The Race Car Toby Built 4b2uc

The Race Car Toby Built

Shane L. Montague

Austin Macauley Publishers

The Race Car Toby Built

About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Build Your Own Billy Cart: Construction Guidelines

Build Your Own Billy Cart: Construction Guidelines

Safety Warning Hardware Materials List

Construction Guidelines: The Three-Part Chassis

The Driver’s Seat Putting It All Together Tips for Making a Handbrake

About the Author

Shane worked as a primary school teacher with the Western Australian Education Department for more than 20 years before transitioning into teaching English to speakers of other languages at a number of post-secondary campuses. He has a hands-on interest in art and has constructed several pieces of sculpture. He is a keen recreational woodworker with a broad interest in manual arts. He is an active member and volunteer with the Bus Preservation Society of WA. He is married with four children and has six grandchildren.

Dedication

To my beautiful wife, Anne, who always s and encourages me in every new endeavour I undertake.

Copyright Information ©

Shane L. Montague (2021)

The right of Shane L. Montague to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528992237 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781528992244 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2021) Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd 25 Canada Square Canary Wharf London E14 5LQ

I’m travelling three wide going down the back straight and there are only two laps to go. I need to make my move right now if I want to catch the leaders. But if I go now, I’ll be forced four wide around the next turn, but that should put me in a better position entering the final lap. I’m going to risk it. I press the pedal all the way to the floor. The acceleration is instantaneous and awesome. The supercharged V8 roars and I can feel the vibrations going right through my chest. I’m being rocked from side to side and the seat belt is pressing strangely against my left shoulder. “Toby, Toby. Come on, love, it’s time to wake up.” As his mum leaves the room, Toby turns over, stares at the ceiling and briefly reflects on his most recent driving experience. Toby lived with his mum in a small duplex not far from the city’s airport. He had no brothers or sisters but he did have five younger cousins he saw from time to time. His mum and dad were divorced, but they were still friends and talked with each other often during the week. Toby got to see his dad on Tuesdays when he picked him up from school and took him home for dinner. He also got to sleep over at his dad’s house every Friday night. His mum went to work each day, and when he wasn’t at school, Toby went to day care or his grandparents’ house. Toby attended a government state school situated about a kilometre from his house. He had recently celebrated his eleventh birthday and, as a Year Six student, was in his final year of primary school. Toby’s mid-year school report described him as being ‘a reliable and trustworthy student whose work effort consistently met teachers’ expectations’. Academically, he was a capable, good all-round student, ‘competent in all subject areas’, though not necessarily outstanding in any particular subject. And no surprise to those who knew him, he was also ‘a popular and valued member of the class’ and ‘a pleasure to teach’. Toby loved visiting his grandparents’ house, and he enjoyed spending time with his Nan and Grandy. When he was very little, Toby’s Nan looked after him often, with the result that there was a special bond between them. She always gave him lots of kisses and cuddles and spoilt him with plenty of tasty treats to eat. As he got older, she would play board games with him, and she taught him how to play card games like snap, concentration, rummy and more recently euchre.

Nan was a kind-hearted lady with a thoughtful and caring nature. She always had time to talk to people, and she made an effort to keep in touch with those she thought highly of and knew well. Likewise, Nan was held in high regard by close friends and acquaintances who valued her companionship and advice. She was much loved by her family and she enjoyed nothing more than spending time with them. She especially valued the time spent with her six grandchildren. Toby’s Grandy taught him all sorts of things. He showed Toby how to throw a frisbee and a boomerang, how to fly a kite, how to bowl and bat in cricket and how to do different things on the computer. Grandy also let Toby use his tools in the garage, and he even made a kid-sized wooden workbench for Toby. Under Grandy’s tutelage, he learnt how to use the vice to hold wood for cutting, the correct way to start a saw cut and how to saw straight following a pencil guide line. In fact, as he got older, Toby learnt more and more carpentry skills from his Grandy, until eventually he was able to make things on his own. The very first thing he made was an aeroplane. He knew a lot about all sorts of aircraft. He had been fascinated by planes ever since his Nan and Grandy took him to an air show at the regional RAAF base. He drew the outline of a plane on a piece of plywood and then cut it out with a fret saw. He marked out another piece of wood with the shape of wings. After carefully cutting around the outline with a jigsaw, he nailed the wings to the fuselage of the plane. Then he used a saw and a small wood chisel to cut a slot in the tail fin for the horizontal stabiliser. Finally, he painted it with some of Grandy’s leftover house paint. Because it was far too heavy, the plane didn’t fly at all, but Toby didn’t mind. He was very proud of his aeroplane. While he played with it, he imagined himself as the plane’s pilot. He guided the aircraft around the backyard, swooping and diving through valleys and gorges, zooming over mountain ranges and then flying at low level across the surface of the sea. When he was older, he thought he might like to be a pilot in the air force. Since that first effort, Toby had made other things using off-cuts of wood he found in Grandy’s workshop. He made several swords, including a Roman short sword, a pirate’s cutlass and a knight’s broadsword. Occasionally, Grandy would pretend to be the enemy and engage Toby in a controlled swordfight. A shield painted with a coat of arms, a rifle, a handgun or two, a truck and at least three or four cars were amongst his other projects. Grandy showed him how to use a

hole saw attached to the electric drill to cut out wooden wheels. Toby loved seeing his creations zooming across the garage floor. He imagined himself as the driver of a rally car skidding around sharp curves in the road, accelerating down narrow bush tracks, charging through flooded creeks and spinning out on blind corners. When he ed, he pretended that Grandy was his navigator telling him what was ahead and what to watch out for. When he got his licence, he thought he might like to drive a Ford Focus in the World Rally Championship. On a cold, wet Thursday afternoon, Nan and Grandy picked Toby up from school as usual. They took him home to their house from where his mum would pick him up later. He was absolutely starving, so Nan made him a hot drink and gave him a piece of her yummy fruitcake. While he ate, Toby told his grandparents about a special project they were doing at school. “We all have to research early pioneer life in Australia and build a model showing how people lived in colonial times,” he explained. “It’s due on the last day of term.” “Well then, you had better hop on the computer and start looking for information,” Grandy suggested. Toby used different search engines to find images of the early pioneers. He was especially interested in the black and white photos showing the wooden slab huts people built for their homes. Eventually, he found some images he was sure were perfect for the task. “I’ve decided to build a farm house like the one in this photo. Grandy, can I print it out to use as my plan?” asked Toby. “Yes, of course you can. Gee, that’s an interesting looking building.” Grandy always had lots of offcuts and various bits and pieces of different types of wood in the garage. Toby began hunting through the offcuts for pieces that could be used for the walls, roof and front door. Not long after, he walked back into the kitchen with an armful of wood. Toby held the pieces of wood up for Grandy to see and asked, “Is it alright if I use these bits of wood for my model?” Grandy nodded his approval and Toby headed back outside. It wasn’t long

before the sound of wood being sawn could be heard coming from the garage. Toby’s mum arrived just before six o’clock, and she wandered out to the garage to see what he was doing. He told her all about his day at school and showed her the photo he had printed out. They stayed for dinner with Nan and Grandy before heading off home to their house. For the next two weeks, whenever he was at Nan and Grandy’s house, Toby spent every spare minute in the garage working on his school project. The following Thursday, Nan and Grandy picked him up from school as usual. “I can’t wait to get back to your house and work on my model,” Toby declared excitedly. When they finally got there, Nan offered to make him a hot drink and something to eat. “No thanks, Nan, I don’t have time. I’m supposed to hand my model in tomorrow and I’ve still got things to do.” He rushed out to the garage and began adding the finishing touches to his farm house. The base board for Toby’s farm house was a piece of plywood. The walls were painted brown with streaks of grey here and there. The house had a gabled roof and stood near the middle of the base board. It was surrounded on three sides by a roughly made but effective looking fence made from cut pop-sticks. The ground was real sand, sprinkled over glue and pressed into place with Nan’s kitchen roller. When it dried, the sand was painted a shade of brown with a few patches of green added to represent grass. A number of small holes were drilled into the base board and cuttings from a river red gum were glued into them with some of Grandy’s PVA woodworking glue. They made quite acceptable looking trees. When Toby’s mum got back from work, Toby showed her, and Nan and Grandy his model. They all thought it was excellent and praised Toby for his hard work. He was so pleased with his effort; he couldn’t wait to take it to school the next day. Lying in bed later that night, Toby thought about his farm house model. He tried to imagine what it was like to be an early pioneer in colonial times. He imagined himself using simple hand tools to cut down trees then shape the wood into useable pieces of timber. Building a house from nothing using only his bare

hands, basic tools and raw materials was a truly satisfying feeling. When he was older and more skilled in woodwork, Toby wondered if he might like to be a carpenter building houses. Luckily, it wasn’t raining when Toby and his mum pulled up in the kiss and drive bay at the front of the school. His mum helped him lift his model from the hatchback of her car. “Are you sure you can carry your backpack, your library bag and your model by yourself?” Mum asked with a concerned look on her face.

“I’ll be fine, Mum. I’ll wear my backpack and put my library bag over my shoulder and that’ll leave me with two free hands to carry my model. I’m right, thanks, Mum. See you tomorrow afternoon.” Toby kissed his mum goodbye and headed through the school’s front gate. Toby was soon ed by two classmates also carrying their models. They complimented each other on their models as they crossed the playground. The first bell sounded and the three classmates started to run. All of a sudden, the toe of Toby’s left shoe caught on a raised paving slab and he fell face forward. The first thing to hit the ground was his model, followed by his chin crashing through the farm fence, then his right elbow and both knees skidded across the concrete paving. His classmates ran back and looked wideeyed in disbelief at the scene before them. Toby sat up slowly, seemingly oblivious to his injuries. “Look at my model. Look at it. It’s ruined!” sobbed a distraught Toby.

Toby trips and falls while running to class. He destroys the 3D model he has built in the process.

The duty teacher helped Toby to the sick room and applied antiseptic to his grazed elbow and knees. She put Band-Aids on his knees and a gauze bandage on his elbow. Another Band-Aid went on the small scratch under his chin. When Toby finally got to class, most of his classmates were wandering around the room looking at the models displayed on every desk. Toby could see that his model was already in the room and on his desk. The teacher was talking to one group of children, but when she saw Toby enter the room, she went straight over to him. “How are you feeling now, Toby?” she enquired. “You’ll be a bit sore for a couple of days but you’ll be okay I’m sure. It’s a pity about your model though. I can see how much work you put into it. I’m sure it looked fantastic. Perhaps you could take it home over the holidays and repair it?” Toby didn’t reply. He took a few steps towards his desk and was quickly ed by a couple of friends who briefly tried to console him. Then they lead him around the room and together they inspected the models on display. There were quite a few seriously good models. Putting on a brave face, Toby tried to look interested and praised the owners for their efforts. He enquired, “Sarah, where did you get the idea to use paper bark for the roof? It really makes the hut look old. The farm animals look good too.” “I found an illustration in a book about farming and Mum bought me a pack of farm animals from the two-dollar shop. I’ve tried to copy the book exactly but I don’t have as many trees as in the picture,” Sarah explained as she showed Toby the book. At that moment, Toby glanced back at his desk and in an instant, he was overwhelmed with disappointment. The rest of the day seemed to drag on, and he couldn’t wait for it to end.

By the end of the day, some of the models had been put on display in the school library, some in the front office reception area and the rest around the classroom. Toby was the only person taking his model home. It was Friday and the end of term, and it was Toby’s dad who picked him up from school. His dad gave him a big cuddle when he heard about Toby’s disastrous day and as they walked towards the car, he did his best to try and cheer him up. “I’ve got a surprise for you,” announced Dad. “What’s something you’ve always wanted to do?” Toby thought for a moment then looked up at his dad. “I want to do lots of things,” declared Toby as his spirit began to lift. “What are we doing?” “Well, I’ve got tickets for the speedway tonight. It’s the final race meeting of the season and there’ll be a demolition derby at the end. We’ll leave early and get something to eat when we get there. What do you reckon?” “Oh wow, Dad! Can we please go down to the pits and watch them working on the cars?” pleaded Toby. Toby had seen ads for the speedway on TV and he had always wanted to go. He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he climbed into the front seat next to his dad. They went straight home from school, changed clothes, grabbed an extra jacket each and were back in the car in no time flat. “We are going alright for time, aren’t we, Dad? If we get there early, we should be able to get a good seat, shouldn’t we?” reasoned Toby. “I don’t want to miss anything.” “We’ll be there by about six o’clock and the first event is not until seven, so we should have time to get dinner and find a good seat. Don’t worry,” his dad assured him. Toby couldn’t wait for the racing to get started. They found a couple of front row seats just behind the safety fence on the turn into the home straight. Despite the fact that they were constantly sprayed with beads of mud and dirt as the cars skidded around the corner, it turned out to be an excellent position from which to watch the races.

Along with his dad, Toby experiences his first ever night at a speedway event.

It was just before midnight when they eventually arrived home. It was well after Toby’s regular bedtime and he was very tired. He couldn’t wait to get into bed. Unfortunately, Dad had other ideas. “Toby, you can’t go to bed like that. You’re going to need a shower and you’ll have to wash your hair too. It’s full of dirt and tiny mud balls.” Later that night, as he snuggled down in bed, Toby reflected on his day. What started out as a day to forget, ended with an absolutely fantastic night at the speedway. While they sat behind the safety fence waiting for the races to start, he ate the most delicious chicken burger he had ever tasted. From start to finish, they had the best view of all the action. Toby thought about the spectacular crashes he had seen and about the sprint cars which were his favourite. He saw pit crews working frantically to repair damaged cars between races and watched the drivers preparing their goggles by attaching clear plastic rip-off strips across the front. The demolition derby was as funny as it was exciting, with some cars driving in reverse most of the time. Nearly all of them had smoke pouring out of the engine exhaust and others had steam coming from crushed radiators. The whole scene was like something out of a movie with destroyed cars everywhere and just one old Ford Escort still able to move at the end. His ears were still ringing a bit from all the noise, but he thought it was just the best night ever. It was early Saturday afternoon when Toby’s dad dropped him back at his mum’s house. While his parents were talking on the veranda Toby spotted his friend Tim on the lawn in front of his house. Toby wandered across the road to where Tim was using a sponge and a bucket of soapy water to wash his mum’s car. Tim went to a private boarding school during the term, and he usually only came home on long weekends when there was a public holiday. For that reason, Toby thought of Tim as a bit of an occasional friend because he wasn’t around to play with very often. Nevertheless, they always got on well together and Toby valued their friendship. “Hi, Tim. How’s it going? Are you doing anything special for the holidays?”

asked Toby. “No, we’re not going anywhere. Dad has to go interstate for his work and Mum has just started a new part time job, so I don’t think we’ll be doing much at all. What about you?” responded Tim. “Well, when Mum’s at work during the week, I’ll be spending the day at my Nan and Grandy’s house. Who’s looking after you?” enquired Toby. “My mum gets home about three o’clock in the afternoon, but until then, I have to go to the community day care centre on Richardson Street. Maybe we can play when you get home from your grandparents?” suggested Tim. “Can you grab the hose and wash the suds off the bonnet while I finish the wheels?” Toby did as Tim asked and then hosed down each wheel as Tim cleaned them. With Toby helping the car was soon washed. The two boys stood back and ired their work. Toby didn’t want to disappoint his friend, but he knew that he wouldn’t be getting home until around six o’clock most nights. If they stayed for dinner, they wouldn’t get home until nearly eight o’clock and by then it would be too dark and too late to play. “Tim, I don’t think we’ll have much of a chance to play together unless we can organise for you to come over to my Nan and Grandy’s house during the holidays. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if I brought a friend over,” insisted Toby. “Yeah, that would be great if I could and much better than going to day care,” declared Tim. “I’ll have to ask my mum and she can ask Nan and Grandy if it’s okay for you to come. Your mum will let you come, won’t she?” urged Toby. The boys both agreed to ask their mums before bed that night. Tim then suggested they get their bikes and take a ride down to the river. It was a place they liked to go because there was so much to do there. In the past they had been swimming, fishing, prawning, sailing model boats, collecting shells, watching kayakers train and land boarding down the steep grassy slopes on big sheets of cardboard. Occasionally, they also used the adjacent playground equipment which included a couple of tricky climbing walls. It was just an interesting, fun

place to go. Riding down to the river was easy and quite straight-forward. However, the ride home took longer and was more challenging. On the way back, they had to negotiate a hill so steep, it forced them to get off their bikes and push them up the incline. Regardless of that, it was still quite close to home and well worth the effort. By the time they got to the river, the sun was already low on the western horizon. They rode out to the end of the jetty and watched a couple of older men fishing. “Caught anything yet?” asked Toby. “Only blowies so far,” muttered one old guy, gesturing with his head to a nearby carcass. They watched as the two fishermen pulled in a few more blowies and then one of them caught a good-sized mulloway. Toby and Tim were more interested and excited than the two men who seemed quite calm and hardly spoke two words. They put the fish in a bucket of water, baited their hooks and then continued fishing as though nothing exciting had happened. The sun had almost set by the time the boys decided they had better head home. “Now , don’t forget to ask your mum if you can come with me on Monday,” ordered Toby, as they split up and each rode to his own house. “I won’t. I’ll let you know tomorrow. I just hope your grandparents are happy for me to come,” replied Tim as he turned into his driveway. Toby had imagined spending his holidays having nobody to play with, but now he was thrilled at the prospect of having Tim around for the next two weeks. As he snuggled down under the covers, Toby also thought about his day and about the fishermen on the jetty. He started to imagine what it would be like to have your own boat and to catch lots of fish which he could sell for money. According to Grandy, it was easier to catch fish from a boat, and he reckoned you would catch more fish and bigger ones too. If he could save up enough money to buy his own boat, Toby wondered if he might like to be a professional fisherman when he was older. Imagine going fishing every day for a job.

