A BOY’S WORKSHOP
WITH PLANS AND DESIGNS FOR IN-DOOR AND OUT-DOOR WORK

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A BOY’S WORKSHOP

WITH PLANS AND DESIGNS

FOR IN-DOOR AND OUT-DOOR WORK

BY
A BOY AND HIS FRIENDS

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
HENRY RANDALL WAITE

BOSTON
D. LOTHROP AND COMPANY
FRANKLIN AND HAWLEY STREETS

Copyright by
D. Lothrop and Company
1884

Press of Berwick & Smith, Boston.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.

The typical American boy, at some period in his life, has a taste for the mechanic arts. Before he is out of pinafores, he surreptitiously lays hold of edged tools, and with unlimited self-confidence tries to make something. If his success lies chiefly in the direction of making pieces of furniture and bric-à-brac, and the covering of his juvenile apron with gore, followed by a tableau in which a shrieking youngster, an angry sire, and a sympathetic mother are about equally prominent, the effect is merely to determine the amount of the boy’s grit, and to prepare the way, in the battles of the future, for the survival of the fittest. While a certain number of the pinafored experimenters, pensively regarding healed gashes and flattened thumbs, will ever after sedulously avoid contact with chisels and hammers, the plucky boys, who form the majority, will hardly wait for the shedding of belladonna plasters, and the bleaching of gory aprons, before seizing upon the instruments of their discomfiture, with a firm determination (founded on the boyish belief in the intelligence and moral responsibility of inanimate objects) to let those tools know that they know how to handle them without getting hurt. After various efforts for the mastery, the implacable foes of the unskilful juvenile, such as the hatchet, the saw and the hammer, will shake their sides in malignant laughter over the final discomfiture of a second installment of the rising generation, and will own themselves partially subject to the ten and twelve-year-old veterans who have come triumphantly through the struggle, and can use such tools as happen to fall into their hands with a more or less murderous degree of execution. To this large class of boys, intrepid, ambitious, industrious, and full of manly instincts, America looks for its inventors, its engineers, architects, designers, skilled artisans, and most successful business men in every walk in life. They constitute, in fact, what may be termed the “Honorable Guild of Amateur Artisans,” and it is for the benefit of the members of this juvenile guild that “A Boy’s Workshop” is sent forth, with the best wishes of its editors and publishers.

It will bring to thousands of lads just such information in regard to the first steps in the mechanic arts as they most need, and will enable them, with little other direction, if wisely encouraged by their elders, to so develop whatever mechanical ingenuity they may possess, as to make it easy to determine whether they shall ultimately join the ranks of those wholly devoted to the useful arts, or continue to be amateurs, using to good advantage whatever skill they have acquired in connection with other occupations.

But the parents and instructors of boys have no less reason than the boys themselves for awarding to this book a cordial welcome. In neither home nor school is adequate attention now given to the training of the hands to skill in the use of any of the tools employed in the industrial arts. It need hardly be stated that every boy should have at least a little training in this direction, while to thousands, such training is an essential part of their equipment as bread-winners and as useful citizens. “A Boy’s Workshop” is calculated to meet a need in this important respect, and on this account alone, is worthy of a place in the library of every home and school.

The desire to turn the energies of hands and brain upon constructive work, is worthy and honorable. Let it have proper encouragement. We have too little of the industry which follows habits well formed, and too little of the thrift which follows skill. Society, the State, and the nation have need of the boy who has a workshop. May every boy who wants one, have one, and God bless him!

HENRY RANDALL WAITE.

[A BOY’S WORKSHOP.]

I.—THE SHOP ITSELF.

IF there is anything a boy really likes to have, it is a workshop of his own.

But then it must be really his own; a place where he can pound and hammer, saw and whittle, and make all the litter and noise he wants to, without having to clear up things.

A boy likes a place where he can leave a thing half finished and be sure of finding it again. He wants a key to the door, so that he can lock up his treasures and know he shall find them safe the next spare hour he gets to work at some pet notion.

