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BOOKS BY WILLIAM NOYES

Handwork in VPood

^Wocd and Forest

'Design and Construction in Wood

DESIGN and CONSTRUCTION
IN WOOD

% WILLIAM NOYES

Assistant Professor of Industrial Arts

Teachers College, Columbia University

NEW YORK CITY

THE MANUAL ARTS PRESS
PEORIA, ILLINOIS

WILLIAM NOYES

1913

FOURTH EDITION, 1919

FOREWORD

The purpose of the following studies is, (I) to give to be-
ginners in woodworking an opportunity for the acquisition of skill
in the handling of tools, and, (II) some practice in designing sim-
ple projects in wood.

I. This series of projects is not offered as a hard and fast
course. The training of the hand does not depend upon following
a fixed order, like a course in geometry. Many roads lead to the
goal. This course claims to be a practical one because, tho con-
stantly changed, it has been a successful one. No greater misfor-
tune could befall a course in handiwork than that it should be stere-
otyped. Indeed, my chief misgiving in publishing the course is lest
it seem to have found final shape.

To obviate this impression, other projects involving the same
or similar processes are suggested and illustrated.

It will be noted that the course here outlined is so planned that :

1. A variety of woods is employed, each appropriate for its par-
ticular project. They are: cypress, whitewood, maple, white pine,
mahogany, chestnut, hickory, sweet gum, oak, and black walnut.

2. In general, the technical processes involved increase in diffi-
culty thru the series, but esthetic considerations are not sacrificed
to this formula.

3. Several types of construction are employed, involving such
joints as : end-lap, rubbed, miter, middle cross-lap, doweled butt,
and ledge.

4. A few simple processes in copper working are included because
their employment considerably extends the range of useful and orna-
mental projects available.

5. A variety of finishes is suggested, including several methods
of staining, as well as the use of such polishes as oil, wax, and
shellac.

In a word, the course involves a considerable variety of experience
in technical processes.

416033

The attempt is here made to reduce the practice of the shop to
words and pictures, in order that it may be available to those who
must work alone. The author, however, does not at all presume to
believe that, however helpful books may be to the worker, they can
ever fill the place of individual instruction and demonstration.

II. In this series all but two of the projects, the picture-frame-
clamp and the mallet, are such as to invite the worker to create
his own designs. To this end a considerable number of suggestive
illustrations are introduced. Design may begin with pure imitation,
but it never ends there. It is my hope, therefore, that as the stu-
dent worker proceeds thru the series, he will more and more freely
design good things. Some general suggestions for help in designing
will be found in Chapter II, and these are supplemented in each
succeeding chapter by concrete application of the general principles
to the project in hand.

CONTENTS

I. Wood 13

II. Wood, A Medium of Artistic Expression 21

III. Equipment £9

IV. A Scrap-Basket 35

V. Picture-Frame-Clamp 59

VI. The Mitered Picture-Frame 65

VII. The Candlestick <S3

VIII. Taboret 99

IX. Mallet 115

X. Trays 123

XI. Rolling Blotter-Holder .133

XII. Small Boxes 13?

XIII. Lanterns 147

Index., .158

CHAPTER I
WOOD

Next to food and clothing, wood is to man the most useful of
substances, and there is no other single substance that has as great
a variety of human uses. The prosperity of any nation is largely
measured by its timber supply, and hence we see the extraordinary
efforts now being made by progressive nations to conserve their
forests. Today the lumber industry is the fourth largest industry
in the United States, and any intelligent person can quickly make
a list of scores of uses to which wood is put. Two-thirds of the
people of the United States live in wooden houses and half of the
population burn wood as fuel.

One of the most useful qualities of wood, namely its combusti-
bility for fuel, also constitutes one of its most serious disadvantages;
it is not fireproof. On the other hand, until it is actually burned
thru, it retains its stiffness, a fact that is not true of hot steel.
It is because of its destructibility by fire, as well as by insects and
decay, that attempts are constantly made to find substitutes for it.
But even in spite of the employment of such substitutes as cement
and steel in constructive work, its use is constantly increasing.

Most of our paper is made of wood and practically all our fur-
niture. Its great utility depends upon such qualities as its size, its
strength, its lightness, its ease of working, its elasticity, its hardness
and its beauty. When wood is to be used for building or other con-
structive work, then its size is of great importance, while in work
requiring only small pieces, other qualities, such as hardness, or
permanence of shape, are determining factors. The strength of wood
is shown by the fact that a hickory bar will stand more pull than a
wrought iron bar of equal length and weight, and a block of long-leaf
pine will stand nearly as much crushing weight as a block of cast
iron of equal height and weight. Hickory is so tough that no
substitutes for it in wheel-spokes, handles and similar articles which
have to stand constant blows, have as yet been found. The hardness

CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

and elasticity of such woods as oak and maple make them suitable
for floors. Some wood, like spruce, that is both light and strong, is
used for ladders and poles and canoe paddles.

For ease of working and permanence of shape, no wood compares
with white pine, "the King of Woods," but unfortunately this spe-
cies is now becoming scarce. For the making of furniture, two woods
now hold supremacy, oak and mahogany. This is due partly to their
beauty, but also to their strength. The oak is native; the mahogany
is imported.

One of the most useful characteristics of wood is its ease of being
joined together by nails, screws, glue, etc. Woods differ greatly in
this respect, white pine, yellow poplar, and bass being very easy to
nail, while oak, hickory, maple, and ash are difficult to nail without
splitting. In general, the tough elastic woods split badly in nail-
ing, while the soft brittle woods nail well. Hence, with some
woods, before nailing, special precautions, like boring holes, have
to be taken. On the other hand, woods like oak and maple, which
are difficult to nail can be very securely joined together by means of
screws. Certain woods, notable among which are mahogany and
white pine, can be glued together with remarkable tenacity. This
susceptibility to the cohesive action of glue is a most useful character-
istic of all our common woods. Soft woods glue much better than hard
woods.

One quality, possessed by all wood, is of serious disadvantage,
namely its sensitiveness to moisture. It shrinks when dry and
swells when wet. This necessitates particular care in certain forms
of construction and in methods of finishing. The shrinkage of wood
is to be explained by its internal structure. Wood is composed of
"cells" or fibers, which are long, slender tubes, thru which, during
the life of the tree, the sap passes. The cells formed during the
spring of each year grow large with thin walls, and those formed
in the summer grow smaller with thick walls. A layer of spring
wood and of summer wood together form an "annual ring" as seen
in a cross-section of a log, or stripes, as seen in a longitudinal sec-
tion. Eunning across these up-and-down cells and radiating out
from the center of the tree are other cells called "pith rays," some-
times very large, as the "silver flakes" in oak (see frontispiece),
sometimes very minute ^as in pine. They seive to bind the annual
rings together and offer, as in beech, sycamore and oak, add great

WOOD

beauty to the grain of the wood. Now wood shrinks because the
walls of the cells which compose it become thinner as they dry.
For some unknown reason wood cells do not become shorter, so that
wood shrinks very little in
length. This peculiarity is made
use of in constructing doors and
in other panel constructions.

Wood shrinks most cir-
cumferentially, that is, in the
direction of the annual rings,
and somewhat, radially. This
explains why boards often warp
as they do, that is, in the direc-
tion opposite to that of the an-
nual rings in them (Fig. 1). A
board is said to be "warped"
when one side shrinks more than
the other. This warping is some-
times due to the fact that one side is drier than the other. In such a
case the board can often be straightened by drying the other (con-
vex) side. But usually the warp-

Fiy. 1 Boards usually warp in the di-
rection opposite to hat of the usual rings
in them.

ing is due to the direction of
the annual rings in it. A "comb
grain" or "rift" board, Fig. 2,
which is cut radially in the log,
is less likely to warp than a
"slash grain" or "bastard" board
which is cut from the side of
the log.

It is partly for this reason
that much fine lumber is "quar-
ter sawed," Fig. 3. That is, ra-
dial boards are sawn out first, di-
viding the log into quarters
which are then sawed up as
nearly radially as is consistent with economy. In some woods, as in
oak and sycamore, the beauty of the grain caused by the exposure
thus made of the pith rays, is an additional reason for quarter
sawing. See frontispiece.

Fig-. 2 A, Comb erain board; B, Slash
grain board.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Disadvantageous as the shrinking and swelling of wood is for
most purposes, it is sometimes made use of, as in splitting soft
stone by means of wetting wedges which have been driven into bor-
ings in the stone.

The beauty of wood depends
largely upon the "grain," a term
which means several things. Us-
ually the grain of wood means
the pattern formed by the dis-
tinction between the spring
wood and the summer wood.
Hence, according to the "figure"
formed, wood may be straight
grained, crooked grained, wavy
grained, curly grained, or bird's
eye. The term "grain" may also
refer to the appearance caused
by the presence of the "pith
rays," as in oak, (see frontis-
piece), or to the peculiar changing reflection of light due to cross
grain as in mahogany. The terms coarse grain and fine grain may
refer respectively either to the
width of the annual rings or to
the presence or absence of pores1.
Wood is sold by the board
foot; that is, the unit of measure-
ment is a board, one inch thick,
one foot long, and one foot wide,

or 144 cubic inches, Fig. 4. A Fig 4> Aboardfoot>

simple method of measuring is to

multiply the length in feet by the width and thickness in inches and
divide by 12. For example 1" (thick) X 8" (wide) X 10' 0"(long)-r-
12=6' 8" B.M. (board measure). Boards less than one inch
thick are calculated as one inch. Dressed lumber, that is, planed on
both sides, comes 3/16" less in thickness than sawn lumber. For ex-
ample, boards sawn -1" thick are planed to 13/16". For all ordin-

Fig-. 3. Common method of quartering- log.

*A fuller discussion of this subject will be found in the author's Wood
and Forest, Chapter I. The Manual Arts Press, Peoria, 111.

WOOD 17

ary purposes it is economical to buy 13/16" stuff. For thinner boards
one may have this resawn at the mill.2

Following are descriptions of a few common varieties of wood.

As an aid to their recognition, see the illustrations, frontispiece.

White pine has been the most useful of all trees in the United
States. The wood is one of the easiest and most satisfactory to work,
owing to its uniformity of grain. For all purposes that require a
wood that shrinks and checks but little and holds its shape well,
such as molding patterns, window sashes, cores of doors and cabinet
work, white pine is unrivaled. It is very light and soft, and is of
medium strength, elasticity, and durability. It splits easily but nails
well. In color it is light brown, almost cream color. The grain is
not noticeable and has no particular beauty. Hence when used for
house trim it is usually painted. Its former abundance made it
cheap and it has therefore been used so recklessly that now it is be-
coming scarce. Red pine is often sold with and for white pine.
Price in N. Y. C., 1913, $120 per M (thousand).

Cypress is a soft, easily worked wood, that does not warp badly
but is likely to contain many fine checks. It nails well and is very
durable. Hence it is much used for shingles, posts, railway ties, and
conservatory construction. As seen in slash grain boards, it is often
beautifully figured by the fine lines of summer wood between the
broader spaces of spring wood. It has a reddish brown color and no
resin ducts. Its beauty makes it a desirable wood for interior finish
and for many pieces of furniture. Price in N". Y. C., 1913, per M. $65.

Spruce is a straight grained, strong, light, elastic, and rather
soft wood, which shrinks and warps but little, is easy to plane and
saw, but hard to chisel neatly across the grain because the spring
wood is so much softer than the summer wood that it crushes before
it cuts. It nails fairly well. It is used chiefly for construction, for
ladders, for paddles, and other articles requiring both strength and
lightness and, preferably, for paper pulp. It is the wood from which
sounding boards are made because it is very resonant. It can be sub-
stituted for many uses of pine. The color is dull white, and the
rings not noticeable. Very strong, light, furniture can be made of it.
Price, in N. Y. C., 1913, $50 per M.

2Further information about measuring lumber can be found in the au-
thor's Handwork in Wood, pp. 48 and 109. The Manual Arts Press, Peo-
ria, 111.

-2

18 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

White oak is now the wood most commonly used for interior fin-
ish and furniture. It is very strong, quite heavy and elastic, and
hard. It is rather hard to work and to nail, and checks and warps
considerably, unless carefully seasoned; but when once worked up
is without a rival on account of its strength and beauty. The color
is a light brown. The rings are plainly defined by pores, which
make a pleasing pattern in slash sawn boards. Its great distinction
lies in the pith rays, which are broad, conspicuous, and irregular.
They are often an inch or more wide and many inches long. These
rays are very hard, almost like horn. They are brought to plainest
view in radial (or rift) boards, and hence quarter sawing, tho un-
economical, is commonly practiced to obtain the most effective
"grain." As the wood is becoming more scarce, inferior species are
mixed in, smaller trees are cut, and radial veneers are more and
more used. In staining, the pores absorb much more color than
the summer wood or the pith rays, and hence, no wood is capable
of such contrasts of grain when stained as oak. Price in N. Y. C.,
1913, $135 per M.

White ash is a heavy, strong, elastic, hard wood, used especially
for handles of farm tools, oars, barrels, etc. It splits badly in nail-
ing. It is used considerably for inside finish and furniture both on
account of its strength and the beauty of its figure when slash sawn.
The "grain" is due to the massing of the pores in the spring wood.
It is the hardest and best of the ashes. Black or brown ash is much
easier to work, and is sufficiently strong for most furniture. Price,
in N.Y.C., 1913, $85 per M.

Yellow poplar or white wood grows with a tall straight trunk
unsurpassed in grandeur by any other eastern American tree. This
furnishes clear knotless boards, often 15" to 18" broad. It is a gen-
eral utility wood, largely taking the place once held by white pine,
and is used for cheap furniture, interior trim, and carriage bodies.
It is light, brittle, soft, easy to work, nails very well, has medium
strength, and does not warp badly when properly handled. The pith
rays are quite noticeable, but are not made much use of for decora-
tive purposes. The rings are distinct but not prominent, and the
color is greenish or yellow brown. It is a good wood to keep in stock
for all sorts of purposes, and an ideal wood to carve. In the south,
magnolia is often sold with and for yellow poplar. They belong to
the same family. Price in N. Y. C., 1913, $80 per M.

WOOD

Sweet gum. Except for one quality, sweet gum would be one of
the most useful Avoods. It has an even texture, is comparatively easy
to work, takes a beautiful finish and polishes well, is an ideal wood
for carving, and with a little care can be nailed well. It has a
beautiful chocolate hue varied by uneven deposits of coloring matter.
But it twists and warps more than any other common wood, and hence

Fig. 5. Clamping- up boards to keep them from warping.

for commercial purposes is largely used in veneers. For small articles
of household use, it is an excellent wood. Price in N. Y. C., 1913,
$75 per M.

Mahogany is a general name covering a number of species, all of
which are imported. The chief varieties are Central American ma-
hogany, African mahogany, Mexican mahogany, East Indian mahog-
any (vermillion wood or padouk), and Spanish cedar. These varie-
ties are somewhat alike in color, a reddish brown, the annual rings
are inconspicuous, the pores are scattered, and few woods take glue
better. They vary considerably in hardness, in difficulty of nailing,
and in shade of color. The common uses are furniture and interior

20 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

finish. The grain is very likely to be variable, causing a very pleas-
ing, changeable, reflection of light. Price in N.Y.C., 1913, $185 per M.

In the following studies, the woods just described will be recom-
mended.

It is impossible to give explicit directions for laying in a supply
of wood. Some varieties of wood may be plentiful in certain places,
others may be scarce and hence expensive. Some workers may be able
to obtain the wood in nearly the sizes wanted ; others may be com-
pelled to purchase whole boards. Some may have a dry storage room
of ample size, as, for instance, an attic; others may be compelled to
store their lumber in a damp cellar. In general it may be said
ihat one should buy only what he can take good care of. Where any
quantity of lumber is stored, it should, if possible, be "stacked," that
is, piled flat, each board separated from its neighbors by small cross
sticks to allow free circulation of air. If possible, there should be a
weight on the top board. Where only a few boards are to be put un-
der pressure, it is often convenient to clamp them together with
handscrews, as in Fig. 5.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Filibert Roth. Timber. Bulletin No. 10, of the Forestry Service, Washing-
ton, D. C. (May be secured from the Supt. of Documents, Washington,
D. C., for IDC.) A brief, accurate, and non-technical but comprehensive
study of the structure and properties of woods, with a description of
common varieties and a key to their study.

Katherine Golden Bitting. Woodcraft, June-Sept. '06.

William Noyes. Wood and Forest. Manual Arts Press, Peoria, II.1.

CHAPTER II
WOOD A MEDIUM OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION

Projects in wood that admit of artistic variation are subject to
the same fundamental principles of design that underly all the space
arts. The constant problem of the artistic woodworker is to famil-
iarize himself with these principles. One way of doing this is the
keen observation of their application by past and present masters in
wood. Familiarity with the masterpieces of woodwork in other ages
and lands will give additional zest and interest to the application of
these principles. For instance, the hand workers in wood of Italy,
Spain, France, England, Scandinavia, and Japan, have much to
teach us in line, proportion, and construction.

The other way of learning these principles of the space arts is
by repeated application of them in constructive work. Only in the
latter way does the worker come to realize the limitations of his own
medium. The production of beautiful objects acquires a much more
lively interest when good taste and the ability to design are developed
along with manipulative skill in execution. On the other hand, the
acquisition of skill becomes of vastly greater importance if it is used
as a means of creating things of beauty.

In a word, artistic judgment and skill of hand develop best when
they develop together. Each justifies and ennobles the other.

In the making of the following projects, where ample opportun-
ity is given both to design and to construction, the meaning of beauty
as related to wooden structures should grow clearer as the articles
suggested are worked out. Experience here, as elsewhere, is the best
teacher.

It is. not to be inferred, however, that one can safely hope to im-
prove thru self-criticism alone. The dangers of going off at a tan-
gent are too great. In design, even more than in construction, the
critical assistance of a competent teacher is invaluable. The con-
stant appeal for help to superior artistic judgment is the surest path
to good taste.

22 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

The underlying principles of the visual arts have been clearly
stated, tho not in identical terms, by several writers, and as the
principles herein suggested for the woodworker are based upon the
broader principles common to all space arts, the reader is strongly
urged to familiarize himself with them. They are well analyzed and
illustrated in the following books:

Arthur W. Dow : Composition.

Denman W. Ross: Theory of Pure Design.

Ernest A. Batchelder : Design in Theory and Practice.

George Lansing Raymond : Proportion and Harmony of Line and Color.

Lewis F. Day: The Application of Ornament.

The properties of the particular medium thru which art is ex-
pressed present to the artist certain limitations which he must recog-
nize. This in no way suppresses creative expression, but rather dis-
ciplines it.

The following, then, are the possibilities and the limitations
within which the woodworker may revel:

1. In the first place, the thing to be made should in itself appeal
to the craftsman as something worth while and interesting to make.
For instance, scrap-baskets, picture-frames, desk- trays, hanging lan-
terns, and such familiar objects as are frequently seen or handled,
should call forth the worker's best effort.

2. The article to be made should be so designed and constructed
as to be structurally sound. Nothing is completely beautiful which
is poorly constructed. The joints of a frame should not open with
varying temperature and humidity. A chair should be so con-
structed as to hold the weight and strain ordinarily expected of
chairs, for an indefinite time, or as long as the wood lasts. A hun-
dred years is not too long to expect a chair to be of service. Many
last longer.

3. The form of the article should frankly indicate the material;
wood should not be made to look like metal or stone. Appropriate-
ness of shape to material should be so obvious that there would be
no mistaking a wooden candlestick for one of pottery or brass.

4. The structure of the article should be recognized or even
emphasized, but not contradicted. In wooden structures this prin-
ciple has to do primarily with the matter of joints. Joints may in
many cases be made obvious, as in the decorative use of fastenings,

WOOD A MEDIUM OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION 23

so that there is no mistaking the form of construction. In cases
where the joint is concealed, the principle stated would demand that
there be no pretense of a form of construction that does not exist,
as, for example, when a false keyed mortise-and-tenon joint is stuck
on where the pieces are actually doweled together. In a word, the
construction should be honest, and if it is obviously honest, *it may
be all the better.

5. The article should also be convenient for use. The socket of a
candle stick should be of the proper size to hold ordinary candles.
A pen-tray should be long enough to hold pens and pencils and
should not be easily upset. A chair seat should be the right distance
from the floor, and the rail in front should be high enough to allow
the sitter to slip his feet under it and so rise easily. The require-
ments of convenience set limitations to design. Proportions must
conform to intended use.

6. Lastly, when an interesting object has been chosen, when
proper materials and sound construction have been determined upon,
when it has been planned for convenience in use, so that the size and
shape are approximately fixed, then the sense of beauty plays, as it
were, with these possibilities, feeling for the most satisfying propor-
tion of parts to whole and parts to each other, trying one arrange-
ment after another, studying how to secure a rhythmic repetition of
the same motive, how to break up an outline or a surface harmon-
iously into principal and subordinate parts, and how to keep it as
a unit well balanced.

In analyzing more particularly what it is with which the crafts-
man plays in creating beauty in these little wooden structures, four
considerations are of prime importance: (1) mass, (2) line, involv-
ing light and shadow, (3) color, (4) finish.

1. Mass. The first consideration is the appearance of the object
as a whole. It is to be thought of as a silhouette, as an object stand-
ing between the observer and the light, so that the general propor-
tions are obvious ; that is, the relation of width to height, of part to
whole, and of part to part, including a consideration of vacant spaces
as well as occupied spaces, should be clearly defined. Seen or imag-
ined from this point of view, the details are lost, no lights or shad-
ows are conspicuous, but only the general mass. It must have the
beauty that one sees when the trees, rocks, and hills are silhouetted

24 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

in a pattern of pleasing proportions against a twilight sky. In other
words, the first and fundamental esthetic test and requisite is that
the proportions as a whole should be pleasing.

The basket, candlestick, lantern, and so on, which in the follow-
ing pages are suggested for making, are studied from this point of
view; they are planned to keep the height and width and depth in
pleasing relation each to each, and to so proportion open with closed
spaces as to secure an artistic arrangement of parts. In other words,
the composition made by placing the object against a lighter or dark-
er surface should be pleasing in dark and light.

2. Line. When these general masses and spaces are approxi-
mately determined, the next step is to fix the character of their
boundaries. The outlines are to be refined and embellished, and
here we may have all the variety that lies between that severity of
line found in the earlier European furniture — whether Scandinavian,
Italian, Spanish or English, and the elaborateness of carved and
turned and fluted styles, such as is characteristic of the later Eliza-
bethan or Gothic furniture. How simple or how intricate, how bold
or how delicate the lines shall be, depends partly upon the nature of
the material, partly upon the skill and the judgment and the taste of
the craftsman, and partly upon the use to be made of the object.

