Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-03-18
HERE'S YOUR TOBOGGAN.
Little Science Required in Making the
Canadian Sled.

There is scarcely a boy in this country
who has not enjoyed the fun to be OBJ
tanned from sled, and there are few
who have not one of these most desira-
BILE playthings. But there is contriv-
ance well known in Canada, and not
unknown in this country, which in some
respects is better than a sled. This is
the toboggan. 1t is the Indian sled, in
vented by people who were forced to
have some form of carrier which would
ride on the crust of the snow. The
toboggan is the companion to the snow
shoe, and in it's way is as perfect
means to an end.
The advantage of toboggan when
sliding for pleasure lies in the fact that
no beaten snow is necessary. 1t is inn
possible to use a sled unless one can
find road or path which has been
packed down, and coasting is, therefore,
confined to places where there has been
good deal of travel. But the course
of all others for the toboggan is the
open hillside when there has been a
good fall of snow, a slight thaw and a
sharp frost to set the crust. Over this
crust the toboggan fairly flies in it's
! downward runs
To make sled requires a carpenter
and blacksmith. To make toboggan
requires nothing but the wood, a jack
plane and an axe together with some
rawhide thongs or some copper wire.
The first thing to get is the wood for the
! bottom boards. If yon want toboggan
seven feet long get piece of tough
spruce nine feet long, five inches wide
and five inches thick. Be sure it Is
straight grained and without knots.
Then with axe start a split at one end
one inch thick. BY a careful use of
wedges you can rive this off the whole
| length, when you will have piece nine
| feet long. five inches wide and one inch
thick. This can be split again into
! pieces half an inch thick, but it is better
to dress it down with the jack plane.
Prepare the other four pieces in the
same way and reduce the width of each
to four inches. Tie them all in place on
the sides and let them set for a day.
! The next work is to get out the cross
! bars These are half circles in section,
| fiat on one side, one inch and a half
wide and twenty-five inches long. They
may be made of pine or any wood that
is easily worked and you will need six
of them.
! Begin at the fat end of the slat, and
! two inches from the end lay down one
of the cross bars at right angles to the
slat. Mark each side with a pencil line.
| Along these lines make holes with an
awl large enough to put the wire easily
/ through. These holes on the two lines
should not be opposite each other, but
should have about three-quarters of an
! inch between them. On the under side
of the slat cut a shallow groove between
the holes for the wire to lie in. Take
some No. 10 copper wire, and after Sc
curing the end around the end of the
! cross bar, lace the bar down to the Stat
with it. When one Stat is laced, carry
the wire on TO the next until you have
laced all the Stats to the cross bar, when
make the wire fast. You must allow a
quarter of an inch space between each
two Stats.
+ Measure eighteen inches along the
Stats and put on another cross bar.
/ Then another at the same distance.
When you have put on five you will find
the last one laceS to the Stats on the IN
side of the curved up ends Now take
the sixth cross bar and lace it on top of
the curved tips of the Stats.
The next thing to do is to provide
yourself with two rods of some tough
wood, about seven and a half feet long
and from three-quarters to one inch in
diameter One of these is laid along on
( Of no ha1-
down to each with cord or wire. The
other is put on the other side of the
toboggan, and the two serve as hand
rails. Now take some cord and fasten
| to the end of the sixth cross bar Bring
! it down. und r the side rod and back to
/ the fourth cross bar, carry it back and
/ forward until you have a good secure
/ flashing. Do the same on the other side
and the bent end of the toboggan is Sc
curely in place. Then fasten the tow
/ ing line to the side rails back of the
fourth cross bar and the toboggan is
complete.
1t is amazing what rough usage these
things will stand and how you can bang
them about. They are the best Of all
sleds for camping and far better than
ordinary sleds for rough work on hill
sides or in the field, as they slide over
the snow and do not cut into it. They
cost the merest trifie, for if you can get
rawhide to cut into thongs you do not
even need to buy wire. Any boy who
can use an axe, wedge and jack plane
can make one.
Of course, you can ornament them in
any fashion you please with paint or
gold and silver leaf, and as they are
very graceful things they always look
pretty.-N- Y. Telegram.
Our Jury System.
Doctor-You are much improved, but
you must avoid all mental exertion
whatever for the next six months.
Patient-But Doctor, have got to do
something to make a living.