Even though it was Sunday, Tim was ringing the bell on Toby’s front door long before eight o’clock. He was pretty excited and keen to share the good news with Toby and his mum. “Mum says I can go, but for no more than two days in a row and only if your mum is going to take us and bring me home,” Tim explained. “Is it still okay for me to go?” he added. “Yes, Nan and Grandy said my friends are welcome anytime. There is a lot to do there and my Grandy lets me use all the tools in his garage, so maybe we can build something? But I can’t play right now, because we’re going to my cousin’s house for a barbeque,” continued Toby. “Make sure you’re here by eight o’clock tomorrow and Mum will drop us off on her way to work. It’ll be great! See you.” Monday’s weather forecast predicted a fine, sunny autumn day. Overnight rain had cleared and a slight breeze moved the chilly morning air. A small cluster of cumulus clouds could be seen off in the distance, but otherwise the sky was bright blue. The first thing Tim noticed as they turned into the driveway of Toby’s grandparents’ house were the beautiful, deep red and snow-white roses planted alternatively inside the front and side fences. Toby’s Grandy was standing amongst the roses near the side fence. He was wearing a blue and black checked shirt, dirty faded blue jeans, wellington boots and a battered old Akubra hat which was tipped back on his head. He had brown leather gloves on and had a pair of secateurs in his hand. The boys jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped. Toby gave his mum a goodbye kiss through the open driver’s side window, and then he and Tim ran over to see what Grandy was doing. “Hello, boys. You must be Tim? How are you?” said Grandy holding out his gloved right hand.

An image of Grandy. (A man around 60 years of age with a stocky build and a moustache)

Rather gingerly, Tim shook Grandy’s hand and made brief eye with him. For some reason he looked all embarrassed as he glanced down at the ground. “Take Tim inside and introduce him to your Nan. I’ll be in shortly and we’ll all have a talk and a cuppa.” From the rose garden the boys walked around the side of the house and onto the back veranda. Immediately, they picked up the smell of freshly baked cake. Toby opened an old, flywire screen door and they walked into the kitchen. Nan had just taken one of her famous fruit cakes out of the oven and the aroma filled the room. “Hi Nan. Wow, that smells so good. Anyway, this is my friend Tim,” announced Toby. “Hello there, Tim. You’ve picked the right day to come for a visit. I hope you like fruitcake? As soon as it cools, we’ll have some with our morning tea. And if you like it, we will have a bit more later with afternoon tea,” Nan promised with a welcoming smile. “Now what have you got planned for today, Toby?” “I think we might make something in the garage,” replied Toby. “Come on, Tim. I’ll show you Grandy’s garage.” The boys walked from the kitchen, across the veranda and headed towards the back of the block. They were soon standing in front of a garage, but it was no ordinary garage. It was a rather large, three-car garage. Grandy had his car parked on the end, Nan’s car was in the middle and the third bay was laid out as a workshop. There were work benches against two walls, with tools hanging on sheets of pegboard. An old, slightly dented forty-four-gallon drum full of timber off cuts was in one corner next to a steel cabinet. Along the side wall were rows of shelves and on them were dozens of white plastic tablet bottles arranged by size.

Grandy saved all of their medicine bottles and used them to store nuts, bolts, screws, nails, split pins, staples and a host of other bits and pieces. Each container had a printed label saying what was inside. Overhead, long lengths of timber were laid out along steel brackets suspended from the exposed roof beams. Also, hanging from hooks attached to the roof beams was an ancient, adult size tricycle that Grandy had when he was a teenager. It was very unusual, with two wheels and a huge wicker basket at the front and one slightly smaller wheel at the rear. He used it to do deliveries for the local grocer. That was way back in the 1950s. Under the benches were old wooden boxes and rusty tins full of all sorts or weird and wonderful things. In fact, Toby thought Grandy’s workshop was a bit of an Aladdin’s cave. Full of secrets and surprises yet to be discovered. Woodworking machines of all types were spread out around the remainder of the workshop. Toby looked at Tim and asked, “What do you think? Would you like to make something?” “Oh yeah, but what would we make?” responded Tim. “Well, all weekend I’ve been thinking about the speedway. I can’t stop thinking about the cars and the races. I think I’d like to have a go at being a race car driver when I’m older. Why don’t we build a go-cart? We can take turns to push each other, and we can race it down the big hill near the river when we take it home. It’ll be great fun.” The conversation was interrupted when Nan called out, “Boys, your morning tea is on the table. Come now before it gets cold.” Nan and Grandy were already sitting at the table when Toby and Tim rushed into the kitchen. There was a hot cup of tea and a piece of fruitcake waiting for each boy. As they scoffed down the fruitcake, Nan looked at Grandy and smiled. She liked to see visitors enjoying her prized fruitcake. “Well boys, what are you going to do with yourselves? Nan tells me you want to make something,” enquired Grandy. “Yes, we’ve decided to build a go-cart,” announced Toby. Looking a little puzzled, Grandy professed, “I’m not sure I understand what you mean by a go-cart.”

Toby tried to demonstrate by drawing on the tablecloth with his finger. “It’s really just a long wooden centre board with maybe a cut down box or something for the driver’s seat and two wheels attached to another piece of wood under the driver’s seat. Then you need two more wheels attached to another board at the front that you can steer.” “Oh, now I understand. In my day, we called them billy carts. When I was about your age, I made three or four of them, mostly on my own, but one time with a mate. They’re good fun but you need to be careful. I can taking the skin off my leg, hip and elbow when I got tipped out going around a corner too fast,” Grandy recounted. “I was going down this really steep hill, on the footpath of course, and by the time I got to the bottom I was flying. There was a Tjunction at the bottom of the hill so I had to turn one way or the other, but the brake I made wasn’t much good, and it hardly slowed me down at all. That’s why I got tipped out. You need to make sure you have a brake on your cart that actually works.” “Would you like another piece of cake?” Nan asked with the cake knife in her hand at the ready. Everyone answered, “No thanks Nan.” Even Tim called her Nan. “Grandy, can we look on the Internet for some plans or pictures of go-carts?” asked Toby. For the next hour, they searched for images of both go-carts and billy carts. While the two go-cart and billy cart appeared to be interchangeable, most of the go-carts seemed to be more sophisticated and complicated to build than billy carts. Also, many of the go-carts were constructed of tubular steel and aluminium and that would require welding. Eventually they found a wonderful set of instructions, six pages long, for a basic wooden billy cart. It had a list of the tools needed, suggestions for the sizes of the timber to order and a list of the hardware required to complete the project. But it was the introduction on the first page that really caught Toby’s eye. It was very informative and he could relate to everything it said. Tim said he particularly liked the flexibility the instructions provided.

Toby shows his friend Tim, Grandy’s garage workshop for the first time.

Build Your Own Billy Cart

Construction Guidelines

Great fun for boys and girls of all ages. Billy carts have been around in one form or another for more than a hundred years. The name billy cart is an Australian variation of the English term goat cart. As the original carts were usually pulled by a billy goat, it is not difficult to see how the Australian name evolved. Other synonyms for billy cart include hill trolley, push cart, go-cart and soap box racer. The latter two tending to be more elaborate in design and complex in construction. You might be surprised to learn that your parents or grandparents know quite a lot about billy carts. They’ll probably the fun they had as a child, sticking some old pram wheels on a wooden frame, adding a crude seat of some kind and driving the rickety conveyance down a nearby hill. Building a billy cart is an environmentally friendly project to undertake. This is because it often involves the use of second-hand and recyclable materials. Traditionally, billy carts are made from items that can be found in the garage or shed at home, around the house or discovered in the street when local councils conduct bulk junk verge collections. Some people might consider building and driving a billy cart to be a bit old fashioned in this age of computers, technological advancement and continual change. Nevertheless, building and driving a billy cart is a justifiable form of recreation which is not only a fun activity, but a healthy one too. Parents and grandparents also understand that there is a wonderful opportunity for them to build strong bonds with their children or grandchildren during quality time spent together, working and playing with the billy cart. They understand that constructing a billy cart contributes to children’s learning and the development of practical skills through involvement in a real-life application. In the instructions which follow, the directions and suggestions given allow for great flexibility and recognise that everybody’s circumstances will be different. There is recognition that not everybody will have access to the sizes, quantities

and types of material suggested. With this idea in mind, the instructions which follow should be considered as building guidelines only and those constructing the billy cart are encouraged to alter and modify any aspect of the project as they may need to do. So now it’s time to get started. Have fun and take pleasure in the whole billy cart adventure. It’s an experience you will never forget. During their search, the boys came across dozens of different images and designs for billy carts. They agreed that some of the unique features on those carts might look really good if incorporated into their cart. Keeping that idea in mind, they printed out several pictures of billy carts with special features that included a roll bar, enclosed sides, a push bar, raised driver’s seat, front and rear bumpers and one that actually had a roof over the driver. With plans and pictures in his hand, Toby hurried outside to find Grandy near the driveway pruning his roses. “This is the one we’re going to build Grandy,” announced Toby. “But we’ll probably change a few things and add some stuff to it later.” Grandy looked at the instructions for a minute or two and then suggested they take a look in the garage to see what timber he had there. According to Grandy, he had all the wood they would need, but some of the sizes would be slightly different to those suggested in the instructions. He also said he had the hex head and cup head bolts, washers and nuts, split pins and wood screws. He thought he had some brackets somewhere that could be used to attach the axles to the wooden s, but he’d have to hunt for them. Needless to say, of course he had all the tools required. “Otherwise, I’ll just make you some brackets. I’ll cut some short pieces off that length of 50-millimetre angle iron that’s been lying under the bench for years. I don’t have a use for it now and you’re only going to need four small brackets anyway,” pondered Grandy. Unfortunately, the only things he didn’t have were the most important things. He had no wheels or axles and they needed about two metres of good, thick rope for the steering. Toby looked back at Tim and shook his head in disbelief. Without wheels, there was no point in even starting to build the cart.

This was Tim’s first time at Toby’s grandparents’ house, and he felt a bit uncomfortable because he couldn’t really do anything to help. He had been standing back out of the way while Toby and Grandy sorted through the timber and hardware. When Grandy announced that he had no wheels and axles, Tim saw his opportunity to finally contribute something to the project. “I think I know where we can get some wheels and axles,” claimed Tim. “Toby, did you notice on the way over here, there were piles of junk on the nature strip outside some peoples’ houses? I reckon the local council must be having one of those special rubbish collections soon. We might be able to get some wheels off a pram, or a small bike, or something like that.” “Now that’s an excellent idea, Tim,” said Grandy. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll get the car out and we’ll go and see what we can find.” “If we can find some good wheels, we’ll be working on our cart by this afternoon,” Toby predicted confidently. Grandy put a hacksaw, cold chisel, hammer, pliers, two screwdrivers and a set of spanners in the boot. He promised Nan they would be home by no later than one o’clock, in time for lunch. They set off in the direction of Toby’s house and within about ten minutes they came to the first junk pile. Grandy slowed right down and the boys started looking for anything with wheels. There was plenty of old furniture, mattresses, washing machines and driers, computer monitors, old TVs, microwaves, suit cases, barbeques and lots of plastic toys. Some of the toys had wheels but they were far too small for a billy cart.

Toby, Tim and Grandy searching for wheels and axles amongst piles of household junk left on people’s nature strips.

Grandy continued along the street, and then turned left into a cul-de-sac. On the nature strip outside the first house in the street, Toby spotted an old golf buggy. It had two large, moulded plastic wheels with hard, black, plastic tyres, and they were connected by an axle of round, steel bar. Grandy stopped the car and turned off the engine. The two boys were out of the car in a flash and ran over to the buggy. It was rusty in places and the frame was badly twisted, but the wheels and axle appeared to be in good condition. “Grandy, these wheels will be okay, won’t they? Can we get these ones?” pleaded Toby. “Considering the rest of the buggy, the tyres and rims are actually pretty good. The rims will need a clean-up though,” said Grandy. He walked back to the car, opened the boot and took out his hacksaw. He cut through the buggy frame just above the point where the axle went through it. He then did the same on the other side. “When we get home, I’ll use the angle grinder to cut off the remaining frame. I think these wheels would be best on the back of your cart. They’re big and they will carry your weight better,” advised Grandy. With the wheels and axle safely stowed away in the boot, they continued down the street. They saw nothing else of interest in the cul-de-sac and turned back onto the main road. Grandy crawled along the curb side, much to the annoyance of other motorists, some of whom seemed not too pleased at having to go around the slow-moving car. It was getting late, around twelve thirty, when Grandy decided they could only look for another ten or fifteen minutes. Nan would have lunch on the table, and she would not be too impressed if they got home much after one.

They were about to turn around and head home, when Tim spotted the front of what looked like a pram. Jutting out from behind an upturned wardrobe, the object was just visible from the road. “Look, over there, behind the wardrobe. It’s a pram, I’m sure it’s a pram. I can see a red wheel and black tyre,” shouted Tim. The car came to an abrupt halt. Tim hopped out from the back seat and quickly found a path through all the furniture and other junk. He reached the wardrobe and signalled back to the car for Toby to come. It wasn’t a pram, but the remains of the biggest lawnmower Tim had ever seen. There were two wheels on the front and just an axle with no wheels on the back. The front wheel hubs were painted metal with thick, black rubber tyres.

“They look really solid, don’t they? They’ll be perfect for the front of the cart. It’s a shame the back wheels are missing. It would have looked wicked with four wheels all the same colour and size. You know, just like the alloy rims on a car,” pondered Toby. Grandy then informed the boys, “Well, strictly speaking, while this is a type of lawnmower, back in my day they called these brush cutters. The slang name for them was a weed whacker. At one time, it probably had something like a Briggs & Stratton four stroke petrol engine. They were designed to cut through thick, overgrown grass and scrub. They had a clutch and handbrake and often had two bicycle-size wheels on the back. Those wheels would have been far too big for your cart anyway.” While Toby lifted the lid, Tim and Grandy strained and struggled to lift the battered old machine and place it into the boot. Even without the engine, cutting blade and back wheels, the brush cutter was still too big for the boot. The back half and handle were sticking out by about half a metre. Grandy ended up fastening the boot lid to the tow bar with a couple of occy straps. “I’ll help you strip the wheels and axle from the frame after lunch. It shouldn’t take too long and then you can get started building your cart,” said Grandy, as they finally set off home. It was nearly two o’clock by the time they had finished lunch and unloaded the contents of Grandy’s boot. They placed the buggy wheels on one of the workbenches and put the brush cutter on the floor next to it. Just minutes later, Grandy wandered into the garage and put on his long welding gloves and a leather welder’s apron. He took his angle grinder from its plastic carry case and proceeded to change the grinding disc to a metal cutting disc. Finally, he put on ear muffs and safety glasses.

Grandy using his angle grinder to remove the wheels and axles from the golf buggy and brush cutter.

“Right, you two, stand back over there and cover your ears,” ordered Grandy. The grinder sent sparks flying across the workshop floor as the cutting disc easily sliced through the metal framework. As Grandy had previously explained to Toby, the sparks were really tiny, red hot pieces of metal that could burn holes in anything they touched. Depending on what it was cutting, a grinder had a noise rating of about 100 decibels and according to Grandy that could easily damage your hearing. Grandy was always full of interesting facts, figures and tips which he liked to share with Toby whenever they were working together in the garage. In fact, Toby knew a great deal about all the hand tools and power tools in Grandy’s workshop. Thanks to Grandy, he knew how to use nearly all of them. But most importantly, Toby understood the potential dangers posed by tools if used carelessly or inappropriately. Grandy had drummed the safety message into him since he was very little. In no time at all, Grandy separated the front wheels and axle from the brush cutter and did the same with what remained of the buggy frame. “Gee, thanks heaps, Grandy,” said Toby as he gazed at the two very different sets of wheels. “They’re going to look awesome on our cart Tim. Come on let’s get started.” “You’ve got everything you need now, haven’t you? Give me a yell if you want anything.” Grandy took off all his protective gear and headed back to his beloved rose garden. He still had a lot of pruning to do. Toby then instructed Tim, “Sit on the floor with your legs out in front. I’ll measure from your back to the bottom of your feet. That’ll give us an idea of how long the main frame centre board will need to be.” Toby grabbed one of Grandy’s tape measures from a drawer under the bench and

proceeded to measure Tim. “That’s 900 millimetres. We’ll need to add something extra after the footrest, you know, for attaching the front wooden axle . Say, about, another 200 millimetres? What do you reckon? That should be plenty long enough,” Toby announced confidently. Tim hesitated for a few seconds as he studied the outstretched tape. He was trying to imagine what the cart would look like from a bird’s eye view. “Yeah, that sounds good, but what about adding a bit behind the driver’s seat to put a toolbox? You know, it would really be like a pretend boot. We could put some tools in there in case we need to do repairs, or it could just be to carry some of our stuff,” suggested Tim. “Okay, how much will we add for that? What about another 200 millimetres? That’ll make the centre board exactly 1.3 metres long.” He pulled the tape out a bit further. “It’s going to be a pretty long cart,” declared Toby. Apart from the length of the main frame board, the boys agreed that they would try to follow the instructions set out in the six-page plan they had ed from the Net. By the time Toby’s mum came to pick up the boys, they had measured and cut the centre board, cross pieces for mounting both the front and rear axles, some of the pieces for the driver’s seat and a couple of small pieces to use for the boot. On the trip home, Toby told his mum all about their day and Tim chipped in with particular details about the hunt for wheels amongst all the piles of junk. Tim’s mum was out the front watering the garden when at last they pulled into his driveway. The two mums spoke briefly and Tim said goodbye to Toby. Then Tim’s mum stuck her head through the open back window and spoke to Toby. “I’m sorry, Toby, but Tim won’t be able to come with you tomorrow or the next day. My sister has gone into hospital and I’m going to stay at her house to look after her two children while she’s away. Tim can’t stay here on his own, so he’ll be coming with me. We should be back by Thursday if everything goes well.” The boys looked mournfully at each other. Tim walked slowly back to the car.