The nature of the line affects directly the high lights and shad-
ows that appear when the object is well lighted. Good lines will
produce interesting notes of light and dark. They will "catch the
light" and "throw shadows" at pleasing rhythmic intervals, making
interesting patterns in "notan"3. This is the merit of artistic mold-
ings, turned work, carving, and inlay, that they make possible intri-
cate and diversified compositions of dark and light (and in the
case of inlay, of color), that are impossible in severe, plain styles.
On the other hand, the attractiveness of plain forms lies in their
very simplicity. Moreover, as the plainer early European or Japan-
ese styles involve fewer elements to be spaced, the chances for the
beginner to get better designs in them is greater than in the more
elaborate styles. So, until considerable mastery in handling space
relations in wooden structures is gained, the beginner is advised to
work in the spirit of these plainer, simpler styles.

3Notan — a Japanese term meaning dark-and-light.

WOOD A MEDIUM OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION" 25

3. Color. Thirdly, there is the consideration of color. The nat-
ural hues of the woods give a considerable variety, ranging from the
light yellow brown of oak, chestnut, and ash, to the reds of mahog-
any and the purples of walnut and sweet gum. All of these can be
greatly modified artificially by stains or by chemical processes. (See
the author's Handwork in Wood, pp. 209-214.)

The problems in color, both in hue and value, is that of harmony
with surroundings. No piece of furniture, however small, should be
considered as a thing by itself. It is to be treated as one element that
will enter into the composition of a beautiful room, and upon its
harmony therewith will depend its own beauty.

As regards the color of furniture, it may be said in general that
the esthetic tendency is away from yellow tones. These are all the
harder to avoid on account of the yellowness of the common finishes,
varnish and shellac. The best that can be done by amateurs is to
gray the yellow by fuming or staining. On the other hand, a frank
yellow tone may be appropriate and effective, as, for instance in a
blue setting.

4. Finish. The fourth element of beauty in wood is finish. The
simplest and oldest process is rubbing with or without oil or wax,
which only emphasizes the quality of wood as wood. The more mod-
ern finishes, varnish and shellac, succeed in "bringing out the grain,"
but at the expense of making a surface that looks, not like wood, but
like glass. Unlike glass, however, varnish is easily marred. To keep
the shining surface perfect, demands constant protection and care,
and suggests that such pieces are made, not to use, but to look at.

It may frequently happen that in order to secure a desired ef-
fect of mass or line or color, the design or construction originally
adopted may have to be reconsidered and something else substituted
that will give a satisfying harmony. Each feature is thus to be de-
cided tentatively, subject to such modifications as other features may
demand in securing unity of design for the structure when complete.

Altho the steps mentioned seem to give the logical procedure in
building all sorts of things, whether foot-stools, chairs, or thrones,
trussed, arched, or suspension bridges, dog-kennels, cottages, or cas-
tles, yet a little reflection and observation will show that one or
another of these steps has frequently been omitted. The library of
one of our famous universities is a good illustration of a beautiful

26 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

building poorly planned for its use. Utility is sacrificed to good
proportion. On the other hand, the so-called typewriter chair is a
model of convenience and comfort, but it will never find a place in a
museum as a thing of beauty. Utility has not yet been cast in pleas-
ing line and tone.

The following, then, is suggested as a logical method of proced-
ure in designing simple wooden structures. In actual experience it
is not necessary to decide these points in this order, or in any order,
but in general these are the items that should receive deliberate con-
sideration at some time between the conception and completion of an
artistic structure.

I. The fixing of essentials, or of those points that make for an
article's convenience in use. Under this head, such matters as the
following are determined:

a. The approximate or definite size.

b. The kind of wood to be used. Each has a quality that

makes its characteristic appeal for certain construc-
tions. See Chapter I, also Chapter III, Wood and
Forest.

c. The construction, including:

(1) Kind of joint or joints.

(2) Methods of opening and shutting or locking.

(3) Appliances for lifting or moving or hanging,

and so on.
II The refining of proportions.

a. Of the mass as a whole.

b. Of each part to the whole.

c. Of each part to each other part.

d. Of each line within itself, if it curves or is a broken

line, or is turned on a lathe.

III. Decoration. This relates to the decorative treatment of the
surface.

a. Carving, border or surface (all-over) patterns in

gouged lines or modeled.

b. Panels, carved in, or constructed in.

c. Inlay or veneer.

d. Designing of accessories — handles, knobs, key plates, es-

cutcheons, etc.

WOOD A MEDIUM OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION 27

IV. Finish.

a. Stain.

b. Paint.

c. Oil.

d. Wax.

e. Shellac, including French polish.

f. Varnish.

In general, the order in designing suggested above has been fol-
lowed thruout the making of the following articles. The illustra-
tions used are largely photographs or sketches of articles designed
and executed by my students.

However, the possibilities for original design that lie within the
range of these few objects of household use still invite the designer.
There is here no intention of a cut and dried series of models, but
rather such a presentation of what some of the possibilities of these
projects are, that others to whom wood appeals as a medium of ar-
tistic expression will be stimulated to create still more varied and
beautiful objects for our common every-day life. Or, feeling not
too sure of his ability to create, the beginner may choose from the
following suggestions the ones he likes best, in itself an exercise of
artistic judgment, and copy them. And so, little by little in the
effort to re-create others' designs that are known to be good, he may
come to create good designs of his own. Or, at the very least, which
is also much, thru this thoughtful copying of good things, he will be
helped in his desire to appreciate beauty in wooden structures.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig-. 6. A, Mortise and-tenon construction in frame of bench;
J5, Draw-bolt construction.

CHAPTER III
EQUIPMENT

The equipment necessary for beginning to work in wood may be
very inexpensive, costing not more than $25. It is better to begin
with a few good tools, well chosen, adding to the number others as
they are needed. The total cost of a first class equipment need not
exceed $50.00.

It is rarely wise to buy the sets already made up in cabinets, for
the lists given often include cheap and dispensable tools, and the
quality is apt to be not the .best. One can soon learn to make a cabi-
net to fit his own tools. It is wise to consult one's local hardware
dealer before buying as well as those firms that have made a spe-
cialty of handling woodworking equipments for schools and ama-
teurs. The latter have special facilities for furnishing the proper
high grade tools. The names and addresses of reliable firms may
be found in the advertising pages of any of the educational journals*.

The following tools are recommended for the individual equip-
ment of a beginner5:

The bench. The essential features of a good bench are: (1) Ri-
gidity. This may be secured in a bench made with either mortise-
and-tenon-joints, Fig. 6,A, or draw-bolt construction, Fig. 6,B. The
bench should be firmly fastened to the floor by lag-screws passing
thru the two foot pieces.

(2.) A maple top with trough at the back.

(3) A low tool rack, that is, one not above the top of the bench,
which does not obscure the light and is not in the way for large work.

(4). A good vise. The strongest, most durable, and most con-
venient are the rapid-acting vises, with the working parts of metal,
which require an occasional oiling.

4For descriptions and illustrations of tools see Handwork in Wood,
Chapter II. Manual Arts Press, Peoria, 111.

5For school equipment see Handwork in Wood, Chapter VI. Hj

30 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

The jaws of the vise should be faced with maple. Sometimes
there are two vises, a side vise and a tail vise. The latter is exceed-
ingly convenient for certain kinds of work.

There are various benches and vises on the market. Among other
good ones are those of the following firms :
E. H. Sheldon & Co., 182 Nims St., Muskegon, Mich.

The Denver model (1 rapid-acting vise), price $ 9.50

The Omaha model (2 rapid-acting vises), price 14.25

A. L. Bemis, Worcester, Mass.

Sloyd Bench No. 4, price 15.00

This has an iron vise, not quick acting, and a tail clamp.
Richards-Wilcox Mfg. Co., Aurora, 111.

No. 260. 1, side vise only 12.00

No. 260. 2, side and tail vise 16.00

Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co., 4th Av. and 13th St., New York,N.Y.

No. L $8.50

No. J 12.50

No. K 20.00

These benches at this price are all equipped with a side and a
tail vise, the last with a Toles rapid-acting vise. The rapid-acting
vise adds about $6.00 to the cost, and by special order they may be
attached to any standard bench. Among the many rapid-acting vises
on the market are the W. C. Toles, Irving Park, Chicago, 111.; The
Abernathy Vise & Tool Co., 233 W. 62d Place, Chicago, 111.; The
Herriman Co., 15 S. Canal St., Chicago, 111.; the Eichards-Wilcox
Co., Aurora, 111.

A very good arrangement is to have a rapid-acting side vise, and
wood-screw tail vise.

In a word, the bench and vise may cost from $8.00 to $20.00.

The tools*:

1 Stanley jack-plane No. 5 $ 1.75

1 Stanley block-plane No. 65 1/2 80

1 Iron spokeshave, No. 54 .25

"This list is made up from Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co.'s catalog No.
355. For pictures of these tools consult any of the books mentioned in the
bibliography.

EQUIPMENT 31

1 Stanley "Bed Rock" smooth-plane, No. 6037 1.60

*1 Stanley rabbet-plane and filletster, No. 78s 1.10

1 Disston's Crosscut-saw, No. 9, 22" 10 points 1.15

1 Disston's Rip-saw, No. 9, 22", 8 points 1.15

1 Disston's back-saw, No. 4, 10" 95

*1 Turning-saw in frame 14", 3/16" blade 90

1 Buck Bros, firmer chisel, l", handled and sharpened. . .35
1 Buck Bros, firmer chisel, ^", handled and sharpened. . .25
1 Buck Bros, firmer chisel, j4", handled and sharpened. . .20
1 Buck Bros, firmer chisel, Vg", handled and sharpened.. .20

1 Hammond's adze-eye hammer, No. 3, 7 oz 45

*1 Round hickory mallet, No. 4. 12

1 Hardened blade try-square, No. 5J/2, 6" 25

1 Beech marking-gage, No. 64^, 8" 20

1 Sloyd knife, No. 7, 2y2" blade 30

or a good pocket knife.

1 Medium hard lead pencil (No. 2) 05

1 Boxwood rule, 2', 4-fold 12

*1 Disston sliding T-bevel, No. 3, 6" 25

*1 Pair Starrett's dividers, winged, No. 92, 8" 75

1 Veneer scraper, No. 80 70

2 Molding scrapers, No. 2 and No. 7 15

1 Half-round wood file, K and F, 8", handled 20

1 Rat-tail wood file, K & F, 8", handled 20

1 Slim taper triangular file, 6" 10

1 Disston's Back-saw in frame 14", 3/16" blade 90

*1 Outside-bevel gouge, Buck Bros., firmer, No. 8, handled

and sharpened, 1" 35

*1 inside-bevel gouge, regular sweep, No. 10, Y^" 45

*1 Addis carving tool, 3/16", No. 11, round maple handle .38

1 Barber's ratchet brace, No. 33, 8" sweep 1.40

1 Miter-box, beech, 12" long, No. 00 30

Better ones are Olmstead's Patent No. 3 1.25

miller's Fulls Co. No. 15# 4.50

7If desirable to reduce expense substitute No. 603 for both No. 5 and
No.

8The tools marked * are not essential for beginning work and may be
purchased later.

32 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Still larger ones are the Stanley No. 240, and the Langdou
Acme, No. 68, whi^h cost about $9.00.

1 Set twist bits, (3/32", 4/32", 5/32", 6/32", 7/32") 64

1 Set Russell Jennings auger-bits (4/16", 5/16", 6/16",

7/16", 8/16") 1.40

*1 Clark's expansive bit, y2" to ll/2" 57

1 Eose countersink, No. 10, y£ 25

*1 Screwdriver-bit, J^", round blade 4" long 16

4 Bradawls, handled, 1", 1%", iy2" 15

1 New Century screwdriver, 4" 1C

1 0. K. Nailset, 1/16" 07

*2 Carpenter's steel bar clamps, 3' 3.20

*2 Aldrich's oiled handscrews, No. 16, 10" 80

*1 Glue-pot 50

1 Glue-brush, y2" 15

1 Glass-cutter, No. 10 27

1 Flat varnish brush, No. 54, 1^>", hard, rubber-bound,

(for shellac) 30

2 Cheap tin-bound brushes, EE, 1" 10

*1 Pike Peerless junior tool-grinder 4.00

or 1 Robertson's concave tool-grinder (The Robertson

Drill and Tool Co., Buffalo, N.Y.) 5.00

or 1 Niagara No. 10 Carborundum tool-grinder 10.00

or 1 Empire tool-grinder (The Empire Tool Co., Albany,

N. Y.)9 2.80

1 Carborundum oilstone, medium and coarse combined, in

iron box 1.15

1 quire sandpaper, No. 00 30

1 quire sandpaper, No. 1 30

Supplementary list of metalworking tools:

1 hand-drill, No. 04 1.40

Drills, Morse's, No. 17, 1 each, Nos. 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35,

40, 45, 50, 55, 60 71

1 Iron vise, Parker's No. 30, oval slide 1.15

"It is well to learn to grind one's own tools as early as possible, but ihe
expense of the grinder may be saved if there is another available, in a
neighboring shop.

EQUIPMENT 33

1 Pair end cutting nippers, No. 154, 5" 88

1 Pair Compton's metal snips, No. 12, 2" 63

1 Pair flatnosed pliers, No. 1806^, 5" 58

1 Mill bastard file, 8", safe edge, handled 15

1 Mill smooth file, 8", safe edge, handled 15

Wood Stains. It is well to begin with some simple stain, already
prepared. Among such on the market are :

Craftsman Stain, dark brown, No. 2, 1 quart for $1.00, Syra-
cuse, N. Y.

Devoe & Kejmolds, Penetrating Oil Stain, 1 quart for 70c, 101
Pulton St., N.Y.

The Bridgeport Wood Finishing Co., Penetrating Oil Stain, 1
pint, 20c, 155 Fulton St.

Wax. The easiest finish to apply and repair is wax. A conven-
ient prepared form is:

Bridgeport Wood Finishing Company's Old Dutch Finish, price,
25c a pint.

Supplies. Nails, screws, etc., are now commonly put up in con-
venient packages, and would better be purchased as needed. Explicit
directions will be given in each lesson as to what to obtain. A box
divided into compartments, or a set of boxes so divided, which may
be stacked in a set of drawers, will add greatly to the convenience of
handling nails and screws. Until this is provided they may be kept
in their paper packages10.

Glue. "Star" glue (imported) is the strongest, but it sets quickly.
Peter Cooper's White Glue is excellent, and comes in convenient form.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

William Noyes. Handzvork in Wood. Manual Arts Press, Peoria, 111.
Price, $2.00.

Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co., Tools, Catalogue No. 355, N. Y., 4th Ave.
and I3th St.

Ira S. Griffith. Essentials of Woodworking. Manual Arts Press, Peoria,
111. Price, $1.00.

10For descriptions of the various common fastenings, see Handwork in
Wood.

-5

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

a Fig. 7. Six sided baskets. b

CHAPTER IV
A SCRAP-BASKET

In designing a scrap-basket, matters for early consideration are:

I. The fixing of the essentials.

a. Of these the size must be approximately determined at the
beginning. For ordinary purposes a waste-basket should not be more
than 18" or less than 14" high, depending — so far as looks go — upon
the size of the desk beside which
it is likely to stand. As to
breadth, it may be properly be-
tween 7" and 10", depending on
the height. The shape may be
square, Fig. 9, the easiest con-
struction; or six sided, Fig. 7;
or eight sided; or square with
the corners cut, Fig. 8.

b. The next point to de-
cide is the kind of wood to be
used. Pine is easier for a be-
ginner to work, but it is more
expensive than cypress or spruce.
Cypress is softer than spruce
and hence easier to work, and
has a pleasing grain. On the
other hand, spruce is stronger.

Take it all in all, cypress an-
swers more requirements. The
more expensive and harder cab- Fi£- 9- scrap-basket,

inet woods, oak and mahogany, are all right for the experienced
worker.

c. As to the construction, the simplest is the best; the slats are
nailed to the flat bottom and to a frame consisting of a band of cleats
at or near the top. If the cleat is made as in Fig. 9 this band or

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

rail may be boxed together very strongly with an end-lap joint as
described below. If the rail is outside the slats, a miter joint should
be used for appearance sake, Fig. 10. If the top is finished with a
nosing, as in Figs. 10 and 17, the frame will serve as a ready means
of lifting the basket. On the other hand, if the basket is finished

with the frame inside it is more
conveniently lifted if handles
of wood or copper or leather
are added on two opposite sides.
See Figs. 8 and 11.

II. Proportions. With these
essentials fixed, we pass to the
refining of the proportions.

The proportion of width to
height should be subtle, not ob-
vious, as 1 to 2 or 2 to 3. The
width may be increased by
changing the number of the
slats or the spaces between
them. To vary the width of the
slats themselves increases the
difficulty of planing which, for
a beginner, is better kept easy.
Various arrangements of slats
are shown in the illustrations.

A variety of designs is possible by changing the position and
width of the frame. By putting it at the very top of the slats with
a mitered nosing over both slats and cleats, a neat substantial fin-
ish is obtained. Fig. 13. If the frame is lowered, some of the slats
may be cut to different lengths and so shaped as to make a pleasing
outline at top and bottom. Fig. 19. By the same method a handle
may" be introduced, Fig. 15.

III. Decoration. Several features may be added for decorative
purposes as, for example, feet at the corners, perhaps with a little
line carving, Fig. 9 ; lacing, instead of nailing at the corners, Fig. 7 ;
not to speak of the handles already mentioned. For those who have
facilities for working in copper, well designed handles and corner
braces give an added charm to the appearance of the basket.

Fig- 10. Basket with mitered
frames at top and bottom.

A SCRAP-BASKET

The use of upholstery nails, or large copper tacks (12oz.), with
the heads hammered into knobs or filed square, gives an artistic touch.
See Figs. 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 18.

IV. The Finish. The stain chosen should make the basket har-
monize with its surroundings. Soft browns and grays are the safest.
Dull red or gray-green
may be suitable. Finally
the basket may be
waxed or oiled as de-
scribed below.

The following direc-
tions describe the mak-
ing of the basket shown
in Fig. 9.

The scrap basket is
chosen for the first pro-
ject because it involves
much sawing and plan-
ing, both of which pro-
cesses it is essential to
master at the outset.
Moreover the planing
is chiefly narrow-sur-
face planing, which is
easier for the beginner
than broad - surface
planing. Furthermore,
when the project is suc-
cessfully Completed it Fig-, ll. A handle well designed for use and beauty.

is worth having. The following materials are required :

Spruce, cypress, or yellow poplar

2 pieces, %"x8"xi6" j « , _/„ 0,, , „

i/» o" o" [-or I board, % x8 x4 o
i piece, %"x8 x8 \

i piece heavy tin, 2"x2^"

i pkg. wire brads, %", No. 18

16 flathead wire nails, 5/6", No. 18.

8 doz. metalene upholstery nails, brown or green. No. 220

or copper tacks, 12 oz.

i small can penetrating oil stain, brown or green

i tin prepared wax

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

I. Getting out material. For this first project select a piece of
wood that is free from knots, and smoothly planed on both sides.

The first step is
to get 2 pieces,
16" long and 8"
wide. If you can
get them exactly
16" long at a
mill, do so; ex-
perience in mak-
ing lengths will
come better later
after some prac-
tice in handling
tools. If you
must get out the
proper lengths
yourself, buy one
board 4' 0" long,

Fig 12. Slats and nail heads arranged in rhythmic order. and proceed 38

follows: Select the straightest
edge of the board, and with the
help of the try-square, draw a
pencil line at right angles to
this straight edge far enough
from one end to avoid any
"checks" (splits) that may be
there. Place the board across
two boxes or other support, let-
ting the marked end project.
Put your left knee or foot on
the board to steady it, and
with the crosscut-saw (see
flandivork in Wood, p. 64),
saw off the end of the board
just outside of the mark, Fig.
20. Be careful when you near-
ly reach the end of the cut to

Support the end of the board

A SCRAP-BASKET

with your left hand, so that you may cut clean to the edge. In a sim
ilar way, cut off two other pieces a little more than 16" long.

Mark one broad surface for a "work-
ing face." (See Handwork in Wood, p.
72.) If the board is slightly warped,
mark the concave side.

II. Planing the edges. The next
step is to plane one edge of each 16"
piece perfectly straight and square with
a broad surface. To do this proceed as
follows : Put one piece in the vise, long
edge up, and clamp it firmly. Attend to
the adjustments of your jack-plane.
(See Handwork in Wood, pp. 69-72.) Of
these, there are 3 principal ones. 1, the
cap (2) * to the cutter (1) ; 2, the Y ad-
justment (7) ; 3, the lateral adjust-
ment (9).

Let us assume that the cutter is
sharp. (If not, see Handwork in Wood,
p. 59). In the first place, the "cap" or
curling iron (2) should be screwed tight
to the cutter (1) so that the edge of the cap is about 1/16" back
from the edge of the cutter. Drop these two into the throat (19)

of the plane, cap up, in such a
way that the rectangular hole in
the cap fits over the end of the
"Y adjustment" (7). The clamp
(4) is now buttoned over the
clamp screw (5) and the thumb
piece or clamp lever (20)
pushed down tight. Now turn
over the plane and look along
the "sole" as in Fig. 21, and see
that the cutter barely projects.

Fig. 15. A broad substantial basket. Y°U Sn0uld S6e ^ aS a tMn black

^hese numbers refer to the numbers of the parts as given in Fig. 101
of Handwork in Wood, p. 69.

Fig. 14. A deep basket with feet
made by shortening the central
slats.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

line across the shiny surface of the sole, Fig. 22. If it projects too
far, bring it back by turning the brass set-screw (8). If one cor-
ner projects more than the other,
adjust it by means of the lever for
lateral adjustment (9). Now try
the plane on the wood. Grasp the
handle (11) firmly in the right
hand, and the knob (12) firmly in
the left hand. Place the bottom or
sole (16) on the edge of the piece
in the vise, so that only the toe (17)
(the part in front of the cutter),
rests on the wood. Press down hard
on the knob and push the plane for-
ward. When the plane rests firmly
on the wood, press equally on the
knob and handle and then as the
toe passes off the wood, press only
on the handle. Finish the stroke
with a slight upward swing of tho
plane. Be especially careful not to
press down on the heel (18) at the
beginning or on the toe at the end of the stroke. If you do, the sur-
face which you are planing will not be straight but convex. Test
the edge with the straight arris (the external angle formed by the
union of two surfaces) of the plane, looking to-
ward the light. (Fig. 23.) If the light does
not come evenly between the edge of the board
and the arris of the plane, plane off only the
high part. Now test the edge for squareness,
pressing the head of the try-square firmly
against the side of the board and sliding it
down until the blade just touches the edge,
Fig. 2-L Do this at several points along
the edge, noticing which, if either, arris is higher
than the other. If the left hand arris is higher,
take off a shaving along that arris using only
the right half of the cutter, that is, letting the

Fig-. 16. Basket with plain copper
handles and corner braces and with feet
of carved blocks.

