Chapter 2

Square up the slats, 3 by 15-1/8 in., and cut mortises in the upper and lower rails 1/4 in. deep to let them in. The number of these slats, their size and spacing may be arranged to suit one's own idea. Put the posts, upper and lower rails, and slats together without glue first to determine if the parts fit properly, and then glue and clamp them together. Hot glue will hold best, if the room and lumber are warm; if not, it is best to use ordinary liquid glue. While the glue on these two ends of the table is setting, the other upper rails, top, and stretcher may be finished.

The top will have to be made of two or three pieces joined together with dowels and glue. If possible, use only two boards and be sure the grain in both pieces runs the same way when they are put together.

After the ends which were glued have set at least 24 hours, the clamps may be taken off and the other two upper rails tenoned and mortised in place. The stretcher may be held with two 3/8-in. dowels in each end, or with two round-head screws put through the lower rails. When gluing up the whole table, be sure the sides are square to each other. The top may now be squared up 24 by 24 in. and the corners cut out for the top of the posts. The top may be fastened as shown at A and B in the drawing, or by cleats screwed to the inside of the upper rails and top.

Before staining, be sure that all surplus glue is scraped off and the surfaces sanded clean. A weathered or fumed oak stain is suitable for this table. A good weathered oak stain may be made by mixing a little drop black ground in oil with turpentine and a little linseed oil. Put this stain on with a brush and allow to stand until it begins to flatten or dull, then rub off across the grain with a rag or piece of cotton waste. When thoroughly dry, apply one coat of very thin shellac. After this has dried, finish with two coats of wax. The shellac prevents the turpentine in the wax from rubbing out the stain. To get a good wax finish the work should dry until it will not show finger marks, before rubbing.

BOOK TROUGH

A very cheap but attractive book trough is shown in the accompanying photograph. This piece of mission furniture will be found useful in the home or office and can be made by anyone who has a slight knowledge of tools. The material should be either oak or chestnut, which can be secured from the planing mill dressed and sandpapered ready to cut the tenons and mortises. The stock needed will be as follows:

2 ends, 7/8 in. by 10 in. by 31 in., S-2-S. 1 shelf, 7/8 in. by 10 in. by 35 in., S-1-S. 2 trough pieces, 7/8 in. by 4 in. by 35 in., S-2-S. 8 keys, 5/8 in. by 5/8 in. by 3 in.

The two end pieces should be made first with the top corners rounded off and the lower end, which is of simple design, can be cut out with a bracket saw and smoothed with a wood rasp. The mortises should then be laid out according to the sketch and cut, by first boring 3/4-in. holes and finishing with a chisel, being careful to keep all edges clean and free from slivers.

The shelf can now be made by cutting a double-key tenon at each end to fit the end pieces. The space between the two tenons at each end can be cut out with a bracket saw and finished with a rasp. The key holes should be mortised as shown in the sketch. The trough pieces are made in a similar manner, care being taken to have all tenons and mortises perfectly square and a good fit, so the trough when assembled will have a neat and workmanlike appearance. The trough can be finished in any one of the many mission finishes which are supplied by the trade for this purpose.

AN OAK SERVING TABLE

The serving table is another useful piece of furniture that can be made in mission style. This table should be made in quarter-sawed oak and stained very light. The stock order is as follows:

2 posts, 2 by 2 by 37 in., S-4-S. 2 posts, 2 by 2 by 31 in., S-4-S. 1 top, 1 by 21 by 40 in., S-2-S. 2 side rails, 3/4 by 3 by 34-1/2 in., S-2-S. 4 end rails, 3/4 by 3 by 15-1/2 in., S-2-S. 1 back panel, 3/4 by 4 by 34-1/2 in., S-2-S. 1 stretcher, 1 by 5 by 36-1/2 in., S-4-S. 1 slat, 1/2 by 1-1/2 by 36 in., S-4-S.

The four posts are ordered 1 in. longer than necessary for squaring to length and the two back posts should be chamfered 1/4 in. on top, as they are the longest and project above the back panel. All of the posts are cut tapering for a space of 4 in. from the bottom ends. Mortises in the posts and tenons on the rails are laid out and cut as shown by the dimensions in the drawing. These parts are then well glued and put together. The top, which should be of well seasoned wood, is cut to fit around the back posts so the back edge and the back side of the posts are flush. The back panel is placed in mortises cut in the corners of the back posts. This is done so the back surface of the panel will be flush the same as the edge of the top. The slat is fastened with round-headed brass screws on the front of the two back posts about half way between the top and the ends of the posts.