“You keep working on the cart and the next time I come over you can show me how much you’ve done to it. It’ll be sort of like getting a big surprise. Anyway, when the cart’s finished it’ll be yours to keep. Especially seeing as it’s your Grandy who has supplied most of the materials and allowed us to use his tools,” reasoned Tim. “Yes, I know Tim, but I thought that if we both worked on it, we would share it. We’ll get more fun out of it if we use it together. We can just take turns at driving and pushing it.” Next morning, Toby arrived at Nan and Grandy’s around eight thirty. They were expecting to see Tim again and were quite surprised to hear that he wouldn’t be coming back for a few more days, at the earliest. Nan could see that Toby was disappointed and feeling a little sad about Tim’s absence. She suggested he get straight to work on the cart. “It’s unfortunate that Tim couldn’t come, but I think you’re quite capable of building it on your own. And he can still help you work on it when he comes back,” said Nan, trying to encourage Toby. “If you need any help or advice, you only have to ask,” added Grandy. Apart from coming up to the house for morning tea, lunch and toilet breaks, Toby spent the entire day toiling away in Grandy’s workshop. He used a crosscut saw as he continued cutting timber for the cart’s toolbox and driver’s seat. He felt good about what he had achieved but decided not to do too much of the work without Tim. He decided he would build the toolbox, or pretend boot as Tim called it. It was only a small part of the whole project and it would leave plenty of work still to do. Toby selected the materials he wanted, measured them and cut them to length. Then thoughtfully, he arranged the wooden segments on the workshop floor. He carefully drilled, then glued and screwed the pieces together, starting with four corner frames, then the two ends and finally all the pieces for both sides. When ed together, the plywood base, the ends and sides created a rectangular box without a top. At the time, Toby wasn’t sure what they would use for the boot lid, but he was sure Tim would have a good idea for that.

Toby looked for another task he could do that wouldn’t affect the construction work too much. He decided to clean up the rims of the golf buggy wheels. He searched through Grandy’s supply of sandpaper and found a torn sheet of 80-grit with which to strip off the flaking paint and rust. With all the loose surface material removed, Toby then chose a 120-grit sandpaper to further level the surface. Finally, he used a fine 240-grit paper to get a smooth finish. All up, it took him more than an hour to prepare both wheels for painting. “Grandy, I’m ready to paint the buggy wheels. Have you got any silver paint? I think silver paint will make them look more like mag wheels,” Toby asked hopefully, as he held the wheels out for Grandy to inspect. Grandy had finished pruning all the roses and was in the process of raking all the cuttings into one huge pile. They would be put through a garden mulcher later. It was an enormous task that took him several days each year. He studied each wheel and nodded his approval. “You’ve done a pretty good job. Well done! Now, I don’t know about silver paint. We’ll have to have a look and see what we can find tomorrow. It’s getting late now and your mum will be here soon to get you.” As they walked back to the house, Grandy thought more about the wheels. “They’re going to need a coat of primer first anyway, regardless of what colour you paint them. I know I’ve got half a tin of grey primer somewhere,” insisted Grandy. First thing next morning, Toby and his Grandy examined dozens of paint tins and partly used spray cans. Tins of leftover interior and exterior house paint in a variety of colours were in plentiful supply, but there was no silver. There were some spray cans of heat resistant automotive engine paint in both Ford blue and Holden red, but no silver. Grandy had cans of touch up paint for both his car and Nan’s car. Unfortunately, neither car was silver. There was also special paint for rusty metalwork which would be ideal, but only in mid Brunswick green and delicious red. They did however, manage to locate the grey primer needed for the undercoat.

“I’m sorry, Toby, but it looks like we’ve got just about every colour except silver. Perhaps we can buy a spray can from the hardware store? You only need a small amount.” After thinking a little more about the situation, Grandy added, “You know, there is actually a colour called chrome that looks very much like real chrome. If they’ve got it, and it’s not too expensive, maybe we’ll get that instead?” “I’ll pay for the paint. I mean, I’ll pay you back, Grandy. I’ve got pocket money saved up at home and I’ll bring it when we come tomorrow,” promised Toby. There was one of those huge supermarket type hardware stores only four or five kilometres from Grandy’s house. Yet Grandy only went there when he couldn’t get what he wanted elsewhere. He preferred his local hardware store which was within walking distance of home. It was a small, family owned store that seemed to have just about everything Grandy needed. The people knew Grandy by his first name and he knew exactly where to find things amongst the aisles. A trip to the hardware store with Grandy was always an interesting and informative event. Grandy would tell Toby about the all the different tools, machinery and handyman products. He would explain the good points and shortcomings of particular items and regularly repeated his personal belief that you only get what you pay for. “Take these two wood chisels for example. They are both the same size and shape, and apart from the handles look identical. This one has a blue plastic handle, steel blade and was made in China. It costs $12.95.” Grandy handed it to Toby to inspect. He flipped it over in his hand and for a moment he pretended it was a small Japanese samurai sword. “Be careful, it’s very sharp. Now look at this one. It has a turned wooden handle, stainless steel blade and was made in . It costs $34.95. That’s nearly three times the price. The cheaper one is okay for occasional use, but a carpenter who uses a chisel everyday would want the more expensive one. He knows it is a quality tool that will last because it has been made using only the best materials available. Do you understand the difference?” asked Grandy, as he handed the second chisel to Toby. Toby held a chisel in each hand and hefted them to see if one was heavier than

the other. Toby imagined that lighter one was now a dagger and the other a large samurai sword, and that he was a ninja fighting baddies. “The one with the wooden handle is definitely heavier and it feels better to hold. The chisel blade is much shinier as well. I bet it’s sharper too,” declared Toby. From the tool shop they walked to the back of the store and to the paint department. All the spray cans were displayed on shelves in cages behind wire gates. All the gates were padlocked. Almost immediately, Toby spotted a spray can with a silver lid. Looking further along the shelf he found another can also with a silver lid. The cans were the same size but the labels were quite distinctive and the prices were very different. “Grandy, I’ve found two cans of silver paint. But why are they different prices?” queried Toby.

Toby and his Grandy visit the local hardware store in search of silver paint

“Well, one is a general purpose, gloss enamel paint that can be used on just about anything. The other is specially designed for use on metal, especially rusty metal. It contains chemicals that react with the metal and prevent further rust from developing. That’s why it’s more expensive.” “Which one should I get for the billy cart?” asked Toby, hoping Grandy would say the cheaper one. “I think the general purpose one is good enough for your wheels, but let’s just see if they have the chrome colour first.” Together they searched high and low and soon found a collection of cans on the bottom shelf at the far end of the cage. They all had green and white labels and metal coloured lids. The lids were coloured to match aluminium, copper, brass, gold, and there was even another silver lid. At the very end of the shelf pushed back in a corner, finally a chrome lid. “Wow, it’s just like looking in a mirror. It’s a bit dusty, but I can see myself reflected on the lid. My face looks really wide and fat,” giggled Toby, as he imagined himself looking a bit like one of those mutant ninja turtle characters. He stood up from his kneeling position on the floor and looked down at Grandy who was still squatting in front of the cage. “I can’t see a price. We’ll have to go and ask,” Grandy told Toby, as he led the way to the paint counter. The man behind the counter was the store’s owner, and he greeted Grandy like an old friend. When Grandy asked the price of the paint, the man reached under the counter and brought out a level arch file bulging with pages. He flicked through them and eventually found what he was looking for. “Gee, that paint has been in stock for a long time. Its right price is $18 but I’m happy to see it go. You can have it for nine. You should be happy with that?”

urged the store owner. Grandy looked at Toby and he immediately nodded his approval. He had more than $9 saved up at home and could easily repay that amount. By the time they got home it was late afternoon. The day had gone so quickly and now there was barely time to undercoat the buggy wheels. Toby found a stick with which to stir the grey primer and a paint brush small enough to get in amongst the wheel spokes. The primer was easy to apply but Toby took his time with the painting. He needed a slow, steady hand to ensure he did not get paint on the black rubber tyres. Toby finished painting the second wheel and was using a rag soaked in turps to clean the paint off his hands, when his mum’s car came down the driveway. Later, as they ate dinner with Nan and Grandy, Toby recounted the day’s events to his mum. They had beef and vegetable stew with gravy and dumplings followed by one of Nan’s famous apple pies for dessert. She served it piping hot with a large dollop of whipped cream that quickly melted on top. Toby really loved his Nan’s cooking, especially her desserts. As Toby hoed into the cream covered pie, he thought about what he had achieved while his friend was away. He was looking forward to Tim coming with him next time and he couldn’t wait to show him what he’d done. He hoped that Tim would be pleased with his effort. The sun was still coming up when Toby jumped out of bed, quickly got dressed in his work clothes and crept out the front door. He dashed across the road to Tim’s house and rang the doorbell. He waited patiently but there was no response, so he pressed the doorbell twice more. A while later and still nobody came, so he put his ear to the door and listened intently. Sad to say, he couldn’t hear a sound from inside. In dismay, Toby turned despondently and began walking slowly down the veranda steps. He was so looking forward to spending the day with his friend. What a disappointing turn of events this was. At that moment, he heard the door open behind him and a voice call his name. Toby spun around to the sight of Tim standing in his pyjamas, barefoot, hair all over the place and looking very sleepy. “I thought you weren’t home. I was really worried,” itted a relieved Toby.

“We didn’t get home from my Auntie’s house until after midnight. Mum’s still asleep, I think. Are you ready to go to your Nan and Grandy’s house right now?” muttered Tim, still yawning and rubbing his eyes. “No, not right this minute. I haven’t had breakfast yet. I just wanted to make sure you were coming with us today. You are still coming, aren’t you?” Toby asked hopefully. “Mum said I could go if it was still okay with your mum and your grandparents. I’ll get dressed in a minute, have some breakfast and be over your house as quick as I can,” promised Tim. As it turned out, Tim didn’t really need to rush. He was over at Toby’s house well before eight and with heaps of time to spare. By the time they reached Nan and Grandy’s house, Toby had filled Tim in on all the events of the previous two days. All that remained was for Tim to sanction the work Toby had done and then they could finally get on with building the cart and doing the really fun stuff. Toby valued Tim’s opinion highly and was very keen to get his nod of approval before they did anymore work on the cart. After all, Tim had attended that prestigious private school since Year One and his mum was always saying what a good student he was, and how well he was doing. He was a school prefect, a member of the school band and captain of the junior soccer team. Therefore, by Toby’s reckoning, anything Tim suggested or any ideas he had must be worthy of consideration. Tim on the other hand, was more than happy to go along with whatever Toby wanted to do. Tim was encouraged by Toby’s energy and enthusiasm. Toby inspired him to do things he hadn’t done before and to get involved in tasks he would otherwise never attempt. He was impressed by the thoughtful and methodical way Toby approached any practical task. Whenever something needed to be built, repaired, or altered in some way, Tim was confident that Toby had the knowhow and skills to get the job done. But most of all, Tim was envious of the relationship Toby had with his grandy. His own grandad died when he was very little and he didn’t much about him. His other grandad, his dad’s dad, lived interstate. Tim got on really well with him but because he only visited the family twice a year, Tim never

really got to make that special connection with him. Tim saw how close Toby was to his Grandy and had a sense of the strong bond that existed between them. Despite all his accomplishments and success at school, he craved for a similar relationship with his own grandad. Toby led the way into the garage and headed straight to the buggy wheels. The primer had dried overnight and they were now ready for the topcoat. “I can’t wait to see what the rims look like with chrome paint. We’ll have to cover the tyres with masking tape this time. If we don’t, the spray paint will get on them and spoil their appearance,” hinted Toby, as he ed a roll of masking tape to Tim.

Tim took the hint and immediately began running a strip of tape around the circumference of one tyre. While he continued with that, Toby grabbed the cart’s toolbox off the bench and brought it over for his inspection. “This is the toolbox. I mean boot. What do you reckon? I didn’t know what to do about the boot lid though. Got any ideas?” asked Toby.

“Gee, that looks good. Should hold quite a bit of stuff too. Hmm. You know what? There is an empty liquorice tin in the storeroom at home. It held about a kilo of liquorice allsorts and it’s pretty big. Actually, it’s probably too big, but we can cut the lid down if we need to. I reckon we can make it fit, no worries,” assured Tim. Apart from a couple of toilet stops and short breaks for morning tea, lunch and an afternoon snack, the boys worked steadily throughout the day. As they toiled, they talked about their work, about what was to be done next and about their plans for the billy cart when it was finished. They both agreed that the steep hill on Fourth Avenue East near the river would be an ideal place to test the cart. Grandy wandered into the garage several times during the day to check on the boys’ progress and to see if they needed anything. Each time, he tended to hang around for a while and offer helpful advice, though in point of fact, none was required. Surprisingly, he seemed to be at a bit of a loose end which Toby thought was quite out of the ordinary for his Grandy. Grandy always had some project he was working on or particular maintenance job to complete. Unimaginable as it may be, Tim had never painted anything using a can of spray paint. Toby demonstrated how to adjust the spray nozzle for vertical or horizontal spraying patterns. He explained that it was important to apply the paint in a series of light coats rather than one heavy, thick coat which was likely to make the paint run. The wheels were dangling from two distorted wire coat hangers that were themselves suspended by strings tied to the overhead steel brackets. This put them at about shoulder height and enabled them to be painted on both sides without having to be touched or moved. Toby put on a face mask that covered his nose and mouth. It would prevent him from inhaling microscopic droplets of paint and toxic paint fumes. According to Grandy, you must always protect your airways when spray painting. Toby held the spray can about 25 centimetres away from each wheel and moved it from side to side as he sprayed. After applying the first coat to each wheel he decided to allow an hour for the paint to dry. The instructions on the can recommended thirty minutes, but Toby thought he’d play it safe and allow extra

time. At that moment, he stood back and ired his work. Even with only one coat, the rims were looking absolutely fantastic. His skill with a spray can was down to Grandy’s excellent coaching and as a result, he was now a first-rate spray painter. When he finished high school, he thought he might like to do an apprenticeship as a spray painter and specialise in painting drag racers in brilliant, iridescent colours with flames down the sides. In the meantime, while that first coat was drying, the boys worked together to attach the front and rear axles to the wooden axle s. They used the brackets Grandy had cut and pre-drilled for them. One side of each L-shaped bracket had four countersunk holes for screws and the other side one large hole big enough to accommodate the diameter of the axle.

At this point, the boys experienced their first real failure. After screwing the brackets onto the front wooden axle , they were unable to thread the axle through both holes. It didn’t matter which end they started from, the axle would go through the first hole but not the second. The brackets appeared to be straight, but still the holes didn’t quite line up. “What have we done wrong? If we can’t get this one right, how are we going to do the back axle? I don’t get it,” confessed a frustrated Toby. Tim put his hand on Toby’s shoulder and assured him, “I bet your Grandy will know what to do. I think you better go and ask him to come and have a look.” In no time at all, Toby was back with Grandy. He scrutinized the boys’ work for less than a minute, before announcing that the problem was easily fixed. “Unscrew both brackets, thread the axle through both of them first, then, with the axle in place, reposition the brackets and screw them down again. Use a set square to make sure the axle is at right angles to the end of the ,” directed Grandy. “I’ll stay and make sure you’ve got it right this time.” Tim held the axle and brackets in position. Toby was able to use the original screw holes to reattach the first bracket. However, two new holes had to be drilled for the second bracket after the set square clearly showed where they’d gone wrong. A relieved Toby expressed his gratitude, “Thanks, Grandy. You’ve saved the day. We should be right to do the other axle now. Thanks again for that.”

Toby decided they’d leave the second axle and brackets for the time being. It was time for Tim to finish painting the buggy wheels. “All right Tim. Now it’s your turn. Firstly though, a light sandpapering before the topcoat goes on. Use this super-fine 400-grit paper and rub lightly,” instructed Toby as he handed the blue and grey coloured paper to Tim. Tim carefully rubbed the rims and each individual spoke just sufficiently to remove the shine from the surface. He then used a clean, soft rag to dust off any loose particles. It seemed a shame to remove the shiny chrome finish but Toby’s instructions had to be followed. Toby nodded his head approvingly as he examined each wheel. “Great job Tim! You’re ready to paint. The nozzle is in the correct position. All you need to do is apply the paint in light coats the same way I did. Just take your time and make sure you cover everything. And don’t forget to cover your face too.” While Tim got on with the painting, Toby moved to the other side of the workshop. He put on safety glasses before cutting the last two pieces of wood for the driver’s seat. He drilled holes for the screws and countersunk them. He then smeared a small amount of PVA glue on both surfaces before placing them in corner clamps and assembling the pieces. Toby thought the seat looked pretty awesome, but wondered if adding a small cushion later, might improve comfort for the driver. Anyway, it was now ready to be ed to the main frame centre board.

Tim came over to check out Toby’s driver’s seat, and then they both walked back to where the buggy wheels were hanging. After patting each other on the back and congratulating themselves for a job well done, they decided it was time to knock-off for the day. They were both feeling quite tired, not that either of them would ever it that to anyone. “Tomorrow, if you want to Tim, you can mask up the mower wheels, rub them down and give them a coat of chrome as well. Imagine the cart with four shiny, chrome wheels. It’s going to be the best-looking cart ever,” promised Toby. It was starting to get dark when Toby’s mum pulled up in the driveway. Toby greeted his mum as usual, “Hi, Mum. We’ve had a great day. We got heaps done on the cart.” While the boys gathered up their possessions ready to go home, Grandy went through a brief review of the day’s activity with his daughter. Amongst other positive comments, he made a point of praising the boys for their perseverance and great attention to detail. He particularly liked the way they adopted all the safety measures he had instilled in Toby over the years. Meanwhile, the boys had overheard Grandy’s summary and were now smiling at each other as they walked towards the car. “It was a great day, wasn’t it?” agreed Tim, as they waved goodbye to Nan and Grandy standing on the veranda. The boys had intended to discuss their plans for the next day on the way home, but they were just too tired to do anything more than gaze out of the car window at the ing lights. They each sat silently and reminisced about the day. Tim was so tired, that he fell asleep in the back seat well before they got to Toby’s house. Toby’s mum put her hand softly on Tim’s shoulder and gave it a gentle rub. “We’re home Tim. It’s time to wake up, little man. Tim, come on, wake up please. Your mum will have a lovely hot dinner waiting for you.” Tim finally sat up straight, wiped a little bit of dribble from the corner of his

mouth and crawled out of the car. He yawned and thanked everyone, “Thanks for a terrific day. See you tomorrow. Goodnight.” Next morning, it was pouring with rain and the sky was dark grey. Tim got rather wet just running across the road to Toby’s house, even with a rain jacket on. It rained steadily all the way to Nan and Grandy’s and there were even a few flashes of lightning in the distance. “Now don’t forget, your dad’s picking you up tonight. I’ll see you sometime tomorrow afternoon. Have a good day you two. Be good for Nan and Grandy won’t you?” Toby said goodbye and gave his mum a kiss before the two boys made a dash for the back veranda. The rain was still coming down in torrents and there were puddles everywhere. The puddles were so big and deep, they were impossible to avoid. The boys splashed their way onto the veranda where Nan was waiting for them. She had a large bath towel on her arm which she handed to Toby. He hurriedly dried his face, neck, hands and hair before ing the towel to Tim, who stood patiently at the top of the veranda steps. Grandy walked out onto the back veranda and confessed, “I’ve got to say, without a doubt, this is the most relentless, steady rain I’ve seen in years. It hasn’t let up since about five o’clock this morning.” Grandy was wearing a three-quarter length, heavy duty oilskin coat, zipped up to the neck. His beat-up old Akubra was pulled down over his forehead and his wet weather kit was completed by knee height, wellington boots and a large, red and white golf umbrella. By now, the puddles on the driveway had disappeared and their place had been taken by a lake, stretching almost the full length of the driveway. It was just starting to overflow into the garden bed along the side fence. The pool of water in front of the garage was getting deeper and was gradually moving closer to the open doorway. If the deluge continued much longer, there was a strong chance that the garage and workshop would be inundated. The street drains in front of the house were also contributing to the dilemma. They seemed unable to cope with the volume of water. The overflow from the street gutter was now spilling into the driveway and adding to the rapidly expanding lake.

