[Illustration:  Car Travels Uphill]

ends of the axles, a positive upward movement of the car will be obtained.  —­Contributed by W. S. Jacobs, Malden; Mass.

** Block for Planing Octagonal Wood Pieces [293]

The little device shown in the illustration will be found very useful in any workshop.  Two or three of them will be necessary for planing long pieces.  Each one is made of a hardwood block, 1 in. square and 4 in. long.  A notch is cut in one side, as shown in Fig. 1, so a piece of wood which has been planed square will fit in it.  Put a screw in the end of each piece and fasten it down to the bench.  If desired, a tenon may be made on the bottom of each block, as shown in Fig. 2, to fit a mortise cut in the bench.  Place the blocks far enough apart so the board to be planed will rest firmly in the notches.

[Illustration:  The Notch Holds the Wood]

Plane the board square first and then place it in the notches and plane the corners down to the proper dimensions.  —­Contributed by Willie Woolsen, Cape May Point, N.J.

** A Letter Holder of Pierced Metal [294]

The letter holder shown in the illustration will be found convenient for holding out-going letters that await the postman’s coming.  It can be made of either copper or brass and need not

[Illustration:  Finished Letter Holder]

be of very heavy material.  Gauge 22 will be sufficiently heavy.  One sheet of metal, 6 by 9-1/2 in., a board on which to work it, and an awl and hammer, will be needed.  Prepare a design for the front.  If one such as is shown is to be used,

[Illustration:  Layout for the Metal]

make one-quarter of it first, and then get the other parts by folding on the center lines and tracing.  This will insure having all parts alike.  The letters can be put on afterward.

Fasten the metal to the board, using tacks and nailing outside of the required space, in the waste metal.  Trace the design on the metal with carbon paper; or, if desired, paste the paper design right on the metal.  With an awl pierce the metal between the marginal line and the design, as shown.  The holes should be uniform along the outlines but should be pierced promiscuously otherwise.  On the back, only the marginal line is to be pierced.

Remove the metal, together with the paper if the latter was pasted to the metal, and trim off the surplus metal where the tacks had been placed.  File off any sharpness so that the hand may not be injured in handling it.  Place the metal on the edge of a table or between two boards, and bend on the two lines indicated in the drawing, to right angles.

A good finish is obtained by just letting the copper age with its natural color.  If any polishing is required, it should be done before the metal is fastened to the board and pierced.

** Imitating Ground Glass [294]