Hobby CRAFT

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21404, 21 February 1935, Page 3 (Supplement)

Hobby CRAFT

TOWEL RACKS, A WALL POCKET, A ROCKING CHAIR AND A HAMMOCK

Fig. I—A towel rail for the bathroom or kitchen is made from a few short lengths of three-quar-ter inch wood. The back should be about Bin square, while the two projecting pieces are Bia x 4in. These are iirmly fastened to the back with long screws. The space between them is three-quarters of a a inch, four long three-quarter-inch dowels are inserted and made secure with a single screw in the end of each. By this means they will hinge into any desired position.

Fig. 2 shows another very simple way of obtaining the same result. Here a number of dowels are slipped into holes in a piece of 2in x 2in, which Is screwed to the under side of the bathroom shelf.

Fig. 3—A neat wall pocket for magazines or - newspapers. The back is 15in x 12in. The sides, which are of lighter timber, are tapered from 6in at the top, while the front may be cut from a piece ©f three-ply. A diamond-shaped piece, bevelled and put on as shown, adds greatly to its appear*

A deck chair which will rock is shown at Fig. 4. Instead of the logs being bolted together, short pieces are attached across above and below the usual joint. Short

distance pieces are put in between these cross pieces and the frame as snown in the inset. This is very important, as without them fingers may be crushed between the cross bars and the frame when the chair is in use.

Fig. s—How to make a net hammock is shown here. Fig. 5 B shows a wooden netting needle and a flat mesh bar, both of which can be shaped with a pocket knife. Next procure two spreader bars, 3ft long and lin thick, and attach the sling ropes to the ends, as shown in. Fig. 6. Then wind the first row of the net on to one of these bars, using another rod to make the loops long enough. Now fill the netting needle with cord

and proceed to make the second row. The method of making the knot and the position of the mesh bar' are clearly shown in Fig. 5. If the mesh bar is lj'in and you put' 26 loops on the spreader bar you will have a suitable width. Continue backwards and forwards until the net is 7in long, then pass the other spreader bar through the last row. "~ -* l -*-"—• - —•<■

THE SECRET DOVETAILED JOINT This joint is one ol the most difficult to make and in consequence is very rarely used. The completed ioint is shown at Fig. C, where it will be seen that the ends of the timber as well as the dovetails are completely concealed, and Ihe figure of the timber is pre-

served to the extreme end. The method of making the joint is similar to that of making the ordinary dovetail, but in .this case the dovetails are stopped, to leave :» thin strip on the outside to cover them. This outside strip is intended to complete the concealment. SOLUTIONS TO LAST WEEKS CROSSWORD PUZZLE Across 36. See. 1. Lapp. 37. Leo. 3. Pad. 38. Rule. 5. Arid. 39. Roe. 7. Ail. 40. Mass. 8. Ink. Down 9. Near. 1. Linnet. 11. Air. 2. Park. 12. Item. 3. Plane. 14. Skin. 4. Dirge. 16. Gone. 5. Akin. 18. Meter. 6. Damned. 20. Troop. 10. Associate. 21. Dread. 13. Telegrams. 22. Rupee. 15. Impress. 23. Alive. 17. Ordered. 24. Rural. .19. Taper. 26. Surge. 23. Angler. 29. Test. 25. Learns. 31. Adam. 27. Utter. 33. Leer. 28. Gable. 34. Tab. , 30. Erse. .-;, 95. Tsar. : "* 32. Atomt '*-

THE BUNNY BEARS' GRAND FEAST |By Dorothy Joy Wilson.] Last Saturday night Maxwell simply couldn't go to sleep. "It's a long time since I've bee si to see the bunny-bears," he though;. "I think I'll go now." He jumped out. of bed. It didn't take long foihim to find the big tree that nearly reached to the sky where the bunny-bears lived, and to say .lis little poem over quickly to nimseii: "Not quite a bunny, Not quite a bear, Bv the food 1 eat And the clothes I wear, Bv all my teeth And half my hair. I'd like best of all To be a bunny-bear." There he was, all brcwr. a:>-t furry, a proper bunny-bear all over. With his soft little blao; nose' lie pushed open the door at the bottom of the tree and climb' d up and up to the biu r.> ( ,m wheu the bunny-boars were playing "What; a shocking noise tlio ■» bunnv-boars are making:'" thought. No wonder, for they wera having a party. Maxwell thought he'd just pop in and surprise then:. and call out at the top of his voice "Hulloo, bunny-bears. Here I am!" And then of course they d all rush over to hiin and ask ).;rt to join the fun. But it wasn't really a bit liko that. He popped in easily but he got such a surprise ne popped out again just as qu;rk..-. over backwards down the >:• ", rumble tumble down Hi' '■■'■ wump! to the bottom of it. _ In a minute he sat up ana ruob, .1 his head with his paw. "Tn --• weren't, mv bunny-boars, no "I think rmiis't have been dreu:;--ing." He thought about ;t loi t long while, then he nicked !um >-■> up and climbed up and up a;>.< until he could reudi the rio- -i • the room where the biiimy-b'?- .• were playing. Very earetulK ■'■" I peeDCd up over the floor. He shut his eyes and counted -'J. then he opened them and looked There wasn't a brown bunny-eca-to be seen, but instead crowds cf pink, and blue, and £reen, anl white, and yellow ones. They were having lovely fun, playing leapfrog and blind man's bun. bn. Maxwell couldn't believe they were his bunny-bears. Then suddenly one of them s*w him. "Look!" he cried, "there -J Maxwell!" They all looked at Maxwell s lail-.' brown nose peeking over the floor. "OOOOO," they cried, "what arc* vou doing here?" Then Booby came strutting over. Maxwell knew him at once, even though every hair of his coat had turned bright blue. "Yes," he said, very bossily. what are you doing here? This is the bunny-bears' Grand Feast you know, and no one else is allowed "Well, aren't I a bunny-bear'? asked Maxwell. "I'm sure I look just as much like one as you do.