“Come on, boys. There’ll be no building of billy carts today if the workshop gets flooded. We’ve got to try and divert the water away from the garage. Follow me and I’ll show you what we’re going to do,” insisted Grandy, as he motioned for the boys to follow him. With Grandy leading the way, the trio made it to the far end of the garage where Grandy parked his car. From there, they moved ed Nan’s car and down to the back corner of the workshop. Propped up in the corner next to the steel cabinet was a selection of garden tools. Toby was caught by surprise when Grandy thrust a narrow trenching shovel into his hand. Tim was waiting and ready when he was presented with a regular garden spade. Grandy grabbed a long handled, wide mouth digging shovel and the three returned quickly to the front of the garage. “We need to direct the water away from here and towards the laneway at the side of the house. Start digging trenches in the garden bed between the roses and work your way across to the picket fence. The laneway slopes away from us and runs slightly downhill. With a bit of luck, the water will drain off and flow down that way,” explained Grandy, pointing beyond the garage to the next street. “Hey Tim, this is great fun, don’t you reckon? In fact, I think it’s quite exciting,” Toby itted, as he began shovelling sand furiously. “I’ve always loved digging holes.” Grandy started digging right next to the garage and was moving a considerable quantity of sand with each scoop of his big shovel. Toby was about three metres away and Tim a further two metres down the driveway. As fast as they dug the trenches, the water began filling them. A natural slope soon had the water flowing rapidly along each one towards the fence. Grandy’s trench was the first to reach the picket fence. Once there, he changed direction and turned parallel to the fence and began digging a wider ditch in which the water could pool while it filtering through the gaps between the pickets. He worked his way along the fence until his ditch intersected with Toby’s trench. Toby hopped out of Grandy’s way and watched with iration as he continued digging frantically alongside the fence. Toby couldn’t believe just how fast he was. The water in the ditch was half way up Grandy’s wellington boots when he

eventually ed up with Tim’s trench. Meanwhile, the rain had finally eased to a light drizzle. Rainwater from the street was no longer spilling off the road and Grandy was especially relieved to see that. Grandy took the spade from Tim’s hand and together they trudged across to where Toby was standing. By now the ditch was almost full, as water continued to drain off the driveway. The lake that had threatened to flood the garage and workshop was receding at a noticeable rate. It seemed that Grandy’s clever thinking had averted what would have been a minor catastrophe.

Toby, Tim and Grandy work together to prevent the garage and workshop from being inundated by rainwater during a prolonged, torrential downpour.

Half an hour later, they were standing on the back veranda having a fairly late morning tea and delighting in the first bit of sunshine for the day. “Well, that settles it. The driveway has flooded before, but never like that. I think it’s unavoidable, but we’re going to have to get a plumber in. It’ll mean ripping up a big section of the driveway and putting in one of those huge concrete soak wells, you know, the ones you can drive your car over. Unfortunately though, it won’t be cheap, Nan,” warned Grandy. After a late lunch, the boys finally made it back into the workshop. They had lost around four hours of what should have been billy cart building time. Tim went straight across to where the buggy wheels were hanging. He carefully unhooked them and began cautiously removing the masking tape. Toby started off by measuring the main frame centre board to find the middle point. Accurate measuring was important now, as this would be the steering end of the cart. Next, he drilled a 12-millimetre hole for the hex head bolt that would connect the front axle frame to the main frame. He had to repeat the process for the frame, but this time he had to make an adjustment. In order to avoid drilling into the steel axle mounted on the underside of the frame, Toby moved the centred hole forward by 20 millimetres. Looking across to where he was standing, Toby called, “Tim, can you hold the main frame while I thread the bolt through? I can’t do it on my own. It’s too hard trying to hold both sections, line them up, position three washers on the bolt and put the nut on too.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ve just finished. Check these out. What do you reckon? Aren’t they absolutely wicked? I reckon they’re going to look like those alloy wheels you see on some sports cars,” insisted Tim, standing them up on the bench for Toby to inspect. All the lights were on in the garage and workshop when Toby’s dad arrived to collect the boys. Toby rushed out to meet his dad and immediately urged him to come and see what they’d done. During what remained of the day, they had worked tirelessly and managed to attach both the front and rear axle s onto the main frame. All four wheels were now on the cart. Both ends of the front axle were threaded which meant that the lawnmower wheels were secured between washers and nuts. The buggy wheels were secured between washers with cotter pins through the axle.

“Well, you have been working hard, haven’t you? I love the silver wheels. Where did you get them from?” Toby’s dad asked. “They’re not silver, Dad, they’re chrome.” Toby suddenly realised that he hadn’t kept his dad up to date with what they’d been doing. “I’ll tell you all about it on the way to Tim’s house,” answered Toby. “It’s really been a great day, despite all the rain we had. Actually, the rain made the day more entertaining and exciting. Wait ’til I tell you about the flood we nearly had,” continued Toby. The journey home turned out to be an informative one, with Toby leading the conversation and Tim frequently adding additional facts about their day and more importantly, about their plans for the billy cart. Toby’s dad could barely get a word in, but by the time they turned into Tim’s driveway, he was certainly fully informed about everything. On the way to his dad’s house, Toby inquired, “Are we doing anything special tonight or tomorrow? I wish I could have done some more work on the cart.” “Well, I’ve got no special plans for tonight, but tomorrow the Fire and Emergency Services are having an open day. I thought you might like to go along and have a look.” Toby hesitated. “Oh, okay…Dad, what’s an open day?” Toby’s dad responded with a smile, “It means that of the public are allowed to visit fire stations and get to see first-hand all the fire engines and equipment up close. The firemen will be putting on demonstrations of firefighting and going through rescue drills. It should be very interesting.” After dinner, Toby spent a long time in the bath, allowing the warm water to soothe his aching muscles. All that frantic digging had taken its toll and he was feeling very tired. He wanted to watch some Friday night football but was struggling to keep his eyes open. It wasn’t too long before he announced he was off to bed. As tired as Toby was, his brain wasn’t about to let him sleep straight away. Lying

there with his eyes closed, he reflected on a memorable day. He was particularly pleased with the progress made on the billy cart. There wasn’t all that much to do now and it would soon be finished. He also felt proud of the effort he and Tim put in to stop the flood waters entering the workshop. Briefly, he contemplated what might have happened had the workshop flooded. Sometime next week, a plumber would come with a bobcat to dig up the driveway and he might even use a crane to install the soak well too. He couldn’t wait to see that. According to Grandy, a plumber’s job involves construction, maintenance and repair work, and installing a drainage system was just one small part of the job. As well, they do work on hot water systems, connection of gas services and anything to do with water supply. They also get paid heaps of money. As he finally drifted off to sleep, Toby’s last thoughts were that he’d like to earn lots of money and that perhaps he might like to be a plumber. The open day at the local fire station turned out to be much more than Toby had anticipated. Not only did he get to see the fire engines up close, but he was allowed to sit in the driver’s seat of a pumper and turn on the red, white and blue flashing lights. A pumper is a fire engine that has the equipment to pump water at the scene of a fire. According to the fireman sitting next to him in the cab, the truck was also a rescue and recovery vehicle which was why it was so big. It had storage lockers with roller doors on both sides of the truck. The lockers contained all sorts of equipment for rescuing trapped and injured people. Later, Toby and his dad watched a gripping demonstration where two firemen used what appeared to be a square ended pair of giant, brass coloured, chunky looking scissors, to cut the roof off a smashed car and rescue a trapped person. Well actually, the person was a dummy dressed as a lady, but she looked quite real and she even had blood in her hair and on her face.

Toby and his dad attend an open day at a local fire station and witness several exciting and interesting demonstrations.

When the demonstration was finished and people had walked away, Toby went over to have a closer look at the chopped roof. The firemen had put the giant scissors on the ground and were packing up some of the other rescue equipment. “Hello there, young fella. What did you think about that?” asked one of the firemen. “It was awesome! I loved the way those scissors just cut through the steel so easily. And the noise it made; it sounded a bit like tyres squealing in a skid,” answered Toby. “Those special scissors are called the Jaws of Life. The hydraulic jaws make our job easier and help us save lives. It is just so important to get injured people out of their vehicle as quickly as possible,” the friendly fireman explained. “Sometimes we use them to pry open things, things like jammed doors,” he added. A guided tour took small groups of people behind the scenes to see how the firemen lived when they were waiting for an emergency. They saw where the firemen sleep and where they cook their meals. In another area of the station, was a fully fitted out gymnasium with a variety of exercise equipment. There was even a games room with a TV, a pool table and a table tennis table. Shortly after their tour finished, a PA announcement directed people to the rear of the fire station where a fire fighting exercise was to take place. Toby stood on a low wall next to his dad and had an excellent view of the action. Wooden packing crates and some old pieces of furniture were arranged between two blackened concrete walls, presumably representing a small room. The firemen poured some kind of liquid on the old couch and then set fire to it. In no time at all, the flames spread and Toby could feel the heat on his face, even though they were standing well away.

It was fortunate that the wind was blowing the smoke away from the spectators, but the firemen had to wear breathing apparatus to get near the fire. They used hoses connected to a pumper to spray the fire and it was put out almost as quickly as it started. “Now that’s real entertainment. That was so interesting wasn’t it?” said Toby’s dad, as they headed for the sausage sizzle stall. A short while later, the final demonstration involved an extended aluminium ladder which was attached to a turntable and mounted on the back of a massive, articulated fire truck. A fireman climbed the ladder to the top of a four-storey tower, where he picked up another dummy from an open window and carried it down over his shoulder. He climbed up and down the ladder so quickly and made it look so easy; Toby thought the fireman must surely be one of the strongest and bravest people he had ever seen. Toby talked about nothing but firemen and firefighting during the drive back to his mum’s house. He and his dad had thoroughly enjoyed their first ever visit to a working fire station and the experience had left a positive impression on both of them. “It would have to be one of the most interesting and exciting jobs around, don’t you think? Would you like to be a fireman, Dad?” asked Toby, looking across at his dad. “Well, yes, I suppose I would. But the recruitment process is very competitive and they only choose people who are really fit and healthy. According to your Grandy, they also prefer people who have experience in some kind of trade, for example, people like electricians, plumbers, mechanics or carpenters. People like me, with a background in IT may not be what they’re looking for. I must say though, I do like the idea of a change,” itted Toby’s dad. While his mum and dad were talking on the front veranda, Toby unloaded his gear from the car and carried it into the house. A few minutes later, he wandered outside to find his dad was already in the car with the engine running and he seemed eager to leave. “Sorry to rush off Toby, but it’s getting late and I’ve got a few things to do before the shops close. I really need to get going.”

Toby waved goodbye and called out, “Thanks for today, Dad. It was awesome. See you Tuesday night.” Later over dinner, Toby’s mum received a comprehensive run down on the day’s events. Toby listed all the facilities available to the firemen and went into great detail when describing each of the demonstrations. Even lunch got a mention, when Toby declared that the sausage he ate was superior to the barbequed ones he had at his cousin’s house last week. The excitement of the open day carried over to bedtime. Although he was tired, Toby couldn’t stop thinking about it. At one point, he imagined himself driving the big pumper, lights flashing, siren blaring and the diesel engine roaring as he raced to the scene of a multi-car pile-up. When he got there, he used the Jaws of Life to prise open the jammed door of an upturned car and rescue a tiny baby from the back seat. Another time, he went into a burning house with an axe in one hand and the fire hose under his arm and came out nursing five kittens. Everybody cheered wildly and called him a hero. Eventually, his body relaxed and his mind glided towards the land of Nod. Of course by then, his future job aspirations had been modified, and he now seriously considered that he might really like to be a fireman. After all, if it happened that he wasn’t really suited to being a plumber or a carpenter, at least the experience he gained in those occupations would definitely help him become one. That was according to Grandy, so it must be correct. On Sunday, the weekend was rounded off perfectly when the council held a community fair in the local shopping mall. Stretching down both sides of the street was a selection of striped calico and white canvas stalls selling everything from ladies’ fashion and face cream, to furniture and household fittings. There were other stalls selling a variety of food. Some handed out free samples and Toby got to taste some very different and amazing foods. There were lots of rides, but mainly for little kids and a huge bouncy castle thing, in the shape of a pirate ship with slides coming off the deck which was very popular. An animal farm had some very cute and cuddly babies and of course, there was the usual face painting and carnival games. Toby only had one ride, but it was the most exhilarating ride he had ever experienced. An enclosed, compact race track was set up at the far end of the mall. The ride consisted of four motorised go-carts fitted with two stroke

lawnmower engines. After giving instructions to the drivers, the ride operator moved to each cart and pulled a cord to start the engine. He then adjusted the throttle on the side of the engine and it was ready to blast off. The go-carts had only two pedals; an extremely small accelerator pedal and a much larger brake pedal which pulled the cart up very quickly indeed. They didn’t go all that fast but Toby did his best to overtake the other carts as he circled the track. The other drivers were all a bit younger than Toby and less experienced at driving. By the time the ride ended, he had managed to lap two of them twice and the other once. As they walked home from the fair, Toby chatted with his mum. “It’s been a fantastic weekend. I’ve got heaps to tell Tim tomorrow. I wonder why we didn’t see Tim and his mum at the fair.” “Tim’s dad came home on Friday. I saw him getting out of a taxi about four in the afternoon, so I think they probably wanted to spend some quality family time together. He has to travel interstate all the time. It must be hard for Tim and his mum with him away so often. Anyway, I’m sure he’ll have plenty to tell you in the morning,” suggested Toby’s mum, putting her hand on his head. Next morning, Tim was already sitting on the front veranda steps when Toby opened the front door. “Hi Toby. My mum had to go into work early this morning, so I’ve been waiting here since she left. I didn’t want to knock in case I woke you up. I ed to bring the lid from the liquorice tin,” announced Tim, holding it up for Toby to examine. “What do you think? Will it be okay? We’ll have to cut it down a bit, but maybe your Grandy can help us do that?”

Toby took the lid and turned it over a couple of times, then replied, “When you first mentioned it, I wasn’t too sure. I really couldn’t picture it, but now I’ve seen it, I think it’ll be just fine. It looks about the right length, but it’s definitely going to be too wide.” On the trip to Nan and Grandy’s house, the boys exchanged stories about the weekend. Seems Tim’s family spent most of the weekend catching up with friends and visiting relatives. Tim’s dad would be at his company’s office for the next couple of days, but was going east again on Wednesday, much to Tim’s disappointment. He loved having his dad home and wished he had a job where he was at home every night. As they approached his grandparents’ house, Toby noticed that both Nan’s and Grandy’s cars were parked out in the street. That was unusual because they were valued possessions and were always parked in the garage. Toby was curious and couldn’t wait to find out what was going on. “The plumber said he would come sometime today and if we accept his quote, he can start the job straight away. If that happens, and the driveway is dug up, we won’t be able to get the cars out, so they’ll have to stay out there ’til the work’s finished,” explained Grandy. After sharing one of Nan’s freshly baked pumpkin scones, the boys sprinted over to the workshop. All that remained to do now was to attach the driver’s seat, the boot toolbox, and a footrest to the main frame centre board. Toby suggested they attach the boot first. It would sit right at the very end of the main frame and if positioned first, the driver’s seat could then be fastened to it for extra stability. “We should do this together, don’t you think? We can each have a go at checking measurements, drilling holes, putting screws in, or just holding the work while the other one does his thing. That way we can double check each other too.” First off, the boys took turns at either holding the boot or drilling holes in the base. After applying glue to the base of the boot, they sat it on the end of the main frame. Working inside the boot, they took turns to drill through the predrilled holes into the main frame. They used four 10 G X 40 mm countersunk

Philips head screws to secure the boot to the main frame.

Tim stood back and ired the work. “Looks pretty good doesn’t it? I wonder what we’ll end up putting in there. Anyway, now let’s do the driver’s seat. I can’t wait to sit in it, can you?” Toby placed the seat on the main frame and marked its position with a carpenter’s pencil. Using a set square, he then extended the pencil marks around to the underside of the frame. He and Tim then turned the cart over and marked the place where four holes had to be drilled. The idea was to fasten the seat to the frame with four cup-head bolts. According to Grandy, you should never use a nail when a screw will do a better job, and never use a screw when a nut and bolt will hold the work more securely. It was extremely important that the wide driver’s seat was firmly anchored to the narrow main frame. Tim applied glue to the main frame and the underside of the seat. Two adjustable wood clamps then held the seat in place while Toby used Grandy’s cordless drill to bore four holes. Tim placed the four cup-head bolts into the holes and then hammered each head into the wood. He then placed a washer on each bolt, screwed the nuts on and tightened them with a crescent spanner. As Toby had suggested earlier, they also put four screws through the back of the seat and fastened it to the boot. Before though, they placed a 15 cm X 20 cm piece of 12 mm plywood between the seat and boot. This provided clearance, so that the boot lid could be lifted off without obstruction. All up, both tasks were completed in just over half an hour.