Fig. 17. Neat finish for
top of scrap-basket.

A SCRAP-BASKET

Fig. 18. Basket with copper handles and
copper nails.

Fig. 19. Basket with copper
handles and nails.

Fig. 20. Using- a crosscut- saw.

Fig-. 21. Sighting- along the sole of the plane
to see that the cutter is properly adjusted.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

left side of the sole of the plane overhang the board more than the
right side, Fig. 25. But do not let it wobble. Repeat these tests
and cuts until- the edge is both straight and square. If the surface

Right way Wrong way

Fig1. 22. A djustment of plane cutter; sighting along sole of plane, as in Fig. 21.

3rou are planing appears torn and not glossy, you are planing "across
the grain." In that case simply reverse the piece.

Eepeat this operation on the other similar 16" piece. Put a pen-
cil mark, thus =, on this edge for identification.

If you obtained your pieces from the mill exactly 16" long, and
sawed square, the next two steps
may be omitted. If you sawed
off the two pieces yourself, their
ends must be squared. To do
this fasten one piece in the vise,
end up. Cut off diagonally with
the knife or chisel the arris
(corner) away from the ed^e al-
ready planed for about l/\" , as
shown in Fig. 26.

The surface formed by cut-
ting off an arris is called a
chamfer.

Set your plane a little finer
than for planing with the grain,
and plane this end in the di-
rection of the arrow, observing
the same precautions as before.
This end must now be tested not only for straightness and for square-
ness with the surface, but for squareness with the edge already planed,

Fig 23. Testing the st'aightness
of an edge with the arris of the plane.

A SCRAP-BASKET

Fig. 24. Testing- an edge for squareness.

Fig. 27. Next measure exactly 16" from this end and, with a sharp

knife-point and try-square, draw a fine line at right angles to the fin-

ished edge. Saw off the surplus outside of this line. Cut off the arris

away from the finished edge and

proceed as before.

Finally plane the other edge,

taking pains to make it perfectly

parallel to the first edge. Eepeat

all these processes on the other

16" piece.

III. Laying out the slais.

We are now ready to lay out

the slats for the basket. This

is done by drawing gage lines

on the two opposite faces of

both boards. To do this pro-

ceed as follows :

The lines are to be drawn

as shown in Fig. 28. The spin

of the marking-gage should project fiom the beam about a quarter of

an inch and should be sharpened (filed) to an edge as shown in Fig.

29, and in Handwork in Wood, Fig. 212. By having the spur long

and turning the beam of the gage so that it rides on an arris, the

spur will mark smoothly and evenly. Holding the marking-gage in

the left hand, and the rule in
the right hand (See Handwork
lg in Wood, Fig. 213), set the clis-
^ V , tance from the head of the

gggf**^ WF^" t marking - gage to the ppur

?.t 3/16" and tighten the
thumb-screw. Now hold the
board with the left hand and
the gage in the right hand
(Fig. 214, Handwork in Wood}.
Be careful not to grasp the
beam as if it were a handle, but
turn the wrist to the left so

that the thumb presses on the beam behind the spur. Do not try to

make a scratch at first, but run the gage up and down the board

Fig. 25.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig-. 26. Arris chiseled off to prevent splin-
tering in planing- end wood.

with the beam resting on one arris, Fig. 29, and the head sliding along

the edge of the board (as in Fig. 214, Handwork in Wood).

Now little by little roll the

beam toward you until the spur
just begins to scratch. By prac-
ticing in this way for a little
while, you will soon learn to
gage a line parallel with the
edge. The difficulty that most
beginners experience comes from
trying to scratch a deep line at
once, and in not getting the
pressure behind the spur. The
finest line that is visible is best.
As the distance between the upur

and the head of the gage increases, so does the difficulty of holding

the gage steadily. If you are not succeeding well, practice on only

one board, and if the result is

too bad, plane off the scratched

surface, and try again and again

until you can use the gage well.

(See p. 48 for broad surface plan-
ing.) It is better to lose one

board than two.

Now gage this 3/16" line on

both broad surfaces from the same

edge. Then others on both

broad surfaces from the other

edge, and then others on the

other 16" board in the same way.
Now add *4" ', setting the gage

at 7/16" and gage again the

eight lines. Then add another

3/16", making ^" and gage

again. Add another %", and so

on, until you have 28 3/1 6" spaces,

counting from both edges of

both boards. F,g 27 Testing squareness of end.

A SCRAP-BASKET

Fig. 48. tiaged line* on piece to be sawed
into slats. The saw-kerfs are to be in the
middle of the %" spaces.

IV. Ripping off the slats.

When the two boards are prop-
erly gaged, they are next to be

rip-sawed up into slats. The

saw Tcerfs are to be down the

middle of the Y^" spaces. To

be sure of making no mistake,

it is well to draw a pencil line

where the kerfs are to be.

To saw proceed as follow? :

Fasten one board in the vise as

in Fig 30, i. e., with the jaws

of the vise pressing the edges

of the board, and the board in-
clined back from the perpendicular. Eest the left hand on the top

end of the board with the thumb so held that it acts as a guide in

starting the saw. The saw to be
used is the rip-saw (see Handwork
in Wood, p. 63). Hold it in the
right hand so that the line of the
teeth and the surface of the board
make quite an acute angle; that
is, drop the right hand down as
low as possible. Put the saw in
proper position for making the
cut, and be careful to hold up the
saw so that the teeth will rest
on the arris as lightly as possi-
ble. If these directions are followed, it will not be necessary to make

a false start by drawing the saw toward you, but the first stroke will

be a push and ^^^^^^^^^

will cut properly. I

Now saw away

the pencil line in

the middle of the

%" space, watch -

ing the line

closely and also

looking on the

Fig. 30. Ripping with wood held in vise.

Fig. 29. How the beam of a marking-
gage runs on its arris.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

back to see if the kerf is in the middle of the space. If the saw tends
to "run'7 to one side of the line, say the right side, pull it back nearly
to its point, twist the handle a little to the left, and take a few short
strokes until the kerf is in the proper place again. If the cut is going
badly on the back, it may be necessary to turn the board back side
front, until the kerf is right there.

Saw about half way thru the board, then turn the other end up
and saw the other half.

After sawing off the strip, put the board in the side-vise, sawn
edge up, and plane it down to the next gage line, being careful not to

Fig. 31. Device for holding- thin strips for planing.

go below it and yet to make the edge true. This is slightly more diffi-
cult than it was to plane it true in the first place. Then saw off
another strip as before, plane up the edge of the board, and so on,,
until the necessary number of strips (28) have been sawn off. By
this time one should know how to rip-saw well. By cutting 14 slats
from each board, a part of each board will be left which should be
saved to be used later for the frame.

V. Planing up the slats. The slats are now to be planed on the
side still rough. If your bench has a tail vise, fasten one of the
strips between the stop in the vise and the bench-stop, placed in that

A SCRAP-BASKET

Fig-. 32. End of slat.

hole which is at the right distance, and plane it to the proper thick-
ness. The same can be done between the vise-dog and the bench-
stop in the Sheldon vise, but since the parts are of iron, special pains
must be taken to prevent the plane cutter from hitting the iron. To
avoid this danger, put in a temporary wooden bench-stop. Another
device for facilitating the planing of these thin
strips, is shown in Fig. 31 and can be readily
made, as follows :

In any convenient piece of wood, 18" or so
long, cut a dado J^" deep, and 1" from one end, just
wide enough to hold tightly a thin strip of wood
(say %" wide). Let the distance AB be J/£" less
than the length of the strips to be planed up. In-
sert this device between the vise-dog and the bench-
stop letting the strip to be planed lie in the space
A-B. Raise the vise-dog so that it will engage the
strip. Then tighten the vise just enough to hold it
firmly. Plane up all the strips to the required thickness. If any are
spoiJed, as is likely to be the case, in this first project, make others,
but save the spoiled ones until the basket is done.

Next trim off the arrises (corners) at one end of each of the slats,
see Fig. 32. First mark carefully J/£" from the end and then draw

the diagonal with a
sharp pencil and the
sliding Tee-bevel. The
neatest way to cut this
angle is by slicing it off
with a chisel, see Fig.
33. Cut these angles
at one end only.

VI. Making the bot-
tom. Inasmuch as the
thickness of the origi-
nal boards and hence
the width of the slats

may not be exactly %", in order to find out the exact size of the bot-
tom proceed as follows: Lay seven slats close together, side by side,
measure their total width and add six times 3/16", (the space be-

Fig-. 33. Slicing- off an arris with a chisel.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig. 34. Testing a planed su rf ace for flat-
ness by using the arris of the plane.

tween the slats) or lj/s" in all. The total is the exact size of the
bottom. Let us assume that the slats are exactly %" wide. Then
tke proper size for the bottom will be 34" x 7%" x 7j4". This is to

be made next, and this involves
broad surface planing. Fasten
the board flat on the bench, be-
tween the tail-vise-dog and the
proper bench-stop, the grain
running lengthwise of the
bench. If -the board is at all
warped, plane the convex side
first. Before beginning to plane,
glance down the sole of the
plane, Fig. 21, to see that the

cutter projects evenly and but very little beyond the sole. Test the
surface for flatness by placing the long arris of the plane on the
surface in various directions, lengthwise, crosswise, and diagonally
and looking toward the light, as in Fig. 34. If there are high places,
plane them off first. Work carefully, planing only such parts as need
it. When the surface is flat, plane
over the whole surface from end
to end, working from left to
right, and back again until the
whole surface is smoothed. Mark
this surface with a single mark,
thus : — . This indicates the
"working face." Now plane one
edge true and mark it with two
marks, thus = . This indicates
the "working edge." It is import-
ant to form early this habit of
marking one's work. Next draw
with a sharp pencil and a straight
edge, a line 7j4" from, and paral-
lel to the working edge. Since
this distance exceeds the number of inches on the marking-gage,
the most convenient method is to measure the distance near each end,
and at right angles to the working edge, and then to rule a light

Fig. 35. Scoring with a knife
along the try-square.

A SCRAP-BASKET

Fig. 36. How the working face looks when marked for
planing end AB.

line between these two points. Next score with the knife and try-
square, as in Fig. 35, a line near one end of the piece. The working
face will now appear as in Fig. 36.

Cut off the corner A, as in Fig. 36, put the piece end up in the
side vise, and plane off the end to the scored line. Test this end
with the try- __.^^_^__^_^^_____^^^__
square, to see
that it is square
with both the
working face and
the working edge.
Then measure ex-
actly the length,
7^4", and score it
with knife and
try-square. Cut
off the corner
outside the width
line, and plane

up the other end. Plane the width, 7^4"? to the ruled line. Use the
try-square constantly for testing. The piece should now be perfectly
square. To verify your measurement see that the diagonals are equal
in length. AC = BD.

With the marking-gage set at 24", gage from the working face
both edges and both ends of the board. Now plane down the other
broad surface to the line thus gaged, being very careful not to plane
any portion too much. The best way is to plane off the high places
first and then by working back and forth across the board to reduce
ihe whole surface evenly. Stop when you have just split the gaged
line.

VII. Making the frame. The next step is to get ready the
frame, which binds the slats together near the top. From one
of the pieces left from making the slats, dress up one piece, %"
thick, 1^4" wide, and 16" long. Smooth the two broad surfaces,
taking as fine shavings as possible.

Plane true one edge of the piece, and gage a line 1^4" from the
•edges. Saw off the surplus and plane to the line. Now gage two
lines, 5/16" from each broad face. Saw between these two lines, and

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

plane up the rough surfaces. Each of the two strips should be 5/16"

thick. Cut each of these in two crosswise in the center making 4 cleats.
'The pieces made thus far may now be sandpapered. Tear a sheet

of No. 1 sand-
paper into four
pieces. An easy
way to do this is
to place it, sand
down, so that the
middle of the
sheet lies along
the front arris of
the bench. With
the left hand
hold the part on
the bench down
flat. With the
right hand hold-
ing the other
half give a quick

downward stroke which will tear the paper straight in two, Fig. 37.

Eepeat on each half. Fold one quarter neatly around a small block

Fig-. 37. Tearing sandpaper.

Fig. 38. Method of making- and joining- frame of waste-basket.

A SCRAP-BASKET

Miter-
Box

Bench'

of wood (say 3" wide) and with this tool, sandpaper with the grain
every surface of each piece, and also touch off the sharp arrises.

Villa. Making the frame (end lapped). First with a couple of
brads (1J4" No. 15) nail all four cleats together, keeping the sides
and one end perfectly flush,
and letting the heads project
so that the brads can be re-
moved later. Then saw them
together in the miter-box to
exactly the length of one side
of the bottom 7?4". Next
measure carefully 5/16" from
both ends and draw a line half
across on one surface, and con-
nect with these lines two other
center lines as at A B, Fig. 38.
Place the bunch in the miter-
box again, and saw on the out-
side of the lines A B, and care-
fully chisel out these returns. Take the cleats apart and each will
appear as C D in F'ig. 38. Now nail the four together into a frame,
reversing two of them so that the projection of two of them will
fit into the return of the next ones as E in Fig. 38. Nail both ways.

VIII &. Making the frame (mitered).If the cleats binding the
slats together are fastened, not inside of the slats, but outside, as in
Fig. 10, the ends should be mitered.

Mitering is done in the miter-box. If you have a simple wooden
one, fasten it in the vise so that it will be rigid, as in Fig. 39. Place

Fig". 39. Miter-box in vise.

Fig. 40. Cross-cleats for scrap-basket.

one of the cross-cleats in the trough of the miter-box, edge up, and
with the back-saw slid into one of the 45° kerfs, cut off the cleal

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig. 41. Trimming a miter.

all four cleats are alike, 7]

near the end. Do this for all 4 cleats. Now measure accurately
the length (7%" outside length), put the saw in the other 45° kerf
and saw off the other ends. Each cleat will now be of the shape

shown in Fig. 40. Test each
cleat to see that the end is square
with the edge, and that all are
of the same length. If not, the
ends can be trimmed with a chis-
el. A convenient way to do this
is shown in Fig. 41. Place the
cleat, long side down, on bench-
hook, the acute angle against
cleat of the bench-hook. With
chisel pare off sawn mitered sur-
face until it is true. See that
long, and with a true 45° miter at
each end. In order to test this, set your sliding Tee-bevel at an
angle of 45°, as follows: Measure accurately both ways from the
corner of a known right angle. Set the head of your sliding Tee-
bevel against one
edge and set the
blade so that it
will just touch
these two points,
as in Fig. 42.
The acute angle
will be 45°. If
you have an ac-
curate iron mi-
ter - box, cut a
true 45° angle on
a piece about 3"
wide, and set
your . Tee-bevel
by this. In case

the cross-cleats are mitered, as in Fig. 40, it is necessary to rein-
force the joints by means of tin or copper angles. These are made

Fig-. 42. Setting a sliding- Tee-bevel to an angle of 45C

A SCRAP-BASKET

thus: With the scratch awl or a

sharp nail draw a center line (di-
ameter) thru a piece of tin

2" X2J/2". On this center line lay

off four y%' spaces. With the

scratch awl and sliding Tee-bevel

set at 45°, draw oblique lines

both ways from the center line as

shown in Fig. 43. With the snips

(or a pair of strong scissors) cut

out the four braces in the shape

shown in Fig. 44. Each one

should be just less than 5/16"

wide. With a small nailset punch

four holes in each piece as shown Fi^- 43- Lay-out of the tin traces.

in Fig. 44. The best way to do this is by placing the tin on a piece of

lead, but a piece of hard wood will do. Do not use the top of the

bench. Then flatten out the tins.
Next nail together the frame
by means of the tin braces and
the y§' flat head nails as shown
in Fig. 45. The joints may also
be strengthened by driving brads
(%", No. 18) at ABC, Fig. 45.
To do this fasten one piece X
firmly in the vise, end up, start
the nails A and B in the other

piece (Y). Force the end of piece Y a little beyond the end of .Y, so

that when the brad is driven home the outer arrises of the miter will

just meet. Do this with all the

corners, and lay aside.

IX. Assembling. The parts

are now ready to be assembled.

On one long arris of one of the

slats, lay out with a sharp pencil

and a rule, the position of the

slats as in Fig. 46. Using this as

a pattern, lay out the same dis-

Fig. 44. Tin brace.

Fig. 45. Tin brace nailed to cleats.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

tances on all the upper arrises of the bottom, and on the correspond-
ing arrises of the frame. Next, nail the slats to the bottom piece, as
in' Fig. 47, driving only one brad (%" No. 18) thru each slat, and
that one a little away from the center, so as not to interfere with the

Fig-. 46. Position of slats.

upholstery nail, which will be driven in later, and yet near enough
to the center so that it will be covered by the head of the upholstery
nail. The lower end of each slat will be just flush with the lower
surface of the bottom.

The next step is to nail the slats to the cross-cleats which have
already been joined together into a frame.

Measure 1/4" from the top end of the four corner slats on the
inside. Lay the basket on its side and drive brads from the inside
of the basket thru the cross-piece just far enough into the corner
slats to hold the frame in place. Later these brads are to be removed.
See that the basket stands square in all parts. Now with upholstery
nails, nail each slat in its proper place to the frame. These nails
should be in two rows, so disposed that the point of each nail is in
the vertical center of the slat, and half an inch from one edge of the
frame, as shown in Fig. 48.

In order to have something solid to nail against, open the vise
wide enough so that the inside of the basket can rest on the outer

jaw. Or cut a

stick of wood
just the length
to fit snugly be-
tween two oppo-
site cross-cleats,
and fit i t between
them. Or, some-
thing heavy like

a hammer or a flat iron, may be held inside with one hand, while
the other drives the nail. If the point of the upholstery nail pro-
jects thru, clinch it; that is, drive it against a piece of iron. Pro-
ceed until all the nails are driven.

Fig- 47. Arrangement of slats.

A SCRAP-BASKET

X. The feet. The construction of the basket may now be con-
sidered done, but it will be improved in looks by the addition of
little feet at the four corners, see Figs. 9 and 49. They may be
made in this
way: From a %"
board, 16" long,
saw off and plane
two pieces to $/§'
thick. In the mi-
ter-box cut these
into 4 equal rect-
angular pieces
7" long. From
the rectangular
end, cut out with
the back-saw and
trim with the
chisel returns as
A in Fig. 49. Cut
each of these in
two in the miter-
box at an angle

of 45° makino* Fig. 48. Arrangement of upholstery nails.

the shape shown in Fig. 49. Holding the piece in the vise for con-
venience, with the veining tool, or the sharp point of a knife, cut
out the decoration and chamfer off the long outer arris. (See Hand-
work in Wood, p. 184.) These feet may now be nailed in pairs on

Fig. 49. Feet of scrap-basket.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

the corners of
the bottom, pro-
jecting outside
of the slats just
the width of the
chamfer. See
Fig. 7.

XI. Finish-
Fig. 50. Letter tray made of slats. ing. The basket

is now ready to be stained. First see that all surfaces are smooth and
clean and free from pencil marks. Pour a little of the prepared

Fig. 51. Box screed for flowerpot.

A SCRAP-BASKET

brown stain in a cup, and begin to apply with a brush on the inside
of the basket. After staining a portion and before it dries, wipe the
stain off with cotton waste (obtainable at a paint store) or with an
old cloth. In this way stain
and wipe the entire surface.
Then let the stain thoroly dry,
24: hours, before waxing with
"Old Dutch Finish." If the
wax is hard, soften it by plac-
ing the can in hot water.
Smear it over the surface with
a brush, and let it dry over
night. Then rub with a piece
of soft cloth, cheese cloth, for
instance. The more rubbing
the better will be the polish.
No more wax is needed.

The principal processes in this
first project are the sawing and
planing of a number of cleats.

Other projects involving the Fig-. 52. Leaf press.

same processes are (1) the letter tray shown in Fig. 50. The slats
on the sides and bottom are rabbeted into the ends and nailed in place
with brads. (2) The box screen in which a flower-pot may stand,
Fig. 51. The construction of this is the same as that of the scrap
basket. (3) The leaf-press, Fig. 52. This consists of a pair of
frames each made of seven slats nailed to four cleats. These are
tied tight together with a bunch of newspapers between.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig. 53. Picture-frame-clamp.

Round-head screw, /fe ", /]/o. /?.

Fig-. 54. Picture frame-clamp.

CHAPTER V
PICTUEE-FEAME-CLAMP

Design. A picture-frame-clamp is of good design when it serves
its purpose well. As shown in Fig. 53, this clamp meets this re-
quirement. In Fig. 54, the details of its construction are made
plain. The two long arms, A, A, by pivoting on a hinge, and by
means of a series of holes in them, make it possible to adjust the
clamp to frames varying in proportions and sizes, while the two
small pieces, C, G, into the 90° angles of which the frame fits, are
made adjustable by pivoting at these holes. A pair of these clamps
is necessary for gluing up one frame. When set up as shown in Fig.
53, the joints of the frame are pulled tight into place by means of a
handscrew. As here designed,
this clamp will serve for frames
from 6"x9" to 18"x24:". To
be of use it must be accurate, but
there is no necessity for mak-
ing it over-nice.

The woods selected are yel-
low poplar (medium strength
and easy to work) and maple

(very strong). But if the clamp is to be used often, maple should
be used thruout.

Finish. To prevent the glue in the picture-frame from sticking
to the clamp, a coat of boiled linseed oil is applied all over the clamp.

The following materials are required:

Yellow poplar, or other medium strong wood, %"x6^"xi7",

Maple or oak, %"xiIA"x26",

8 round-head screws, il/2" No. 12,

And a little boiled linseed oil.

