instructions for making child &apos;s high chair . here is a project that will be welcomed by the family man or father-to-be . unlike many commercial articles , this chair is solidly built and capable of withstanding the heavy handling of the most destructive youngster . almost any available timber can be used but Parana pine is recommended , being cheap , easy to work , and taking a good finish . start by making the two side frames from 1 in by 1 1/4 in planed timber as shown in fig 1 . although the timber will have already been machine planed , remember to go over each piece with a smoothing plane , otherwise the marks left by the cutters will show up after painting . the dimensions given enable the feeding tray to slide over a 30 in table , but the height can be altered if required . all the joints are simple halving joints glued and pinned , which should nevertheless be cut with care to ensure a neat appearance . the side frames are joined by four cross pieces each 1 1/4 in by 1/2 in by 14 in which fit into the recesses ( C ) , cut to fit them . see fig 2 . these are then glued and pinned into place . a similar piece of 1 in by 1 1/4 in by 14 in timber is fixed across the end of the feeding tray as seen in fig 3 which also shows how a piece of hardboard is covered with plastic material for easy cleaning and then fixed underneath the frame with panel pins to complete the feeding tray . cut this piece of hardboard so that it fits up against the front legs of the chair . the seat rests across the upper two cross pieces and is made of 1/2 in plywood glued and panel pinned in position , measurements being taken directly from the work . fig 4 shows the framework for the back which is made from 1 1/4 in by 1/2 in timber . the amount of the backward tilt and also the height is left to personal choice and the width is best taken directly from the work to ensure a good fit . fix the piece A to the sides first with glue and panel pins and then fit the frame together with the piece B temporarily in place on the chair frame . decide on the required angle of slope , keeping B flat on the chair seat , and mark off the exact position of B on the side pieces . these can then be cut at the correct angle and B is glued and nailed in place . a piece of hardboard is then cut and pinned to the frame and its edges planed off flush . finally attach the back firmly to the sides with screws driven from the inside . the footrest is a piece of timber 14 in long and about 1/2 in by 4 in attached to the front legs with a pair of angle irons as shown in fig 5 . when determining the position of the footrest , do not place too near the seat to allow for the growth of baby &apos;s legs . to complete the job , screw two fittings to the inside of the chair arms about 2 1/2 in from the back to hold the baby &apos;s safety harness . these can be made by shaping and soldering two pieces of stout wire as shown in fig 6 . make sure that these are well secured as they will have to withstand considerable pulling as the child becomes older . finishing touches . punch in all nail and panel pin heads and fill the holes with plastic wood . then thoroughly glasspaper the whole framework and round off any sharp edges ( such as the edge of the seat , feeding tray , etc ) . fill the grain with a woodfiller in the usual way and paint the frame in a suitable pastel shade , using a contrasting colour for the seat and the back which can be decorated with a suitable nursery transfer . avoid using lead-based paint as this could prove poisonous if junior decides to bite the chair . finally , it is as well to cover the footrest with rubber or any such protective material that might be available as otherwise the paint would soon be scratched off . ( J.H.P ) . build an 8 ft pram dinghy . by F Cordner . building your own boat is a most satisfying and worthwhile project . here are the plans of a very seaworthy little rowing dinghy many of which I have built and sold . it is especially designed for simplicity in construction , cheapness and lightness of weight , and measures approximately 8 ft by 4 ft . she weighs only 60 lb but can carry three people and an outboard motor with a comfortable margin of freeboard . I have built many of these little craft in this country and particularly in Canada for use by commercial salmon fishermen in Victoria B.C . over there the cost is about $17.00 . the last one I made here cost about &amp;pound;6 0 s 0 d . prices of course depend on local availability of materials and , there are many ways in which costs can be saved . for instance , in Canada we use galvanised nails in place of screws . we just bend them over and clamp firmly by using a hammer on each side . over here I &apos;ve always used brass screws , which are more expensive . the first job is to make your moulds . in fig 1 it quotes 3/4 in five-ply , but to save money any scrap may be used , and if this is nailed and glued together strongly , it may be marked and cut to shape later . if you do not have a wooden floor on which to anchor the moulds , make a frame of rough lumber as shown in fig 2 . the main idea is to have the moulds standing as rigid as possible , for it is on these you will be building and shaping your little craft , upside-down . for cheapness I recommend using Douglas fir plywood from British Columbia . this is hot pressed and resin bonded to ensure a permanently