In order to place the footrest in the best position, both boys had a turn at sitting in the driver’s seat with their legs extended down the main frame. They then brought both knees up so that their feet were clear of the front wheels when they turned. Tim marked the spot where Toby’s feet came to rest and Toby did the same for Tim. There was a space difference of 120 millimetres between the two pencil lines. “I reckon it’s probably different because you’re a bit taller than me,” suggested Toby. “Let’s put the footrest on the first mark. I’ll just bring my knees up a little bit further. That makes more sense than you trying to reach a footrest that’s too far away from you. I think that’s where it has to go,” advised Tim. “That’s good thinking Tim. If we move it forward 120 millimetres, my feet won’t reach. You’re right of course, it is the only way to do it!” agreed Toby. Toby continued, “We’ll need to cut out a small section of wood on the underside of the footrest so that it slots over the main frame. I think it’s called a cross halving t. At least, I think that’s what it’s called. Anyway, it’ll stop the footrest from swivelling on the main frame.”

Later on, Tim proposed, “Now that you’ve finished the cut out, if it’s okay with you, I’ll finish doing the footrest, and maybe you can ask your Grandy to help us fit the lid on the boot?” By the time Toby came back with Grandy, Tim had finished his work. Two screws and some glue was all it took to secure the footrest to the main frame.

Tim handed the liquorice tin lid to Grandy. He smiled while he looked at the lid and pondered the idea of a billy cart with a boot for tools. As he walked around to the back of the cart, he thought to himself, now that’s using your imagination. He then began checking measurements. Measuring to the outside of the woodwork, the boot measured 340 millimetres in length by 200 millimetres in width. The inside measurements of the lid were 344 millimetres by 274 millimetres. As Toby had predicted, the lid’s length was nearly spot-on. “All we need to cut off is 74 millimetres, less 15 for a turned over lip. So if I measure 215 from the inside edge, that should be right,” muttered Grandy, as he marked the cut using a metal scribe. Toby and Tim looked at each other in bewilderment. They couldn’t understand how he worked it out. Cut 74, less 15, measure 215. Tim shook his head and Toby just shrugged his shoulders. If that’s what Grandy calculated, who were they to question his measurements? “Grandy, will you use the angle grinder to cut it?” asked Toby. “No, we won’t need the grinder for this little job. It’s only tin and it’s very thin metal. A good pair of tin snips will cut through it easily.” Grandy opened a drawer under the bench and took out several pairs of snips. The variety was quite diverse to say the least. They came in different sizes, most of them looked quite old and about half had coloured handles. Some of the cutting blades just looked like big scissors, but others were twisted, quite stubby and very thick. Grandy called the boys over for a closer look. “Now I’m going to teach you something about tin snips. Tin snips are used and work in the same way as regular scissors. The big difference is that they can cut harder and thicker materials. There are many different types of snips, but the three basic types are for straight cuts, right-hand or clockwise curves and lefthand or anti-clockwise curves. The handles are colour coded green for clockwise curves, red for anti-clockwise and yellow for straight cuts.” Grandy laid out all his snips side by side on the bench for the boys to peruse.

They were all a little bit rusty, some had coloured plastic handles and there were some bigger, heavier looking snips with faded blue, orange and yellow painted handles. Grandy picked up two pairs of snips, one in each hand. Both had plastic handles, one pair coloured green, and the other red. “These two are the newer type, but as you can see, most of my snips are pretty ancient. Nowadays, all the ones you see in hardware stores are called either aviation snips or combination snips.” After putting the snips back on the bench top, Grandy turned to the boys. “Right boys, now choose the pair we should use to cut your lid,” commanded Grandy. Toby slowly ran his fingers over the array of snips. Eventually, his hand settled on an old, rusty pair with a faded yellow handle. He looked at Tim seeking confirmation for his pick. Tim nodded his approval. Grandy acknowledged the correct selection and responded, “Good, it shows you were listening. When you’re ready, you can bend the lip of the lid over the edge of the small anvil using the rubber mallet. Maybe we can seal the s with a rivet. We’ll see. Right then, I’m going to leave you to it. I’ve got things to do.” The boys took turns at cutting the lid. Tim cut the lip and through to about half way across the lid. Toby finished the cut coming from the opposite direction. Bending the thin tin lip was easy and the whole thing took less than fifteen minutes.

The lid sat nicely on top of the wooden box and capped off the boot perfectly. It needed painting of course, and Tim suggested they do it straight away. “A light spray of the chrome and it’ll be dry in ten minutes, won’t it?”

The main body of the cart itself was now finished, except of course for painting, the fitting of a brake and attaching a hand-rope to the front wheels for steering. They still didn’t have any rope suitable for that purpose. Toby thought they should concentrate on fitting a brake because that was really the last construction task. He had already chosen a piece of timber for the brake, and he thought attaching it to the side of the driver’s seat should be fairly simple to do. As things turned out, fitting the brake was a little trickier than Toby had anticipated. The first problem occurred when trying to position the brake so that the wood made good with the back wheel. There was a gap of 35 mm between the outside of the driver’s seat, and the inside of the back wheel. As things stood, there was no between the wheel and Toby’s piece of wood. “What do we do now? There’s no way this is going to work as a brake,” declared Toby. “Go and get your Grandy. He’ll tell us what we need to do. Go on, go and find him.” Tim waited patiently for his friend’s return. While he waited, he stared intently and thoughtfully at the problem, hoping to come up with a solution. By the time Toby eventually reappeared with Grandy, Tim had decided that in order to properly align the brake and the wheel, they had to insert something in the space between the seat and the attached brake. Grandy agreed. “That’s right young Tim. You need to fill in the gap between the wheel and the side of the seat. A block of wood will do the job. It doesn’t need to be big, just thick enough to bring your brake out level with the wheel. You can glue and screw it to the side of the seat and put your mounting bolt right through the whole thing.” Unfortunately, a prolonged search for a piece of wood the correct thickness proved fruitless. Luckily, with Grandy’s help, the boys found a scrap piece of 16 mm ply which they glued to an offcut piece of 19 mm thick pine. Cut to size, shaped to fit and with holes drilled, the finished block was glued and screwed into place.

Grandy then pointed out, “You do realise, don’t you? You must shape the end of your brake to match the curve of the wheel. It won’t stop you if it doesn’t make enough with the surface of the tyre.” And he then added, “Ideally, you want your brake to be the same width as the wheel so you get maximum .” “Well, in that case, this piece isn’t nearly thick enough,” announced a somewhat disappointed Toby. “The tyre is just slightly over 40 mm wide, so we need a 40 mm wide piece of timber. Have you got anything that thick, Grandy?” While Grandy went off to search his stock of wood, the boys talked amongst themselves. “You know what? Actually, our set of instructions says pretty much the same thing. We should have read it properly in the first place. Anyway, just when we’re progressing nicely, something else comes along to stop us finishing the cart,” remarked Toby. “At this rate, we’ll never get it finished.” “Toby, don’t worry about it. I’m sure it’ll be okay. Your Grandy will find something for us I’m sure,” insisted Tim. “But you’re right, we must to keep reading the instructions.” Toby hesitated, then nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, you’re probably right. We’re doing pretty well, aren’t we? And my Grandy always manages to find a way to overcome any obstacle or solve any problem.” The conversation ended there, as Grandy returned with two pieces of stained timber.

“I’ve actually got three of these. If I rightly, they’re the legs off a small, broken coffee table. I found it on someone’s nature strip years ago. Anyway, they’re 40 mm square and that’s what you want isn’t it? Only problem is, you won’t be able to get your hand around it. But if you like, I’ll dig out my old wood working lathe and turn you down a handle. It’ll take a while to do though. Are you prepared to wait a bit longer while I do that?” The two boys looked at each other and nodded in agreement. “Definitely, yes, we can wait, can’t we Tim? I’ve never seen you use a lathe before. Can we watch Grandy, please?” begged Toby. Setting up the lathe didn’t take long at all. The boys helped Grandy haul it out from a dark and rarely used corner of the workshop. Despite being covered with a patched canvas tarpaulin, it was covered in dust and cobwebs. Grandy grabbed an oily rag off the bench and quickly gave the machine an all-over rub down. “In order for me to safely turn this square table leg into a round handle, I must first lock it in position between the headstock spindle and the tailstock barrel.” Grandy gave the boys a running commentary as he went through the process of converting a piece of square timber into a smooth, rounded and beautifully shaped brake handle. They loved every minute of the operation and were totally absorbed by it.

Even with the wonderful new handle, fitting the brake still proved to be problematic. After carefully shaping one end to match the curve of the wheel, the handle turned out to be too long anyway. Then, grasping the handle with any real effect proved difficult for the driver because of the angle at which it rested. In the end, it took considerable effort to make a brake that actually stopped the wheel turning. Apart from the shaping, there was cutting, gluing, ing, drilling, screwing and sanding before the brake was finally ready to be bolted onto the cart. Needless to say, the advice and guidance given by Grandy proved to be of enormous assistance to the boys in their efforts. Tim held the modified brake handle in place while Toby drilled. He bored through the centre of the brake, into the spacing block and through the side of the seat. “Grab that 75-millimetre hex head bolt. Put a washer under the bolt head before you push it through. Then put another one between the spacing block and the inside of the brake handle,” directed Toby.

Tim did as instructed and finished attaching the brake with another washer between the outside of the brake and the nut. He tightened it up with one of Grandy’s crescent spanners. Finally, at last, the brake was done.

“Toby, Tim, come for lunch,” called Nan from the back veranda. Nan had made some of her famous vegetable soup. The recipe was one she made up herself, and it contained two special ingredients. Apart from all the fresh vegetables, Nan added barley and pasta to her soup. Toby loved the flavour the barley gave to the soup and the pasta gave it a smooth texture. The soup was dished up piping hot and served with crusty, buttered tiger bread. Every year, when the cool weather arrived, the whole family looked forward to dining on some of Nan’s delicious vegetable soup. As they sat eating lunch, Grandy remarked, “Well Toby, you must be just about finished by now. You’ll want to test your cart out on a hill somewhere I suppose.” “We can’t wait to test the cart, but we haven’t finished the steering yet. We still need some rope. Where can we get some rope? Can you please help us get some rope Grandy?” begged Toby. “Well, actually, it’s funny you should mention that. I’ve got a little surprise for you. You and Tim did such a good job helping me divert all that water away from the garage; I thought you deserved a reward.” Grandy got up from his chair and walked over to the sideboard. He opened a drawer and pulled out a coil of green rope wrapped in clear cellophane. As he ed the rope over to Toby, Grandy explained, “I got this at my hardware store on the weekend. I was looking for something to get you and I ed that you needed rope for the cart. It was a clearance special, but still top quality, 10-millimetre nylon rope and a real bargain at only $4 for a tenmetre roll. There’s more than enough for you to use on your cart and I can use what’s left over to my climbing roses when I tie them to stakes.” “Gee, thanks Grandy. This will be perfect, won’t it, Tim?” insisted Toby. “We really appreciate all your help. You always know what to do.” Nan handed Toby a pair of her dressmaking scissors which he used to cut through the cellophane packaging. He then removed two plastic twist ties wrapped around the rope and suddenly, the whole coil sprung apart. Toby was

taken by surprise and left holding one end with the rest of the coil on the floor, tangled around his legs and feet. As he stared down at the floor, Toby thought that was just a bit embarrassing. “Now, so that the rope doesn’t unravel when you cut it, we need to melt the ends and twist the strands together. I think I had better do that. I don’t want you burning yourselves. I’m sure neither of your mothers would be too impressed if that happened,” warned Grandy.

The boys finally attach the steering rope to the billy cart. They get lots of help from Grandy, who cuts the rope for them and uses a special technique to stop the cut from unravelling

Grandy lead the way to the workshop with Tim and Toby close behind. Between them, the two boys carried the twisted, tangled rope. Grandy took a small, propane gas blowtorch, and a box of matches from the steel cabinet. He placed them on the bench, along with a retractable utility knife. Attaching the steering rope to the front axle frame would involve threading the rope through the two 12-millimetre holes drilled earlier at each end of the frame and then tying a knot on the underside of the frame so each end of the rope was secured. To get the correct length of rope, Toby threaded the end of the rope through one of the holes and tied it off with a knot. He then handed the rope to Tim who was sitting in the driver’s seat. With Tim holding the rope the way he would if he were steering the cart, Toby took the rope back to the opposite end of the steering frame and completed a D-shaped loop. Grandy then cut the rope with the sharp knife. Grandy put on his leather welding gloves and lit the blowtorch. He held the blue flame on the end cut of the rope. The nylon quickly caught fire and a bright orange flame could be seen through the wisps of black smoke. The nylon soon started to melt. Grandy put the blowtorch down and used an old cloth rag to smother the fire while he twisted and pulled the end of the rope. With arm muscles flexed, he held it for about 15 seconds before relaxing and removing the rag. The strands of melted nylon had fused together into a knob that resembled a blunt pencil point. There was now no way the rope could unravel. Grandy then repeated the procedure with the other end of the cut rope. The boys watched intently and were mesmerized by the different coloured flames. The smell of molten nylon and burning propane gas heightened the whole experience. Toby and Tim were wide-eyed and had big grins on their faces. That was a truly wicked spectacle and another useful handyman tip they would not forget.

Toby threaded the rope through the opposite hole on the frame and tied it off with another knot. Tim pulled the rope firmly with his left hand and the wheels turned easily. He continued pulling the rope to the right, then the left as he adjusted the position of his hands further forward, until he felt he had the correct grip.

Tim then declared, “I think we’re finally ready to go. At last, we can try her out.” “Grandy, where can we test the cart? What about on the driveway? Please, can we test it there?” begged Toby, as he started pushing Tim and the cart towards the workshop entrance. “Take it up to the top of the driveway, but stay right away from the road. You can use the little bit of slope to give you some momentum as you come back towards the garage, but even then, I reckon you’ll still need to push,” cautioned Grandy as he followed the boys out to the driveway. “I think you should have the first test drive. After all, the whole cart thing was your idea to begin with. Go on Toby, you go first, it’s only fair,” insisted Tim, handing over the rope to his friend. Toby settled into the seat and adjusted his grip on the steering rope. Tim moved to the rear of the cart and bent down to rest his hands on the back of the wooden seat. “Are you ready? Here we go,” yelled Tim, as he started pushing and running in the direction of the garage. A short distance down the driveway, Tim stopped pushing and stood upright as he watched Toby sail towards the garage. Unfortunately, without the forceful thrust from behind, the cart soon coasted to a stop. The slope on the driveway just didn’t give it enough momentum. Nevertheless, Toby quickly hopped out of the cart and enthusiastically ed the rope to Tim saying, “It goes okay. Steering’s good too. Just needs more speed. I’ll push you for a bit longer this time. See what you think.” With Toby running as fast as he could, the cart picked up speed quickly and raced off towards the garage. He pushed for about half the length of the driveway before letting go and this time the cart finished up within about two metres of the garage doorway. After watching the cart come to a gradual stop, Toby ran down to Tim and asked, “Well, what do you think? Goes pretty good don’t you think?”

“Sure does. I can’t wait to try it on a real hill.” “I don’t know about you Tim, but it didn’t feel all that great when I was pushing you. I was too bent over and it felt like I was going to fall flat on my face at any moment. You know what else? I couldn’t really run at full speed in that position either,” Toby confessed. Tim agreed. “I know what you mean. Maybe the back of the seat isn’t really high enough. I reckon we need a handle or something higher up to push. You know something like on a lawnmower or like a pram even.” Watching the two test runs from the rose garden, Grandy overheard the boys’ conversation. “I tell you what; it wouldn’t be too much work to add a push bar at the back. If you can imagine it, think of the handle as being a bit like the spoiler on a race car. The whole thing would only need three or four bits of wood and a few screws. It might be a little bit tricky getting it the right height and in the right position, but perhaps I can help, if you need me to,” suggested Grandy. “Oh, wow, that sounds excellent. Have you got some pieces of wood we can use for the handle?” asked Toby. “On that rack in the workshop, you know, I’ve got those very long lengths of timber up there. Well, I reckon we’ll find something that’ll be just right for the purpose,” predicted Grandy. Grandy headed for the workshop with his grandson tagging along close behind. Tim brought up the rear, dragging the billy cart by its steering rope. Using his step ladder to reach the wood, Grandy quickly selected a length of dressed pine about two metres long from amongst the assortment of new, used and recycled pieces of timber. He ed the timber down to Toby, who promptly carried it over to the cart and tried positioning it on the side of the driver’s seat. “Toby just put that down for a minute. You need to be standing upright and imagine yourself mowing the lawn. Put your hands out in front as though you were pushing the mower and I’ll measure from your hands down to the floor. That’ll give us an approximate height for the handle,” explained Grandy, as he extended the tape measure. “Right, that’s about 80 centimetres, give or take a

few centimetres.” With Toby holding the piece of wood against the side of the seat and the end resting on the rear wheel frame, Grandy adjusted its position so that it was at about a 45-degree angle to the floor. Grandy continued, “Now, if you can imagine a scalene triangle, with the floor, the piece of timber and the extended tape measure making up the three sides, we can work out the length of the arms. Tim, grab the tape and measure 80 centimetres from the floor up to the wood. Where the 80 centimetres intersects with the wood, mark it with a pencil, and that’ll give us an approximate length for each of the arms.” At that moment, Nan marched briskly into the workshop and announced, “The plumber is at the front door. He wants to know what we want done. Can you come and explain what you want him to do?” “Okay, coming now. Boys, are you right to carry on by yourselves? I think you know what to do now, don’t you? Anyway, I shouldn’t be too long with this chap and then I’ll be back to see how you’re going,” called Grandy, as he left the workshop and headed over to the house. While Toby went to get two saw horses on which to lay the timber for cutting, Tim used a set square to mark two cuts of 85 centimetres. When Toby returned, Tim laid the timber across both saw horses and then looked around for a suitable saw. “You cut the first piece and I’ll do the second cut if you like?” proposed Toby, handing the crosscut saw to Tim. Tim placed the saw on the line and was about to start cutting when he suddenly had a brainwave. “You know what? Instead of making an approximately calculated guess for the length of the push bar arms, we can actually work it out mathematically. It’ll be fun working it out and good maths practice too,” declared Tim. A somewhat perplexed Toby replied, “What do you mean? How do we do that?” “Well, it’s really quite simple. We can use Pythagoras’ Theorem. If we know the

length of two sides in a right-angle triangle, we can calculate the length of the third side, which is the hypotenuse. In this case, the push bar arms would be the same as the hypotenuse.” Still looking quite confused, Toby advised Tim, “Well, hum, we haven’t learnt about that stuff yet. You must do different maths to us. I don’t really get what you mean, but if you reckon it’ll help us get the right measurements, then I guess we better do it.” Tim removed the timber from the saw horses and rested it on the rear axle frame so that it was horizontal and parallel to the floor. He then directed Toby to position himself behind the billy cart and pretend he was pushing it as before. He then ed the tape measure to Toby and asked him to extend it down, 80 centimetres perpendicular to the floor. Where it touched the horizontally placed length of timber, Tim marked the spot. Then, taking the tape from Toby, he measured from that spot back to the axle frame. “Right, now we’ve got two measurements. That’s 680 millimetres, or 68 centimetres and 600 millimetres or 60 centimetres. According to Pythagoras’ Theorem, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. So, if we square 68 and 60, and add them together, that will give us the square of the hypotenuse,” explained Tim, as he quickly sketched a diagram on the wood to show Toby what he meant.