The top may be fastened to the rails by one of two methods. One way is to use a small button made of wood and so mortised as to set in the rails and then fastened to the top with screws. About six of these buttons will be sufficient to hold the top in place. The other method is to bore a hole slanting on the inside of the rails, directing the bit toward the top, which will make a seat--if not cut too deep--for a screw that can be turned direct into the top.

The glue must be removed from about the joints and the surfaces smoothed over with fine sandpaper before applying the stain. The directions for staining will be found on the can in which it is sold. The grain of the wood will show up well if the surface is given a dull waxed finish after staining.

AN UMBRELLA STAND

The umbrella stand shown in the accompanying illustration will be found quite appropriate for the hall or reception room that is furnished in mission style. It can be made of any of the furniture woods, but quarter-sawed oak gives the best results. The stock necessary to make this stand can be secured from the mill ready cut to length, squared and sanded, and is given in the following list:

4 posts, 1-1/2 by 1-1/2 by 28 in., S-4-S. 4 top rails, 7/8 by 2 by 10 in., S-2-S. 4 lower rails, 7/8 by 3 by 10 in., S-2-S. 4 slats, 3/8 by 3 by 20 in., S-2-S. 1 bottom, 7/8 by 10 by 10 in.

First square up the posts and bevel the tops as shown in the detail sketch. Place them side by side, on a flat surface with the ends square and lay out the mortises with a try-square on all four pieces at the same time. This will insure your getting them all straight and of the same height. Now lay out the tenons on the rails in the same manner and cut them to fit the mortises in the posts. Mortises should also be cut in the rails for the ends of the side slats as shown. Try all the joints and see that they fit tight and square. Glue two sides of the stand together and let them dry for at least 24 hours, then glue the remaining parts, being careful to get everything together perfectly square.

The bottom board can now be fitted in place. It should have a hole cut in it for the drip pan. The pan should be about 6 or 7 in. in diameter. One suitable for the purpose can be purchased in any hardware store. The bottom board can be fastened to the rails with nails driven from the under side, or cleats can be nailed to the rails for it to rest upon.

When the stand is complete, scrape all glue from about the joints and go over the whole with fine sandpaper, removing all rough spots. Apply the finish you like best, or the one that will match your other furniture.

Should the builder want an entire hand-made stand, the drip pan may be beaten into shape from sheet brass or copper. This kind of work is known as repoussé. After beating the pan into shape, it can be finished in antique, old copper or given a polished surface, as desired.

A CHAFING-DISH BUFFET

The chafing-dish buffet is something very convenient and attractive for the dining room. For the best effect it should be made of quartered oak, stained brown or weathered and trimmed with brass hardware.

To save a great deal of uninteresting labor, secure the following pieces of stock, surfaced on four sides and cut to length:

4 legs, 1-1/2 by 1-1/2 by 36 in., S-4-S. 4 rails, 7/8 by 4 by 10 in., S-4-S. 2 rails, 7/8 by 3 by 10 in., S-4-S. 2 panels, 3/8 by 9-3/8 by 9-1/2 in., S-4-S. 1 panel, 3/8 by 6-1/2 by 9-1/2 in., S-4-S. 2 shelves, 7/8 by 12 by 19 in., S-4-S. 1 top, 7/8 by 16 by 20 in., S-4-S. 2 stiles for door, 7/8 by 2 by 12 in., S-4-S. 2 rails for door, 7/8 by 3 by 10 in., S-4-S. 1 back, 7/8 by 12 by 13 in., S-4-S. 8 slats, 3/8 by 1 by 8 in., S-4-S.

Begin the work on the rails for the sides of the stand. Have them all squared up to exactly the same length and to the correct width and thickness. Mark the tenons on the ends of each and cut them with a saw and chisel.

When this is finished, try the legs to see that they are all the same length and that their surfaces are square with each other. Next mark the mortises in the legs for the tenons of the rails. To make the mortises, first bore to depth with a bit 1/8 in, smaller than the width of the mortise and cut to the line with a chisel.