I. Making the arms. First see that your plane is sharp and
otherwise in good order (See Handwork in Wood, pp. 76 and 58).
The long pieces (arms) are to be of yellow poplar and each is

Fig. 55 Method of perpendicular chiseling.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

%"x ll/2 "x 16" in size. To get them out, first smooth one broad
surface, if it needs it, then plane one edge of the board straight and
square. Gage a line 1^" from this edge, rip-saw it off, dress up the
edge again, and repeat, until you have the four required pieces.
Plane these pieces to 1^" wide. With the back-saw saw off one end

of each piece square in the mi-
ter-box. With the dividers, lay
out a quarter-circle on the broad
side of the other end of each
piece, Fig. 5£. Next trim off the
waste by sawing off the corner
and then by means of "perpen-
dicular chiseling" (Handwork
in Wood, pp. 56-58). Or chisel-
ing alone may be em ployed. Pro-
ceed as follows : Lay one of the
pieces flat on a piece of waste
wood or a cutting board. Grasp
the handle of the 1" chisel, in
the right hand, thumb up, Fig.
56, (Handwork in Wood, Fig.
72) and let the blade of the
chisel pass between the thumb
and the first finger of the left
hand, which rests, back down,
on the work, and holds it in
place. The right hand pushes
the chisel downward, and the
left hand controls its position.
Trim off the waste outside the
Fig. 56. Perpendicular chiseling. quarter circle, a little at a time.

If more force is required push with your chest against the end of
the chisel handle. If still more force is needed, use the mallet in
your right hand, grasping the blade of the chisel in your left hand
(Handwork in Wood, Fig. 76). Always work around from the side
to the end (Fig. 75, Handwork in Wood) ; otherwise you are likely
to split the piece. When you have cut nearly to the line, set the
piece up diagonally in the vise so that the quarter circle is up, and

PICTURE-FRAME-CLAMP

Fig. 57. Using- the spokeshave.

pare off shavings with the chisel, flat side down (as in Fig. 74,

Handwork in Wood). The right hand pushes the chisel forward

while the left thumb pushes it sidewise, thus giving a diagonal

cut. Trim all the pieces

in this way. Another

method of trimming a

curve is by means of the

spokeshave. This is in

reality a plane with a

short sole, so made in

order that the cutter

can follow curves. It is

held in both hands as

in Fig. 57, and it may

be either pushed or

pulled. Before begin-
ning to use it, see that

the cutter is sharp and properly set. In the kind recommended

above (p. 30) the width of the throat may be adjusted by means

of the thumb-screw. This also alters the depth of the cut. With

this too] trim
off the quarter
circle. By turn-
ing the blade
diagonally to the
direction of the
cut, it will be
found to work
more easily and
reliably.

Next gage a
center line from
end to end on
both broad sides
of each piece.
Then set the di-

Fig. 58. Stepping- off distances with the dividers

viders at 1^" between points and beginning at the square end, step
off and prick in this center line 7 points, Fig. 58. Eepeat this process

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Riahr

Fig. 59 Shape of holes in picture-f rame-clamp.

on the other side and do it on all four pieces. Then set the compass
at YZ" between points and starting from each point already pricked,
prick 7 other points toward the rectangular end. Also make a mark
on the center line 1J4" from the other (quadrantal) end.

Now bore the holes,
first the 7/16" holes at
the points first pricked,
then the ^4" holes, at
the points J^" from
these. To insert the bit
in the brace, hold by
the left hand the sleeve of the chuck, pointing it upward, and revolve
the handle with the other hand until the jaws open enough to receive
the tang of the bit entire. Drop in the 7/16" bit, and reverse the
motion until the bit is firmly gripped (Fig. 186, Handwork in Wood).
Fasten one of the 16" pieces in the vise (Fig. 137, Handwork in
Wood) flat side up, taking care to have it parallel with the top of
the bench in order to help bore straight. Take the brace in the right
hand and the bit in the left, and insert the point of the bit in the
prick 1J^" inch from the end. Now grasp the knob of the brace in
the hollow of the left hand. Set the try-square upright near the work

Fig. 60. Plane cutter and cap.

and sight from two directions, at right angles to each other, so as to
see that the bit is perpendicular (Fig. 137, Handwork in Wood).
Revolve the handle clockwise, bore about half way thru, then bore the
next hole (I1/*" from the first) and so on, till all the holes in one

PICTURE-FRAME-CLAMP

side are bored. By counting the revolutions while boring, you can
quickly learn when to stop. Turn the piece over and bore in the cor-
responding pricks on the other side. Bore the holes in all the pieces.
Remember that unless the work is accurate, the clamp will be of no
use as a clamp. Then insert the %" in the brace and bore the other
set of holes in the same way. Bore a ^4" hole at the mark which is
1J4" from quadrantal end.

The next step is to cut out the space between each J/£" and l/\"
hole, making a buttonhole shaped opening, Fig. 59. Lay one piece
down flat on the cutting board. Grasp the chisel as for perpendicu-
lar chiseling (see above), cut out an opening between the two holes,
which shall be V-shaped in cross-section, but tangent to the outside
of the small hole; that is, parallel to the sides of the piece. Gradu-
ally deepen this cut. Turn the piece over and repeat until you can
cut clear thru it. Cut till the opening is tangent to the outside of
the Y^" hole all the way thru, as in Fig. 59. There are 28 of these
openings to cut.

II. Making the blocks. Next prepare the small pieces of hard
wood. They are all %" thick, 1^" wide, so plane them while they
are all in one piece. In planing this hard wood, be content with tak-
ing quite fine shavings. Otherwise your plane is likely to be "choked."
But if it does choke, do not try to pick the shavings out of the throat
with another tool. This is likely to injure the cutter. Rather take
the cutter out of the plane by first removing the clamp. If the shav-
ings are wedged between the cutter and the cap, loosen the screw
which holds them together using the edge of the clamp as a screw-
driver, and remove the shavings and reset the cap, placing the edge of
the cap quite close to the er'ge of the cutter (1/32"). See Fig. 60.
Re-insert the cutter in the plane, adjust it carefully and proceed.
When the piece is properly

Before

fitter
5 a wing

planed up, saw it up into the
right lengths; namely, 6 pieces,
3^" long.

Set the sliding Tee-bevel at
45° (see p. 52) and mark
out 2 internal angles on both
ends of 4 of the pieces, as
shown in the drawing. Set these diagonally in the vise; trim oft
with the chisel a little of the arris across the thickness, and with the
back-saw, saw out the angle as accurately as possible, Fig. 61.

Fig. 61. Me1 hod of sawing- stop blocks of
Pic ure frame camp.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

If an accurate miter-box is available (like the Stanley or Lang-
don) these notches may be accurately cut thus: Cut a 45° angle on
a .piece of wood 4" wide, and clamp this to the fence of the miter-box

in such a position that the saw
will just rest on the end arris
of one of the 3^4" pieces as in
Fig. 62. Saw to the center and
repeat.

Smooth up the cuts with a
sharp chisel-, testing them to
see that they are square with
the broad side and make a true
90° angle with each other.

On each of these four blocks
locate a point 1^" from one end
and in the center sidewise, with a No. 5 gimlet-bit (number stamped
on the tang), bore a hole partly thru, and screw in a round-headed
screw (l/^" No. 12) until the head is %" from the surface, as shown
in the drawing. You should be able to button this firmly into one of
the openings which you have made in the long pieces.

Next prepare the hinge pieces (%"xl^"x3^4"). Bore a hole
(with No. 5 gimlet-bit) «)4" from each end, part way thru. Slip a
round-head screw (1^" No. 12) thru the hole at the quadrantal end
of one of the long pieces and screw it into the hole just made in the
hinge piece. The hinge piece should be screwed firmly down to the
long piece but the joint should turn easily.

Insert screws in all 4 of these holes, making two hinged parts.
Now oil all the parts with a coat of boiled linseed oil and wipe off
with cotton waste.

Other projects involving the boring of holes are shown in Fig. 63.

Fig-. 62. Cutting- notches in

ends of blocks in the

miter-box.

b c

Fig. 63. Projects involving boring.

CHAPTER VI
THE MITERED PICTURE-FRAME

I. THE FRAMING OF PICTURES

The first thing to do in making a picture-frame is to select the
picture, because such details as the use of a mat, the size, proportion,
tone, and decoration of the frame, all depend upon the character of
the picture. Furthermore, the picture should be one well worth
framing. To select a picture that is not beautiful, is but to honor
what should be ignored.

To be able to frame good pictures well, then, is the ideal to be
kept in mind in learning to make picture-frames.

The suggestions here given are intended to apply only to the
selection and the framing of comparatively small pictures, such as
photographic and chromolithographic reproductions and Japanese
color prints. In these days of cheap reproduction, good pictures of
this class are inexpensive and readily secured. In the periodicals
are to be found excellent reproductions of the work of some of the
greatest living artists, such as Maxfield Parrish, Jules Guerin, John
W. Alexander, Edwin Abbey, Frank Brangwyn, Gari Melcher, Pamela
Colman Smith, and Jessie Wilcox Smith, to mention a few. Also
Japanese color prints as well as photographic reproductions of univers-
ally recognized European and American masters may be procured at
the best art stores.

For the novice, a sufficiently safe guide to the choice of good pic-
tures, is to select from the works of these artists. However, a study
of Prof. Arthur W. Dow's "Composition," would go a long way
toward enabling the student to select wisely his own pictures for
framing.

When it is remembered that the frame is made for the picture
and not the picture for the frame, then it follows that the frame is
to be so designed as to set off the picture to the best advantage.

As to the adaptation of the frame to the picture, in the first
place, the mat may properly be considered as a part of the frame. It,

—5

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig-. 64. The mat makes possible ;he introduction of interest-
ing proportions in the framing.

like the frame, is a device to give a setting to the picture. Whether
or not a mat is to be included in the framing of the picture, depends
somewhat on the location of the picture in the room, as well as the

idea one has in
mind in fram-
ing the picture,
and the charac-
ter of the pic-
ture.

In favor of
the mat, it is to
be remembered
that an ordi-
n a r y mitered
frame by itself

involves the necessity of having all the margins around the picture
equal in width; whereas, by the use of a mat, this monotony can be
avoided and a subtle and pleasing variety produced, as in Fig. 64.
As to the size of the mat: If there is to be a mat it should be
large enough to be effective. A mat that is only
a little larger than a picture looks as tho it were
a mere device for splicing out the picture to fit
the frame. On the other hand the picture should
not look lost in the mat.

As to the width of the margins of the mat:
one consideration to be borne in mind is the
shape of the entire frame resulting from the in-
troduction of a mat. As a general rule it is safe
to say that the margins should not be such as to
produce a square frame for an oblong picture.
See Fig. 65. A little observation will show that
squareness in either picture or frame is com-
monly avoided by artists. An oblong is less
monotonous and hence more pleasing than a
square, just as an ellipse or other varied curve
is more pleasing than a circle. As to the proportions of the oblong,,
simple multiples are to be avoided ; that is, the ratio of the short side
to the long side should be not simply 1 to 2 or 2 to 3, but a more-
subtle relation.

Fig. 65. The upper
arrangement of spaces
is good because it con-
forms to the propor-
tions of the picture.
The lower one is not
good because the
sqnaie frame is out of
harmony with thet
long picture.

THE MITERED PICTURE-FRAME

If the margins around a picture are widened uniformly on all
sides, what was originally a pleasing rectangle will lose its good
proportions, but they may be kept good by increasing the length of
the mat more than its width, Fig. 65. It is a
safe rule for the amateur never to place a picture
elsewhere than in the vertical center of the mat,
nor to place a horizontal picture in a vertical
frame, as in Fig. 66. Such arrangements are in
danger of appearing like affectations.

To secure harmonious color and value in the

Figr. 66. These ar-
rangements are likely
to look like affecta-
tions.

frame, the same tones and values that predominate in the picture
may be repeated in the frame; for instance, for Maxfield Parish's

^^_ _ ''An 'mini/' Fig.

Ip] 67. The frame
is finished in
yellows match-
ing the color in
the picture. Or
the harmony de-
sired may be se-
cured by the in-
troduction of a
strong contrast,
as a blue mat for
a picture pre-
dominating in
orange. Or, for
a contrast in
values, for in-
stance where
grays are used
as in photo-
graphs, a white
mat with a black
frame is effec-
tive.

Fig. 67. Plain oak frame, stained a grolden brown to har-
monize with the predominant yellow tone of the picture.
Maxfield Parrish's "Autumn."

As to the width of a frame, it is difficult to make any rules that
will definitely and easily solve all cases, but a few suggestions may be

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

found serviceable. The width of a frame and its value bear a close
relation, in their effect on a picture, as follows:

• A wide frame finished dark is appropriate for a picture predomi-
nating in darks and massive in treatment, as in Fig. 68.

Or a wide frame finished light (Fig. 69) sets off well a picture
light in value and broad in treatment, and so on, thru all the inter-
mediate grades from very dark to very light.

A narrow frame finished very dark, looks well around a picture
where darks are used sparingly and delicately, as in some Japanese

prints. See Figs. 70,
71, 72.

So, in like manner, a
narrow and very light
frame would be used
only for a picture in a
very light key and of a
very delicate treatment,
as in Fig. 73, 1 and 3.
Where a mat is part
of the framing of a pic-
ture, the frame and mat
may vary in tone and
value, in such a way as
will not only not inter-
fere with the unity of
the picture, but will
still further enhance" its
beauty. It is often pos-
sible further to unify
the picture and its frame by repeating in the frame some character-
istic feature of the picture. * If severe straight lines and flat spaces
predominate, these are easily reproduced in the plain unbroken sur-
face of the frame. Sometimes the representation of carving in the
picture can be repeated in the frame, or a certain treatment or pat-
tern in the picture may be echoed by a suitable treatment of the
frame. Often an appropriate beading or other molding may give
the desired effect, see Fig. 74. Sometimes a touch of bright color,
as that of the pirate's cap in Fig. 75, can be repeated with good ef-

Fig. 68. Wide dark frame for a picture with broad dark
masses; frame toned to dull brown of photo.

THE MITERED PICTURE-FRAME

feet in a fine line in the frame. In a word, the frame must be con-
sistent with the color, noian, and general character of the picture.

In selecting the wood for a picture frame, it is well for a beginner
to choose some soft wood like white pine or yellow poplar, until he
is used to working the necessary tools and can make the joints well.
These woods can be stained in a great variety of ways. Later it is
better to make frames of hard wood. Oak is the most common.
Maple is good
for a "silver
gray" effect to
be obtained by
staining with
the water stain
of that name.
Mahogany is ex-
cellent where the
color can be
made to har-
monize. Care
must be taken
not to select
woods having
such a promi-
nent "grain" as
to divert atten-
tion from the
picture itself.

Concerning the
materials to be
used for mats,

"cover paper" is one of the most suitable. Ash gray will be found to
tone well with a great variety of prints. Dull toned wall paper which
has no pattern is often good. Grass-cloth comes in various colors,
and this or raw silk stretched on cardboard makes a very effective
setting especially for some Japanese prints.

Mounting the picture on the mat may be done in one of two
ways: (1) The picture may be pasted directly on the mat. In most
cases it will be found sufficient to fasten it in place by means of a

Fig 69. Broad frame (pine), stained gray, oiled atid rubbed
with aluminum dust. Maxfield Parrish's '•'Prince Agib"

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig. 70. A narrow dark frame with
gray mat.

(2) An opening the size of
and the picture placed under this
giving a soft border line formed
by the shadow of the mat.

II. The Framing of a Jap-
anese Print. The picture chosen
to be framed, according to the
following directions, is a Jap-
anese print, Fig. 76. The frame
is to be perfectly plain. The
size of the picture is 9>-2"xl3^".
The frame is to be 1" wide and
y^' thick. The materials re-
quired are as follows :
"White pine, %"xi"x4'o."
Picture backing, the same size as
the picture, or mat, if the picture
is to be mounted. The backing
comes Y%" thick.

i sheet manilla paper.

1 light, picture glass, 9^2x13^".

2 doz. brads, 7/s" No. 18.

2 screw eyes, Brooks No. 214,
VS (these have Y4" hole).
Maple veneering, 6" square, if

line of paste, say %" wide, on
the top margin of the back of
the picture. Before pasting the
picture on the mat, locate it
carefully and mark its location
with fine pencil dots at the two
upper corners. If the picture
is to be mounted on the mat
with paste all over the back,
the mat must be of stiff enough
material to hold its shape. If
this method is used, the picture
should first be dipped in water,
the surface moisture dried off,
paste applied uniformly over
the back, the picture carefully
laid in place and pressed un-
der weight.

the picture, may be cut in the mat,
This "cut out" has the advantage of

available.

Fig. 71. Narrow black frame
without mat.

1White pine is chosen for first frame because it is easiest to work accu-

THE MITERED PICTURE-FRAME

Fig. 72.

The blacks in the
print balanced by
the black in the

frame.

Plane up the strips in two pieces, each long enough to make one
long side and one short side of the frame. To determine the length

of the members of

a frame, add to

the length of each

dimension of the

picture twice the

width of the

frame. In this

case there will be

needed two pieces

about two feet

long; thus, 9^"

(width) + 2" +

13^" (length) +

2" = 23". Plane

both pieces per-
fectly straight and the angles square, so

.•i , ,-, M1 , .,„ . _ n ,„ Fig-. 74. Japanese print

tnat tney Will be 1 Wide and 34 thick. framed with mat and narrow
m , , , . , . dark frame with bead.

lest the straightness by sighting along

the length, as in Handwork in Wood, Fig. 107. Be sure that the
thickness and width of both pieces is uniform thruout. Unless the
members are accurate the frame will not come together right. The

next step is to
plow out a rab-
bet (or rebate)
along one arris
of each piece, to
receive the glass
and the picture
and the back-
ing. This should
Ube done with
the rabbet-plane
( See Handwork
in Wood, p. 79).

This rabbet

Fig. 73. Japanese prints framed with mats and narrow *rames. Wide and ^" deep.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig-. 75. Broad frame in yellow, middle value, a little less bril
liant than the sail. Maxfield Parrish's "The Pirates."

To use the rab-
bet-plane on a
narrow piece of
wood, it is first
necessary to
make a device
like that shown
in Fig. 77. On
a piece X, say
2" or 3" wide
and slightly
longer than the
long members
of the frame,
nail a strip
about 1^/2" wide,
y%' from one
edge. Into the
internal angle
formed by these
pieces and near
one end, drive a
small nail or
screw (.4 in Fig. 77) so that its head
will project about ^J". This device when
used is to be fastened on the bench be-
tween a bench-stop and the tail-vise-dog.
Set the rabbet-plane so that the fence al-
lows but y*" of the cutter to cut, and
set the depth gage so that the plane can
cut y%' deep. The cutter should be ad-
justed so as to cut as in an ordinary
plane. Along the right arris of the sole
is a removeable spur which scores the
wood so that the cutter will not tear out
but cut out the shavings clean. Before
beginning to plane see that this spur is
sharp and that the right corner of the
cutter is in line with the arris of the
sole. Now cut a trial rabbet on a waste

Fig-. 76. Black frame
to match the crow.

THE MITERED PICTURE-FRAME

piece of wood, which has a straight edge. At the first stroke the spur
will mark the width of the rabbet. Be careful to hold the plane flat,
tilting it neith-

er to the right
nor to the left.
The beginner in
his effort to
keep the fence
close up to the
edge is apt to
tilt the plane to
the right. This
makes the spur
cut in obliquely,
as in Fig. 114,
Handwork in
Wood.

If the plane

is not running Fig-. 77. Device for holding- strips when rabbeting.

true, stop planing and with a chisel trim out the recess clean and
square and then proceed with the plane to the proper depth. After
sufficient practice on waste pieces, plow the rab-
bets on the members of the frame, as in Fig. 78.
Cut the 24" piece of stock in two, so as to make
one long and one short member of the picture-
frame. Fasten the device already made between
a bench-stop and the dog in the tail-vise. Lay
one member of the frame, narrow edge up, in
this device, abutting against the nail. Plow out
the rabbets in all four members. The next
step is to cut the pieces to their proper lengths with a miter at each
end. Fig. 79 shows the shape. The picture and glass are 9^" x
; the frame is an inch wide and the. rabbet j£" wide. Hence the

Fig". 78. End view of
rabbeted strip.

Fig. 79. Rabbeted and mitered member of picture-frame.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Molding

finished outside length of each member of the frame will be
or 1J4" greater than the length (and width) of the picture and of the
glass. Then allow %" for play and the outside lengths of the long
members of the frame will be 14%" (13^" + 1%" + ys") and
the outside length of the short members 10%" (9^" + 1J4" + %").
Place one member face up in the miter box, that is, so that the
rabbet is down and front, as in Fig. 80. With the back-saw cut off one
end at an angle of 45 degrees, taking care that the side which is to
be the outside of the frame is the longer, as in Fig. 79. Do this to
one end of all the pieces. Now cut the other end of one piece in the

same way, except that the saw is
kid in the other 45° kerf of the
miter-box. Cut the other member
of equal length, using the first
member as a measure, and repeat
with the second pair. Now test
these angles with the try-square
from what will be the face side of
the member when in the finished
frame, and again test with the
bevel set at 45 degrees from what
will be the edge of the frame.
(See above, page 52.) If ne-
cessary trim on the bench-hook with the chisel (as above, page 52),
or fasten the piece in the vise at an angle of 45 degrees and carefully
plane toward the acute angle. This acute angle may be supported by
a piece, X, also fastened in the vise, as in Fig. 81. Be sure the oppo-
site members have equal lengths.

Now set up the picture-frame clamp (Fig. 53), adjusting the small
parts to their proper holes, put the members in place, face up, and
clamp the whole together in a handscrew. If any corners do not make
a close joint, either the angles are not square or the opposite mem-
bers are of unequal lengths. Make them right before you proceed.

When everything is ready, take the frame apart, put a little glue
(see Handwork in Wood, p. 128) on all surfaces that are to join, and
reclamp. Test the corners with a try-square, and if they are not right
angles, adjust the handscrew by sliding one jaw sideways, one way
or the other, until the angles come up right. Be sure that the faces
are flush. Leave the frame in the vise for 6 hours to dry. When

Fig-. 80. Position of molding- in
miter-box.

THE MITERED PICTURE-FRAME

Iding

Fig". 81. Holding member of picture frame
in vise to trim the miter.

the frame is taken out of the vise it should be handled carefully, for

the joints still need to be reinforced. A common way to do this is

with brads. If brads are used it

is a safe precaution to make a

hole before gluing with a brad-
awl thru one piece. Fasten the

frame in the bench vise, so as to

grip only one member at a time,

and that vertically. Bore the

hole and drive in the brad with

great care.

A better reinforcement is by

means of a spline or slip-feather

(see Handwork in Wood, Fig.

