Chapter 4

Prepare the front posts first and then the rear. The rear posts are to be cut from the single piece of stock specified. By proper planning both pieces may be gotten out without trouble. Lay off and cut the mortises.

Saw the rails to length and lay out and cut the tenons. The back rails are to have mortises in their edges to receive the ends of the slats. Instead of tenoning these slats make mortises large enough to receive the whole end--in other words, house the ends.

Shape the two arms, then glue up the back and then the front of the chair. After the glue has set sufficiently, assemble the remainder of the parts.

Thoroughly scrape and sandpaper the parts and then apply the finish.

For a seat, either a leather cushion may be placed upon slats or the bottom may be upholstered in the usual manner, using webbing on heavy canvas, and then felt or hair with a top of canvas and leather; the whole being firmly fastened with tacks and the leather with ornamental nails.

A HALL BENCH

All the stock for this bench should be of 7/8-in. oak, excepting the slats, which may be of a cheaper wood. The following list of lumber will be required to build it:

4 slats, 7/8 by 4 by 17 in., cheap wood. 2 cleats, 7/8 by 1 by 26 in., cheap wood. 4 end rails, 7/8 by 2 by 16-1/4 in., oak, S-2-S. 2 ends, 7/8 by 16 by 16-1/4 in., oak, S-2-S. 2 sides, 7/8 by 4 by 25 in., oak, S-2-S. 2 pieces, 7/8 by 5-1/2 by 25 in., oak, S-2-S.

Start the work by first cutting the two pieces of 7/8 by 5-1/2 by 25-in. material diagonally 1 in. from each corner, thus making the legs. The edges are planed square and the ends should be rounded a little so that there will be no splinters projecting. The legs are mortised 1 in. deep for the side rails. The tenon ends are cut on the rails, care being taken to get the right angle and a good fit. These can now be fastened together, using hot glue on the entire surface of the joint.

While these are drying the ends can be made as shown in the plan. The 3 by 4-in. holes are cut at equal distances apart. Be sure that each end is perfectly square, then glue and dowel the 2-in. strips at each end. The ends are then glued and nailed to the sides, using finishing nails, which are set and the holes filled with colored putty.

The cleats are now fastened, extra care being taken when fastening them over the joints where the legs receive the side rails, as this will help to strengthen the joints. The slats rest on these cleats and are placed at equal distances apart.

The bench is now finished, but before applying the stain, see that all parts are free from glue and are well sandpapered.

The leather cushion should be the loose kind and of a shade to harmonize with the finish.

A SEWING TABLE

This convenient and useful table will be much appreciated by any woman. It has two drawers for sewing material, and two drop leaves to spread the work upon.

The following list of material will be needed for its construction. The sizes given are exact, so if the stock cannot be bought at a mill ready planed and squared, a slight allowance must be made for this.

4 posts, 1-1/4 by 1-1/4 by 27 in., S-4-S. 9 rails, 7/8 by 2 by 14-1/2 in., S-2-S. 1 top, 7/8 by 18 by 18 in., S-2-S. 2 leaves, 7/8 by 10 by 18 in., S-2-S. 2 drawer fronts, 3/4 by 5 by 13-1/2 in., S-2-S. 4 drawer sides, 3/8 by 5 by 13 in., S-2-S. 2 drawer backs, 3/8 by 4-1/8 by 13 in., S-2-S. 2 drawer bottoms, 3/8 by 12-3/4 by 13 in., S-2-S. 4 drawer slides, 7/8 by 2 by 13 in., S-2-S. 3 panels, 3/8 by 9-3/8 by 14 in., S-2-S. 2 brackets, 7/8 by 3 by 4 in., S-2-S.

Have the surfaces of the legs exactly square with each other. The ends must be square with all surfaces, but need not be planed smooth as neither will be seen in the finished table.

Arrange the rails in position. The two rails in each side and back are placed with the 2-in. surface out, while the three in the front have the 2-in. surface up for the drawers to slide upon. Mark the tenons, 1 in, by 3/8 in., with a knife and gauge lines on each end of the rails for the sides and back. Mark the tenons, 3/4 in. by 7/8 in., as shown in the sketch, on each end of front rails. Cut all the tenons with a backsaw and smooth them with a chisel.

Carefully mark the mortises in the legs, taking measurements for each mortise from the tenon which is to go into it. Fit together all rails and legs without glue to detect any errors.