Before gluing up the sides, cut the mortises in two lower rails for the tenons on the ends of the shelves. These tenons, with the smaller mortises in them for the keys, should be cut first. Square up the two side panels and cut grooves 3/8 in. wide and 1/4 in. deep for them in the rails and part of the legs.

Make the eight slats 8 in. long, 1 in. wide and 3/8 in. thick, and cut mortises for them in the two upper rails.

The two sides of the buffet are now ready to be glued up and clamped. While the glue on these is setting, make the door. The rails are mortised into the stiles 1/2 in. and both are grooved to receive the panel. It is best to get the stock a little full for the door so that it may be made up a little larger than necessary and planed down to fit.

There only remains to fit in the shelves and fasten the top and back. The top and back are held with screws as shown in sketch.

Taper the keys only slightly, otherwise they will keep working loose.

Stain with two coats of weathered oak, give one coat of thin shellac to fix the stain and two coats of wax for a soft-gloss finish.

A WRITING DESK

The desk shown in the illustration was made of plain-sawed white oak. The copper lighting fixtures were made by the amateur as were the hinges and the drawer pulls. The doors are fitted with art-glass panels. The following stock list is needed:

1 top, 3/4 by 22-1/2 by 41 in., S-2-S. 4 posts, 2 by 2 by 31 in., S-4-S. 2 rails, 3/4 by 6-1/4 by 19 in., S-2-S. 2 rails, 3/4 by 6-1/4 by 35 in., S-2-S. 2 rails, 3/4 by 3-1/4 by 19 in., S-2-S. 1 stretcher, 3/4 by 3-1/4 by 35 in., S-2-S. 2 drawer fronts, 3/4 by 4-1/4 by 14 in., S-2-S. 4 drawer sides, 1/2 by 4-1/4 by 19 in., S-2-S. 2 drawer backs, 3/8 by 4 by 14 in., S-2-S. 2 drawer bottoms, 3/8 by 19 by 14 in., S-2-S. 4 slides, 3/4 by 2-1/2 by 19 in., S-2-S. 8 guides, 3/4 by 2 by 10 in., S-2-S. 2 cabinet posts, 1 by 1 by 16 in., S-4-S. 4 cabinet posts, 1 by 1 by 11 in., S-4-S. 1 back, 3/4 by 16 by 35 in., S-2-S. 1 shelf, 3/4 by 8 by 35 in., S-2-S. 2 shelves, 3/4 by 8 by 15 in., S-2-S. 4 door pieces, 5/8 by 1 by 15 in., S-2-S. 8 door pieces, 5/8 by 1 by 4 in., S-2-S.

Square the legs to length and lay out and cut the mortises thereon. Lay off the tenons on the rails, after having squared the rails to length and width, and cut them.

Work up the top of the table and then the drawer stock and cabinet. Assemble the ends of the frame first, using good hot glue and enough clamps to hold the parts together properly. After the glue has hardened on these, the clamps may be removed and the front, back rails and the stretcher assembled.

While the glue is hardening on the main frame the top cabinet may be built and assembled. This cabinet is detachable from the table proper and is to be held in place by means of cleats upon the back. These cleats are not specified in the bill; they may be obtained from scrap stock.

For a piece of woodwork of this style some of the softer browns of the mission stains will be most appropriate. After all parts have been thoroughly cleaned by scraping and sandpapering, a stain may be applied. Allow this to dry, then sand it lightly and apply a thin coat of shellac. Sand the shellac lightly and apply a filler of a color to match the stain, but darker in tone, of course. Clean off the surplus in the usual manner and then apply a coat of shellac. Sand this lightly and apply several coats of some good polishing wax.

MUSIC RACK AND BOOKSTAND

The illustration shows a very handy music and bookstand, which also can be used at the bedside as a reading stand. The following list of material will be required for construction:

1 standard, 1-1/8 by 1-1/8 by 37 in., S-4-S. 1 horizontal, 1-1/8 by 1-1/8 by 15 in., S-4-S. 1 crosspiece, 1-1/8 by 1-1/8 by 14 in., S-4-S. 1 crosspiece, 1-1/8 by 1-1/8 by 12 in., S-4-S. 2 braces, 1-1/8 by 1-1/8 by 9 in., S-4-S. 1 board, 1/2 by 8 by 13 in., S-2-S. 4 blocks, 1-1/8 in. square. 2 gauge clamps. 1 strip, 1/2 by 1 by 13 in., S-2-S. 8 round-head brass screws. 1 brass rod, 1/4 in. in diameter and 12 in, long. 1 brass piece, 1/4 by 3/4 by 10 in.