268, No. 55). A convenient

way to insert these is as follows :

Get, if possible, some maple ve-
neer 1/28" thick and cut it with

a knife into 8 pieces about 24"x2". Fasten the frame in the vise

diagonally, so that one corner will project, and with the back saw cut

two saw-kerfs, A and B, as in
Fig. 82 and Fig. 83. The pieces
of veneer should fit snugly into
these kerfs. If the veneer is too
thick, scrape or sandpaper it un-
til it slips into the kerfs. If the
veneer is too thin, use two pieces
with glue between them for each
kerf, thinning them if necessary.
Put glue on both sides of
each piece of veneer, slip it into
place and set the frame away to
dry. When dry, cut off the
superfluous veneer with a chisel
or knife. With the plane, set

FiK.82. sawing a kerf in which ™*J fine, smooth up any sur-

to insert a spline. faces that need it, and sandpaper

the whole. Sand off the sharpness of all arrises. Be very careful to
leave no glue showing.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

The next step is to stain the frame. As this frame is to be black,
a simple method of staining it is to dissolve a little nigrosine in alco-
hol; and apply with a brush. Directions for a more penetrating black
stain are to be found in Handwork in Wood, p. 211.

A good finish for picture-frames, which are handled but little, is

wax. Apply as before directed. (See Handwork in Wood, p. 214).

Next cut the picture backing, so that the grain will run the short

way of the picture. It can be cut
conveniently with a sharp knife
and a straight edge. If neces-
sary, cut on both sides and then
break. Cut enough, and in as
large pieces as possible, so as to
cover the entire surface of the
picture and mat as they lie in
the frame. Next cut the glass to
fit the frame, in this case 9^"x
13^2". A glass cutter with
hardened steel revolving disc can
be bought for 10 cents. It is
well to practice on a piece of
waste glass. To cut the glass,
proceed as follows: Make marks
Fig. 83. Kerfs cut in corner of picture- on the glass near the edges at the

frame to rece.ve slip feathers. propep j^^ Lfty ft gtraight_

edge of wood one-eighth of an inch to the left of these marks (to al-
low for the distance of the cutting disc from the face of the glass
cutter). Hold the glass cutter perpendicular, and with one firm
stroke scratch the glass from edge to edge, Fig. 84. Be sure that
the extreme edges are scratched. Then holding up the glass in the
left hand, tap the underside of the glass near the near edge with the
glass cutter, until the edge just cracks, Fig. 85. Now take hold of
the portion of the glass to the right of the scratch between the thumb
and first finger of the right hand, and with a slight pressure the glass
will break clean along the line of the scratch, Fig. 86. If the scratch
is so near the right edge that there is not room to hold it so, as de-
scribed above, with a pair of pliers, carefully snap off the waste a
little at a time, Fig. 87. Mark and cut the width in the same way.

THE MITERED PICTURE-FRAME

Then wash the glass. An easy way to do this is with Bon Ami
soap, rubbed on with a damp cloth, allowed to dry and polished off.
Now lay the frame, face down, on the bench. Place the glass in posi-
tion, the picture on top of it, and the picture back on top of that,
fitting the pieces of it in place. Now nail all down in place, using

Fig. 84. Cutting glass. (Stepl.)

Fig. 85. Tapping under the scratch
in the glass to start a crack. (Step 2.)

J/s" brads, No. 18 as follows: Lay a brad flat down on the backing,
point to the frame. Press it down with one finger, and tap the head
with the hammer sliding on the backing. It will facilitate matters
to let the frame rest against a bench-stop or a weight.

The next step is to paste a piece of Manilla paper over the back
of the frame to keep out dust. Spread a thin film of liquid glue over
the back of the frame, near the outer edge. Dampen one side of the
Manilla paper with a wet cloth passed over it. Lay the dry side down

Fig. 86. Breaking the glass.
(StepS.)

Fig. 87. Breaking off a narrow piece
of glass with the pliers.

on the back of the frame, as flat as possible. When it dries it will
be stretched taut and the superfluous paper can be trimmed off with
a sharp knife.

Next locate the screw-eyes in the back of the frame, sa> 2" from
the top. Start a hole with a brad awl, and screw home the screw-

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

eyes, (Brooks No. 214^2".) Stretch a flexible wire straight between
the screw-eyes, twisting it back around itself, and the frame is done.
III. Additional Suggestions for Frames. The frame just de-
scribed is the plainest and simplest one possible. With but little dif-
ficulty, however, before cutting the miters, it may be considerably

Fig-. 88. Sections of moldings for picture-frames.

embellished. For examples see Fig. 88. Chamfers can be planed on
the front arrises of the members of the frame, as at a, or the front
surface may be rounded, as at &. Instead of making the frame flat,
it can be bevelled in or out, as at c and d. This should be done with
the plane after the rabbet is plowed. A thin line may be grooved near
the inner edge so as to make it, in cross-section like e. This is done
by means of a veining tool after the frame is joined together. Draw
the line to be grooved carefully with a pencil. Lay a straight edge
along this line and with the veining tool running along the straight
edge, cut out the groove. Take care to keep the depth as even as
possible. See Fig. 176, p. 130.

A considerable variety of beads and flutings may be made by
means of the Universal Hand Beader, (Stanley's No. 66) a tool which
costs about 75c. See Fig. 89.

More complicated moldings, such as that shown in Fig. 90 may be
made with a cabinet scraper, filed to the desired shape, and clamped
between a pair of blocks of wood by means of screws as shown in
Fig. 91. The two edges A and B
serve as guides sliding along
both edges of the molding.

A nosing may be added to the
outside of a molding, as in Fig.

88 / as follows*

Prepare thin strips of wood, say l/s" thick and l/s" wider than
the frame is thick. Eound oft3 one edge as follows: — Fasten the jack
plane upside down in the vise, hold the strip at an angle and pull it
over the plane cutter so as to plane off an arris, Fig. 92. Do this for
both the arrises on one narrow edge. Finish it round with sand-

Hand beader with cutters.

THE MITERED PICTURE-FRAME

paper. Or better, round this with the hand header, Fig. 89, or the
cornering tool (Handwork in Wood, Fig. 124.) Drive thru these
strips several little brads, so that the points project slightly and fit
them exactly in place on the outside of the members of the frame.
Prepare several handscrews so as to clamp these strips to the mem-

Fig-. 90. A frame with delicate moldings, in keeping- with the delicate handling- of the
painting-. See also Fig-. 91

bers, taking care to protect the inner edges of the members by waste
strips of wood, Fig. 93. When all is ready glue the strips in place,
•clamping them firmly with the handscrews. The brads will keep
them from slipping out of place. Wipe off superfluous glue carefully
with a rag moistened with very hot water. When dry, remove the
handscrews and pull out the brads. The brad holes can be closed up
by wetting them and placing a hot iron on them. This, by the way,
is a good method of closing up all surface bruises where the fibers
themselves are not broken. Finally cut the miters and proceed as
before.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

A frame can be made to look lighter by plowing out a narrow rab-
bet on the outer edges of the members as in Fig. 88, g. This can
best be done before the miters are cut, but it may be done after as-

Scraper

Block of wood

Fig-. 91. Improvised molding scraper.

'sembling. In this case, before rabbeting take care to trim off with a
chisel the arrises at the corners of the frame so that they will not
splinter off. See above, p. 44, Fig. 26.

Of essentially the same construction as a picture-frame, are the
glass bottomed trays, shown in Fig. 94. They are made with mitered

Fig-. 92. Method of planing- off chamfer
on a thin piece of wood.

Brad

^Protecting 5//p

Fig. 93. Method of clamping- nosing- on
outside of picture molding-.

molding, and the joints are mitered with a slip-feather inserted. A
Japanese stencil is laid between the two sheets of glass, fastened into
the rabbet with thin strips tacked in place.

THE MITERED PICTURE-FRAME

Fig. 94. Glass bottomed trays made with mitered frames.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig. 95. Candlesticks.

CHAPTER VII
THE CANDLESTICK

Altho the essential features of this project set fixed limitations to
its design, yet a great variety of forms and embellishments are pos-
sible; see Fig. 95. The success of the design depends, primarily, on
the harmonious unity of the parts. If the design be good, the piece
is worth much painstaking labor.

This project consists of two parts, the copper socket and pan, and
the -wooden base supporting these.

I. The essential features to be fixed are:

1. The size of the candle to be used. (Common sizes are 24"
or l/^".) This determines the diameter of the socket.

2. The pan, of such a shape as to catch the drip well. This is
to be soldered to the socket.

3. A base, large enough to be stable. The construction sug-
gested for this base is a cross-lap joint.

4. A convenient means of handling. This may be either a loop
for the forefinger, Fig. 96, or a column to be grasped, Fig. 97.

5. The kind of wood. The piece does not require much ma-
terial and is worth while making in wood of a good species and qual-
ity. Mahogany, black walnut, and sweet gum are not difficult to
work, can be finished handsomely and their colors harmonize well
with the copper parts.

II. The refinement of the proportions. The candlestick without
the column may well be quite small, each member of the joint being
not more than 4" or 5" long and 1^" or more wide.

With a column, Nos. 2, 4, 6, 8, Fig. 97, the size of the base will
naturally increase ; the higher the column, the broader the base. The
candlestick must seem as well as be stable.

If feet are added, Nos. 2, 7, Fig. 97, the effect of stability will
be increased.

III. Embellishments. These include modifications in outlines by
modeling, Fig. 97, No. 5, chamfering, Fig. 97, No. 8, coving Fig. 98,

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

No. 8, beading, Fig. 98, No. 1, or even carving, Fig. 96. Sugges-

tions for such treatment are also given in other pictures,
is done, the treatment should be harmonious thruout.

Whatever

i 2

Fig-. 96. Low caadlesticks.

An appearance of lightness may be given to the column by con-
structing it as in Fig. 99.

The best finish for a candlestick that may be frequently handled
and is liable to be smeared with wax or tallow, is boiled linseed oil,
thoroly rubbed. If made of mahogany, the color may be darkened
with bichromate of potash. See below, p. 92.

HIE CANDLESTICK

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

THE CANDLESTICK

IV. Directions for making cross-lap joint. In order not to waste
good wood in learning how to make the cross-lap joint, it is well to
make first a practice joint of pine or other soft wood.

Select a piece of straight grained pine, and carefully plane it to
the size, ^"xl^T'xll", finishing all surfaces. For the order of plan-

Fig-. 99. Column of candlestick lightened.

ing surfaces, (see Handwork in Wood, page 72.) Be careful that the
piece is of uniform width and thickness thruout, and finish both ends
clean and square. Mark a point 5" from each end of the piece, score
with a sharp knife all around the piece at both these points, cut a
little groove on the waste side of the lines, on one broad surface, (see
Handwork in Wood, page 66, and Fig. 91), saw off the waste and
trim the ends with the block-plane. Now make the half-lap joint as
described in Handwork in Wood, page 155.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Directions follow for making the candlestick shown in Fig. 100.
The materials required are, mahogany or black walnut :

A. i piece, %"xi^4"xii.

B. i piece, ^"x2^"x8^//.

C. i piece, i^"xi^4"x3".

Brads #" No. 18.

Copper, gage No. 20, i piece i^"xi^".

One piece i"x3".

I. The Base. When the practice joint has been satisfactorily made,
proceed in the same way with the more valuable wood for the base.

It is better not to sandpaper the members until they are glued to-
gether, as an otherwise tight joint may thus be made loose. Put a

Fig. 100. Candlestick.

little glue in the joint and clamp tight in the bench vise or in a
hand screw, protecting the surfaces by means of pieces of soft wood
When dry, clean up and dress the faces flush.

THE CANDLESTICK

With a gouge of the correct
curve, carve out the coves along
the upper arrises. Sandpaper.

II. The Column. If there is
to be a column, make that next.
If you have no wood thick
enough, (1-Mj") to make it of
one piece, face off a piece of %"
stock long enough so that it can
be cut in two, and the two pieces
glued together so as to make one.
Be very careful to make this a
close joint, and to put them to-
gether so as to have the grain running in the same direction when
glued together, see Fig. 101. Dress up this piece true and square,

Fig. 101. The wav the grain should and
should not run in jointed column of candle-
stick.

To taper the
column proceed
as follows: With
the marking-
gage, gage lines
on the upper end
as on Fig. 102,
E F and G H.
On two opposite
sides rule fine
pencil lines, as

Fig. 102. Lay-out of column for candlestick. F I and H J.

Clamp the piece on the bench between the bench-stop and the vise-
dog, and plane down to these ruled lines. Plane off from what is to
be the narrow end first, so as to
get a surface parallel to the de-
sired line as soon as possible.
When these two sides are cor-
rectly tapered, lay out the other
two sides in a similar way, draw-
ing lines at L J and M K, Fig.

102, and plane to Shape. If for Fig. 103. Wedgf d-shaped pieces make

lack of a tail-vise, it is necessary ihepvisSeble to h°ld the tapered piecein

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

to hold this piece, already tapered on two sides, sidewise in the vise,
two blocks of soft wood need to be made first, having a similar taper,
and between these the column can be held without injury in the vise
as in Fig. 103. These blocks will also be useful
in holding the column while adding chamfers or
other embellishments.

The column is now to be jointed to the ped-
estal. The simplest way to do this is with a butt
dowel joint. Bore with a number 40 twist drill
two holes in the pedestal as at A, A, Fig. 104.
Put a touch of thin glue on the large end of the
column, fit it exactly in place and drive two brads thru the holes A, A,
Fig. 104, letting the heads project slightly. If the joint is not close,
clamp the base tightly to the col-
umn with a handscrew. When
dry, remove the handscrew,
gently pull out one brad, bore
a 5/16" hole in its place, work
some glue into the hole and drive
in a dowel. Repeat with the
other brad.

Fig-. 104. Drillholes
in pedestal for brads.

Fig-. 105. Cutting copper with
snips.

Trim off the ends of the dow-
els. Or the column may be mor-
tised into the base, making what
is called a "three-way joint/' For directions, see Handwork in Wood,
pp. 160-161.

III. The Capital One piece, ft"xl%"l%". If this is to be

Fig-. 106. Ends of strip for socket beveled so as to butt well.

simply a flat rectangular piece of wood, dress it to the proper size
and sandpaper it and dowel it or screw it to the column with two long

THE CANDLESTICK

screws (!>£", No. 4). See Handwork in Wood, p. 126. If the socket

and pan are to be made as in Fig. 113, the capital should have in it a

hole into which the socket may

fit. For a 34" candlestick, this

hole should be Ji" in diameter.

Take for the capital a piece of

wood several inches long. The

extra length makes it easier to

plane, and lessens the danger of

splitting when the hole is bored. Fjg>107 Stake for hammenng

Plane it with square edges to the copper socket.

proper width and thickness and bore a %" hole into it, gripping it

sidewise in the vise. This also is to prevent splitting it. If the piece

is %" thick the hole should be about jj^j" deep, bored with a Foerstner

bit. Next saw off to the proper
length and finish the ends of
the piece neatly with the block-
plane. It may be glued and
screwed securely to the column,
driving the screws thru what
wood is left at the bottom of
the hole.

IV. The Feet. Four pieces
J^j"x2"x2". Plane up one strip
of wood to the desired thick-
ness; in this case ^" thick, 2"
wide and 8^" long, and if the
arrises are chamfered or other-
wise shaped, this should also be
done before cutting up into
small pieces. After cutting up,
finish what are to be the outside
ends of each piece harmoniously
with their sides. That is, have
the shape continuous around

Fig. 108. Hammering- a strip

into a cylinder. each lOOt.

To fasten on the feet, drive from the underside of each foot two
or three small brads, %", No. 18, until the points just prick thru.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig. 109. Method of hammering' a cylinder
out of a strip.

Put a little glue in the middle of the upper surface of each foot, ad-
just and press it to its proper place, and drive the brads home. The
piece is now ready to be cleaned up and finished. After carefully
sandpapering, wet the surface with water in order to "raise the grain,"

and when dry sandpaper once
more. Then when the water stain
is applied, the grain will not
rise again.

If the piece is made of ma-
hogany, it may be darkened with
a solution of bichromate of
potash crystals, to be obtained at
any druggist's. Make a satu-
rate solution. It dissolves read-
ily in hot water. If this is ap-
plied full strength, the color of
the wood will be a dark brownish
red. A good proportion is one
part of the saturate solution to
three parts of water. Apply with a brush and wipe off the surface
at once with cotton waste. If, after a little exposure to the light,
this does not appear dark enough, another coat may be added.

Eub down the surface with steel wool. A simple and effective
method of finishing this piece is to oil it with a mixture of boiled
linseed oil, one part, and turpentine, two parts. This should be wiped
dry and rubbed hard many times with a little of the oil on a rag.

If more gloss is desired, give the piece a coat
of wax. (See Handwork in Wood, page 214.)

V. The MetalworTc. For the socket and pan
for the candlestick, sheet copper, gage No. 20, is
needed. To get the proper size for the socket or
cylinder, wrap a piece of paper around the candle
to get its circumference, and add to this four
times the thickness of the copper. With the
snips, Fig. 105, cut a piece of copper this length,
and as wide as the depth of the socket, say 1". Hammer the piece
flat with the mallet on the bench. File the long edges straight and
parallel and square, and the end edges square to the side edges, but

Fier. 110. Cylinder
wired to hold joint
in place.

THE CANDLESTICK

with a slight bevel toward what is to be the inside of the socket, so
that when the piece is curved into cylindrical shape, the ends will
butt well, as in Fig. 106.

To hammer this strip into shape, you need a cylinder of iron ^s"
thick with flat surfaces filed at one end, as in Fig. 107, so that it can be
held firmly in the iron vise. A piece of
gas pipe, with one end crushed together
will do. For the hammering, use a small
wooden or horn mallet, so as not to mar
the surface of the copper. See Fig. 108.
To curve the copper strip on this im-
provised anvil, hold one end of it so
that it projects slightly to one side of
the anvil, (cylinder) and hit this pro-
jecting end with the mallet. Push out
the copper a little more and hammer
again. See Figs. 108 and 109. Con-
tinue this process until the strip be-
comes a cylinder. If any part has been
bent too much lay that part directly on the anvil and hit there.
If any part needs bending more to make the circle perfect, lay that
part on the anvil and hit just off the point of contact. Be particu-
larly careful to curve the extreme ends, and see that they butt ex-
actly thruout, in order that they may be soldered well later.

Now wrap and twist a piece
of binding wire, Gage No. 24,
to hold the butted edges tight
together, Fig. 110, and solder
the joint. *A simple way to do
this is as follows : Touch the
joint thruout its length with a
little stick dipped in soldering
fluid. (This may be bought
prepared at a hardware store,

Fig". 111. Pan for candlestick.

Fig. 112. Socket and pan wired together
for soldering.

either in fluid form, or as solder-
ing salt, (Yager's) to be dissolved in water according to the direc-
tions given, or may be made by digesting zinc in muriatic acid.)

'See Simple Soldering, by Edw. Thatcher. Pub. by Spon & Chamberlain.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig. 113. Pan encircling socket.

On the joint lay a small piece, say %" , of wire solder. By means

of a pair of pliers, hold the cylinder, joint down, over the gas flame

of a bunsen burner or gas stove, till the solder melts. With a small

stick wipe the solder back and forth in the joint and set aside to cool.

To make the pan proceed as follows: With the snips cut out a

square of copper, l^g" square,
snip off the sharp corners, and
file the edges square and
smooth. See Fig. 111. Use
fine sandpaper or emery cloth
to polish up the surface. Turn
up the edges slightly all around
as follows: Set a bar of iron,
say J4" thick and 24" wide, up-
right in the iron vise. File the
end so that it will be slightly

rounded and smooth, and with the horn hammer, hammer the edges
over this "stake", as it is called. See Fig. Ill & for the cross-section
of the pan. Be particularly careful to make the corners all alike, and
to keep the bottom of the pan flat. If it becomes concave turn it
upside down on a flat surface and tap the bottom gently with the
horn hammer.

With a twist-drill, held in a hand-drill, (see Handwork in Wood,
p. 106, Fig. 18?,) bore and countersink two small holes in the
bottom of the pan to fit jMT No. 2 screws, as in Fig. 111. These
holes should be inside a circle 34" in diameter at
the center of the pan, so as to be included in
the socket.

Scrape the surface to be soldered together
bright and clean, and tie the socket already made,
firmly to the pan with binding wire as in Fig. 112.
Cover the joint of the socket with rouge made into
paste with water. This is to prevent its unsolder-
ing when the pan is heated.

Apply soldering fluid to the joint from the inside of the socket,
lay a couple of pieces of wire solder next the joint, hold the pan and
socket over the gas flame just until the solder melts, and then quickly
wipe the melted solder into place, as before. If the joint is close and

Fig. 114 Lay-out for
pan shown in Fig.113.

THE CANDLESTICK

Fig. 115. Using a coping-saw.

the soldering fluid is carefully

applied, the solder will hardly

show on the outside. If it does,

it can be cut off with a sharp

knife.

Polish the surface with a

fine emery cloth and then with

a cloth smeared with tripoli, or

on a buffing wheel, if that is

available. To darken, dip in a

solution of liver of sulphur,

(potassium sulphide) and coat

with turpentine.

A slightly more difficult

form of socket and - pan is

shown in Fig. 113. For this form, after the pan has been shaped, cut

a hole in it thus : Find the exact center of the square by drawing the

diagonals, and with the com-
passes draw a circle just the
outside size of the socket, as in
Fig. 114. Drill a hole some-
where within this circle, and
with a coping-saw, Fig. 115r
saw out the circle, sawing al-
ways within the line. While

sawing, the pan may be conveniently held over the notch of a piece

of wood cut in the shape shown in Fig. 116. Then file the hole to

exactly fit the socket. Tie the two in place witli

iron wire, and solder from the under side. This

socket may also have a bottom soldered to it, but

this is not absolutely necessary.

The rim of the socket may be embellished

by having a ring of copper wire (%" thick)

soldered to it as shown in cross-section in Fig.

117. The photographs given show a variety of designs for the pans.

An easy way to hammer out the shape shown in Fig. 118, Nos. 1

and 3, is to gouge out of a block of maple a mold of the desired shape,

tack down with carpet tacks the copper over this mold, as in Fig. 119-

Fig. 116. Wood notched to hold copper
while sawing.

Fig. 117. Wire ring
around edge of cup.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

THE CANDLESTICK

and hammer it into the mold with the peen of the horn hammer. The
depression thus made may be set into a corresponding depression cut

in the wood of the candlestick
and the whole fastened in place
with copper tacks, the heads of
which are filed square.

In some of the designs cop-
per handles are shown. See
Fig. 96. They are shaped in a
way similar to that of the cups,
and in some cases are screwed
to the wood under the rim of
the saucer, and in some cases
soldered to the socket and pan.
Other simple projects in-
the flowerpot stands, shown in

Fig-. 119. Rim pan tacked
down over mold.

volving the cross-lap joint are

Fig. 120, having either one or two joints.

