Elementary woodworking

Saws: necessity for two classes; shape of teeth; set; tapers; method of holding. Backsaw; use of bench hook. The turning saw. The plane: use of cap iron; names of parts. Adjustm...

The hammer; use of nail punch. The mallet. The screw-driver. Sandpaper, use of. Squaring up stock; method explained in detail. Laying out work; method of laying out a typical jo...

The forest; felling trees and floating logs to the mill. The forming and breaking up of log jams. The log boom and modern sawmills. Timber and lumber defined. Annual rings; medu...

In order to obtain good results in the using of tools it is necessary to know their construction, how to properly sharpen and adjust them, and the correct method of handling the...

=1. The Rule.= The standard unit of length is the yard, but the foot is commonly used for all measurements in woodwork. If the rule be twelve inches long it is known as a foot r...

=5. Saws.= The saw might be described as a succession of chisels, one back of the other. We can readily understand the action of the saw by making cuts with a narrow chisel alon...

The various trades have hammers made specially for their needs; thus we have machinists’, roofers’, upholsterers’, stonecutters’, and other hammers, but the claw hammer shown in...

=28. Lumbering and Milling.= It is well to remember, when using wood for any purpose, that it was once part of a living tree which had roots, bark, leaves, and flowers, and that...

Our American trees may be divided roughly into two classes: (1) those which keep their leaves the year round, known as _evergreens_; (2) those whose leaves drop off in the fall,...

It is true that all trees play their part in the general color scheme, but for the brilliant reds and scarlets of the fall foliage we must look to the maples.

The beginner is often in doubt as to whether a twig with several leaves is a compound leaf or a number of simple leaves. This is a very easy thing to decide. At the end of the l...

=46. The Elm.= The elm is the well-known shade tree of New England. Its tall, graceful form is familiar to every visitor and native of that section of country, where it is found...

The evergreen trees, so called because their needle-like leaves remain on the tree all winter, are fully as interesting as the broad-leaved trees. Without them our landscapes in...

Each section of country has its own peculiar trees, and those described have been mainly representative of the eastern states; but no list of American trees would be complete wi...