“I don’t suppose your grandparents have got a calculator we can borrow?” he added. “They might have. I’ll be right back,” shouted Toby as he disappeared from view. A few minutes later Toby returned clutching a very large, quite old looking calculator with enormous buttons. He switched it on and handed it to Tim, who immediately began entering numbers. After each calculation, he wrote out the equation as he had been taught at school, step by step, on the piece of wood.

a² + b² = c² 68² + 60² = c² 4624 + 3600 = c² 8224 = c² c² = 8224 c = √8224 c = 90.686272

“Right, see? The push bar arms should be, approximately, just over 90 centimetres long. If we’d cut the wood where it’s marked at the moment, the arms would definitely have been too short or too upright. And I reckon that might have made it harder to push and maybe even spoilt the way it looks too.” With the timber now marked up for two 90-centimetre cuts, the boys took it in turns to complete the job. While Tim held the first arm in place, Toby drilled three holes through the arms and into the side of the driver’s seat. After countersinking the holes and spreading glue on the wood, the arm was held in place with a G-clamp. Toby then secured it with three 8 G x 30 mm Phillips head timber screws.

The boys moved around to the other side of the cart and with the roles reversed, Tim attached the second arm using the same method. It only remained to measure the distance between the two extended arms and cut the third piece of wood for the push bar handle. “Okay, let’s see. We need a piece 485 mils in length,” Tim confidently informed Toby. “Well, this leftover piece isn’t long enough. It’s a little less than 400 mil. We’ll have to find something else to use,” answered Toby. As the boys started sorting through the timber off-cuts in Grandy’s forty-fourgallon drum, they heard the sound of an engine turning over. The engine started on the third attempt and Toby immediately identified the sound as coming from a bobcat. “That’s a bobcat engine. I bet that’s the guy who’s going to do Grandy’s soak well. Let’s go and watch him,” urged Toby, as he led the way out of the workshop. “Now boys, I don’t mind if you watch, but you have to keep right out of the way. It’s best if you go back where you were. You can still see everything from the garage and you won’t be in the man’s way,” said Grandy. The bobcat driver wasted no time in getting started. He positioned the bucket under the edge of the concrete slab right next to an expansion t. When he raised the bucket, a large section of the driveway cracked and jagged pieces of concrete were thrust upwards. The machine then pushed forward and scooped up the shattered pieces. With little effort, the bobcat spun around on the spot and headed back up the driveway towards the street. The contents of the bucket were then emptied into the back of a massive tip truck. The man’s truck was impressive too and looked really cool. The truck was a white, Mack 6x4 with the big bull bar, the dual fuel tanks and wheel hubs all chromed. It was towing a white, colour-matched tandem trailer with hydraulic ramps for loading and unloading the bobcat. Tim was especially amazed at how quickly and effortlessly the machine was able to demolish and dispose of the concrete. He confessed to Toby, “I’ve never seen a bobcat at work, up close before. It’s an awesome little machine, isn’t it?”

Toby then informed Tim, “We watched one at work last year while it was making a cycleway alongside the sports ground. According to Grandy, a bobcat is a very versatile, compact loader and excavator, and they’re extremely powerful for their size. Grandy reckons that once you’ve been properly trained, they’re very easy to drive and operate too.” It was already starting to get dark when the bobcat returned to a spot just a few metres further up the driveway and repeated the procedure just inside the next expansion t. The driver turned on two super-bright halogen headlights mounted on the cab above his head which illuminated the whole worksite. In less than twenty minutes, a section of the driveway about four metres by three metres in area had been completely removed. The boys became so totally absorbed in the whole scene, that for twenty minutes at least, they completely forgot about the billy cart. It wasn’t until Nan called out to them that they suddenly ed what they were supposed to be doing. “Toby, your mum has just pulled up out the front. You had better come and have a wash and gather up your things.” “Is it really time to go? But we haven’t finished doing the handle. We got too distracted, didn’t we Tim?” lamented Toby. “Well, yeah, just a bit, I guess. But we haven’t actually found a piece of wood for the handle yet anyway,” reasoned Tim. “Why? Why not? There should have been enough timber in the piece I gave you to make the whole thing. What’s the problem?” asked Grandy. Rather reluctantly, Toby explained that they had recalculated the length of the push bar arms and that as a result; the third piece of timber was now not long enough for the handle. Grandy put his arms around both boys as they climbed the steps onto the back veranda. He assured them that he would help them find a suitable handle when they came back tomorrow. While the two boys sat patiently on the back steps waited to go home, Nan, Grandy and Toby’s mum talked about her day at work and about the events of their day. Nan said how well-behaved the boys had been and how much they

loved her soup. Grandy also praised them for their perseverance and then started recounting his meeting with the plumber. It seems that Grandy considered the plumber’s quote to be quite reasonable, and the man seemed to think the whole job would take no more than three days to complete. According to Grandy, the man who operated the bobcat and tipper was the plumber’s brother-in-law, and he was being subcontracted to do all the earthworks. They were leaving the bobcat on-site overnight and would be back early in the morning to dig out the hole for the soak well. That would take several hours and then all the concrete rubble and most of the sand would have to be carted off to a landfill site. The boys listened with interest as the grown-ups discussed their respective days. Toby thought how interesting everything sounded. Eventually though, he interrupted the conversation. “Excuse me, Mum, but I’m getting really hungry, and I think Tim is too. Can we please have dinner soon?” Not long afterwards, everybody said their goodbyes and finally, at last, it was time to head home. It was cold and dark by the time they left and by now the boys were really starving and pretty tired too. Shortly before bedtime, Toby decided to sort through all the books in his room. He was really searching for an old picture book about earthmoving machines that he hadn’t seen in years. Seeing the bobcat and truck during the afternoon had made him curious to find out more. Eventually, he found what he was looking for. He then settled back in bed to read before going to sleep. The hardcover book had coloured photographs and illustrations of all kinds of earthmoving equipment. There were diagrams showing how things worked and interesting facts about bulldozers, graders, hydraulic excavators, tractors, dump trucks and backhoes. There was also a section about front-end loaders of different types, including bobcat models like the bobcat at Grandy’s house. It turns out though, the correct name is skid steer loader and Bobcat is actually the name of one of the companies that makes them. Apparently, there are many different makes and models of skid steer loader, and you can even get models with either rubber or metal tracks, just like army tanks have. Toby discovered

lots of interesting facts in the book and he couldn’t wait to tell Tim all he’d learnt about earthmovers. About half an hour later, Toby finally put the book down, turned off his bedside lamp and wriggled down under the covers. For a few moments, he thought about his day with Nan and Grandy and his good friend Tim. Apart from the disappointment of not finishing the push bar on the cart, he felt very satisfied with everything that had happened. The most exciting thing was that skid steer loader. The little machine made such an impression on Toby that he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Imagine being the owner and driver of a skid steer loader. Doing all kinds of demolition, renovation and construction work in your own skid steer loader, how cool would that be? Yet another future career change was being given serious consideration when Toby eventually fell asleep. Toby’s mum had a dentist appointment early next morning, so they didn’t get to Nan and Grandy’s house until nearly ten o’clock. She dropped the boys off out the front of the house and as they were getting out of the car, she warned them, “Make sure you keep out of the way of those workmen today. Have a lovely day you two and be good for Nan and Grandy won’t you. And your dad will pick you up as usual this afternoon.” Nan and Grandy were sitting on the front veranda soaking up the warmth of the sun and enjoying their morning cuppa and some freshly made pikelets. Nan got to her feet as soon as she saw the boys and welcomed them as usual. “Good morning, Toby, Tim. I’ve got some more pikelet mix ready to go. Would you like to pour yourselves a hot drink while I make up another batch?” “Gee, thanks Nan. That’d be great. Come on Tim, I’ll make the drinks. What would you like?” The two boys followed Nan into the kitchen and while she poured pikelet mixture into the fry-pan, Toby boiled the kettle again and got two tea bags out of the pantry. In next to no time, the boys were outside sitting on the veranda step, sipping their hot drinks and savouring buttered pikelets drizzled with honey. All of a sudden, Tim became aware of how quiet it was and asked, “Excuse me, Grandy, but where’s the bobcat today?”

“Tim, you mean where’s the skid steer loader gone? Where’s the tip truck too?” interrupted Toby. “He went off to the landfill place about an hour ago. He was going from there to pick up the soak well, and he said he’d be back by lunchtime,” explained Grandy. “You missed him digging the hole this morning, but you can have a look at what he’s done. Just don’t get too close to the edge of the hole. We don’t want it caving in,” he added. “And we don’t want you falling in either.” The boys quickly put down their cups and plates and dashed around the side of the house. There was a pile of sand on the driveway next to an enormous hole in the ground. The boys cautiously peered over the edge and from where they stood; they could just see the bottom of the hole. As they surveyed the scene, Tim turned to Toby and asked, “What are they going to do with this pile of sand? Why didn’t they take that away too?” “That’s backfill for the hole once the soak well’s in place,” responded Grandy who had just walked up beside them. “Grandy, we still need a handle for the push bar. You said you’d help us find one, so can we do that soon, please?” begged Toby. “Go and have a look on the bench next to your cart. I’ve put a pine board there which should be more than long enough for what you want. You might want to plane off the sharp edges and sand them down a bit, that’s if you still want the handle to look like a spoiler?” With Toby leading the way, the boys carefully squeezed between Grandy’s thorny rose bushes and the edge of the hole and made their way to the workshop. Sure enough, sitting on the bench was piece of wood just over a metre in length. Toby picked it up and held it against the two protruding push bar arms. While he positioned one end of the board so that it was level with the outside of one arm, Tim grabbed a pencil off the bench and marked where the other end met the outside of the opposite arm. He then used a set square to mark the cut. After the boys put on safety glasses, which was a regular habit by now, Tim cut the wood to length. Toby placed the would-be spoiler handle in the vice and used one of Grandy’s hand planes to remove both the sharp edges from one side. He

then handed Tim the ear muffs and let him use Grandy’s orbital sander to clean off and smooth the surface. By the time he had finished sanding, the facing edge was smooth and the edges were rounded. Meanwhile, Toby went searching for some longer wood screws with which to attach their new spoiler handle. In a white plastic tablet bottle labelled 8 G x 60 mm Phillips head screws; he found four fairly new looking screws. Toby believed that when the extra-long screws were used in conjunction with PVA glue, the combination would ensure that the spoiler handle would never come off or even get loose. Working together, Toby and Tim positioned the spoiler handle exactly where they wanted it. While Tim held the wood in place, Toby reached for one of Grandy’s sash clamps. “Just keep everything exactly like that while I put on the clamp. Don’t let it move.” As he positioned the clamp, Toby thought he should probably explain to Tim what he was doing. “According to Grandy, sash clamps are mainly used in pairs, but they don’t have to be. They usually hold longer pieces of wood together tightly while the glue dries. But as well, they are really useful for just holding the pieces in place while holes are drilled.” After changing drill bits Toby drilled two holes through the spoiler handle and into each arm of the push bar. He then removed the sash clamp and Tim applied glue to the ends of both push bars before putting the handle back in position. With a little bit of adjustment Tim was able to line up the holes and then fastened the first screw. From that point, attaching the spoiler handle only took a couple of minutes to complete. Toby put the sash clamp back on and tightened it up. Tim wiped off the excess glue that oozed from the ts with an old rag. The boys stood back and looked iringly upon their push bar with unique spoiler handle. It was a significant moment, for it meant that the billy cart was now officially finished. Once the glue dried and the clamp came off, they could use the cart to their heart’s content. “It’ll be dry in less than an hour, but according to Grandy, you’re really supposed to allow 12 hours before you apply any stress to the ts. Still, we didn’t actually need to use the glue, did we? The screws on their own will be enough to

keep the handle in place. Should be okay don’t you reckon?” said Toby, seeking agreement from Tim. “Yeah for sure, no worries,” replied Tim. “Can I try out the new handle? Can I?” “Okay, go on then, give it a go,” urged Toby. Tim moved behind the cart and placed both hands on the one of a kind, specially built spoiler handle. “Toby, hey Toby, this doesn’t feel right. I can’t get my hands around it. The piece of wood’s too wide.” “What? Let me have a go. Move over for a sec,” ordered Toby, as he took up Tim’s position behind the cart. A somewhat annoyed and disheartened Toby continued, “I don’t believe it. Just when I thought we’d finally finished the cart, this happens. Now what are we going to do?” “Well, I reckon this is definitely one for your Grandy, don’t you think?” replied Tim. Grandy’s solution involved using a plunge router to cut two slots in the spoiler. Those slots allowed the fingers on both hands to get a good, comfortable grip on the handle. He also suggested adding another 485 mm board across the back of the handle to make the whole push bar thing more rigid. Over the years, Grandy had learned how to read Toby’s body language, and he immediately sensed his disappointment and frustration with this latest setback. He took complete control of the situation and did all the routing, cutting, gluing and fixing himself. Toby was very relieved, and the two boys were happy to stand back and watch as Grandy modified the spoiler and added the extra board. Almost an hour ed.

“There you go. That should fix the problem. You happy with that now?” asked Grandy. “Oh yes, thanks Grandy. We could never have done it without you, could we Tim? You’re a legend Grandy,” proclaimed Toby. “Thanks to you, it looks fantastic Grandy.” Grandy went back to the house and the two boys were left to survey their now complete billy cart and reflect on all the work that had gone into building it. Toby acknowledged, “It’s been hard work, hasn’t it? But it’s all worth it now. I can’t wait to test it out on the hill, can you?”

“I reckon it’ll be the best fun ever. But you know what? We still haven’t painted it,” replied Tim. “Yeah, I realise that, but if we paint it, then we’ll have to wait even longer to use it. We can paint it later, after we’ve used it for a while. I reckon it doesn’t look too bad as it is anyway. It might even look better if we just varnish it. You know, later on maybe. For now, I say we just leave it as it is,” insisted Toby. Tim consented by nodding his head. Ultimately, with Grandy’s driveway all dug up, there was nowhere to test the cart anyway. They’d have to wait to test the effect of the new push bar on its performance. They’d just have to wait to see how fast it could go. Over lunch, the boys started making plans for the billy cart. They agreed that the cart should be taken home to Toby’s house and from there, down to the big hill on Fourth Avenue East near the river. That of course, was confirmation of the decision they’d made previously. After lunch, at long last, the plumber and his brother-in-law returned. Using chains attached to the bucket of the skid steer loader, they lifted the concrete soak well from the back of the tipper. The well swung wildly from side to side as they carefully reversed down the driveway. The little loader then rotated about 180 degrees on the spot so that the concrete soak well was directly over the hole. In an effort to stop the well from swinging back and forth, the plumber prodded the side with a long handle shovel. Once it stopped behaving like the pendulum on an antique clock, the driver slowly lowered it into position. Toby and Tim watched in amazement, as the plumber climbed down into the hole and onto the top edge of the well. He started jumping up and down on the spot. “What the heck is he doing? He looks so funny,” remarked Toby. “Looks like he’s gone mental,” declared Tim. As they looked on in disbelief, the driver of the skid steer loader hopped out of his cab and ed his brother-in-law on the edge of the well. Together, they jumped up and down in unison. The boys thought it was hilarious and couldn’t

help laughing. Every now and then, the plumber would climb out and rest his spirit level on the well’s edge. Then he’d go back down, shuffle around the edge a bit further and begin jumping up and down again. This went on for about five or six minutes. The boys couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces. It was just the funniest thing to watch. Turns out, according to Grandy, they were simply trying to get the well to sit level in the hole. By jumping on that side of the well, they forced it down into the sand and caused the opposite side to rise. Eventually, after lots and lots of jumping up and down, they were satisfied with the level. After that, it only remained for the trafficable lid to be put in position.

The boys have great fun watching the plumber and his off-sider install a new soak well in Grandy’s driveway.

In the centre of the concrete lid was a square, galvanised steel grate through which water could drain. Chains were attached to steel rings set in the concrete and the loader hoisted it from the back of the truck. After reversing down the driveway again, the awesome little machine managed to lower the lid perfectly into position on the first attempt. Toby was especially impressed. “That settles it! When I get my licence, I’m definitely gonna drive one of those. There’s nothing that loader can’t do. Have a look at him go now!” Using the loader’s bucket like a trowel, the driver compacted, levelled and smoothed the soil around the soak well. Amazingly, the entire backfilling and levelling process took less than twenty minutes. “They’ll come back tomorrow and pour fresh concrete to finish the job. Just to be safe though, we won’t be able to drive on it for about a week. Otherwise it could crack and we don’t want that,” Grandy informed the boys. “But, Grandy, if we can’t use the driveway, where are we going to test the billy cart?” asked Toby. “Hmm, good question. To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about it. I guess we’ll have to give that some thought, now won’t we?” replied Grandy. The boys returned to the workshop and Toby removed the sash clamp from the push bar. “Now it really is finished,” announced Toby. “What should we do now?” “Well, I think we should tidy up a bit, don’t you?” suggested Tim. “The floor badly needs sweeping, and we need to put all these tools back where they belong.” “Yeah, for sure. Well, if you do the cleaning up, I’ll put all the off-cuts in the bin

and then put the tools away. I know exactly where they go,” responded Toby. As usual, the boys worked well together and in no time at all, they had Grandy’s workshop looking neat and tidy again. In the time that remained until Toby’s dad picked them up, the boys amused themselves by playing games. Firstly, they played chess and it was Tim who called check mate. Next, they played draughts and that ended in a win to Toby. Following that, Toby asked Grandy if they could use his set of biased carpet bowls. Toby had a distinct advantage in this game because he had used the bowling balls many times before. He won the first five games in a row before Tim finally got the hang of rolling the ball wide of the target. Once he got used to the bias on the balls, he managed to win the next two games. Nan then suggested, “Toby, why don’t you teach Tim how to play euchre? If you like, Grandy and I will sit in with you and we can play with partners. It’s a wonderful old game Tim.” It wasn’t long after they’d started playing cards that Toby’s dad arrived. While he chatted with Nan and Grandy, the boys talked amongst themselves. Tim asked, “What are we going to do tomorrow? If we can’t use the cart, then maybe we could paint it perhaps? What else are we going to do? I don’t really want to play games all day. If that’s all we’re going to do, I think I’d prefer to go to day care. At least they go on excursions during the holidays. Sometimes they go to the movies, or the museum, or ten pin bowling, or an amusement park and stuff like that.” At first, Toby didn’t know what to say. He was disappointed and hurt to think that Tim would rather spend his time at day care, than with him. “Well, I definitely don’t want to paint the cart just yet. There has to be somewhere near here where we can take it and test it out. If there’s not, I don’t know what else to suggest. Otherwise…maybe we could make something else in the garage? Would you like to do that? We’ll make whatever you want this time,” declared Toby. “Oh, I don’t know really. I’ll give it some thought tonight, but I’ll have a talk to Mum first. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know about tomorrow though, one way or the other,” Tim assured Toby.

