** A Guitar That Is Easy to Make [320]

A guitar having straight lines, giving it an old-fashioned appearance, can be made by the home mechanic, and if care is taken in selecting the material, and having it thoroughly

[Illustration:  Details of Guitar]

seasoned, the finished instrument will have a fine tone.  The sides, ends and bottom are made of hard wood, preferably hard maple, and the top should be made of a thoroughly seasoned piece of soft pine.  The dimensioned pieces required are as follows: 

1 Top. 3/16. by 14 by 17 in. 1 Bottom. 3/16 by 14 by 17 in. 2 Sides. 3/16 by 3-5/8 by 16-3/4 in. 1, End. 3/16 by 3-5/8 by 13-1/8 in. 1 End. 3/16 by 3-5/8 by 9-5/6 in. 1 Neck. 1 by 2-5/16 by 18-1/2 in. 1 Fingerboard 5/16 by 2-5/8 by 16 in.

Cut the fingerboard tapering and fasten pieces cut from hatpins with small wire staples for frets.  All dimensions for cutting and setting are shown in the sketch.  The neck is cut tapering from G to F and from J to F, with the back side rounding.  A drawknife is the proper tool for shaping the neck.  Cut a piece of hard wood, 1/4 in. square and 1-7/8 in. long, and glue it to the neck at F. Glue the fingerboard to the neck and hold it secure with clamps while the glue sets.

The brace at D is 1 in. thick, cut to any shape desired.  The sides are glued together and then the front is glued on them.  Place some heavy weights on top and give the glue time to dry.  Fasten pieces of soft wood in the corners for braces.  Glue the neck to the box, making it secure by the addition of a carriage bolt at A. A small block C is glued to the end to reinforce it for the bolt.  Glue strips of soft wood, as shown by K, across the front and back to strengthen them.  The back is then glued on and the outside smoothed with sandpaper.

Make the bottom bridge by using an old hatpin or wire of the same size for E secured with pin staples.  Glue the bridge on the top at a place that will make the distance from the bridge F to the bottom bridge E just 24 in.  This dimension and those for the frets should be made accurately.  Six holes, 3/16 in. in diameter, are drilled in the bottom bridge for pins.  The turning plugs B and strings can be purchased at any music store.  —­Contributed by J. H. Stoddard, Carbondale,Pa.

** Greasing the Front Wheels of an Automobile [320]

The front wheel bearings of an automobile can be greased without removing the wheels in the following manner:  Remove the hub caps and fill them with heavy grease and then screw them in place.  Continue this operation until the grease is forced between all the bearings and out through the small clearance on the opposite side of the wheels.  This should be done at least once every month to keep bearings well lubricated and free from grit.  Dirt cannot enter a well filled bearing as easily as muddy water can enter a dry bearing.  —­Contributed by Chas. E. Frary, Norwalk, O.