Fig-. 120. Flowerpot-stands, made with half-lap joint.

The same joint is used in the taboret, Chapter VIII.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig. 121. Smoking-table.

CHAPTER VIII

TABORET

In order to keep the construction of this project as simple as pos-
sible, the limitations imposed are that the frame shall consist of two
cross-lap joints made of boards under one inch thickness, to which
are butted and doweled the legs,
having approximately the same
thickness. To this frame is at-
tached a board top.

Even under these limita-
tions, great variety is possible,
as shown in the accompanying
photographs. The size may vary
from a tea or smoking table, Fig.
121 or 123, to a low stand, a few
inches in height, Fig. 122.

The wood suggested is chest-
nut or cypress, because of their
easy working qualities, but soft
mahogany or baywood may be
used with great success.

The refinement of propor-
tions includes the consideration
of such items as the width and
thickness of the legs in propor-
tion to their height, the dispo-
sition of the stretchers, whether
they shall be on edge or flat,
and where located, the amount of projection of the top beyond the
legs and the shape of the legs and of the top.

The attractiveness of the project depends largely upon its good
proportions and upon the beauty of the grain of the wood. The
rounding of the dowels into projecting buttons, plainly indicating

Fig. 122. Low taboret.

100

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

the structure, the use of
chamfers, or coves, and
the addition of feet, as in
Figs. 121 and 123 are
suggested. The color
depends largely upon
its intended environment.
Chestnut turns to a
beautiful brown when it
is exposed to ammonia
fumes and then oiled.

Since a taboret is to
be used to hold a potted
plant, the finish should
be such as will stand
moisture best. That is
boiled linseed oil.

The process of mak-

Fig.123. Tea-table. ing the typical form?

Fig 124, will be described first, and the changes later. The drawing
with dimensions is shown in Fig. 125. Either chestnut or cypress is

Fig. 124. Simple type form of taboret.

TABORET

101

Fig. 125. Taboret.

102

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

good for this project. Chestnut has rather a coarse texture, and is
liable to split along the annual rings on account of the presence of
many pores. Cypress is likely to contain many fine checks, produced
in seasoning.

Choose if possible wood with a pleasing grain, especially for the top.

The materials necessary are as follows:

A. 4 pieces

B. 2 pieces

C. 2 pieces

D. i piece 24"xi3"xi3". This may be made of two pieces jointed

together, as shown later.
16 dowel-pins 5/i6"xl^4".
4 brass mending straps ^"x2", No. 60.
12 screws «Hs" No. 4.
16 brads No. 13, 2^2", No. 12.

Plane up four pieces, A, to proper size. In order to true the ends
exactly, all four pieces may be clamped together in a handscrew and
the bench vise, and block-planed at one time. First plane one set of
ends, then reverse and plane the other set. Great pains must be

taken to keep the whole block square, or
all the pieces will not be of the same
length.

Plane up the stretchers, B and C, in
a similar way, all four to exactly the same
length. Make a cross-lap joint with
pieces B and with pieces C according to
directions given in Handwork in Wood,
p. 155.

The difference between the joints in
pieces B and pieces C is that in B the
edges lap, whereas in C the faces lap.
With this difference however the process
of making is the same, the flat joint being slightly more difficult.

Glue these joints together and leave in a handscrew to set, testing
the joint to see that it is a perfect right angle.

To fit the lower stretchers to the legs proceed thus: All around
the legs, 3^$" from the bottom of each, draw a fine pencil line, and
on the inside of the legs, at 3/16" from the edges, mark points as in
Fig. 126. On this line on the outside of all the legs place a mark

Fig-. 126. Lay-out of joint of
lower stretcher with leg.

TABORET

103

#/s

Fij

•. 127. Center lines AB and
?2) marked on stretchers.

24" from each edge to indicate the centers of the holes for the dowel-
pins, with which the joints are to be fastened together. See Fig. 126.
Mark center line on the edges of stretch-
ers C at the ends, as at A B, Fig. 127.

To fit the upper stretchers B to the
legs, proceed as follows : Draw a fine pen-
cil line across the center of the top ends
of the legs and continue this line down
both outside and inside of the legs for
2y2" from the top, as in C D E, Fig. 128.
On this line on the outside of the leg in-
dicate points A B, y2" and iy2" from the
top for centers of holes for the dowel-pins.
Mark center lines on the edges of the
stretchers B at the ends, C D, as in
Fig. 127.

If the legs are to be shaped, as in Fig. 129 the following method
may be used :

Clamp two legs side by side and bore a y%' hole at the proper
point A, in Fig. 130, setting the spur of the bit directly in the crack

between the two legs. Bore half-way
through, reverse, and finish boring. Ee-
peat on all the edges. The surplus wood
may then be worked out with a saw and
spokeshave or small plane.

Next prepare 16 dowel-pins, each
1^4" long and 5/16" diameter. When
there are a number of pins to cut off, it
saves time to use a miter-box, fastening a
stop at the proper distance, (1^4" in this
case) from the kerf, and so being able to
cut each one off without stopping to
measure, Fig. 131.

Next test the size of the dowel-pins in
a 5/16" hole bored in a piece of waste wood. The fit should be snug.
If the dowel-pins are too large to drive in easily, reduce their size by
driving them with a mallet, not a hammer, thru the 5/16" hole in the
dowel-plate, Fig. 132.

Fig1. 128. Ivay-out of joint of up-
per stretcher with leg.

104

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Point one end of each pin with a dowel-pointer, (Handwork in
Wood, p. 83), to insure their entering the holes readily and round off
the other end into a button shape as in Fig. 133. This may be done
conveniently with a sharp knife and sandpaper, or better still, of

course, on a
lathe.

Next the legs
and stretchers
are assembled as
follows : With
t h e hand-drill
(Handwork in

187), holding a
No. 40 twist-drill
which is slightly
smaller than
the brad to be
used (%y2", No.
12), bore holes
thru all the legs
at the points in-
dicated for the
dowel-pins, four
in each leg. Take
especial pains to
bore at right
angles to the
surface, because
these holes will
afterward deter-

Fi*.«9. Taboret with shaped legs. mine ^ ^^

tion of the holes for the dowels. Drive the brads (2^", No. 12) into
these holes so that their points just come thru. Start the brads
(%%", No. 12) into these holes, and placing each leg at its proper
place on each stretcher, drive the nails into the stretchers about }4"
and take apart. The dents thus made by the nails in the ends of the
stretchers will make it easy to locate them in place when gluing up.

TABORET

105

Have ready two carpenter's bar clamps, (Handwork in Wood,
p. 103), two large (Aldrich's No. 5, 18") handscrews (Handwork in
Wood, p. 101), and eight blocks of soft wood, three or four inches
long and just large enough to fit between each
pair of nails.

If no clamps or handscrews are available, sub-
stitutes may be made thus: Cut two boards and
two wedges, as in Fig. 134. These improvised
clamps can be hooked over the blocks which are
placed between the nails, and then the wedges
driven in to draw the joints up tight.

Put a little hot glue on the end of a stretcher,
B, locate it by means of the marks already made
in it by the nails in the leg, and drive in the nails,
leaving the head of the brad projecting half an
inch, so that it can be easily withdrawn later. In
the same way nail stretcher C in place to the same
leg. Then nail the opposite leg to the other ends
of these two stretchers. Proceed in the same way
with the other two legs, working as speedily as
accuracy will permit in order that the glue may
not set before the clamps are applied. The clamps
are applied to these joints as shown in Fig. 135.
angles to see that they are square.

Pig. 130. Method of
shaping legs.

Test the interior
If not, adjust the clamps on a
slight diagonal, so as to pull
the piece into shape as in the
diagram Fig. 136, in which the
distortion is exaggerated. Set
aside six hours to dry.

While the glue in these
joints is hardening, the top
may be made, according to di-
rections given below, p. 109.

When the glue in the frame
joints is hard, take off the
clamps, pull out one nail at a
time (see Handwork in Wood, Fig. 163, p. 96) and bore with a 5/16"
bit a hole 2" deep, Fig. 137. To gage the depth, use the auger-bit-
gagc, (Handwork in Wood, p. 116) or improvise one by boring a hole

Fig. 131. A stop A, in miter-box for use in
cutting the dowels of equal length.

106

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

lengthwise thru a piece of wood of such a length that when this piece
is slipped up to the jaws of the brace, two inches of the bit will pro-
trude. See Fig. 138.

As each hole is bored, work
some glue into it by means of a
small dowel-pin (say Y^" diame-
ter) and insert one of the 5/1 6"x
1^4" dowel pins already pre-
pared. In order to keep the work
clean put no glue on the pin it-
self. With a mallet, drive in
the pin leaving j/£" projecting.
In order to make sure that all
the pins project an equal amount

Fig. 132. Driving dowel thru / .

dowei-piate. lay a strip of wood, y% thick,

next the pin as you drive it in, so that the mallet head will hit the
strip on the final blow.

The reason why the dowel pin is not made long enough to drive
it clear to the bottom of the two inch hole is be-
cause the glne at the bottom of the hole may act
like a cushion, which, if the pin is driven home,
may force open the joint between the joint and

J J J Fig. 133. Dowel-pin

the stretcher. fortaboret.

In case it is not convenient to round off the ends of the dowels
before driving them, or in case they are not driven in so that the pro-
jections are all equal, proceed as follows: Saw off the protruding

n«f /"» " >

^ "»' '

^SO

/£

1 J

. — =

^p^^rf^:

/o yj

•<— J -^

Fig. 134. Improvised clamp.

parts of the dowels to within J/£" of the surface, thus: Holding the
frame in the vise, as in Fig. 139, lay a piece of wood J/£" thick next
each pair of dowels, and resting the face of the back-saw on this, saw
off the dowels. Then round up the j£" projections into buttons thus:

TABORET

107

Fig. 135. Taboret, nailed, glued, and clamped.

Fig. 137. Boring the holes for the dowels.

108

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig. 136. Method of squaring up
angles.

Fold a piece of sandpaper, sand side in,
hold it near a dowel as a buffer, and with
a chisel, bevel side down, resting on this
sandpaper, slice off the arris of the pro-
jecting dowel as in Fig. 140. When the
arrises are neatly trimmed, sandpaper the
end of the dowel into a button shape, hold-
ing the sandpaper over the thumb. Finish
the remaining dowels in the same manner.
Instead of shaping the protruding dowel
pins into buttons, an easier way to finish is
to drive the pins flush with the face of the legs, smooth off the sur-
face, and drive upholstery nails, Fig. 141, of the appropriate color
into the surface of each dowel. The taboret
shown in Fig. 142 is finished in this way.

If the processes so far have been neatly done,
there should be very little superfluous glue to
clean up. If there is any, clean it off with a
chisel and scraper. This process may sometimes
be facilitated by dampening the glue with a little
hot water on cotton waste. Use as much heat
and as little water as possible.

If any bruises appear on the surface in which
the fibers of the wood are crushed but not cut,
wet such places, cover with a piece of paper, and
lay on them a flat-iron, sizzling hot. This will swell the fibers back
into shape. Finally sandpaper all over.

Next cut out the recess for
the brass plates with which
the top is to be fastened to the
frame, as in Fig. 125. This
dado is cut at both the ex-
treme ends of each upper
stretcher, and is Y*" wide and
as deep as the thickness of
the plate.

To fasten the plates to the frame, it is first necessary to bore
holes, with a twist-drill, in the middle of the plates and countersink

Fig. 138. Im-
provised bit-gage.

Fig. 139. Sa-w ing off r« rejecting
end of dowel-pin.

TABOR ET

109

Fig-. 140. Method of trimming-
arris on dowel-pin.

Fig. 141.

Upholstery

nail.

this hole on the side opposite to the other countersinks. It may
then be screwed into place, using $/s" No. 4 screws, Fig. 125.

The top is made as fol-
lows: Assuming that it is
to be made of two boards
jointed together, cut them
slightly longer than wanted
(13 5/2"). If they are warped
at all, joint them so that the warp will be reversed in the two pieces,
as in Fig. 143. Then proceed as in the directions for a rubbed joint
given in Handwork in Wood, p. 172. When dry, plane the board to
the proper size, 13"
thick,
order

square and 34
following the
given in Handwork in
Wood, p. 72.

To lay out the octa-
gon, either the 8-
square measure on the
steel square may be
used (Handwork in
Wood, p. 108) or the
following method:
Draw the diagonals of
the square (13") as in
Fig. 144. With the
compasses take the dis-
tance from any corner,
(say A) to the center,
E, and lay this off
along A B and A D,
getting the points F
and Fft G and G' ', etc.
Connect F and G, F'
and G' etc., and the
octagon is drawn. Saw
off the corners and plane true. If the design calls for it, the chamfer
may be taken off at this time from each upper arris.

Fig. 142. Dowel ends covered with upholstery nails.

110

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

To fasten the top to the
frame, lay the top, bottom side
Eig.143. Method of jointing two boards. up^ On the bench, taking care
that there is nothing rough on the bench to mar the top, and accu-
rately locate the frame on it. Be sure that the grain of the wood of
the top runs parallel to one stretcher.
Screw it firmly in place. If the top has
become slightly warped, do not try to
force it flat by means of the screws, but
clamp it carefully in place first with hand-
screws and then drive the screws home.

The taboret is now ready for staining
and finishing. If it is made of chestnut, a
very handsome seal brown can be obtained

by shutting it up in an air tight box with Fig 144 One method of laying.
one-half pint of strong ammonia (%%%) out an octagon,

in an open dish. Let it stand for 24 hours or more, and then oil it
with a mixture of one part boiled linseed oil and two parts of turpen-
tine. Wipe off care-
fully. Inasmuch as
the taboret is likely to
be used as a stand for
a flower-pot, it should
not be shellacked or
varnished, for shellac
and varnish are apt to
discolor under water,
but it should simply be
oiled and rubbed again
and again, but prin-
cipally rubbed. This
can be done very eas-
ily with a buffing wheel
on a lathe.

If made of cypress,
the taboret should be
stained so as to bring
out the contrast be-
Fig. 145. Legs doweled directly into top. tween the yellow spring

TABORET

111

wood and the red summer wood of the annual rings. See Wood and
Forest, pp. 11 ff. For this purpose oil stains are the most satis-
factory. See Handwork in Wood, p. £09.

An agreeable modification of the de-
sign described above is to set the lower
stretchers edgewise, not flat, omit the up-
per ones, and fasten the upper ends of
the legs directly to the top, into which
they are notched, as in Fig. 145.

In this case the lower stretchers are
located in the legs by perpendicular cen-
ter lines on the legs, as in Fig. 146. For
fastening the legs to the top after it is
glued up and dressed to size, if the legs
are to be perpendicular, not slanting, lay
out on the top the notches for the legs so
that the distance from opposite ones shall
be exactly equal to the length of the lower stretchers. Do all the lay-
ing out from the working edge (Handwork in Wood, page 72). See
also Fig. 147. Lay out on both sides of the piece in order to insure

accuracy in chiseling later.

If the top is to be circular,
lay out the notches first. Then
lay out and cut the circle and
finally cut the notches. This
order prevents the sides of the
notches from splitting off in
dressing up the circumference.

Lay out the circle 10^" in
diameter. Then the top will
project slightly beyond the out-
side of the legs, as in Fig. 147.
The circle is to be cut out with

Fig-. 146. Locating- position of
end of stretcher on leg-.

Fig. 147. Lay-out of taboret with legs
doweled into circular top.

a turning-saw. (Handwork in
Wood, p. 67,) and dressed up
with the spokeshave. To cut out the notches, use the back-saw, cut-
ting just inside the lines, and chisel out the waste. In chiseling out
the parts that run parallel to the grain, (A. and 5, Fig. 147) cut

112

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig. 148. Starting to
cut out the notches.

only a little at a time for fear the wood may undersplit. In chisel-
ing out the parts across the grain, (C and D) lay the piece down
flat on a piece of waste wood on the bench and fasten it firmly with
a handscrew or between bench-stop and vise-dog.
First place the edge of the chisel (a broad one)
exactly on the line, hold it perpendicular and tap
it lightly with the mallet. Then holding it
obliquely, cut out a triangular groove, as in Fig.
148. With this groove once fixed, }7ou can proceed more rapidly and
with heavy strokes. When about half-way thru- the piece, reverse it
and cut from the other side. Take care to keep the bench top free of
chips or the wood will be marred. Trim out the sides of the notches
so that the legs will fit exactly.
If arrises are to be chamfered
or rounded, do it now.

In assembling, proceed as be-
fore, page 104, nailing first, and
then substituting dowels for nails.
A more elaborate six legged
taboret is shown in Fig. 149.
In this case there is no half-lap
joint, but the legs are doweled
into two boards, top and under,
both of which are notched to re-
ceive them. The process of as-
sembling is as described above,
nailing with glue, extracting the
nails, and substituting glued
dowels. The one shown in the
figure was made of cypress,
stained brown, and oiled and
rubbed repeatedly.

If the legs of the taboret are
to be not perpendicular but
slanting, as in Fig. 150, the
proper "batter" or angle at the Fiff.i49. Taboret with six legs,

ends of the stretchers may be obtained by means of the steel square,
a straight edge, and the bevel. See Fig. 151. Suppose the distance

TABORET

113

from the top of the upper stretcher to the bottom of the lower
stretcher to be 13" and the bottom of the lower side of each arm of
the lower stretcher to be 1" longer than the top of the upper surface
of the arm of the corresponding upper stretcher. Lay the steel square
on a board with a straight edge, placing the 13" mark on the blade
and the 1" mark on the tongue exactly on the straight edge. With a
pencil scribe on the board the angle which the tongue makes with

Fig-. 150. Taboret with slanting legs.

the straight edge. This is the angle needed for the ends of the stretch-
ers, and also the angle for the tops and bottoms of the legs. (See
Handwork in Wood, 3rd edition, p. 201, note.) Transfer this angle by
means of the sliding T -bevel. See Handwork in Wood, p. 113.

Fig. 152 shows a foot stool made of mahogany with a woven reed
seat, stained to match the mahogany. The top is a frame made with
end-lap joints, each member 3^" wide so as to give plenty of sur-
face for gluing.

-8

114

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig. 151. Obtaining the batter
lor slanting legs.

Fig 152 Mahogany stool with woven reed seat.

CHAPTER IX
MALLET

The excellence of design in a mallet depends primarily upon its
utility. The "fixing of essentials" is paramount in importance.
Whatever grace of form or refinement of proportions it may have are
the result of adaptation to use. In an object of such hard usage, dec-

Fig-. 153 Mallet.

oration too must play a minor part. As to essentials, a mallet must
he of proper weight, must "hang" well in the hand; the head must
be of the hardest wood available, that will not easily split, as maple;
the handle must be of a tough elastic wood, as hickory, and its form

115

116

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fi *. 154. Working- drawing of mallet.

MALLET

117

should be oval, so that the worker can feel, without seeing, that the
face of the head will strike square. The handle should be joined
firmly to the head, as with
the round mortise-and-tenon,
wedged, and there should be a
convenient method for hanging
it. A coating of shellac helps
to keep the wood clean, and
improves the looks. Some pre-
fer to have tool handles left

unvarnished, because of the no- Fi^155' Maple block for
tion that raw wood does not blister the hand. The design here given,
Figs. 153, 154, stands all these tests.

The materials required are :

i piece maple, 2^"x2^"x5".
i piece hickory, ^"xi^'xii".

The head, maple. Plane up true the working face, working edge,
the width and the thickness. With the try-square, carry a fine pencil

Fig. 156. Boring- hole in head of mallet.

line across the center on all sides as in Fig. 155, A B C. Notice care-
fully how the annual rings run in the piece. Like most all woods,

118

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

maple is less likely to split with the annual rings than across them.
(See Wood and Forest, p. 53.) Therefore plan to make the hole for
the handle as nearly as possible along the annual rings, as in Fig. 155.

To determine the location
of the handle hole, mark with
the marking-gage the center
point on the cross lines already
drawn, on two opposite sides.
Fasten the block, thus marked,
firmly in the bench vise, as in
Fig. 156. Put a 24" auger-bit
in the ratchet-brace, hold the
knob of the brace in the hol-
low of the left hand and hold
the body firmly agains't it so
that it will change position as

little as possible; with the try-
Fig. 157. How the handle hole tapers out. ,T * ..

square, see that the bit enters

the wood at right angles, both horizontally and perpendicularly, and
when the hole is once started, use only a down stroke with the ratchet
brace. The brace is thus held steadier and works easier than when
it is swept round and round. If two persons can work together at
this process, one can test the bit with the try-square, while the other
bores. Bore half-way thru and repeat from the opposite side.

With reasonable care, the holes should meet exactly. If they do
not, chisel off the projecting
shoulders inside the hole with
an inside bevel gouge (24")-

In order that the handle
may be firmly held in the head
by means of a wedge, as de-
scribed below, it is necessary to
enlarge with the inside bevel

gOUge (24") two Sides Of the Fig-.lSS. Lay-out of sides of mallet-head.

hole in the head at what is to be the outer (curved) edge. Make
these cuts so as to have the hole oblong in the direction of the length
of the head, that is, %" wide on the long axis arid taper it inwards
for 24"- See Fig. 157.

MALLET

119

Next lay out, according to the dimensions given in Fig. 154, the
shape of the head on the broad side. The curve for the outer edge
can be obtained by making a templet of cardboard or thin wood, thus :
The curve is the
4^" arc of a
circle whose rad-
ius is 22". Set
this templet ex-
actly in place,
as at A B C,
Fig. 158, and
scribe the curve.
Or let one per-
son bend and
hold a thin
spline of wood
at the proper
place, and an-
other scribe with
a pencil along it.
To lay out

the bevel of the ends (faces) of the head, set the T-bevel at the angle
of the inner edge with the faces, and by means of this and of the try-
square, score lines all around with a sharp knife. Make a groove for
sawing on the outside of the bevel lines B D and C E'/Fig. 158. (See
Handwork in Wood, p. 66, Fig. 91), and saw off the waste.

To guide the saw, another

block of wood with true square
edges may be set along the scored
line and clamped down with a
handscrew on the bench, Fig.
159. Take the precaution, how-
ever, to protect the bench by a
jiece of a waste board under-
neath the block to be sawn. Saw
with a crosscut-saw, just outside the scored lines. Eepeat at the
other end.

Fig-. 159. Sawing- the bevel on the mallet-head \>y means of
a block clamped on as a guide.

Fig 160. Block chamfered to avoid splint-
ering- when end planing.

120

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN AVOOD

Fig. 161. I<ay-out for beveled sides.
from below.)

