Page:The American Boy's Handy Book edition 1.djvu/293

and tools necessary consisting of a flour-barrel, a saw, a hatchet, some shingle nails and an old pine board.

To make the sled, begin by knocking the barrel apart, being careful not to split the head-boards, as they will be needed afterward. Pick out the four best staves, as nearly alike in breadth and curve as can be found, and saw two or three of the other staves in halves. Image missingFig. 166.Top of Ammunition Sled. Take two of the four staves first selected and nail the half staves across, as shown in Fig. 166. These must be nailed upon the convex, or outside, of the staves; this will be found impossible unless there is something solid under the point where the nail is to be driven, otherwise the spring of the stave, when struck, will throw the nail out, and your fingers will probably receive the blow from the hammer. To avoid this, place a block, or anything that is firm, under the point where the nail is to be driven, and there will then be found no difficulty in driving the nails home. When this is done you will have the top of your sled as shown in Fig. 166; on this you will need a box or bed to hold the snowballs; this you can make of two pieces of pine board and two staves, thus: Take a board about the same width as, or a little wider than, a barrel-stave; saw off two pieces equal in length to the width of the sled; set them upon their edges, reversing the top of the sled; place it across the two boards and nail it on securely. Then take two staves