Lay the rods on one corner, so that the sides make an angle of 45 degrees
with the floor, pull the boxes taut--be careful that they are square to
the rods--and drive three or four tacks through each end of the box into
the rods. Then turn them over and tack the other sides similarly. Repeat
the process with the other rods after measuring to get the distances
correct.
The length of the stretchers is found approximately by a simple
arithmetical sum, being the square root of the sum of the squares of the
lengths of two adjacent sides of the box. For example, if each box is 20 by
15 inches, the diagonal is the square root of (20 squared plus 15 squared)
= square root of 625 = 25 inches. The space occupied by the vertical rods
will about offset the stretch of the material, but to be on the safe side
and to allow for the notches, add another half-inch for small kites and
more proportionately for large ones. It is advisable to test one pair of
stretchers before cutting another, to reduce the effect of miscalculations.
The stretcher notches should be deep enough to grip the rods well and
prevent them twisting, and one must take care to have those on the same
stretcher exactly in line, otherwise one or other cannot possibly "bed"
properly.
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