Now these models, complicated as they may sometimes seem, can be easily made by any boy who can use his tools, and, as the construction and exhibition of them will afford great amusement, I propose in this chapter to give detailed practical instructions for making them.
The subjects I have chosen are a windmill, a yacht in full sail, a watermill with real water, dancing niggers, etc., so that there should be sufficient variety to suit all tastes and skill.
The windmill being the simplest in construction of the working models, we will take it first. The model, with the necessary pictorial background, is to be enclosed in a case, which will bear somewhere on the front of it the legend forming the title of this chapter, and the sails will go merrily round on dropping a penny into the box, thus practically illustrating the old song, ‘Money makes the mill to go.’ The cost of the whole model and case will be something under 8_s._ Now for the construction.
We will make the case first. For this get some half-inch deal board, 12 in. wide, and plane it smooth on both sides. Cut the pieces for the back, top, bottom, and sides, and square them up true. The dimensions of these pieces are as follows: the back, 20 in. long and 12 in. wide; the top and bottom pieces, 12 in. long and 10 in. wide; and the two side pieces are each 20 in. long and 10 in. wide.
Having cut and trued up these pieces, proceed to form them into a box by joining the edges by dovetailing, if you are skilful at cabinet-making, or get some friendly carpenter to do it for you, if you are not up to the work. If you cannot manage either to do it yourself or to get it done for you, the parts can be joined with glue and screws, but the side pieces will have to be cut one inch shorter than for dovetailing, in order that the top and bottom pieces may fit in flush with the back piece.
The front of the box is to be closed by a door, of which the upper 12 in. is of glass. Make the door out of a piece of half-inch board, 8 in. by 11 in. for the bottom piece, and fasten to each end a strip of wood 20 in. long and 1/2 in. square, so that one end of each strip is flush with the lower edge of the board, leaving 12 in of each strip projecting beyond the upper edge.