How to Build a Dumb-Waiter
By ERIC B. ROBERTS
Amateur knowledge of carpentry is all that is necessary to build the dumb-waiter described in this article and shown in the illustrations. The first step is to choose a location where a vertical drop to the basement will meet with no obstructions. After the location has been determined, the shaft is built from the ceiling of the first story to the basement floor. The frame of the shaft consists of 2 by 4-in. material; in the kitchen this is boxed in with 1-in. stock on the inside and lathed on the outside preparatory to plastering. If desired, wallboard can be used on the outside. The basement section of the shaft is also boarded up tightly. A neat paneled door should be provided for the kitchen outlet of the waiter, but a simple board door will suffice in the basement. A wooden floor is provided at the bottom of the shaft and four holes are drilled in the floor to hold old auto-valve springs in a vertical position to absorb the shock of the lift when it is lowered rapidly.
After the shaft has been finished, the rails or guides for the lift are fastened on the inside, leaving out a short section to permit the insertion of the lift, after which the omitted guide section also may be fastened in place. Lengths of 3⁄4-in. wood may be used for making the guides. Next, the lift should be made. For the average household it should weigh about 65 lb., so that it will carry a load of from 5 to 20 lb. The counterweight, which consists of scrap lead, iron, etc., must be between 5 and 10 lb. heavier than the empty waiter, to allow for the additional load. To obtain the above-mentioned weights,