(Seen

To plane these ends, fasten
the piece upright in the vise.
Avoid splintering by cutting
chamfers at the outer arris, as
in Fig. 160, and plane the ends
flat and smooth. For this pur-
pose the jack-plane is best, well
sharpened and set fine. The
block-plane is too light.

Next plane the waste off the

curved outer edge. To rough off, plane across the grain. Finish

with the grain for smoothness, using a circular plane if handy.
Next lay out on these planed ends and on

the inner lower edge the bevels of the sides, as

A B Ct in Fig. 161, and plane off the waste.
With a pencil lay out the chamfers, which

are %" on the arrises of the curved surface and

1/16" on the rest, and plane them off.

The Handle. True up the piece to a

^"xl^'xll", full. Draw, with a pencil, a fine

center line on both broad sides and on the ends.

On both broad sides lay out the plan of the

handle, working from the center line. Bore a

y%" hole, 1" from the hand end thru the short

axis, for convenience in hanging up the mallet.
Eip-saw off the waste, working from both

ends. In order to start the saw on the tapering

cut, clamp a piece of waste wood to the handle,

as A, in Fig. 162, and start the saw at B. Save

one of the pieces thus sawn off to be used later

to wedge the handle into the head. Spokeshave

to the lines drawn, keeping the piece rectangular.

Draw center lines on both edges and on the ends.
Lay out with a sharp pencil the chamfers

which are to make the piece eight-sided, and on

the large end draw as exact an ellipse as pos-
sible. Spokeshave these chamfers and then

Fig. 162. Method of
starting saw on a taper-
ing cut.

MALLET

121

round the small end till it fits closely the hole in the mallet head. Be

careful in using the spokeshave to keep the piece of even diameter

thruout. In cutting the very end the

spokeshave is likely to taper it. To avoid

this, hold the spokeshave, not at right

angles to the axis of the piece, but

diagonally.

Spokeshave the large end to an

elliptical section. The shape should Fie-163- wedge for handle.

change smoothly into the rounded small end. Scrape smooth and

sandpaper.

In the small end cut with the back-saw, a kerf 1" deep, Fig. 154.

Be careful to cut this parallel with the short axis of the ellipse

at the other end. This is to re-
ceive a wedge, which may be
made from one of the pieces
sawn off in making the handle.
The wedge should be 24" wide,
%" at one end and tapering to
an edge, and 1" long, Fig. 163.

Fig. 164. Method of cutting a wedge. place one en(} Of this piece On

the bench-hook against the cross-cleat, and chisel this end to an edge.
See Fig. 164. Drive the handle in the head, letting the small end
project y%". Dip the wedge in glue and drive it in place. Saw off
the projecting part of the wedge, clean up, and sandpaper.

Give the head a couple of coats of shellac and rub down with
steel wool.

122

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig-. 165. Trays.

5
t>
7
8
9

CHAPTER X
TRAYS

One of the most valuable projects for a beginner in woodwork to
make, looked at either from the point of view of the discipline of
technique or from that of design, is a tray for pens or cards, trinkets
or pins, clips or collar buttons, or whatsoever. For varieties of trays
see Fig. 165.

The first matter to decide is, of course, the use of the tray. If
it is to be for penholders and pencils, the trough must be long and

wide enough to receive them, and the tray must be stable, so as not
to be easily upset. If for cards, or crackers, it must be so designed
as to be easily picked up. A suitable wood for this project is sweet
gum, because it is of close even texture, moderately soft, cuts clean,
polishes well, and has a handsome color and figure. The fixing of the
essentials is an easy matter.

123

124 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

The beauty of the tray will depend upon the refinement of its
proportions and such embellishments as there are in the way of carv-
ing. These are very closely related in this project. That a pen-tray
should not be bulky or clumsy goes without saying. But its lightness
and grace may depend as much upon the carved embellishments, Fig.
166, Nos. 1, 2, 3, as upon the modeling of the edge, Fig. 167.

A few suggestions may be offered as to the use of line decoration.
It is the simplest form of carving and yet lends itself to endless
variety. See Figs. 168, 169. One danger in line design is that the
lines be too "wiry" or "wormy". This can be corrected by breaking

Fig 167. Tray with surface and edge modeled.

the lines and modifying the ends. It should also be remembered that
the blank spaces, that is, those uncarved, should make a pleasing pat-
tern, as well as the carved lines themselves. The rosette design,
shown in Fig. 170, is a pure line design, so arranged that the blank
spaces make a rosette. An interesting discussion of the breaking up
of spaces will be found in Ernest A. Batchelder's Design in Theory
and Practice.

In making the tray itself the processes are few and simple, but
like all good carving, require careful control of the hand, and call for
considerable variety of manipulation.

Taking for illustration a typical tray, the pen-tray with rosettes,
shown in Fig. 170, first, with the plane, true up the working face,
working edge, length, width, and thickness. If the design is not
rectangular, but has curved outlines, it is necessary to true up only
working face, working edge, and thickness.

TRAYS

125

To lay out the design, draw on the working face, center lines, one
lengthwise, one crosswise, at exact right angles to each other. Draw
similar lines on the design.

Lay the design already drawn in paper on a piece of glass, and
with a sharp knife point, make a clean cut stencil of one quarter of

Fig1. 168. Varieties of line carving.

it. Where necessary to prevent the stencil from becoming too weak
or falling apart leave little bridges to hold the parts together, as A A,
in Fig. 171.

From this stencil, lay out the design on each quarter of the work-
ing face of the board. If it is necessary to pin it in place, do so '.-
places where the pin pricks will afterward be cut away. This is more
important in a fine textured wood like gum than in a coarse textured
wood like oak.

As to when the outline is to be cut, that depends upon its shape.
If it is nearly rectangular, it may be shaped before the trough is dug,
but ordinarily, and especially if it is curved, it is better not to touch
it, until trough and decoration are finished. In this rectangular
shape, the edges will not be bruised while handling and it will be

126

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

easier to hold the piece between the bench-stop and vise-dog. For
directions for shaping the outline, see below.

Next gouge out the trough of the tray with a large (1") outside
bevel gouge. Work both with the grain and across it, noting care-

Fig-. 169. Trays with line grooving-.

fully any dips in the grain, and taking particular pains at those
places. Do not attempt to work within J/£" of the margin of the
trough, until the main part is well gouged out. That is, leave the

TRAYS

127

finest work till later, because with every added stroke greater control
of the hand is gained. For use of gouge on ordinary cuts, see Hand-
work in Wood, p. 60.

For delicate cuts learn to use the twisting motion i. e., while push-
ing the handle with the right hand, gently twist the gouge on. its

Fig. 170. Tray and blotter-holder with pattern
of rosettes.

axis. This motion is particularly useful when approaching an out-
line, as of the trough. Twist away from the outline, then if the
tool slips no harm is done.

Particular pains must be taken with the corners of the trough if
there are any. In general they look better rounded. The arc of the
round should not be greater than the arc of the gouge which you have
to use. The sharper the corner, the harder it is to cut it out well.
For very accurate work, and where the cross-section of the tray
is uniform for some distance, as in Fig. 172, it is well to make a

templet of thin wood with
which the work can be gaged
as one proceeds.

But in many trays (as in
Fig. 170) all that is necessary
is to have a depth-gage. For

Fig. 171. Stencil, showing bridges at A, A.

this purpose a nail driven into a strip of wood having a straight edge
will suffice, Fig. 173. With this it is easy to detect variations which
make the work look slovenly. The curve of the edges of the trough

128

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

may be often be determined by the curve of the gouge in use. Be
sure to keep the gouge sharp at all times. For the method of whet-
ting the gouge, see Handwork in Wood, p. 60.

In some designs (see Fig. 174) the piece is finished with the tool
marks frankly shown. This is, on the whole, better suited to large

Fig. 172. Tray and blotter: simple outline decoration.

pieces made of coarse textured wood. For the sort of designs shown
herewith, a smooth perfect finish is recommended.

After chiseling with the gouge as accurately as possible, scrape
the surface of the trough with a cabinet scraper. No. 2 and No. 7 are
the most useful. First see that the scraper is well sharpened. The
method of sharpening is described on page 92, of Handwork in Wood.

By tilting and turning the
scraper in various directions,
the curve can be made to fit the
triangle.

It is often possible to de-
test unevennesses on the sur-
face which are not visible to the eye, by means of the touch. If nec-
essary, shut your eyes while you feel. Make the surface as perfect as
possible with the scraper. Preserve the edges of the trough sharp.

Next sandpaper the trough of the tray, using the tip of the thumb
as a cushion for the sandpaper. It frequently happens that in sand-

Fig. 173 Depth-gage: nail in a strip
of wood.

TRAYS

129

papering, irregularities in the surface undetected before will appear.
If so, go back to the scraper, or even the gouge. But remember that
the fine particles of sand rubbed into wood, will quickly dull edge tools.
Next cut out whatever decoration there is in the design. If this
is a mere line design, as in Fig. 165, Nos. 2, 6 and 11, one tool is

Fig. 174. Tray and blotter with tool marks of gouge left showing.

sufficient to cut it all out. This tool must be sharp, so sharp that it
will cut soft wood across the grain clean without any tearing. Ordi-
narily no scraping or sandpapering will follow line decoration.

Be careful at the ends of the lines. Do not let them fade away,
as A, in Fig. 175, but finish clean and round, as at B.

For quite fine lines, as in Fig. 172, a veining too], so called, is
used. This is simply a very small gouge, and has to be whetted witli
a slipstone having a knife edge. Such a design
as the rosette is made with a veining tool. The
especial danger in using the veining tool, is that
it will slip beyond control and mar the wood.
Curved lines must be followed by hand, but
straight lines may be kept straight by running
along the edge of a rule or other straight edge held firmly in place,
Fig. 176.

Once the gouging is finished, the outline of the tray may be
shaped. If the curves of the outline are large, use the turning-saw

Fig. 175. How to
finish ends of line
carving: «, wrong; £,
right.

—9

130

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

(Handwork in Wood, p. 67) and the spokeshave (Handwork in
Wood, p. 118) ; if small, use the chisel (Handwork in Wood, pp. 56,
-57). Concave curves should be trimmed out with the inside bevel
gouge and if quite small should be bored out with a bit of the proper
diameter, before the lines adjoining them are cut with the saw or

Fig. 176. Guiding a veining tool along a
straight edge.

chisel. For example, in Fig. 177, bore out A and B, locat'ng their
centers accurately, from the working face, X, bef .re cutting o.t the
longer curves.

If necessary, use a file or even a ra$p to bring t< e line to s1. ape.
But if this is done, be careful to remove every trace of the tool marks
afterward with the chisel and sandpaper.

In many of the designs shown, the ecnges of the outline are mod-
eled, so as to give an appearance of lightness to the tray and to make

it easier to pick up. In de-
signing this feature, remem-

ber to keep the tray stable,
that i°, not to undercut the
edges so far that the tiay will
tip over at a slight touch.
Make the base therefore at
least as large as the trough. This may be done effectively by caiving-
out a cove with the gouge as in Fig. 178. This in most cases would
be wider at the on dp of the trav than at the sides to correspond with

Fig. 177. Laying out curves.

TRAYS

1S1

the design on the upper side. In this case let the side cove run

smoothly into the end cove.

Or, the cove may be turned into an ogee by rounding with the

chisel the lower angle, as in Fig. 178, b. Then the whole surface

should be scraped even, and
smooth, and sandpapered. Be
very careful while working
on the underside not to mar
the upper surface.

Next rub the whole sur-
face carefully with steel wcol
(No. 00) to get it as smooth

Fig. 178. Forms of cross-sections of trays. r.g r)r)Ssi})].e

To bring out the grain of sweet gum, nothing is so good as a coat
of boiled linseed oil (oil,- 1 part, turpentine, 2 parts). Apply with
a brush, rub well with cotton waste, and set as'de to dry.

Then apply successive coats of white shellac, letting it dry for
6 hours or more, and rubbing it down with steel wool between each
coat. Be very careful to avoid gobs, and to have each c~at thin and
even. Shellac is not to be smeared on.

Finally the whole may be polished on the buffer, or better still,
by the process of French polishing, directions for which are given in
Handwork in Wood, p. 2 1 7.

132

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Fig-. 179. Rolling blotter-holders.

CHAPTER XI
ROLLING BLOTTER-HOLDER

The essential features of a convenient rolling blotter-holder are
that it be the proper size and shape, say an oblong not larger than
3^2 "x6^"; that it be easily grasped; that the blotter be so fastened
as to be easily changed; and that the blotter be properly cushioned.

In the device shown in Fig. 179 these requirements are met. The
construction is as follows : A dowel on which a thread has been cut,
is screwed and glued into the knob, while the part projecting from
the knob passes freely thru a hole in the cover, y^" thick, and screws
into the rounded part, Fig. 180.

The wood suggested is sweet gum, like the pen-tray described in
the preceding chapter.

The proportions are largely determined by its use, the knob alone
admitting of great variety in outline. The knob as well as the back
may well be decorated with a pattern in harmony with that of the
tray. See Fig. 181.

The making of the blotter shown in Fig. 182 will be described.

The materials needed are of sweet gum as follows :

A. i piece, 24"x3"xs" (full).

B. i piece, J4"x3"x5" (full).

C. I piece, i"xi"x2" and
i dowel-rod, fa".

The new tool needed is a screw-box and a wood tap, size 3/£".

True up to size and dress carefully the two larger pieces A and B.
Locate the center of each of these pieces. Bore a y%" ho!e thru B,
and a 5/16" hole thru A, and a 5/16" hole into and nearly thru C
at the center of one side. Take great pains to bore perpendicularly
to the surface. With the tap, cut the threads in the holes, in A and C.

Select a straight grained piece of dowel-rod y%" diameter, and
on one end by means of the screw-box cut a thread for two inches or
more. If the box tears off the thread instead of cutting it clean, take

133

134

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

it apart, see that the cutter is sharp, reassemble, and try again. A
little adjustment of the cutter back and forth may be necessary to
get the best cut. Cut off two inches of the screw thus formed, work
a little glue into hole — the 1" square piece, and screw in the dowel.

Fig. 180. Rolling- blotter holder.

Now shape up the knob to the form desired. A piece 2" long wi?
selected at the start in order to avoid the danger of splitting it while!
boring into it the 5/16" hole. Cut off the surplus ^2" from each end,
lay out the form on the two opposite sides, and with the chisel, gou^e
it and (or) file it and bring it into shape. If it is angular, it must
be shaped by hand; if it is round, it may be turned on a lathe, if
one is available. Shaping the knob by hand, is very difficult. Some
may find it easy to whittle it into shape with a penknife.

ROLLING BLOTTER-HOLDER

135

If one is a novice at the lathe, do not try the W03d turner's tan-
gential cuts, but be content to scrape this piece into shape. Wrap a
thickness or two of stiff paper around the projecting part of the screw
and fasten it firmly but not violently into a three jawed chuck, and

Fig. 181. Rolling- blotter-holder and tray.

then with sharp chisel and gouge, scrape it into shape, that is, hold
the tool on the rest at right angles to the axis of the spindle. Use
high speed on the lathe. See Fig. 183.

Next shape the roller part of the blotter. Lay out the curve on
the two long edges of A with a templet of thick paper, cut to the
proper shape. Saw off surplus with rip-saw. With chisel or draw-
knife shape roughly and then plane to the line mostly across the
grain, as in shaping the mallet head. (See p. 120).

136

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Take care not to bring the curve to a knife edge with the upper
face, but finish it as in Fig. 180, A, A.

Now carve the pattern designed to fit it. If the cut (groove)
on the knob runs clear around it, as in Fig. 184, it can best be added

Fig. 182. Rolling blotter-holder.

while the knob is in the lathe. For this purpose use a 1/16" chisel
ground to a round nose.

Add the decoration, if any, to the cover, B.

Finish in the same manner as the tray (p. 131).

A pad of felt, fastened to the rounded surface by means of thick
shellac, gives a softer blotting surface. The pieces of blotting paper

Fig. 183. Scraping the knob on the lathe.

Fig. 184. Turned
knob

should be as wide as the blotter holder and long enough to fold well
into the space between the roller and the cover. They are held in
place \)j tightening the screw.

CHAPTER XII
SMALL BOXES

The size of such a box as is contemplated in this project is de-
termined by its use. If it is for gloves it should be approximately
4"x5"xl2". If for men's handkerchiefs, about 6" square and 4" or
5" deep. If for stationery, then to fit the stationery. In any case,
the only safe way is to measure the 'proposed contents and make the
box to fit.

The wood suggested is mahogany or black walnut or oak, all
strong, handsome woods. For the joints possible, see Handwork in
Wood, pp. 187-190.

In refining the proportions, sometimes even a slight modification
from the dimensions which mere utility requires will give a more
pleasing effect. Looking at each outer surface separately it may be
said that oblongs are more pleasing than squires, or looking at the
box as a whole, that cubes or multiples of cubes are to be avoided.

For embellishment the modifications suggested are:

(1) Extended tops and bottoms, as in Fig. 185, No. 3, with the
edges modified by moldings.

(2) A simple outline of inlay.

The main esthetic reliance, however, should be on good propor-
tion, accuracy of workmanship, and beauty of finish.

The directions following are for the construction of a trinket box,
3" deep x4" wide x7" long, outside measurements, of stock 5/16"
thick when hand dressed. Fig. 185, No. 4.

The material may be black walnut or mahogany, and the follow-
ing pieces are required:

2 pieces

(Or roughly speaking, a board fa" thick, 8" wide, and 20" long.)

2 brass butt hinges, i", narrow.

8 brass screws fa" No. 2.

137

138

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

The grain of the wood in the four sides of a box should always
run parallel, that is it should run either around the box or up and
down. The reason is that with equal conditions of grain, any shrinkage
that takes place will be even. In general the grain runs the long way
of each piece. In this case of a long box, the grain should run around.

2 . 4

Fig. 185. Small boxes.

When not working on the pieces keep them clamped together in
handscrews, (as in Fig. 5, p. 19) or at least keep them wrapped up
in a paper to prevent them from uneven exposure and consequent
warping.

In dressing up the pieces, proceed as follows: Cut from the wood,
two pieces about 3^4" wide and 12" long. Each will serve for one
side and end, and each is to be kept in one piece thru as many proc-
esses as possible. Plane up the working face, the working edge, one
end, the width, 2%", and the thickness, 5/16". The width should be
3" if the top is to be put on with a double rabbet joint, Fig. 186 B.

To fix the length of the end pieces, from the dressed end of each
12" piece measure off 334", score all around with a sharp knife and
a try-square, cut a groove for the saw, (Handwork in Wood, Fig. 91.)
but do not cut off. First plow the rabbets.

SMALL BOXES

139

With the rabbet-plane plow the rabbets, 3/16" deep and 5/16"
wide, on what will be the lower inside edge of the sides and ends. This
is to receive the bottom. For di-
rections for rabbeting, see p. 72.

If the top of the box is to be
affixed with its full thickness
showing, as in Fig. 186, A, no
rabbet is cut on the upper edges
of sides and ends. But a neater
and stronger joint is the double
rabbet joint shown in Fig. 186,
B. If this is to be used, rabbet
out the upper edges of the 12"
pieces with a rabbet 3/16"
deep and 3/16" wide.

Next saw off what will be the
end pieces of the box and block- Fi^186' Methods of affixing top of box.

plane them true. Be careful that both ends are of exactly the same
size, 5/16"x2%"x3%", and all angles square. On both ends of each
side piece, cut rabbets, (Handwork in Wood, page 179, No. 24) with

the shoulders 6^s" apart, the
rabbet 3/16" deep, and let the
surplus length remain for the
present. It can be trimmed off
after the box is put together.
See Fig. 187.

Make these end rabbets as
follows: Score and groove the
shoulders with the t^-square
and knife- From this line
score across the edges for ap-
proximately 3/16". Wiih the
marking-gage, gage on the
ends and on the edges beyond
the shoulders, a fine line, 3/16"'

Fi,.l«. Rabbettedsideofbo*. fr()m ^ ^ ^^ flnd

grooved. With the back-saw, saw in the groove down to the gaged lines.
Kemove the surplus wood with a chisel, being careful to keep angles

140

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

square and surfaces flat. The squareness of the box depends absolutely
upon the accuracy of this rabbet joint. The sides and ends may now be
assembled. Start brads (%" No. 20) in lines J4" from the ends of the

box ends, as in Fig. 188.

The reasons for this careful
location are: at the double dot-
ted line J/£" apart, the box is to
be cut in two, the upper part
making the lid and the lower the
box proper, and hence no brads
must be in the way of the saw;
and, second, the lower brad can-
not safely be less than y>" from
the lower edge on account of
the inserted bottom. Start the
brads so that they will be driven
slightly outward, as in Fig. 189.
Drive the brads until the
points just prick thru. Put a
little liquid glue on the joints,

Fig. 188. Location of brads in end of box. pu^ ^g parts together aCCU-

rately, draw the sides up to the ends with a handscrew, being care-
ful to place them so as not to buckle the sides, drive the brads home
and set them carefully with a nailset. Test the inside angles to see

^
X

Fig. 189. Method of driving brads in box.

that they are exactly square. If instead of liquid glue, hot glue is
used, everything must be in readiness beforehand, so that the work
may proceed as fast as possible, before the glue sets. Set aside to dry.

SMALL BOXES

141

The neatest way to conceal the holes made by the brads is this:

Sharpen the end of a splinter of the same kind of wood as the box

itself, so that it just fits a brad

hole, dip the end in glue, tap it

lightly into the hole with the

hammer, cut it off with a sharp

knife or chisel, sharpen the

splinter again and so proceed

till all the holes are plugged up.
While the frame is drying

the top and bottom may be

worked up according to the di-
rections given below.

When the frame of the box

is dry, test the upper and lower

edges on a face plate, or some

perfectly flat surface. If it

rocks at all, note where and

carefully plane it flat. In doing

so, take care not to bump the as at A* B-

toe or the heel of the plane into the inner arrises of the sides or ends,

as at A and 5, Fig. 190.

Another way to bring the edges into plane, is to lay a sheet of

sandpaper (No. 1) on a perfectly flat surface and rub the box back

and forth on it.

The danger here
is of rounding
over the cor-
ners, as at A
and B, Fig. 191.
Next plane up
the top and the
bottom of the
box, remember-

Fig. 191. Danger of rounding" the corners, as at A, B.

ing to choose the better looking piece for the top.

If the top is to be affixed with a butt joint, as in Fig. 186 A, it
may well be thinned to y^" or even 3/16", because if thin, it is more
easily kept from warping by the boxed part of the lid. Do not try

142

DESIGN AND CONSTKUCTIOX IX WOOD

to fit the butt jointed top to the exact size of the box, but plane only
the two faces. It can be dressed off after it is glued on.

