Chapter XVIII: An Outdoor Gymnasium

With a little work, and a small outlay of money chiefly for two-by-fours, and such boards as are specified in this chapter, a boy, or club of boys, can construct and set up all the necessary apparatus for an outdoor gymnasium. It is true a great many city back-yards are much too small to accommodate all of the apparatus; but there is generally a vacant lot in the neighborhood which you can obtain permission to use. Those of you boys who are fortunate enough to spend the summer months in the country have splendid opportunities for making a complete gym and should not miss the chance to fit one up.

=A Horizontal Bar.=--A well-made horizontal bar requires a firm standard which will not sway when swung upon. This is best attained by fastening at least one upright to the side of the barn, the fence, or some other stationary object. It is also very important to secure a strong bar free from knots and cracks. Curtain-poles are frequently used by boys, but at great risk, as there may be a dangerous knot lurking beneath the highly polished surface that will break at a critical moment and cause them serious injuries.

A four-foot hickory or ash bar can be bought from a dealer in sporting goods for about a dollar and a half, but it will cost much less to have a bar turned to the right shape and size at a planing mill. The diameter of the pole should be an inch and one-half, and the ends should be two inches square (see Fig. 250).

For the uprights procure two two-by-sixes nine feet long. Mark off a square equal in size to the end of the bar, six inches from one end of each, and cut out the wood with an auger. With a chisel trim the holes square and large enough for the bar to slip through.

Sink the lower ends of the uprights twelve inches into the ground, _A_ against the stationary object, whatever it may be, and _B_ directly in front, at a distance equal to the length of the bar. Spike _A_ to the abutting surface, and brace the base of _B_ with two two-by-fours to make it solid (see Fig. 251). The tops of the braces should be mitred against _B_, and the bottoms spiked to stakes driven into the ground, as shown at _C_. To make it possible to adjust the bar to different heights, holes may be cut in the uprights every foot or so, in which case be careful to locate the holes exactly opposite one another.

It is well to have an old mattress beneath the horizontal bar as a guard against injury in case of a fall. This also makes a splendid

=Tumbling Mat= for practising rolls, hand-springs, and wrestling. If a mattress cannot be obtained, a few potato sacks stuffed with shavings or excelsior will answer the purpose.

The most satisfactory scheme for making a pair of

=Parallel Bars= is shown in Fig. 252. To acquire the necessary firmness without putting in bracing that would interfere with the performer, the base of the apparatus should be set underground, as indicated by the dotted lines in the illustration.

In height the parallel bars should be about four feet six inches, in length seven feet six inches, and in width twenty inches between the bars. This makes the uprights _A_, _B_, _C_, and _D_ six feet long, allowing eighteen inches to project into the ground. Prepare one end of each as shown in Fig. 253, notching it for the bar to fit in and cutting off the corner.

When this has been done, cut four two-by-fours twenty-eight inches long. Then lay the uprights _A_ and _B_ on the ground twenty inches apart, and spike two of the two-by-fours to them at _G_ and _H_ (see Fig. 254). Uprights _C_ and _D_ should be similarly fastened together with the other two-by-fours at _I_ and _J_ (see Fig. 252). When these frames have been made, set them upon their bases six feet apart, and spike the two-by-fours _K_ and _L_ to the uprights in the places shown in Fig. 252, with braces set between them and the pieces _H_ and _J_, at _M_, _N_, _O_, _P_ (see Figs. 252 and 255).

FIG. 253.--Dress Ends of Uprights like this.

FIG. 254.

FIG. 255.--Corner Bracing.

FIGS. 253-256.--Details of Parallel Bars.]

The bars should be seven feet six inches in length, and cut out of Georgia pine two-by-fours. Figures 252 and 256 show how these should be dressed, the tops rounded to fit the hands and the ends curved. First roughly shape them with the draw-knife, then smooth up with the plane, and finally scrape and rub them down with sand-paper until perfectly smooth. When the bars have been prepared, slip them into the notches cut in the uprights, and spike them in place.

With the constructive work done, it is only necessary to bury the base to complete the apparatus. Excavate a trench eighteen inches deep, and level off the bottom. Then lower the framework and, after determining that the bars are level, fill in the earth, packing it well against the uprights and braces. Boards _E_ and _F_ should be laid across the top of _G_ and _I_, and spiked in place.

=The Punching-bag Platform=, illustrated by Fig. 257, should be made thirty inches square and suspended from the shed or a wall.

Nail a thirty-inch piece of two-by-four to the wall, two feet above the height at which the platform is to be placed, as at _A_ in the drawing, and nail another on a level with the top of the platform, as shown at _B_.