See that the panels for sides and back are squared up true and the surfaces smooth. Mark the grooves for the panels in the side and back rails and legs. Cut the grooves with a chisel or plow plane to a depth of 1/4 in.

Glue up the joints and clamp the two table sides first. While the glue is setting, square up and smooth the top and two leaves perfectly.

Now glue up the whole table, having set in the front and back rails and panel. The drawer slides, two on each side, should next be put in. A nail through them and into each leg will hold them, as there is only the weight of the drawers resting on them. Fasten the top with screws through the rails from the under side. The leaves are attached with two 2-in. butt hinges which must be set in flush with the under surface to prevent a crack showing between the table top and leaf when the latter is raised. The small bracket hinged to the panel supports the open leaf.

The drawers are now made. Allow the side to lap over the front 1/2 in. as shown in sketch and fasten it with nails. The bottom should be let into the sides and front 1/4 in., but must not be nailed to them, because this would cause the drawer to stick, when the bottom expands.

Metal rings or wooden knobs will do well for the drawer pulls.

Stain to any desired shade and finish with a wax if a dull gloss is wanted, or with one coat of shellac and two coats of varnish for a highly polished surface.

A SIDE CHAIR

A companion piece to the chair with arms and the sideboard is the side chair illustrated herewith. It should be made of the same kind of wood and finished to correspond with the armchair. Order the following stock list:

2 front posts, 1-1/2 by 1-1/2 by 18-1/2 in., S-4-S. 1 piece for back posts, 1-1/2 by 5-1/2 by 38-1/2 in., S-2-S. 4 seat rails, 1 by 2 by 17 in., S-4-S. 4 lower side rails, 5/8 by 1-1/4 by 17 in., S-4-S. 2 lower front and back rails, 5/8 by 2-1/2 by 17 in., S-4-S. 1 back rail, 3/4 by 2-1/4 by 17 in., S-4-S. 1 back rail, 3/4 by 2 by 17 in., S-4-S. 1 slat, 3/8 by 3 by 13-1/2 in., S-4-S. 2 slats, 3/8 by 1-1/2 by 13-1/2 in., S-4-S.

Square up the front posts to length. From the single piece specified cut out the back posts, giving them the amount of slant indicated in the drawing. Set these four posts upright in the positions they are to occupy relative to one another in the finished piece, and mark off, as with penciled circles, the approximate locations of mortises. After this, lay them on the bench side by side, even the lower ends and locate accurately the ends of the mortises. Gauge their sides.

Saw the rails to length and lay out the shoulder lines and the cheeks of the tenons and cut them. Plan to house the ends of the slats in the back rails.

While the drawing shows a chair in which the front and back are of equal width, the amateur may make the back narrower if he so desires. A measurement of a common chair will give the proportions.

Place the front and the back in the clamps and after the glue has had time to harden, assemble the remaining parts. Thoroughly scrape and sandpaper all the parts, carefully removing any surplus glue. Wood finish will not "take hold" where any glue has been allowed to remain.

The seat may be given the same treatment as suggested for the armchair. This should not be done, however, until the finish has been applied.

A simple finish is obtained by the application of a coat of paste filler of a soft brown color, if oak has been used. Apply and clean this off in the manner directed by the manufacturers and after it has had 24 hours in which to harden, sand it lightly with No. 00 paper. Over this apply a thin coat of shellac. Allow this to harden, then sandpaper lightly with fine paper. Upon the shellac apply several coats of some good rubbing wax. Follow the directions that are to be found upon the cans, being careful not to apply too much at a time. If too much wax is applied, it stays in the small pores of the wood and produces an ugly chalk-like appearance.

ANOTHER PIANO BENCH

The piano bench shown is best made of black walnut or oak and should be finished in the natural color for walnut, but stained some rich brown for oak.

The following pieces will be needed:

1 top, 1 by 15-1/2 by 38-1/2 in., S-2-S. 2 legs, 1 by 14-1/2 by 20-1/2 in., S-4-S. 2 rails, 7/8 by 3-3/4 by 36-1/2 in., S-2-S. 1 stretcher, 3/4 by 4-1/4 by 37 in., S-2-S.

The keys can be secured from the waste that will be cut off from the other parts.

Square up the top in the usual manner to the size indicated in the working drawing. In a similar manner square up the stretcher to width and length.