Cut a tenon on the lower end of the upright and make a mortise in the center of the long crosspiece to receive the tenon. The horizontal has tenons cut on both ends which fit into mortises cut in the sides of both crosspieces. The upper corners on the ends of both crosspieces are cut sloping on a 45-deg. angle. The blocks for the feet are attached to the under side and at the end on each crosspiece with screws and hot glue, the screw heads being sunk so that they will not catch on carpets or mar the floor. The braces are attached with round-head screws after they are cut on each end to fit the standard and crosspiece.

The book rest is cut from the board. The openings are made by sawing the pieces out with a coping saw, and the edges are dressed up with a sharp chisel. The lip strip is then glued to the lower edge of the board.

One end of the board is now fitted into a slot cut in one of the gauge clamps. The slot must be cut at the right angle to give the desired slope to the book rest. The gauge clamps are joined with two small square strips of oak as shown. The small rod brace is flattened at both ends and a hole drilled in each to fasten it with screws as shown. The brass strip is bent in the middle at right angles and drilled to receive screws for fastening it in the corner of the upright and horizontal pieces.

A DICTIONARY AND MAGAZINE STAND

The accompanying picture shows a stand that is intended primarily for holding a large-size dictionary. The shelves may be utilized for holding books, magazines or sheet music. It will stand wear best if made of some hard wood, such as oak. Of the soft woods chestnut has the best grain for finishing, being hardly distinguishable from red oak.

The following pieces will be necessary:

2 sides, 3/4 by 16 by 38-1/2 in., S-4-S. 1 shelf, 3/4 by 15-1/2 by 21 in., S-2-S. 1 shelf, 3/4 by 14 by 17 in., S-2-S. 1 shelf, 3/4 by 13-1/2 by 21 in., S-2-S. 1 top, 3/4 by 13 by 17 in., S-2-S. 1 lip, 3/8 by 3/4 by 17 in., S-4-S. 8 keys, 3/4 by 1 by 3-1/2 in., S-2-S.

Begin work on the sides by preparing a joint edge on each piece and from this square up the lower ends and square lines across the inner surfaces to indicate the positions of the lower edges of the shelves.

Next, smooth off the mill marks from the broad surfaces of the shelves and square them to size on one edge and the two ends.

Return to the side pieces and lay out the outline, but do not cut to these lines until the gains and mortises which are to receive the ends of the shelves and their tenons have been laid out and cut. Laying out these outlines at this time is done so as to give the exact width the shelves are to have. These dimensions can be determined by measuring across the sides between the outlines at the points where the shelves are to be placed.

The shelves which have no tenons are to be let into the sides 1/4 in. They should be shouldered 1/2 in. back from the edge so that the groove will not show on the face.

The lip on the front of the top shelf may be fastened by means of very small brads, the heads of which should be covered with putty, colored to match the finish.

A suitable finish may be obtained as follows:

First see that all the mill marks are removed, using a smooth plane and steel scraper and sandpaper, then apply a coat of cathedral-oak water stain. When dry, sandpaper lightly, using No. 00 paper. Apply a second coat of stain, diluting it by the addition of an equal volume of water. This is to produce a stronger contrast. Sand this lightly and put on a very thin coat of shellac to bind the filler and to prevent the stain in the filler which follows from discoloring the high lights. Sand this lightly and put on a coat of paste filler according to the directions that will be found on the can. This filler should be colored in the following proportions: Light paste filler, 20 lb.; Van Dyke brown, 1 lb. After the filler has hardened, sand it lightly and put on a coat of orange shellac. Follow this with several coats of some good rubbing varnish. The first coats should be rubbed with haircloth or curled hair, and the last with powdered pumice stone and raw linseed or crude oil.

A LEATHER BACK ARM CHAIR

A mission arm chair of simple design and construction is shown in the accompanying illustration. This chair is suitable for any room of the house and can be made of wood to match other furniture. Quarter-sawed oak is the wood most generally used, and it is also very easy to obtain. The stock can be ordered from the mill, cut to length, squared and sanded. Following is a list of the material that will be needed:

2 front legs, 2 by 2 by 26-3/4 in. 2 back legs, 2 by 4 by 43 in. 2 arm rests, 1 by 4 by 26 in. 5 rails, 3/4 by 4 by 21-1/2 in. 5 rails, 3/4 by 2 by 2-1/2 in. . 2 back pieces, 3/4 by 2 by 16-1/2 in. 1 piece leather, 31 in, square. 1 piece burlap, 28 in, square. 2 pieces leather, 13 by 18 in. 2 pieces burlap, 13 by 18 in. 1 box 8 oz. tacks. 5-1/2 doz. ornamental nails.