Fasten the platform boards together with battens, using nails long enough to clinch on top of the upper face, and nail the two boards _C_ and _D_ to the edges, mitring the edges as in the figure. Then lift the platform to the desired height, and fasten the ends of _C_ and _D_ to the ends of _A_. Also nail the bottom of the platform to the under side of _B_.

A swivel such as shown in Fig. 258 can be bought for forty or fifty cents, and one of these should be screwed to the bottom of the platform, from which to suspend the punching-bag.

=A Pair of Jump Standards= are made out of two two-by-fours about eight feet long. After planing them smooth on all sides, measure off two feet from one end of each, and mark off the remaining six feet in inches, as shown in Fig. 259.

After squaring these divisions across the poles with your try-square, bore holes three-eighths of an inch in diameter through the poles at each division. Then, with a small brush and black paint, mark off each foot with a band extending around the pole, each half foot with a narrower band, and each inch with a short line, as shown in the drawings. Letter the foot divisions 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.

FIG. 260.

FIG. 261.

FIG. 259.--The Jump Standards completed.

FIGS. 259-262.--Details of Jump Standards.]

When both standards have been finished, bury them in the ground to a depth of thirteen inches, eight feet apart. Cut two wooden pegs similar to Fig. 261 to fit the holes, and procure a nine-foot pine or hickory pole one inch thick for a cross-bar (see Fig. 260). When the bar is placed upon the pegs, the distance from its top to the ground should correspond with the figure on the upright. If not the same, raise or lower the uprights until the error is corrected.

With a pair of these standards there is no danger of injury by tripping over the bar, as the latter will fall off with the slightest knock. There is one disadvantage in using a stick, however, it being easily broken if jumped upon. Because of this, a rope with a weight attached to each end, as shown in Fig. 262 is often substituted. The ends of the rope are hung over the pegs in such a way that it will slip off the pegs when struck. The weights should be just heavy enough to prevent the rope from sagging in the centre.

=A Vaulting Pole= should be made of a strong wood, free from knots and other defects. The regulation pole is made of selected spruce, its length varying from eight to fourteen feet. If you make your own pole, be careful to plane off all splinters and irregularities, making it round and smooth, and point one end so it will stick into the ground and prevent slipping.

Although seldom used in an outdoor gymnasium,

=A Spring-board= is excellent for practising the high and broad jumps, and is a piece of apparatus with which a great deal of fun may be had. Figure 263 shows a scheme for a spring-board that is easy to make. First cut three pieces of two-by-four two feet long, lay them on the ground parallel to each other eighteen inches apart, and construct a platform four feet long by two feet wide on top of them.

Cut another two-by-four two feet long, taper it as shown in Fig. 264, making it two inches thick on one edge and an inch and a quarter on the other, and nail it to one end of the platform. Secure a log two feet long (a cedar fence post will do very nicely), and fasten it across the centre of the platform parallel to the two-by-fours. The upper portion of the spring-board should be made of elastic boards, preferably ash. Construct a second platform six inches longer than the first, leaving about one-half inch between the boards, and battening the pieces together at _A_ and _B_ (see Fig. 263). Nail the battens securely in place, using nails of sufficient length to allow clinching on the under face of the battens. The clinching will prevent the boards from springing apart.

This platform should be fastened to the first, with the end which has not been battened secured to the two-by-four at _C_. The best method of fastening the ends of these boards is with bolts long enough to extend through the two platforms and project an inch or more below the bottom two-by-four (see illustration). Large washers should be placed under the heads of the bolts to prevent the latter from cutting through the boards.

The upper platform should not be nailed to the log, but merely held to it by straps passed diagonally around the outside boards and log, as shown in the illustration.

Set the spring-board upon the spot you wish to use it, and bank up the earth behind it until a gradual slope is made from the ground to the top.

If any difficulty is experienced in keeping the spring-board in place, it may be overcome by driving stakes into the ground around the sides of the lower platform.

After setting up your gymnasium apparatus, oil the bars of the horizontal bar and parallel bars with boiled linseed-oil, and paint all the rest of the wood to keep it in good condition.

=Hurdles= should be lightly constructed, so as to be easily knocked over should a hurdler trip upon them. They are made similar to carpenter horses, directions for the making of which are given in Chapter I. Their height will depend upon the skill of the hurdler.

If the field is large enough,

=A Running Track= can be made around it, by levelling off the ground, removing all stones and irregularities in its path, and banking up the corners to enable the runner to turn the curves readily.

=For Short Sprints= the most common method of starting is upon all fours, as illustrated in Fig. 265. Make a depression in the ground for the toe of the rear foot to press against in starting off.

=For Broad Jumping=, a block of wood two feet long should be sunk into the ground, as a mark from which to leap.

It is a good plan to organize

=An Athletic Club= among the boys of the neighborhood with which to raise money necessary to buy the material for apparatus, and

=Athletic Meets= may be held among the members and with other clubs.