Toby knew straight away what that meant. It meant that Tim probably wouldn’t be coming back tomorrow. Once he went back to the day care centre, that’d be it. He knew he had to do something or he’d end up having the billy cart all to himself and no one to share it with. Just before they hopped in the car, Toby turned and asked, “Grandy, what are we going to do about the billy cart? Have you thought of anything?” “Well actually, I do have an idea, but I’ll have to check it out with your mum first.” Toby got really excited. “Truly, have you? What is it? Why do you have to ask Mum?” Grandy explained, “Well, I thought that perhaps your Nan and I could come over to your house tomorrow, instead of you coming here. That way, we can still keep an eye on you, while you and Tim play with the billy cart at your house. It’d be something different for us too, a nice break from the house. It’ll give your mum a break as well. She won’t have to rush around in the morning. She can take her time for a change.” Toby was thrilled to bits. Trust Grandy to come up with the perfect solution to the problem. Toby looked across at Tim to get his reaction to Grandy’s announcement. “Well, I think that solves the problem of what we can to do tomorrow. Are you still gonna go to day care?” Tim looked sheepishly at Toby and hesitated for a moment before answering, “I guess not. Not if we’re going to be testing the billy cart I’m not. After all the work I’ve done, there’s no way I’m going to miss out on that.” “If your mum agrees and I’m sure she will, I’ll put your cart in my boot and bring it over with us in the morning,” added Grandy. “Be good for your mum and all going well, we’ll see you at your house tomorrow around eight.” On the way home, Toby’s dad got a full run-down on the day’s events. He got a detailed, blow by blow from Toby of everything the skid steer loader did. Strangely though, Tim failed to add anything to the conversation and he was unusually quiet during the drive home. Toby and his mum were just finishing breakfast when Nan and Grandy arrived.

Toby quickly devoured the last half of his buttered crumpet and rushed out the front door to see them. The sun was up by now and the sky was clear, but the cold morning air took Toby a little by surprise. He met Nan coming across the front lawn carrying a plate of freshly baked fruit scones wrapped in a clean, linen tea towel to keep them warm. Grandy was bent over at the boot and in the process of releasing two occy straps holding the lid down. Toby could see the billy cart’s push bar handle protruding beyond the car’s tow bar. Grandy greeted Toby, “And how are you today? You know, this thing wouldn’t want to be any bigger. Your mum would never have got it in her little hatchback. As it is, I’ve only just managed to get it my car.” Toby helped his Grandy lift the cart out of the boot and place it on the ground. He then grabbed the steering rope and hauled the cart towards the front veranda. He climbed into the driver’s seat, put his feet on the footrest, gripped the rope in both hands, leaned back and imagined he was driving through a series of curves and bends. The front wheels moved easily from side to side as Toby pulled on the rope. As he sat in the driver’s seat, Toby turned around to see if Tim was coming. Sadly, he was nowhere to be seen and Toby started to think that he might have gone to day care after all. There was still no sign of Tim by the time Toby’s mum left for work. Toby was starting to wonder if he had said or done something to upset him, when he noticed a taxi stop in front of Tim’s house. Seconds later, the front door opened and Tim’s mum and dad came out onto the veranda. Then Tim ambled out slowly, wearing red slippers and still in his pyjamas. Tim’s dad hugged his wife and kissed her goodbye before doing the same to Tim. Toby instantly realised that Tim’s dad was off again on one of his eastern states business trips. As he waved to Tim across the street, Toby felt sorry for him as he ed what his mum had said about Tim’s family situation. Even so, he was now quite relieved to know that Tim had not deserted him. Toby and his grandparents were drinking tea and enjoying scones with raspberry jam and cream when they heard a knock at the front door.

“Sorry I’m so late, but my dad had to go away again today and I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.” “No worries. That’s okay. Come in. We’re just having some morning tea. Would you like a fruit scone? They’re beautiful with jam and cream,” replied Toby as he ushered Tim into the kitchen. Over morning tea, Toby explained to Nan and Grandy what they had planned for the billy cart. “We’ll just drive it around here for a while, ’til we get used to it, but on the footpath of course. Then we want to try it down the big hill on Fourth Avenue East. We could do that later maybe, say after lunch? If you want Grandy, you could come and watch too. Please, can you come and watch us?” “I certainly will. Your mum expects me to keep an eye on what you’re doing all the time.” The rest of the morning was spent taking turns either driving or pushing the billy cart. Adding the push bar certainly made it easier and more comfortable for the person pushing. Running in a more upright position enabled the pusher to generate more power and consequently, the cart went a lot faster than before. However, steering the cart turned out to be a little trickier than the boys expected. When approaching a corner at full speed, they just yanked on the left or right-side rope to make the turn, but this resulted in the cart being tipped over more often than not. It was lucky for the boys that when they did get tipped out, they landed on the grassy nature strip, so no skin off. In the end, someone finally ed to use the hand brake to slow the cart before turning a corner. Taking sharp corners was a lot easier and safer after that. In an effort to eliminate any further chance of a roll-over, the boys agreed they should be less aggressive when driving and instead use a more delicate, gradual pull on the steering rope. They also noticed that taking a wider line into corners seemed to reduce momentum during the turn. It was around lunchtime when the boys finally agreed that they were ready to tackle that very steep hill on Fourth Avenue East. Tim pushed Toby back to his house and Nan made them a couple of ham, cheese and tomato toasted sandwiches for lunch. “We learnt heaps about driving the cart this morning Grandy. Finding out the

right way to steer it, is the hardest thing we had to learn. But I think we know what to do now, don’t we Tim?” “Yeah, for sure. No worries about that. We’re ready to go now, aren’t we Toby?” “Sounds as though you’re trying to convince me. Well, if you’re absolutely sure and certain you’re ready to take on the hill, I’ll walk down there with you when I finish my lunch. Just as long as you’re sure you know what you’re doing. We don’t want anyone getting injured, now do we?” warned Grandy. As he ate lunch, Grandy called to the boys, “By the way you two. I think there’s something you’ve forgotten.” The boys looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads. “What’s that Grandy? What have we forgotten?” asked Toby. “Have you thought about safety equipment? I think you should wear your bike helmet and if you’ve still got them, the knee and elbow guards you use with your skateboard.” “Oh, of course. How could we forget that stuff? Thanks Grandy. Come on Tim, let’s go get them right now,” insisted Toby. After lunch, Grandy walked beside Toby as he pushed Tim in the cart. The walk to the hill on Fourth Avenue East would take about twenty minutes and involved crossing several busy streets. “Who’s going to be the first driver down the hill?” asked Grandy. “I am,” replied Toby. “We talked about it and I said Tim could drive it, but he said that making the cart was really my idea, so I should go first. So now, that’s why I’m going to be the driver.” From the top of the hill it was possible to see a narrow section of the river not far from where a busy traffic bridge crossed it. On a clear day like today, way off in the distance, the tallest buildings in the city were also visible. Half way down the hill, Conroy Street intersected with Fourth Avenue East from the left, creating a T-junction. After the intersection, the hill continued on down towards the river until it finally flattened out just before a small roundabout at the bottom.

Standing on the footpath at the top of the hill, Grandy revealed, “I never noticed that before. There’s only a footpath on one side of the road. Mind you, I’ve only ever driven down to the river before. This is the first time I’ve walked down here. It’s a pity there’s not a footpath on both sides of the street though. That’s going to make things a bit tricky.” “What do you mean, Grandy?” asked Toby, as he turned to Tim with a concerned expression on his face. “What happens if a car suddenly comes out of that side street and cuts across in front of you as you are hurtling through the intersection? I’ll tell you what. You’ll get wiped out, that’s what’ll happen.” Straight away, Tim understood the point Grandy was making and he respected the concerns he had. He turned to Toby and said, “Your Grandy’s right. A car coming out of that street might not even see us on the footpath. And even if it did and it stopped, we might not be able to stop in time and we could crash into the car. Imagine what that would be like.” “If there was a footpath on the right-hand side of the street, there wouldn’t be a problem, because the T-junction doesn’t come in to play,” added Grandy, as he continued surveying the situation. “What are we going to do now? Tim, have you got any ideas?” “Well, I think we’ve got about three choices. One, we could start our run down the hill after Conroy Street. It would be a shorter ride and it wouldn’t be as fast as from up the top, but it would probably be a lot safer. Or, we could still start from the top but just turn left at the corner when we get to Conroy. And we’d definitely have to to use the brake too. Or, someone could stand at the intersection and signal when nobody was coming and then we could go down all the way. And if a car did come out of nowhere, they could put their hand up and stop them until we went ed,” explained Tim. “Well, I’ll tell you what I think. I was going to suggest we find another hill somewhere else, but you two probably wouldn’t want to do that. So, I think to be safe, you should start further down the hill, after Conroy Street. That way there’s less chance of an accident or anyone getting hurt. I really think that’s your best option,” insisted Grandy.

It only took a couple of minutes to walk down to their new starting point. While Grandy held onto the push bar handle, Toby got himself organised. He strapped on his bike helmet and slipped on both knee and elbow guards. He then climbed into the driver’s seat and Tim ed him the steering rope. Toby wriggled forward slightly, placed his feet on the footrest either side of the main frame and adjusted his grip on the rope. His left hand pushed forward on the brake handle. At last, he was ready for take-off. Tim moved around to the rear of the cart and took up the position Grandy had been occupying. “Are you ready? If you want, I’ll just say, ready, set, go. Then I’ll push you as far as the first driveway, okay? You’re on your own after that my friend. You ready?” repeated Tim. With one mighty thrust from Tim, the cart quickly gathered pace and was propelled down the footpath at an ever-increasing speed. As he zoomed downhill, Toby’s face was blasted by cold air and when the cart began to jump and bounce around, he applied a vice-like grip to the steering. With the cart still picking up speed, Toby found it increasingly hard to distinguish between the fences, gates, letterboxes and gardens that streaked by him in a blur of colour. The footpath was very uneven and the ride was becoming more uncomfortable for Toby the longer it lasted. The cart was constantly going over bumps caused by tree roots that had lifted sections of the pavement. People’s driveways were also at a different level to the footpath due to raised pavement at many expansion ts. The front of the cart was either jumping up or dropping down at almost every driveway. Toby’s backside was taking a real beating as he was bounced up and down on the hard, unforgiving wooden seat.

Toby gives the billy cart its first test run down the hill on Fourth Avenue East.

At one point, a large, steel manhole cover set into the pavement caused the cart to serve and slide, putting two wheels onto the nature strip. Luckily, Toby managed to keep control and he was able to guide the cart back on the footpath. In no time at all, he was heading towards the up-coming corner and roundabout and his speed was slowing noticeably. He had no chance to apply the handbrake because the cart stopped abruptly of its own accord, when it left the pavement and rolled into the thick, long grass on the nature strip. Toby glanced back over his shoulder and saw Tim running down the hill behind him. “How was it? It looked really fast from up there. You were at the bottom in no time.” “It was awesome, but the ride was over much too quickly,” replied Toby, as he hopped out of the cart rubbing his backside. “It’s your turn now.” Tim hauled the cart back up the hill to where Grandy was watching and waiting. He was standing under a tree and leaning against the trunk. “Well, young Toby, how was that?” “It was wicked Grandy. The cart goes so fast that you’re at the bottom before you know it.” Toby helped Tim turn the cart around and held the push bar handle while Tim made himself comfortable in the driver’s seat. Grandy grabbed hold of the brake and pulled back hard to stop the cart from rolling forward. Toby ed the rope to Tim and he was set to go. Toby pushed the cart for the first ten metres or so before yelling, “Away you go!” The cart was almost half way down the hill and steadily accelerating when the right-hand back wheel went down a pot-hole in the pavement. For some reason, this caused the cart to suddenly swerve. When Tim tried to straighten up, he over-corrected with the steering and before he knew what was happening, the cart veered wildly onto the nature strip and flipped over onto its side before

sliding to a halt. Toby was first to reach Tim and Grandy followed not too far behind. Tim was still lying on his side in the driver’s seat when Toby knelt down next to him. Thinking about it now, Toby thought he probably should have told Tim just how rough and bumpy the ride down the hill was going to be. “Tim, are you alright? Are you hurt? What happened?” Tim slowly tumbled out of the driver’s seat rubbing his side and immediately began apologising, “Sorry Toby. I don’t know what happened. I was only trying to steer straight, but it was so bumpy. Did anything get broken?” “Never mind about that. What about you? Are you okay?” “Yeah, I think I’m okay. I’ve got a sore hip bone though. I must have banged it on that sharp edge there, but it’s not too bad.” “Now young Tim, are you sure you’re all right? Have you taken any skin off?” asked Grandy, as he helped Tim to stand up. “Yes, thanks Grandy. I’ll be fine,” replied Tim. “Thanks to wearing a helmet, eh Grandy?” While Grandy took hold of the two front wheels, Toby grasped the push bar handle with both hands. Together, they turned the cart over and placed it at rightangles to the footpath so it wouldn’t roll away. Grandy replaced the boot lid which had come off, then gave the cart a quick once over inspection. The right-hand side of the driver’s seat showed where the cart had skidded across the ground. There were some deep gouges and indentations in the wood, along with dirty marks and grass stains. There was a mix of grass and dirt on the wheels, but that would wash off. Otherwise, surprisingly, everything else appeared to be intact. “I’m amazed actually, just how well it stood up. As far as I can see, the damage is minimal and really, it’s all just cosmetic. Looks like you’re right to go again. That’s if you want to have another go?” said Grandy looking at Tim.

“Really? Hum, oh, I don’t know. I don’t think I’m a very good driver. Toby, maybe you could have another turn first? I mean, I didn’t even get half way down and you made it all the way to the bottom, no worries.” “Yeah, I know, but I think I might have been just a bit lucky. It’s so uneven and bumpy; I could easily have crashed too. Perhaps we should call it quits for today and look for somewhere else, like Grandy said. What do you reckon? What do you think, Grandy?” “So, neither of you wants to have another go, is that right?” The boys looked at each other and both nodded their heads. Tim had already decided that he didn’t want to drive again and Toby was not exactly confident either. They’d survived the experience and would live to drive another day. Speaking for both himself and Tim, Toby declared, “No Grandy, we’ve had enough for now. I think we should find somewhere else to run the cart. Somewhere, where the pavement is a lot smoother and where there aren’t any side streets. That would be good too.” Grandy’s response took the boys completely by surprise, to say the least. “Okay then, we can do that. But, before we go, I’d like to have a turn at driving the cart. Would you let me have a turn? After all, why should you two get to have all the fun?” The idea of Grandy racing down that dangerous hill, squeezed into the driver’s seat with his knees up somewhere near his chin, was almost beyond belief. It was an image that Toby simply couldn’t comprehend. What the heck was Grandy thinking? Toby hesitated then asked, “Grandy, you’re not really going to do it are you?” “I certainly am. This is probably my last chance to relive a part of my childhood that I cherished so much when I was your age. I’ve got wonderful memories of my beloved billy carts, building and driving them. I it like it was just yesterday. It was just the best fun. Anyway, come on; let’s take the cart back up there. I’ll have my turn and then we can go home.” Leading the way, Grandy walked briskly back up the hill to the push-off point. Toby had to almost jog just to keep up with him. Tim followed a fair distance

behind. He was struggling to haul the cart up the steep incline for the second time. Grandy took the rope from Tim and placed a hand on his shoulder. He praised his hard work saying, “Thanks Tim, well done! You look rather worn out after all that exercise. I reckon you’ll sleep very soundly tonight young man. Oh, and how’s your sore hip now? Feeling better is it?” “Yes, thank you. It feels better now.” Grandy was not a big man, probably best described as being of average or medium build. He was around 175-centimetres tall and had a good physique for his age. He considered himself to be reasonably fit and he kept active by walking everywhere possible, whenever he could. The long days he spent working around the house, in the garden and in the workshop, also contributed to his good physical and mental health. Grandy just managed to fit into the 40-centimetre wide driver’s seat. With his big boots completely covering the footrest on either side of the main frame, he lent forward and took a firm hold of the steering rope. Glancing back at his grandson, he declared, “I’m ready to go when you are. Who’s going to give me a push?” “We’ll both push you, Grandy,” replied Toby. The boys stood either side of the push bar handle and together they forced the wooden vehicle and its oversized driver onwards. Despite the fact that it was carrying extra weight, the cart appeared to be going even faster than before. As they watched Grandy and the cart gradually getting smaller in the distance, Tim made the observation, “He’s driving it differently than me. He’s swerving from one side of the footpath to the other all the time. And it doesn’t seem to be bouncing and jumping around as much as when I drove it.” “Perhaps the heavier you are the more stable it is?” suggested Toby. By now, Grandy was almost at the bottom of the hill and rapidly approaching the end of his run. From where the boys were standing, it looked like he was still travelling pretty fast when he reached the corner, just before the roundabout. The cart veered out to the right slightly, then all of a sudden, made a very sharp turn

to the left. The cart flipped over on its side and skidded across the pavement towards the kerb. Grandy was thrown out and landed heavily. He put out his right hand to cushion the impact but he could be seen sliding on his right side before coming to a stop. Running on the nature strip and across people’s driveways, the boys raced down the hill as quickly as their legs would carry them. When they reached Grandy, he still hadn’t moved. “Grandy, are you all right? Grandy, Grandy. Grandy wake up Grandy. Grandy please wake up!” pleaded Toby, as he gently rubbed his grandfather’s shoulder. “Toby, he can’t hear you. I think he’s unconscious. We better get some help,” advised Tim. At that moment, a lady called out from over the road. “Is he all right?” “No, I think he’s unconscious. Can you please help us?” yelled Tim. The lady dashed across the street followed by her husband. She squatted down next to Grandy just as he was regaining consciousness. He had a lump the size of a small egg on the right-side of his forehead and the right-side of his face was grazed and bleeding. “Just lay still and don’t try to move. You’ve probably got a concussion. Peter, call an ambulance will you, then go and get a blanket from the spare room,” ordered the lady. By this time, several people had gathered around the scene and Grandy was trying to sit up saying, “I’m okay, just need an ice pack on my head and some iodine and a few bandages on my wounds. I’ll be fine in no time, won’t I Toby?” “Grandy, I think you should stay where you are until the ambulance comes. Your head looks awful and you’ve taken a lot of skin off. You’re very pale as well.” Grandy never replied and just lay back down. The man from across the street returned with a small cushion and a blanket. The lady placed the cushion under Grandy’s head while her husband covered him with the blanket. Grandy lay there with his eyes closed and said nothing else.