JIE BUNNV BEARS' GRAND FEAST —Continued Acd be jumped up into the room •raggirig Ins tail. He wasn't a bit irig&tened now he could see they we his very own bunny-bears, ealy ali different colours. "Old Mother will be terribly iroa," said ail the bunny-bears to cme another. Maxwell didn't take any notice of them. "Tell me how you turn all colours like that," he said. "I x-ant to come to the Grand Feast too."' "We just couldn't." said Booby. "You see it's a bunny-bear secret, and Old Mother would't tell anyone for worlds. If we told you she'd turn you into a bunny-bear for ever so' you couldn't teJI anyone at all." "How could shr do that'.'" asked Maxwell. "Easily." Booby said. "If .she just touched von to-night you'd never turn into a boy again however hard you tried. The bunny-bears' Grand least is a bis secret", too." "Is it?" said Maxwell. "Have J'OU had the feast yet?" "No, but we're to soon. You can't come 10 that." "But I want to." said Maxwell. ""What are vou :;oing to have to eat?" Booby licked his lips. "Bananas •nd oranges, and jelly and cream, and honey bars, and cream puffs •Od chocolate meringue," he said. "You've sot to Jet me come," said wax-well angrily. -Why can't I be «n tbe party? Tell me how you *WI all colours like that?" "Tell him," said a wee green ■uany-bear. 'T think it would be W&er nice if Old Mother did turn «W into a bunny-bear for ever. ™e'd like to have him living with U& wouldn't we?" "Of course." said all the other tunny-bears. We d dn t think of tta.'."

"I will." said Booby. "You just make up a little poetry like this." He sat up on his hind legs and recited: "The colour I chose is the colour for you. For only the best will ever turn blue. That's all you do," he said. "Make a little rhyme." "Like this," said a little pink one: "Half a little winky, And you'll be a pretty pinky. "Poiiff!" said the biggest yellow one. "You be like me, Maxwell: "Only the big and the bad and the bold. Are clever enough to turn into gold." They all started chattering at once, telling Maxwell what colour he ought to be. •Til choose my own colour, yelled Maxwell above the din. "I don't want to be like any of you." Maxwell held his two paws up to his ears to keep out the noise. "I know," he said in a few minutes: "I must h'ave something to rhyme Could" you find any better than Crimson Lake?" Suddenly the bunny-bears were all quiet. They'd never seen such a brightly coloured bunny-bear before. "She's sure to see you now, said Booby. Maxwell was a little frightened. Tell me how to turn back to a boy again, when I want to" he said. He couldn't bear to live in the tree with the bunnybears for ever and ever. For one thing, when they went to bed they had to hang up by their tails. Booby was worried, too. "You can't," he said, "until after the feast. Then all you have to do is to let the moon shine on you and you'll be all right." "That's easy," said Maxwell, but I'll hide behind some of you until it's all over."

Just then Old Mother called them in to the feast. She was so busy eating that she didn't have time to notice Maxwell, who was hiding as much as he could behind the others. And what a feast it was! Bananas and oranges, and jelly and cream, and honey bars, and cream puffs and chocoiate meringues. And the best of it is that bunny-bears on the night of the Grand Feast can eat as much as they like and never even feel sick. Only very, very sleepy. So when it was all over and their heads began to nod, nod, nod, like little and girls in church, Maxwell thought he'd just creep out and run away. But SUDDENLY Old Mother bunnybear opened half an eye and said in a big voice: "Whos that over in the corner? Maxwell shivered and shook and looked as small as he could. "It's me," he said in a very little voice indeed. "Why, Maxwell," said Old Mother, "I didn't know it was you! Welcome to the Grand Feast!" "O-OH," said Maxwell, very surprised. "I thought you wouldn't like to see me here." "Why, of course I do,' Old Mother cooed in a honey voice. "Come over here and let me stroke your beautiful red fur with my big soft paws." And she waved them in the air. "She wants to turn you into a bunny-bear for ever," whispered Booby. "You've got such lovely white paws," said Maxwell very cunningly, "that I'd like you to stroke my beautiful red fur. I think you are the most beautiful bunny-bear. Do you know, if you rolled up in a ball with your big brown eyes in the middle you'd be just like a ball of snow." "Would I?" said the vain Old Mother. She was very pleased. "You try," said Maxwell. She did.

In a minute Booby had rolled her over out of the way, and Maxwell was scampering down the tree and out into the moonlight.

How glad he was to look down at his feet and to see 10 toes again.

And Old Mother! Well, when she saw Maxwell had got away shr just danced with rage. She really thought he was a nice little boy and wanted him for herself. "Good-bye," called Maxwell as he ran away waving to all the bunny-bears who'd come to see the fun. "I'll see you another day." And after that he went to sleep as soon as he got into bed.