There will be no need to square the ends of the rails as they are to be cut off on a slant. Square up the sides or edges and then lay off and cut the slanting ends, smoothing them with the plane. Lay off and work the shape on their under edges.

The ends are best laid off by means of a template or pattern for which a piece of rather heavy paper will do. Lay off the main dimensions on a center line. Sketch in the curve of the edge after the slant has been laid out. Lay out the form at the bottom, then fold the paper along the center line and trace the other half. With this pattern lay off the outline upon the wood. For convenience in laying out the grooves for the rails and the mortise for the tenon on the stretcher, it is well to work a face edge upon each leg and allow this to remain until these joints have been made and the parts fitted. The shape at the bottom of the leg is merely suggestive and may be modified as desired.

Lay out and work the tenons on the stretcher. Then lay out and work the grooves upon the rails. Each side of each rail is grooved 1/8 in, to allow the leg to be recessed. This is done to give the bench the bracing that is needed to make it stand firmly. Work the grooves in the legs and the mortises for the rails.

It should be noted that the mortise for the key in the stretcher must be laid out before the shoulders and cheeks of the tenon on which the mortise is made are cut off. Otherwise there would be no place to put the gauge in marking the sides of the mortise for the key.

Thoroughly scrape all the parts and then assemble them. No glue is needed. The rails are held in place by dowel pins, the heads of which are allowed to project slightly and rounded so as to give an ornamental effect. The top is attached by means of small angle irons or by means of blocks and screws fastened to the corners made by top and rails.

ANOTHER SCREEN

The screen shown in the accompanying illustration is made of burlap and plain-sawed oak. The stock list follows:

2 posts, 1-1/2 by 1-1/2 by 40 in., S-4-S. 2 base pieces, 3 by 3 by 12-1/2 in., S-4-S. 2 horizontals, 3/4 by 4-1/4 by 38 in., S-2-S. 1 horizontal, 3/4 by 1-1/2 by 38 in., S-2-S. 1 vertical, 3/4 by 1-3/4 by 20 in., S-2-S. 4 braces, 1-1/8 by 4-1/4 by 6-1/2 in., S-2-S.

The two base pieces may be shaped first. The drawing shows the form and the dimensions. Make use of a face edge in laying out the mortises in the base pieces for the uprights, before these face edges are removed to make the slanting sides.

Work the verticals to length, laying out and cutting the tenons at the bottoms, and shaping the tops as shown.

Lay out and shape the three horizontals as shown, working the tenons upon the ends of each and the mortises in the lower two for the tenons of the middle vertical.

For the braces, secure a face edge on each piece and square one end of each to that. Lay off the curve free-hand upon one block and cut it out. Use this block as a pattern or template to lay off the others.

Thoroughly scrape and sandpaper all the parts, then assemble them, using clamps and good hot glue. Take care to see that there is no warp in the frame as it lies in the clamps. After the glue on the frame has hardened, remove the clamps and attach the base blocks and the braces. The braces are secured by means of round-head screws.

Remove the surplus glue and then apply a finish as desired.

For the paneling, frames will be needed about which to fasten the burlap. These may be made of 1/2-in, soft wood and the following pieces will be necessary:

2 pieces, 1/2 by 2 by 36 in., S-2-S. 2 pieces, 1/2 by 2 by 8 in., S-2-S. 4 pieces, 1/2 by 2 by 18 in., S-2-S. 4 pieces, 1/2 by 2 by 19 in., S-2-S.

Make these frames enough smaller than the openings they are to occupy to allow for burlap and tacks. These frames are held in place by putting fixed nails in the top of each frame before the burlap is attached. Holes are bored in the rails to correspond to them. The lower edges of the frames are held in place by nails inserted up through the rails upon which the frames rest.