If the top is to be rabbeted into the sides and ends, as in Fig.
186, B, these rabbets in the top may now be plowed. Plane up the
top square, but slightly larger than it will be when the box is fm-

Fig. 192. Gluing the top on to the box.

ished. Plow out the rabbets 3/16" deep, and wide enough, just over
y%"} so that the top will fit easily into its place. The bottom is to-
be 5/16" thick, and to be fitted exactly into the space rabbeted for it.
(Mean out any dried glue that there may be in the corners, apply a

SMALL BOXES

143

thin film of glue to the joints, brad the bottom firmly into place,
driving the brads thru the bottom up into the sides, and then set
their heads.

Fasten the top without brads using only glue, hot glue, if pos-
sible. Since it has not yet been dressed to exact size, take care that
the edges overlap all around.

In gluing on the top protect both it and the bottom by placing
between the box and the hand screws other boards, otherwise the
pressure of the hanclscrews may bend and even ciack the top and
bottom. Use plenty of handscrews. (See Fig. 192.)

When dry, say in six hours, dress off, sawing, if necessary, the pro-
jecting ends and edges. Take care not to splinter the corners.

Next, cut the box
in two thus: With the
marking-gage, gage two
parallel lines, ;4" and
j/s" respectively, f.om
the upper surface of
the top. Between these
two lines saw the box
apart with the back-
saw, Fig. 193. For a
larger box, the rip- aw
would be used.

Now plane each set
of edges separately, first
to the gaged line, and then test on a face plate, (flat surface) to sae
that they are in a plane. Finally test the cover thus : Lay it in place
and tap each corner with the finger to see if it rests firm there. Ex-
amine the crack all around and correct any errors. Round the external
arrises if desired (See Fig. 194) but in any case do not leave them
sharp, except where the box and its lid meet. Clean up and sandpaper.

Setting^the hinges. (See Handwork in Wood, pp. 131-133.) The
hinges should be set about the length of the hinge from the ends of the
box. Mark with the knife the length of the hinge on the edge of the
back of the box, taking the length of the hinge from the hinge itself,
by superposition. (Handwork in Wood, p. 204). Square across the
•edge with the try-square and knife. Do this for both hinges. Hold the

Fig-. 193. Sawing the box apart.

144

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

lid of the box in its proper place on the box as it will rest when shut,
and mark the places for the hinges on the edge of the back of the lid,
and square across for both hinges. Between these lines on both the in-
side and outside of the box and of the lid, gage the proper depth of the
notch, i. e., one half the thickness of the knuckle of the hinge.

Chisel out the notches, set the hinges in place, drill or brad-awl the
holes for a tight fit and drive the screws. Lubricate them with soap

Fig- 194. A stationery box, external arrises slightly rounded.

before driving; otherwise they may break. If rightly done the lid
should shut tight all around with no springing back. If it does spring
back, the hinges are set too deep, and it is necessary to loosen the screws
and set in a shaving under the hinge. If there is a gap between the
box and the lid at the back, the hinges need to be set in a little more
deeply. If the sides of the lid do not lie flush with the sides of the
box, one hinge is set further toward the outside side of the box than
the other. If this difference is very slight, it rmy be corrected by loos-
ening the screws a little and gently but firmly twisting the lid around
in the right direction. If the discrepancy is great, notice carefully

SMALL BOXES 145

where the error is, take out the screws that are wrongly placed, cut little
plugs of wood, dip in glue, drive into the screw holes, and bore new
holes for the screws.

If a lock is needed for the box, see Handwork in Wood, p. 134, for
directions for inserting it.

If the box has been made of mahogany it may now be stained in the
same way as the candle-stick. See p. 92.

It looks well to stain only the outside including the edges where
the lid meets the box, and to leave the inside unstained, as in Fig. 194.

When the stain is thoroly dry, and the surface well rubbed down
with steel wool, give the outside a coat of Wheeler's Patent Paste
Wood Filler, No. 7, (see Handwork in Wood, p. 213). Mix this filler
with enough turpentine to make it the consistency of thin paste,
apply with a brush with the grain, and as it dries, but before it sets
hard, rub off the surplus carefully across the grain. The objoct of
the filler is to fill up the pores of the wood and give a smooth even
surface. The filler should dry for twenty-four hours. Then apply
successive coats of shellac, rubbed down with steel wool, and, if de-
sired, French polish it. (See Handwork in Wood, p. 217.)

If the box is of walnut, no stain is needed. A black filler
(Wheeler No. 10) will darken it a little.

If the design of the box calls for a projecting bottom and top, as
in Fig. 185, No. 3, several parts of the construction are different.
The sides and ends are not rabbeted to receive either bottom or top,
which are glued and nailed directly on their edges.

In gluing on a top which has been finished to size, and perhaps
made with molded edges, pains must be taken not to let it slip when
the pressure of the handscrews is applied. One method of prevent-
ing this is as follows: drive four brads into the upper edges of the
sides, bite off the heads with the nippers and sharpen the projecting
points. Set the top exactly in place and press it down so that the
brads will penetrate. When the glue is applied see that the brads
enter the same holes, and the top will remain true in place.

If the box frame is not to be cut in two, but the cover consists of
only a top board suitably molded or otherwise decorated, care must
of course be taken to select a well seasoned piece without any in-
clination to warp. The hinges in this case should be set entirely into
the edges of the back.

—10

146 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

Instead of the rabbet joint described, which has the disadvantage
of the brad holes showing, several others are feasible as described in
•Handwork in Wood, page 187.

Box construction of a more simple form may be made use of in
making bird-houses, as shown in Fig. 195. The necessity for mak-
ing opposite sides of exactly the same size holds here as in all rect-
angular boxes.

CHAPTER XIII
LANTERNS

This project consists essentially of a frame covered with translu-
cent paper or cloth. Fig. 196. It may be worked out in two dif-
ferent ways, either as a hanging lantern, Fig. 197, suspended by
chains, or a lantern supported on the wall by a suitable hook, or on
a bracket, Fig. 196, Nos. 1 and 4.

Either form may be so designed as to be lit either by a candle
or by an electric light. The electric light is, of course, safer. In
case a candle is used, a suitable socket and pan for the candle are
essential, and the lantern must be large enough si that the flame of
the candle cannot set fire to it. In the case of the wall lantern, the
wall may be protected by a metal screen. Aside from these considera-
tions, considerable latitude is possible.

The wood chosen for this project is yellow poplar because it is
not likely to be split by the fastenings used. It has, besides, a
smooth even texture that finishes well.

In a project as nearly rectangular as this, the chief consideration
is to have a satisfying relation of height to width; that is, the faces
are to be pleasing rectangles rather than squares.

The embellishments may take various forms. In Figs. 197 and
198, both the hanging lantern and wall lantern have the simplest
possible frame with the interest centering in the stencils cut on the
paper. In Fig. 196, Nos. 2 and 3, the pattern is made by the slats
cross-lapped. The chain instead of being simple, as in Fig. 197, may
have links of varying lengths.

Since in Fig. 196, Nos. 1 and 4, the lantern consists of a screen
set on a bracket which also holds the candle, the design of the
bracket should harmonize with the screen. (See Handwork in Wood,
page 185).

147

148

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

SMALL BOXES

149

2 3

Fig. 196. Lanterns.

150 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

I. The suspended lantern with the wood fret, Fig. 196, No. 2.

- The wood selected for this is yellow poplar, 5/16" thick. The
following sizes are required :

For the corners, which may be called stiles,

4 pieces, 5/i6"x%"x8",

4 pieces, 5/i6"x7/i6"x8".
For the cross-pieces, whi~h may be called rails,

4 pieces, 5/i6"xi^2"x41/2'' (upper rails),
4 pieces, 5/i6"xi%"x4^" (lower rails).
All to be of exactly the same length and proper!y shaped before assembling.

For the horizontal cross slats,

4 pieces 5/i6"x^"x4T/£".
For the muntins (vertical slats),

8 pieces 5/i6"x^"x5^".

Prepare all these pieces, remembering that it is easier to work
svith as long pieces as it is convenient to plane and then to cut these
up to the proper lengths afterward. Since there is a considerable
number to be cut to the same length, fasten a stop at the proper place
in the miter-box and saw off the pieces, measuring mechanically by
that means. See Fig. 131.

If these are carefully cut it will not be necessary to dress the
ends of the rails or slats. The ends of the stiles should be carefully
smoothed. Shape the rails with chisel and spokeshave.

Next lay out and cut and fit the cross-lap joints of the slats.
(Directions for making this joint are given on p. 155 of Handwork in
Wood) . Glue these together.

Next make up the corner posts by gluing together, as in Fig. 199.

When dry, dress off the outer surfaces of the joints so that they
will be quite flush. The whole may now be assembled.

On a flat board, leaving a space about 1" wider than the entire
width of the lantern, nail strips of wood about 9" long parallel to
each other, as A, A, Fig. 200. Prepare two wedges, B, ~B, 8" long,
5/16" thick, and tapering from y%' wide to a point, and a buffer
strip, C.

Lay the pieces of one side, outside down, in their proper position
in this space. Put in the strip C and drive in the wedges B, B, mak-
ing all true and square, and seeing that there is no buckle.

At all the joints drive in 3/16" corrugated fasteners. Kepeat
on all sides. Stain the whole with brown oil stain and rub well.

LANTERNS

151

Find some brown or manilla paper which gives a pleasing color
by transmitted light, and glue on the inside of the four sides with
liquid glue. Raw silk and grass cloth are also very effective.

Fasten with glue
and brads two nar-
row cleats 5/16"
square, and 3" long,
on the inside of two
opposite sides near
the bottom, as at a,
Fig. 201.

On these fasten
with brads a strip, I,
running across the
lantern inside. To
the middle of this is
to be screwed a cop-
per candle holder
(socket and pan),
made as described on
p. 92. The simplest
saucer to make is
round and ham-
mered convex with a
horn hammer into a
mold cut out of hard
wood.

Screw four
sere w-e yes
214^) (14
wire, 3/16" hole) in-
to each Of the Upper Fig. 197 Hanging lantern.

inside corners, by means of which and a copper chain or wire the
lantern may be hung.

The hanging lantern shown in Fig. 197 is simpler still in con-
struction, since there is no fret-work. In this style of lantern Jap-
anese stencils are used. In making it, buy the four stencils, first,"

"These can be obtained in New York of O. Shima, 20 East 33rd Street,
at a cost of about 25c each.

small
(No.

152

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

and make the lantern to fit them. The paper of which these stencils
are made is almost opaque. If a more translucent effect is desired,
gil the stencils. Or, the stencils, as shown in Fig. 198, may be traced

from the original Jap-
anese stencil on brown
writing paper or other
suitable material, arid
then cut out with a
sharp knife point on a
piece of glass. In this
way, fine clear edges
can be obtained.

II. Wall lanterns.
In making the screen
and bracket, shown in
Figs. 198 and 202,
make the screen first.
The stiles and upper
rails are all of the
same thickness and
width, 5/16"xj6". The
bottom rails are 5/£"
wide. On the whole

Figr.198. Wall lantern. the simplest joint for

such small pieces is the end-lap. Dress up all the parts and cut to
the desired lengths, (stiles 8>4" long, rails 3^"). The fitting to-
gether is a fine delicate job, requiring twelve distinct joints. If the
lantern is made larger, say twice as large, the joints may be butt
joints and doweled together. (For directions, see
Handwork in Wood, p. 152, No. 8). Or, it may be
put together with corrugated fasteners, as in the
hanging lantern (Fig. 200).

To make the end lap joint see Handwork in
Wood, p. 156, No. 16. When the parts are glued
together and dry, the 30° bevel should be planed off
on both long edges of all the panels. Make the bottom of the screen
y2" thick in the form shown in the plan in Fig. 202, i. e., half a hexa-
gon, so that its sides shall be just equal to the short (inside) width
of the panels.

Pig-. 199. Cor-
ner posts of
lantern.

LANTERNS

153

To lay out the hexagon, with a compass, draw a circle whose
radius is equal to the desired length of one of the six sides. As only
half the circle is required place one leg of the compass on the edge
of the board. From the point where the circumference touches the

Fig-. 200. Method of clamping up the parts.

edge of the board, step off on the circumference a distance equal to
the radius. Eepeat from the opposite point of the circumference,
and connect by straight lines the points thus obtained, a, I, c, d, and
the half-hexagon desired is drawn. Also inscribe a smaller circle of
2*4" radius to make room for the candle-stick which is fastened to
the bracket. See Fig. 202. Saw and plane out this shape.

154

DESIGN" AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

For gluing the panels together, prepare a few forms of the shape
shown in Fig. 203. Put a thin film of glue (liquid glue will do) on
those edges of the panels which are to be jointed, and with small
brads, (1" No. 18) nail the panels in place to the half hexagon bot-
tom. Clamp the panels together with small handscrews, using the

Fig. 201. Working- drawing' of lantern shown in Fig. 196.

forms just made. See Handwork in Wood, p. 171, Fig. 258, and
p. 170, 2nd paragraph. When dry, clean up.

The frame should be stained and finished before the stencils are
put on. Hence it is better to make the bracket next, so that all the
staining may be done together. See below for directions for making
the bracket.

The stencils are cut out of sheets of brown paper which fit the
insides of the panels. (See p. 152.)

Cut three pieces of silk of the same size as the stencils, and of an
harmonious tint, and tack both paper and silk, (silk toward the

LANTERNS

155

candle) to the inside edges of the panels by means of thin strips of
wood and small brads, say }4", No. 20. Tack these strips all around
the inside of each panel.

The shelf of the bracket should conform in design to the lantern.
The material for the bracket may also be 5/16" thick. If possible

Fig. 202. Working- drawing of lantern shown in Fig. 198.

make all the parts, shelf, back, and two supports, out of one board,
planing first the working face and working edge, and the exact thick-
ness. Lay out the plans on this and cut out roughly. The shelf over-
hangs the back when assembled. The back and shelf can now be
finished exactly to shape by means of the plane, or if irregular in

156

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN WOOD

shape with the spokeshave and chisel also. In order to make the two
supports exactly alike, glue them together thus : Put a touch of glue

at several points on one piece,
press a piece of paper over it,
put glue on the other side of
the paper at the points oppo-
site those already glued, lay on
the other piece and clamp to-
gether. When dry, proceed as
if they were one piece, finishing carefully. When shaped, they may
be pried apart with a chisel, and what little glue adheres may be
planed off. Or, the two pieces may be handscrewed together, while

Fig. 203 Block for clamping1 lantern
panels together.

to-
the
are
the

Fig. 205. Methods of hanging the bracket.

they are shaped. Assemble the parts of the bracket as in Fig. 204.
First draw light pencil lines on the top of the shelf and on the back
of the back, to indicate where the brads (1" No. 18) are to be driven
into the supports, start two brads along-
each of these lines, driving them thru
the boards until the points prick thru,
and also driving brads thru the shelf
to go into the back.

Now, holding one of the supports in
the vise, lay the back on it in its proper
place and drive in the brad nearest the
shelf. By means of the try-square hold
the back exactly in place over this sup-
port, and drive in the other brad. Ee-
peat with the other support.

Next brad the shelf and back
gether, having the shelf overhang
back. See that the supports
squarely in place and drive home
brads thru the top into them.

Fig 204. Location of brads.

Stain the bracket to match the screen.

LANTERNS 157

For hanging the bracket, gain into the back small copper or brass
strips with holes in them, as shown in Fig. 205, or insert small screw-
eyes (No. 214^) at the back edge of the shelf. Place these hang-
ers so as not to interfere with the screen.

If electricity is available it is of course much safer to have a
small electric light bulb take the place of the candle.

INDEX

Ammonia, 100, 110.

Ash, White, 4, 18.

Auger-bit-gage, 105.

Bastard board, 15.

Batchelder, Ernest A. Design in

Theory and Practice, 22, 124.
Batter, 112.
Beads, 78.
Beauty, 23.
Bench, 28, 29.
Bird-houses, 146, 147.
Bit holder, 64.

Blotter-holder, 132, Chap. XI, 133.
Board foot, 16.
Board measure, 16.
Boring, 62, 64, 91, 103, 104, 108, 117,

118.

Boxes, Chap. XII, 137.
Bracket, 155.
Brads. See nailing.
Bruises in wood, 108.
Dowel-plates, 103, 106.
Candlestick, 82, Chap. VII, 83.
Carving, 68, 124.
Chamfer, 42, 80, 91.
Chestnut, 9, 99.
Chiseling, 47, 60, 63, 111.
Clamps, 105.
Color, 25, 67, 68.
Comb-grain, 15.
Combustibility of wood, 13.
Compass holder, 64.
Composition, 22, 24.
Construction, 21, 22, 35, 133.
Convenience, 23.
Copper, 9, 40, 83, 92.
Corrugated fasteners, 150.
Cove, 89, 130.
Cut-.out, 70.
Cylinder, copper, 93.
Cypress, 3, 9, 17, 35, 99.
Day, Lewis F. The application of

ornament 22.
Decoration, 26, 36, r<8, 83, 124, 129,

133, 137.
Depth-gage, 127.
Design, 9, 10, 21, 22, 125.
Dow Arthur W. Composition, 22, 65.
Dowel-pins, 103, 106.
Dowel-rod, 133.

Embellishments, 83, 149.

Emery cloth, 94, 95.

Equipment, 29.

Essentials, Fixing of, 26, 35, 83, 115,

123, 133, 137, 149.
Figure, 16.
File, 130.
Filler, 145.
Finish, 25, 27, 37, 56.
Flower- p.ot stands, 97.
Fuming, 100, 110.
Gaging, 43.
Glass cutting, 76, 77.
Glue, 33, 74, 79, 102, 105, 108, 140,

142, 143, 145, 150, 156.
Gouge, 89, 126.
Grain, 16.

G'um, Sweet, 4, 9, 19, 83, 123, 133.
Handscrews, 19, 105, 110, 138.
Handwork in wood, 17, foot note 25,

29, 33, 38, 39, 43, 44, 45, 55, 59, 60,

61, 62, 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 79, 87, 91,

92, 94, 102, 104, 105, 109, 111, 113,

118, 119, 127, 128, 130, 131, 137, 138,

139, 143, 145, 146, 149, 152, 154.
Hexagon, Laying out, 153.
Hickory, 9, 115.
Hinges, Setting, 143.
Inlay, 137.

Japanese prints, 65, 70.
Japanese stencils, 151.
Joints, 22.
Joint:

Butt, 9, 90, 141.

Cross-lap, 9, 83, 87, 99, 102, 150.

Draw-bolt, 28.

End-lap, 9, 51, 152.

Ledge, 9

Miter, 9, 51.

Mortise and tenon, 28, 90, 117.

Notched, 111.

Rabbet, 142.

Rubbed, 9, 109.

Lanterns, 148, Chap. XIII, 149.
Lathe, 104, 135, 136.
Leaf press, 57.
Letter-tray, 56, 57.
Line, 24.
Mahogany, 4, 9, 14, 19, 69, 83, 88,

137.

158

INDEX

159

Mallet, 10, Chap. IX, 115.

Maple, 9, 69, 115.

Margins, 65, 67.

Marking gage, 43, 44, 45, 49, 61, 143.

Mass, 23.

Mat 65, 66, 68, 69.

Material and form, 22.

Miter box, 51, 55, 64, 74, 103, 105, 150.

Moisture in wood, 14.

Mold for hammering copper, 97.

Moldings for pictures, 78, 80.

Mounting of pictures, 69, 70.

Nailing, 14, 51, 53, 54, 75, 90, 91, 104,

140, 145, 156.
Nail set, 53.
Nail set holder, 64.
Nosing, 78.
Notan, 24.

Oak, White, 3, 9, 14, 18, 69, 137.
Octagon, Laying out, 109, 110.
Ogee, 131.

Oil, 9, 25, 64, 84, 100, 110, 131.
Pan, 92, 94, 151.
Paper, Cover, 69.
Pencil holder, 64.
Paper, Manilla, 77, 151.
Picture frame, Chap. VI, 65. .
Picture-frame-clamp, 10, 58, 59, 74.
Pine, White, 3, 9, It, 17, 70, 87.
Pith ,rays, 14.

Plane, Adjustment of, 39, 41, 42.
Planing, 39, 41, 42, 46, 48, 63, 102,

120, 141, 150.
Plates, Brass, 109.
Polish, French, 131.
Poplar, Yellow, 4, 9, 18, 59, 149.
Properties of wood, 13, 14.
Proportions, Refining of, 26, 36, 83,

99, 124, 137.
Quarter-sawing, 15.
Rabbeting, 71, 73, 138, 139.
Raymond, Geo Lansing. Proportion

and Harmony of Line and Color,

22.

Rift board, 15.
Rings, Annual, 14, 117.
Sandpaper, 50, 75, 88, 108, 128.
Saw, Back, 63, 74, 75, 108, 111, 121,

139, 143.

Saw, Coping, 95.
Sawing, Cross cut, 33, 41, 119.

Sawing, Rip, 45, 60, 120.

Saw, Turning, 111.

Scoring, 48.

Scrap-basket. Chap. IV, 35.

Scraper, 128.

Screw, 64.

Screw-box, 133.

Screw eyes, 77, 151, 157.

Shellac, 9, 25, 117, 131.

Shrinkage of wood, 14, 15.

Skill, 9.

Slash-grain, 15.

Slip-feather, 75.

Snips, 92, 94.

Socket, 92, 95, 151.

Soldering, 93.

Soundness of construction, 22.

Spline, 75.

Spoke shave, 61, 120, 121, 130.

Spruce, 3, 17.

Square, Steel, 112.

Stain, 9, 33, 56, 76, 92, 110, 145, 150.

Steel wool, 121, 131, 145.

Structure and design, 22.

Structure of wood, 14.

Supplies, 33.

Tables, Small, 98, 100.

Taborets. Chap. VIII, 99.

Tapering, 89.

Tee bevel, 52, 63, 119.

Templet, 119, 127, 135.

Tools, 29, 30.

Trays, 122, Chap. X, 123.

.ray, Glass, 80.

Try-square, 40, 43, 44, 49, 117.

Turning saw, 111, 129.

Upholstery nails, 55.

Utility and beauty, 26.

Varnish, 25.

Vise, 29, 30.

Walnut, Black, 9, 83, 88, 137.

Warping of wood, 15.

Wax, 9, 57.

Wedge, Method of making, 121.

White wood, 9. See Poplar, Yellow.

Wire, Binding, 93, 94.

Wood, 13.

Wood and Forest, 16, foot note 26,

118.
Woods, Common, 3, 4.

14 DAY USE

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