In the meantime, Tim had wandered over to look at the cart. Apart from a lot more scratches and dents in the woodwork, everything else seemed relatively unscathed. “The cart’s okay. Just needs a good clean up and maybe a coat of paint to hide some of the marks. Gee, it’s a tough little machine,” reported Tim. Toby never replied and was more interested in the ambulance which had just driven up onto the nature strip near Grandy. The paramedics said they didn’t think he was seriously injured but to be absolutely sure, he should go to hospital. He would need to have scans and X-rays to make sure there were no hidden injuries. They also said that he would need to stay at least overnight for observation and so that his condition could be monitored. They loaded Grandy into the back of the ambulance and closed the doors. Toby spoke briefly with one of the paramedics and then turned to Tim. “Come on, we need to get home as quickly as we can. Grab the cart and let’s go.” Nan was sitting on the front veranda when the two troubled boys finally walked into the front yard at Toby’s house. She noticed Toby carelessly shove the cart off to one side on the lawn and as he and Tim walked towards her, she wondered where Grandy was. When she noticed the grim looks on the boys’ faces, she instantly sensed something was wrong. “Where’s your Grandy, Toby? What’s happened? Where is he?” Telling his Nan what had happened was the hardest and most difficult thing Toby had ever done. While he explained the incident in detail, Toby deliberately avoided saying too much about Grandy’s injuries in case Nan got too upset and worried. Tim sat on the veranda step, listening to Toby tell the story. He felt uncomfortable, like he was intruding and eventually said, “I guess I better head off now. I’ll come over in the morning and you can tell me how your Grandy got on at the hospital, okay? I should get going, I’ll see you later. Bye, Nan.” When she arrived home from work, Nan told Toby’s mum what had happened. They headed up to the hospital straight away. Grandy was lying back in bed watching the news on TV when the family walked

in. He had dressings taped to his right cheek, right elbow and the palm of his right hand. The lump on his head had gone down slightly but a faint yellow and purple bruise was developing around the same spot. Although not visible under the bed sheets, he also had bandages on his right leg where his ankle and calf had been grazed. Nan was happy and very relieved to see Grandy. She gave him a long hug, then immediately launched a barrage of questions at him. “So what did the doctor say? When are you coming home? What were you thinking? How could you be so silly? You’re not a kid anymore. You shouldn’t be doing things like that. What were you trying to prove anyway?” Grandy held Nan’s hand and tried to answer all those questions. “The doctor says I’ve got a mild concussion, but all being well, I’ll be able to go home tomorrow. As for what happened, well, I know you think I’ve been very foolish, but don’t be too hard on me. I was just having some fun with the boys, sharing their excitement and reliving the experience of driving a billy cart one more time. But I know it’s entirely my own fault. I should have at least been wearing a helmet. It wouldn’t have stopped me taking all this skin off, but it would have saved me from getting a concussion. I’ve broken my own rules about safety, haven’t I?” Eight o’clock was kick-out time for visitors at the hospital. Before they left, Toby got a cuddle and a pat on the head from Grandy who also asked him for a full report on the damage to the cart. “When I’m feeling better and back in my workshop, I’ll make a new side for the driver’s seat and we’ll get it all fixed up again for you,” promised Grandy. “If you want to, maybe we can paint it or perhaps do some creative artwork on it. Whatever you want.” That night, after his mum had kissed him goodnight and closed the bedroom door, Toby began to think about all that had happened during that eventful afternoon. Firstly, in his opinion, there was absolutely nothing wrong with his billy cart. In fact, he was very pleased with the way it turned out. The cart had proved itself to be both very fast and extremely tough. He reckoned it was the terrible condition of the footpath that caused all the problems. Secondly, he concluded that he and

Tim must find a different hill on which to run the cart. Tim would get better as a driver if they could practice on a smoother surface. As for Grandy, well, he would probably never drive the cart again, but maybe he’d like to be the team mechanic and official timekeeper on future runs. He might like to be a special consultant when they were working out designs for future carts. Toby thought he’d have some great ideas to contribute in the planning stage, not to mention during the building phase. Toby was already planning the construction of his next billy cart. Next time he’d make one with an enclosed body. Then if it did happen to roll over, the driver’s body, at least from the waist down, would be safely encased inside the bodywork. And finding something soft to sit on, like a pillow or rubber mat, might be a good idea too. Providing a comfortable seat for the driver and shielding him from the effects of a rough ride was important. Toby’s final deliberations though, were all about his Grandy. He thought how brave he was in the face of all those painful injuries. He reflected on the many things Grandy had taught him. The practical skills and interesting facts Grandy taught him were special and very different from the things he learnt at school. He could solve any problem and if he didn’t have the answer, he knew exactly where to find it. Toby was incredibly proud of his Grandy and loved him dearly. The very last thought he had, was that regardless of the job he did when he grew up, he wanted to be a man just like his Grandy.

Build Your Own Billy Cart

Construction Guidelines

Great fun for boys and girls of all ages. Billy carts have been around in one form or another for more than a hundred years. The name billy cart is an Australian variation of the English term goat cart. As the original carts were usually pulled by a billy goat, it is not difficult to see how the Australian name evolved. Other synonyms for billy cart include hill trolley, push cart, go-cart and soap box racer. The latter two tending to be more elaborate in design and complex in construction. You might be surprised to learn that your parents or grandparents know quite a lot about billy carts. They’ll probably the fun they had as a child, sticking some old pram wheels on a wooden frame, adding a crude seat of some kind and driving the rickety conveyance down a nearby hill. Building a billy cart is an environmentally friendly project to undertake. This is because it often involves the use of second-hand and recyclable materials. Traditionally, billy carts are made from items that can be found in the garage or shed at home, around the house or discovered in the street when local councils conduct bulk junk verge collections. Some people might consider building and driving a billy cart to be a bit old fashioned in this age of computers, technological advancement and continual change. Nevertheless, building and driving a billy cart is a justifiable form of recreation which is not only a fun activity, but a healthy one too. Parents and grandparents also understand that there is a wonderful opportunity for them to build strong bonds with their children or grandchildren during quality time spent together, working and playing with the billy cart. They understand that constructing a billy cart contributes to children’s learning and the development of practical skills through involvement in a real-life application. In the instructions which follow, the directions and suggestions given allow for great flexibility and recognise that everybody’s circumstances will be different. There is recognition that not everybody will have access to the sizes, quantities

and types of material suggested. With this idea in mind, the instructions which follow should be considered only as building guidelines and those constructing the billy cart are encouraged to alter and modify any aspect of the project as they may need to do. So now it’s time to get started. Have fun and take pleasure in the whole billy cart adventure. It’s an experience you will never forget.

Safety Warning

Tools make work easier and many tasks are completed quicker when using the correct tool for the job. However, tools are designed to be used in a particular way and for particular purposes. The incorrect or inappropriate use of a tool may result in injury to the . It is therefore recommended that when using any tool, s should take reasonable care and adopt safe work practices. The wearing of safety glasses is recommended at all times. Where tools emit an unacceptably loud noise, the should always wear suitable hearing protection. Ear plugs or ear muffs provide a good level of protection against harmful noise levels. Also, ensure appropriate footwear is worn at all times. While steel toe-cap work boots would be the ideal safety footwear, it is not reasonable or practical to expect the average DIY home handyman or child to possess these. However, close-toed shoes at least should be worn at all times.

Some Useful Tools and Equipment for the Project

Hammer

Saw – any crosscut saw such as a Tenon saw

Phillips head screwdriver and flathead screwdriver

Spanners – fixed, ring or adjustable crescent spanner

Pliers

Drill – electric or hand drill and a selection of drill bits

Wood chisel

Wood rasp

Set or try square

Carpenter’s pencil or any sharpened lead pencil If available, other hand and power tools that may prove useful include:

Orbital sander

Angle grinder or metal cut-off saw

Hacksaw

Plunge router

Rivet gun

Aviation snips

Hardware

1 x pkt (100) 8 G x 30 mm Timber screws with countersunk head, Phillips Drive.

1 x pkt (100) 10 G x 40 mm Timber screws with countersunk head, Phillips Drive.

1 x pkt (50) 10 G x 60 mm Timber screws with countersunk head, Phillips Drive.

Please note: While the quantity of screws contained in each pack is in excess of normal requirements, it is the most economical way to purchase them. Left-over screws can be kept in the resealable packs for future use.

1 x pkt (8) ½ inch flat washers or 1 x pkt (8) M12 flat washers. (Zinc plated)

Please note: The actual size of these washers will largely depend on the diameter of the wheel axles and whether or not the builder is working with Imperial sized materials or metric sized materials.

1 x pkt (18) ⅜ inch flat washers or 1 x pkt (16) M10 flat washers. (Zinc plated)

1 x pkt (25) 2.5 x 32 mm Split pins. (only required if wheels need to be secured

through holes drilled in axles – Zinc plated).

1 x ½ inch x 4½ inch (M12 x 100 mm) Hex head bolt and nut. (s the main frame centre board to the front axle frame at the steering end).

5 x ⅜ inch x 4½ inch (M10 x 100 mm) Cup head bolts and nuts. (One s the brake handle to the driver’s seat and four the driver’s seat to the main frame centre board).

2 x Axles – diameter and length variable.

4 x Wheels – type, size and width variable.

4 x Mounting brackets for attaching axles to frames.

1 x Length of rope – 8 mm to 12 mm in diameter.

Materials List

Please note: The type of wood used in this project is at the discretion of the builder. The use of pine is suggested only where there is no access to existing timber in the home or workshop. Builders are encouraged to recycle old timber regardless of its size, shape, weight or texture and to adapt that timber to their requirements.

1 x Structural Pine board (untreated) – 90 mm x 35 mm x 3.0 metres (also available in 1.8 and 2.4 metre lengths). Please note: Non-structural pine is cheaper to buy but the wood is usually full of knots and imperfections. It lacks strength and is NOT recommended.

1 x Grade Pine board – 64 mm x 19 mm x 1.8 metres (also available in 2.4 and 3.0 metre lengths). Intended for handbrake and possible spacer.

3 x Grade Pine boards – 286 mm x 19 mm x 600 mm. (for the driver’s seat) Please note: If this size board is unavailable, the boards suggested below can be cut and ed to build the seat, albeit slightly different in size.

2 x Grade Pine boards – 89 mm x 19 mm x 3.0 metres (also available in 1.8 and 2.4 metre lengths).

Construction Guidelines

The Three-Part Chassis

Begin by calculating the length of the main frame centre board. Have the tallest person likely to drive the cart, sit on the 3.0 metre length of 90 mm x 35 mm structural pine. Sitting upright with legs outstretched in front, measure from the person’s back to the flats of their feet. This will give a minimum length for the centre board. Unless the driver’s feet are to rest on the front axle steering frame, extra length must be added in front of what will eventually be a footrest. A suggested distance might be in the range of 200–250 mm. For example, imagine that the person is resting on what will be the back of the driver’s seat and the distance to the bottom of their feet is say 1 metre; add an extra 250 mm to that measurement. The overall length of the main frame centre board would then be 1250 mm. After cutting the 1250 mm length, a piece of structural pine about 1750 mm in length will be left for the front and rear axle frames and for the footrest. Next, cut the front and rear axle frames from the remaining length of structural pine. In order to do this accurately, the builder must of course have the complete set of front and rear wheels at hand. The wooden axle frame should fit comfortably between the two wheels on each axle. Ensure that each wheel is positioned at their respective opposite ends of the axle, then measure the distance between the inside rims of each wheel. Allow 5 mm clearance at each end for the positioning of flat washers later. In other words, deduct 10 mm from the initial measurement and that will be the length of the axle frame. If the front and rear axles are of different lengths, the measuring process will need to be repeated for the other frame. Depending on the length of the axles, there should be enough timber left over from the 1750 mm piece for the cart’s footrest.

Attaching the footrest to the main frame is a task that should be left until after driver’s seat has been fastened to the main frame.

The Driver’s Seat

There are many alternatives for a driver’s seat. Traditionally, billy cart seats were made from wooden fruit crates and cut-down, plywood tea chests. While machinery packing crates are still an option today, a simpler choice might be to use one of the moulded plastic seats seen on chairs in many offices and schools. When the legs are removed, they make a very comfortable seat. For those needing to make a seat, some simple guidelines for building a partially enclosed seat which will provide basic, all-round protection for the driver are provided below. Some builders may prefer to construct a seat of their own design. It is likely that this task will prove to be an invaluable learning experience and a very satisfying exercise, and is one to be encouraged. For the seat base and seat back use two of the 286 mm x 19 mm x 600 mm pine boards. Assuming an inside seat width of 400 mm, allow an extra 38 mm for the thickness of the two sides. Therefore, cut both boards to a width of 438 mm, then glue, countersink and screw together through the base, creating an L-shaped seat and seat back. Use at least 4 x 10 G x 40 mm screws to secure the t. Cut the remaining 286 mm x 19 mm x 600 mm board in two, creating two sides of 286 mm (H) x 19 mm x 267 mm (W). To attach the sides, glue, countersink and screw through the seat base and seat back. Use at least 3 x 10 G x 40 mm screws through both the seat base and seat back for each attached side. Depending on personal preference, builders may like to shape the seat sides and back to create a more aerodynamic appearance or perhaps use a plane or sander to remove sharp edges and create a softer, smoother look for the seat.

Putting It All Together

Begin by attaching the wheels and axles to their respective frames. Some axles come with mounting brackets already welded onto the axle. In this case, builders need only drill through the brackets into the frame, and then fasten them down using 8 G x 30 mm screws. The number of screws required will depend on the number of holes in the mounting bracket. In the event the axles have no mounting brackets, there are a number of options. In times gone by, an axle could be attached and held in place by large nails (3 or 4-inch) hammered into the frame on either side of the axle. These nails were then bent over the axle to lock it down onto the frame. Nowadays, an option would be to use plastic or metal saddle clips, as used by electricians and plumbers to fasten conduit and copper pipe to walls. Saddle clips come in different sizes and can be matched to fit over any axle. They also come with pre-drilled holes, and the procedure for attaching them to the frame is the same as that described in the previous paragraph. Another option is to make your own brackets. Steel angle iron is ideal for this purpose. Cut two brackets for each axle and pre-drill them so that one face has a hole matching the diameter of the axle and the other face has either two or four holes drilled and countersunk ready for mounting to the frame. Having mounted the wheels and axles onto their frames, the frames should be ed to the main frame centre board. The front steering wheels should be attached to the main frame using a large Hex head bolt (½ inch x 4½ inch or M12 x 100 mm or similar) and drilled through the centre of both boards. Flat washers should be placed under the bolt head, between the two boards and under the fixing nut. Ensure the front frame is free to turn. The frame for the rear wheels needs to be securely and permanently fixed in place. In order to adequately the driver’s weight, the rear axle is normally placed in position somewhere under the driver’s seat, usually towards the back of the cart.

First, drill and countersink holes in the frame base. Then glue, drill and screw the frame onto the main frame using 5 x 10 G x 60 mm screws. As the main frame centre board is quite narrow (only 90 mm wide) in comparison to the driver’s seat (approximately 440 mm wide) it is important to ensure a secure and lasting connection. It is recommended that 4 x Cup head bolts (⅜ inch x 4½ inch or M10 x 100 mm) be used to fasten the two components together. Next, fit the footrest of about 330 mm in length using the remaining piece of structural pine. To place the footrest, try sitting in the seat with legs out in front, slightly bent at the knee and select a comfortable position. Make sure the front wheels are clear of the footrest when turning. Drill and countersink, apply glue to the underside of the footrest, then screw it to the main frame centre board with at least 2 x 10 G x 60 mm Phillips head screws. The final task is to attach the steering rope to the front wheels. The quickest and simplest way is to wrap the two ends of a rope around each end of the frame and tie knots to secure the ends in position. However, a better method would be to drill a hole at each end of the frame through which to thread the rope. A knot is then tied on the underside of the frame. This method has the added advantage of being visually more acceptable and pleasing to look at.

Tips for Making a Handbrake

Because every billy cart is different and unique, the requirements for building a working handbrake vary considerably from one cart to the next. The single most influential factor however, which contributes to the variation in brake construction is the type, size and width of the rear wheels. Using wood, it is possible to construct an effective handbrake which is capable of slowing and stopping a billy cart. However, in order to do this, it is absolutely essential that the wooden surface making with the wheel is shaped to match the curve of the wheel. The same wooden surface must also match the width of the tyre. The final positioning of the handbrake will depend on the length of the billy cart, the height and depth of the driver’s seat, the length and shape of the handbrake itself, as well as on the size of the rear wheels. It is therefore very difficult to give specific instructions for its construction. Needless to say, in the interest of safety, a functioning, effective brake is an essential component of any billy cart.