By Dan Beard
Figs. 416-421.
Working Plans of the "Get-There" Sled.
This is the way in which to build the "Get-There:" For the runners take a plank one foot wide and a little over twice as long as the length of one of the proposed runners (Fig. 416, A, B, C, D). From the point B measure upon the edge of the board twelve inches, and mark the point E (Fig. 417). From E measure three feet six inches, and mark the point G. From G measure three feet six inches, and mark the point I.
From A measure three feet six inches, and mark the point F. From F measure three feet six inches, and mark the point H. With a straight piece of board for a ruler, and a soft lead-pencil, rule a line from A to E, another line from F to G, another line from H to I. On the line A E measure nine and one-half inches, and mark the point K. From E measure three and one-half inches, and mark the point J.
Take a saw and saw from E to A along the line E A. Saw again through the line F G, and again through the line H 1. You will now have two runners of the form shown by Figs. 417 and 418.
Again take the saw, and, beginning at J, saw off the piece K E J. Then with your jack-knife round off the top as shown by Fig. 419 at L, and the bottom as shown at M. The dotted lines show the part whittled off.
From the point F measure along the edge of the runner three and one-half inches, and mark the point 0. Measure two and one-half inches farther, and mark the point P. Measure twelve inches farther, and mark the point Q. Measure two and one-half inches more, and mark the point R. Again take the saw and saw down one inch at R, Q, P, and 0, and with a chisel cut out the wood between R and Q and between P and 0, as shown in Fig. 419.
With your jackknife cut off the corner at G. Go through the same process with the second runner, and see that one is an exact duplicate of the other. Next make two braces, each one and one-half foot long, one inch thick, and two and one-half inches wide. Fit the braces in the notches R Q and P 0, and fasten them in place with good screws or wire nails.
X1 Take a piece of plank one foot six inches wide and one inch thick, and saw off a piece four feet six inches long for a top-board. Saw out a triangle in the front end as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 420. With your knife round the sides of the triangle, as shown by the solid lines in Fig. 420. Trim off the rear end first, as shown by the solid line, and then gradually whittle it to the form shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 420, which represents the top with the runners on each side of it.
The Runners,
of course, are not spread out as shown by Fig. 420, because you have already nailed on the stretchers so that they must rest upon their edges, but the diagram is drawn with them flat upon each side so as better to show the proportions of each. Fit the top-piece over the runners and nail it in place, and you have a good serviceable sled that only needs a
visit to the blacksmith's shop to make it a better one than you usually find for sale at the toy stores. At the blacksmith shop have your sled shod with what is called half-round irons, and after a little work on the snow has put a polish on the iron you will find that it will earn the name of "Get-There " (Fig. 421).