Start with the front legs. Cut a tenon 1-1/4 in. square and 3/4 in, long on one end to fit the arm rests. The mortises for the side rails are cut 1/2 in. wide and 7/8 in, deep. The tenons on the rails are cut to fit these mortises, care being taken to get them all the same length between shoulders. The back legs are cut with an offset of 2 in. as shown in the detail drawing and also have mortises cut in them for the back crosspieces. The upright pieces in the back are fastened into the crosspieces by means of tenons and mortises, and should be in place when the crosspieces are fastened to the legs.

The arms are cut from the 1 by 4 by 26-in. pieces. Be careful to get them so they will pair. The outside edge can be either curved or straight as desired. The front ends of the arms are held in place by mortises which fit over the tenons on the ends of the front legs, while the back ends are held in place by round-headed screws as shown.

The chair is now ready to be glued. Be sure to get the parts together perfectly square, and when dry scrape off all surplus glue around the joints, for stain will not adhere to glue and a white spot will be the result of failing to remove it. Go over the parts carefully with fine sandpaper and remove all rough marks. Then apply the stain you wish to use. To make the seat, first fit boards in the bottom and nail them to the side rails as shown. Fill the space with hair or elastic cotton felt to about 3 in. above the edge of the rails. Bind this down tightly with a piece of burlap and tack the edges to the rails. Cut out the corners of the burlap so that it will fit about the posts. Put the leather on over this and tack the edges to the bottoms of the rails. Then finish with the ornamental nails as shown.

To finish the back, first tack a piece of burlap over the opening, then place a layer of hair or cotton felt on this about 1 in. thick. Stretch the leather over this and fasten with ornamental nails. The back side is finished in the same manner, except that the hair is omitted.

A WALL SHELF

Coarse-grained woods make up into furniture and take a more satisfactory finish than close-grained woods. For this reason chestnut or oak is suggested for this shelf. Chestnut has a beautiful grain and is soft and easily worked.

There will be needed the following pieces:

Sides, 2 pieces, 3/4 by 7-1/4 by 16-1/2 in., S-2-S. Lower shelf, 1 piece, 3/4 by 6-1/4 by 30-1/2 in., S-2-S. Upper shelf, 1 piece, 3/4 by 4-3/4 by 30-1/2 in., S-2-S. Lower back, 1 piece, 3/8 by 3-1/2 by 30-1/2 in., S-2-S. Upper back, 1 piece, 3/8 by 3 by 30-1/2 in., S-2-S.

In making out this stock bill the pieces have been specified 1/4 in. wider and 1/2 in, longer than the finished piece is to be to allow for squaring up. The thicknesses are specified mill-planed exact so that all that is necessary is to merely plane off the mill-marks from the two broad surfaces.

It is quite possible that one may have a particular space or a particular set of books to place in the shelf. In such a case the length of the horizontals should be lengthened or shortened to meet the particular demands when ordering the lumber.

Begin work by squaring the horizontals to size. They are to be all of the same length. Next shape up the end pieces. The amount of slope for the front edges is indicated on the drawing. After all these pieces have been squared up and the mill-marks removed, the dadoes or grooves and gains may be laid out and cut.

Beginners are prone to underestimate the importance of getting all the mill-marks off before putting on any finish. When boards are planed at the mill the planing is done by means of two or four knives revolving above or below the board--sometimes both above and below at the same time. These knives leave the surfaces filled with little ridges and hollows across the grain. These hollows, though they are hardly visible to the eye on the unfinished surface, show up as ugly streaks upon the surface after it has had a finish of stain and filler applied.

The joints here used are typical and the beginner can readily find how they are to be made from any good book on wood-working.

There are several ways of fastening the parts. They may be fastened by means of round-head blued screws. They may be fastened with carriage screws. The one in the illustration was put together with ordinary wire nails and the heads of these covered with ornamental heads to represent old-fashioned hand-wrought nails.