water proof glue line . be sure to see that the edge bears the mark , P.M.B.C Exterior . this may be bought at any good timber merchants . the transoms can be made of any sound five-ply wood of the same make , or oak or mahogany . for the last one I made , I used the two flaps from an old mahogany table which I bought at a sale for one shilling . I have also included a sketch of paddles I make for rowing this dinghy ( fig 3 ) . they are very simple , cheap and easy to make . as will be seen from the plan there is only a single gunwale on the outside . I find that the type of rowlock we use in Canada is difficult to obtain here and expensive . I overcome this in another way as shown in fig 4 . by putting in the extra gunwale on the inside , it improves the appearance and strengthens the boat and makes it possible to fit blocks for the rowlocks . note that all contacting surfaces must be glued together with waterproof resin glue ( I use Casco ) as well as being screwed together . build the pram upside-down . since it has no transverse frames , moulds are required at stations 2 and 6 , to serve in conjunction with the two transoms to maintain the shape of the sides and bottom until they are fastened together into a strong rigid unit . cut the moulds and the transoms to shape as in the detailed drawings . if you have a wooden floor you can use A frames fastened to the floor if not , use a strong horizontal frame that will sit firmly on the ground or concrete floor . I use a heavy old base as in fig 2 . the edges of the transoms should be bevelled to correspond to the sides and bottom of the boat . do n&apos;t forget to cut out on each side of each mould to allow for the chines to rest in these notches , as they are not fastened to the moulds , which will only be used whilst the hull is under construction . the chine is the long stringer on each side which is joined to both transoms and lies in the grooves cut in the moulds . each chine is made of oak , ash , spruce or any long grained flexible wood . I prefer spruce when available . as will be seen in the plan , the transoms have a frame 1 in by 1 in on each side . the chines are morticed into this and butt up against the transom . start at the bow and spring them both at the same time over the slots cut in the moulds and into the notches cut for this purpose in the stern or after transom framing . glue , screw and make fast . the skeleton of the boat will now take shape , and this is the time to check before making fast to see that nothing is distorted . ensure that the outside measurements from transom to transom are equal on each side and that the transoms are parallel horizontally . next bevel the chines with a plane so that the bottom will fit snugly . cut out the bottom and sides accurately from the plan measurements but leave sufficient margin for planing after fixing to the boat . use your two lengths of 8 ft by 4 ft ply for this purpose , the sides from one , and the bottom from the other . if care is taken not to waste the ply , plenty of material is left over for the thwarts . having trimmed up the chines , we are now ready to plank the sides . start again at the bows , clamping into position with a D clamp . bend round the frame to the stern and clamp there . if you have a third clamp use it in the centre as well . after generously covering with glue , screw the sides to the transom framing and the chine . use 5/8 by no 4 gauge screws ( brass ) or nail with inch and a quarter galvanized nails , if you are doing it that way . use flat head screws about 4 in apart and do not counter-sink in the 1/4 in ply . make a very small hole for the screw to allow for a good grip . remember to glue before screwing . clean up with the plane ready for the bottom , which is cut in one piece . it should overlap just a trifle ; this can be cleaned up later . as you are screwing and gluing this piece to the chines it is necessary to be careful not to miss the chine with the screws . I prefer spacing screws 3 in apart for the bottom , both for screwing to the chines and the bottom shaped transom facing . again , do n&apos;t forget to glue . now put on the keel and the rubbing strakes and you are ready to lift the boat off the moulds . you will n&apos;t want them again for this boat , so shift them right out of the way . place the boat right side up on two boxes or trestles of convenient height for working . fix on the gunwales and insert the thwarts ( seats ) taking care to reinforce the sides of the dinghy at the seats with vertical members as shown in the plans . make the four blocks for the rowlocks and mark their positions before riveting on the gunwales so that you do not put a rivet where you will have to cut out the inside ( gunwale ) one to fit the block . I rivet my gunwales together through the side of the hull with copper nails and roves . it greatly improves the appearance and the strength . paint with good marine primer , undercoat and at least one coat of finishing paint . use fabrics to make pictures . by Anne Bradford . when an assortment of differently coloured materials are cut into a variety of shapes they can be combined by either making fabric pictures or designs . while these may ultimately be made into a picture for framing and hanging on a wall , they may also be arranged into a design , and the resulting panel utilized for decorating a useful article . 