How to make bascule bridge
Answers
Answer:
Cut out an arch with the scroll saw from the 5-by-7-by-2-inch block of pine wood. Make the arch about 3 inches wide and 4 inches high. Be sure to cut in the longest direction, so that the bottom of the arch becomes the bottom of the tower, and there is 3 inches left above the top of the arch.
Measure and mark with the pencil every 1/2 inch across the top of the tower, above the arch. At every other mark, cut a notch 1/2 inch deep and 1/2 inch wide with the scroll saw. These are the tower battlements.
Center the tower on the 5-by-10-by-1/2-inch block and nail the two pieces together through the bottom to form the tower base.
Lay down the two 4-by-1/2-by-1/2-inch blocks parallel to each other 3 inches apart on your work surface.
Lay the eight 4-by-1/2-by-1/8-inch strips across the two blocks. Attach the strips to the blocks with finishing nails. This is your drawbridge.
Turn over the drawbridge and tap in two finishing nails, one into each block, as close to the ends as you can without splitting the wood. Leave the nails sticking out past the edges of the drawbridge, about 1/4 inch. This will be the pivot end of your gate.
Tap in two more finishing nails, one into each block, about 1/2 inch from the end opposite the pivot end of the drawbridge. Leave the nails sticking past the edges about 1/4 inch.
Lay the drawbridge, block side down, on the tower base in front of the tower. Place an upholstery staple over the protruding nails on the pivot end and gently tap the staples into the tower base. This should hold the drawbridge in place while allowing it to rotate freely into open and shut positions. Adjust the staples and nails if needed.
Tap two finishing nails into the tower, one on either side at the top of the arch. Make sure they are spaced 4 inches apart, as wide as the drawbridge. Angle the nails at about 45 degrees, and leave half of each nail sticking up.
Attach one end of each chain to the nails at the top of the arch. Attach the other ends to the drawbridge.
Stain the wood with the paintbrush, then allow to dry.