 be about as satisfactory as anything. 

 First decide on the location. If, as in a 

 summer camp, there is no plaster and the 

 studs are exposed, the position of the desk 

 may be between tv, o of the studs. If there 

 is plaster, it will have to be broken through 

 between two studs. About 30 in. above the 

 floor and between the studs nail another 

 piece the same size as the studs like a 

 header. From this cross-piece hinge the 

 bread board as shown in the illustration and 

 fasten it to a chain on one side to hold it in a 

 horizontal position when it is down. On the 

 inside of the desk top fasten a blotter, and 

 adorn the outside with a picture. The 

 studs are usually spaced about 18 in. on 



The built-in writing desk as it ap- 

 pears when it is open and closed 



centers so that a clear space of about 16 in. 

 will be in the wall between them. The back 

 of this may be used as a space for a rack for 

 papers and hooks for pens and pencils and 

 place for ink, etc. The illustration furnishes 

 a suggestion as to what can be done and how 

 the desk looks when it is closed and out of 

 the way. — Harold V. Walsh. 