A FOLDING CARD TABLE

The accompanying sketch shows the details of a card table that can be folded up and carried about or stored away when not in use. We would advise making two tables at the same time, as the material for both can be purchased nearly as cheaply as for one. The material necessary for making one table is given in the following list:

1 piece, 7/8 by 1-3/16 by 27-1/2 in., basswood or poplar. 2 pieces, 7/8 by 1-3/16 by 29-1/4 in., basswood or poplar. 4 legs, 1 in. square, 24-3/4 in. long; oak. 4 pieces, 1 in. square, 5 in. long; oak. 4 side pieces, 3/8 by 1-3/8 by 29-5/8 in.; oak. 4 pieces, 27-1/2 in. long, single groove electric wire moulding with batten. 1 piece cardboard, 1/8 in. thick, 29-1/4 in. square. 4 pieces brass rod, 3-16 in. diameter, 15 in. long. 30 small copper washers, 3/8 or 7/16 in. outside diameter and drilled 3/16 in. 4 brass corners, 1-3/8 in, deep. 2-1/2 doz. No. 5 oval head brass screws, 3/4 in. long. 4 No. 2, 7/8-in. rubber screw tips. 1 piece felt, 1 yd. square. 1 sheet wadding, 1 yd. square (if pad is wanted under felt). 1 pt. wood stain. 3 doz. No. 14 wire beads, 2 in. long. Some 2-oz., 4-oz., and 6-oz. flat-head tacks.

Begin by squaring up the four legs making them all 24-3/4 in. long and 1 in. square. Also square up the crosspieces marked B in the detail drawing. These should be 5 in. long and should have 1/4-in. holes about 1 in. deep drilled in both ends of each for the 1/4-in. oak swivel pins. Measure back 1-1/2 in. from one end of each and bore a 9/16-in. hole, 7/8 in. deep as shown. Now cut a tenon on one end of each leg, 3/4 in. long, that will fit tightly in this 9/16-in. hole. Round the corners of the piece B at the top as shown at C. Fasten the two pieces together with glue and brads, being careful to get them square with each other. After the glue is set bore a 3/16-in. hole in the center of the leg, 7 in. from the edge of the crosspiece, for the brace rod. Bevel the corners as shown. Sandpaper them smooth, then stain and polish.

Lay the two pieces marked D and E in the sketch on a level surface with the 7/8-in. edge up, place the cardboard on top and tack it fast to the pieces, using 6-oz. tacks. Place the center piece in and tack it fast also. Fasten the ends to the other pieces with brads. The four pieces of electric wire moulding should each measure exactly 27-1/2 in. long, or the same length as the center piece. Fit a piece of wood about 4 in. long in the groove at each end of the moulding, plane down and fasten with brads. Next take the thin batten or covering strip that comes with the moulding and bore a 1/2-in. hole in the center, 6 in, from one end, and a 1/4-in. hole, 8-3/16 in. from the other end. With a gouge cut a slot 1/4 in. wide from one hole to the other in the center as shown in the section A-A. Sandpaper this slot smooth and then fasten the batten to the moulding with small brads driven in about 2 in. apart. At a point 3/4 in. from each end and in the center drill 1/4-in. holes through the moulding at the small ends of the slots. These are for the ends of the brace rods to spring into, to lock the legs when they are open. Tack the two pieces of moulding marked F and J on the remaining edges of the cardboard with the slots facing in and the large holes of the slots at opposite sides, then place the other two pieces (G and H) 5 in. inside of these, or just the length of the cross ends of the legs, with the slots facing the first two placed (F and J) and tack fast with 4-oz. tacks. Use brads at the ends and be careful that they do not enter the 1/4-in. holes. This part of the table can now be stained or painted the same as the legs. The 3/8-in. side pieces can also be stained at this time.

The ends of the brass rods can be bent in a vise. One end should be 1 in. long and should be square with the stock. Measure 11-1/4 in. center to center and bend in opposite direction, leaving this end at a slight angle out from square. Just at this bend raise a burr with a sharp chisel to keep the washer on. Now place five of the copper washers on the 1-in. end and batter the end of the rod so they will not slip off. They should be loose so that they will roll and slip on the brace. Slip a washer on the other end and put the end of the rod through the 3/16-in. hole in the leg from the short end side, place another washer on the rod, saw off and rivet down the end.

To put the legs in the table, slip the end of one of the braces and the washers in the large hole in the slot, shove it up until the 1/4-in. hole in the crosspiece and the one in the moulding meet, then drive an oak dowel or rod into each end. This is the hinge or pivot that the legs swing on. When the leg is extended the end of the brace rod should spring into the 1/4-in. hole in the moulding and lock the leg in place. Rubber tips should be put on the bottom ends of the legs. Two wooden buttons should be made and fastened to the cardboard as shown at K for locking the legs when they are closed.

The felt can now be put on the top of the table. Stretch it tightly and then tack the edges securely to the sides of the table. Now fasten on the 3/8-in. side pieces and the brass corners with the small brass screws as shown on the drawing, and the table is complete.

MAGAZINE STAND

If you do not possess the necessary tools for getting out the material used in this piece of furniture, it can be purchased from a mill already planed, sanded and cut to lengths given in the list. Any kind of wood can be used, but quarter-sawed red oak with a mission stain and waxed, gives the best appearance. The following pieces will be needed:

2 shelves, 3/8 by 8 by 15 in., S-2-S. 1 shelf, 3/8 by 10 by 15 in., S-2-S. 1 shelf, 3/8 by 12 by 15 in., S-2-S. 8 slats, 3/8 by 1-1/8 by 38 in., S-4-S. 2 slats, 1/4 by 1-1/8 by 38 in., S-4-S. 4 doz. 1 in. No. 9 round-head screws.

Take the four shelves and line them up with their backs and ends even and clamp them together firmly. Mark the places for the slats across the edges of the shelves, making the first line 1/2 in. from their ends. Use a square to get the lines at right angles to the surface. Another line is drawn 1-1/8 in. from the first, or the width of the slat. The ends of the shelves are marked in the same manner, beginning from the back edges and making the first line 1/2 in. from them, and then another line 1-1/8 in. from the first, or the width of the slat. Make a line across the ends, 1/2 in. from the front edge of the 8-in, shelves, and another line 1-1/8 in. back from the first one. This will leave 2-1/2 in. and 4-1/2 in. of space respectively from the front edges of the 10-in. and 12-in. shelves. Shift the shelves so they will be even on the front edges and mark them the same as the back. Make a 1/4-in. depth mark on all edges between the lines and cut this material out. This can be done while the shelves are clamped together.

Place the shelves on end in their order and start by screwing on the back slats on both ends first, then screw on the two front slats. Turn the stand down and put on the two back slats. Attach the two front slats on the top shelf first. Then bore the places for the remaining holes and turn in the screws. This will bend the slats into place. The two remaining slats are screwed on the ends of the shelves without letting them in, making the spaces equal. Mark each slat 1/2 in. below the bottom shelf and saw them off. The stand can be taken apart, sandpapered and stained.

A TABOURET

The stock necessary to make a tabouret of craftsman design as shown in the accompanying illustration can be purchased from the mill ready cut to length, squared and sanded. Quarter-sawed oak is the best wood to use and it is also the easiest to secure. Order the following pieces:

4 legs, 1-1/2 in. square by 22 in. long. 1 top, 3/4 in. thick by 14 in. square. 4 top rails, 3/4 by 4 by 12 in. 4 lower rails, 3/4 by 3 by 12 in.

First square up the four legs. Bevel the tops at an angle of 30 deg. and hollow out the lower part of the legs as shown in the detail sketch. Clamp them together with the ends square and lay out the mortises all at once. Cut the tenons on the rails to fit these mortises. Lay them out in the same manner as the posts so as to get them all the same distance between shoulders. The upper rails should be cut out underneath as shown.

The rails and posts can now be glued together. Be careful to get them joined perfectly square. When they are dry cut and fit the top as shown. This is fastened to the top rails by means of screws from the inside. Remove all surplus glue from about the joints, as the finish will not take where there is any glue. Go over the whole with fine sandpaper and remove all rough spots, then apply the finish you like best.

A PORCH SWING

The porch swing shown in the illustration can be made of southern pine at a very moderate cost. It should be suspended by rustless black chains and eyebolts passing through the lower rails. If cushions are desired they can be made up quite cheaply of elastic felt covered with denim cloth.

These pieces, dressed and sanded, may be bought at the mill:

2 rails, 1-3/4 by 3 by 71 in., S-4-S. 1 rail, 1-3/4 by 3 by 65 in., S-4-S. 2 posts, 1-3/4 by 3 by 25 in., S-4-S. 2 posts, 1-3/4 by 3 by 17 in., S-4-S. 2 rails, 1-3/4 by 3 by 22-1/2 in., S-2-S. 2 arm rests, 7/8 by 4 by 28 in., S-2-S. 5 slats, 3/8 by 5 by 16 in., S-2-S. 8 ft. flooring for bottom. 2 cleats, 7/8 by 1-1/2 by 57 in., S-4-S.