Housemaids, and sometimes even mothers, don’t see the difference between unfinished work and rubbish, and off into the kindlings goes something that has cost a boy a lot of thought and work. No wonder a fellow who isn’t a saint, but only a human boy, gets out of patience and wishes emphatically, that “folks would just let his things alone!”

So I say, let every boy have his own workshop and a key to it.

Where shall the workshop be?

I don’t think it makes much difference. There must be plenty of light, of course, and the room must not be damp. My first workshop was in the attic, with a skylight. I liked it first-rate; but it was a bother to bring the lumber up-stairs, and then, too, the shavings and chips had to be carried down. I got along with it capitally though for three years; but I like my down-stairs shop better. The noise of pounding and sawing never disturbs any one either, if it is below. One end of the woodshed can be partitioned off for a shop if there is no room in the house.

Now you’ve got your workshop, the next thing is, “what shall go into it?”

There are two ways to fit up a workshop. The easiest and the quickest is also the most expensive: i. e. get your father to tell the carpenter to fit it up, and then buy a tool chest. The objections are: the expense and the doubtful quality of the tools in a ready-filled tool chest; then, to my thinking, you lose a lot of fun yourself. It is a good lesson in carpentry to make your own work bench and tool chest, and the money you save that way can go into better tools.

Every boy ought to remember this, a cheap tool is probably a dear tool. The very best is really the cheapest in the end, and you can’t do good work with poor tools.

Of course the boys I am talking to are not in the infant class. A boy who has never fooled round with tools, who has never cared enough about carpentry to try his hand at tinkering up broken chairs and boxes, the boy who hasn’t got past mashing his fingers when he drives a nail, and doesn’t know the difference between cutting with a saw and whittling with a knife, isn’t the boy to care whether he has a workshop or not.

But I should like to help the boys who have had “toy tool chests,” and have used them enough to find out “they are no good,” and are really ambitious to do neat, serviceable work, and to know enough about the right use of good tools to be ready and able to do the hundred little odd jobs that come up in a house and can often be as well done by a boy carpenter as by a regular workman. I know one boy who in one year, doing odd jobs himself, saved the full cost of his outfit.

When I began I couldn’t find anybody to tell me the things I wanted to know. I had to find them out for myself, and that is just what I am going to try and tell you. So we start with this understanding. You are in earnest; you wish to do good, substantial work; you haven’t a great deal of money to spend, and you are willing to let patience and labor make up for the lack of money, knowing, too, that the lessons you will get making your work bench and tool chest will be worth considerable.

If your mother can spare you an old bureau, or an old-fashioned washstand with a lid and a cupboard, it will be handy in one corner of the workshop, not only to hold your tools till the chest is made, but to keep all sorts of odds and ends in by and by.

You ought to have a stout pair of overalls, or a workman’s apron made of ticking, with a good pocket. I have both, and find them handy. If it’s a little job, I slip on the apron; if a long one it pays to get into the overalls. Your clothes keep clean, and there’s nothing to do when the dinner bell rings but to slip off the working uniform and wash your hands. Carpentry is cleaner work than printing. I know, for I have tried both.

Now for the list of essential tools. If it sounds large and expensive, you must remember that once bought they will last for years, and are your capital, your stock in trade. From time to time you will add to them. If you live in Boston or the vicinity, I should advise you to go to Goodnow and Wightman’s, 176, or to Wilkinson’s, 184 Washington street, or some other first-rate establishment, and get what you want. On an order like this there would be quite a discount.

The prices vary from time to time, so those in the list are given simply that you may have a general idea of the cost.

I will say here that it will pay you to have two or three practical lessons in the use of a saw, a plane, and a chisel, from a carpenter. If you are in the city, there are regular classes where you can get such instructions. It will save patience and tools.

Nails and screws of various sizes can be got at any hardware store. If you send an order through the village store, be sure to send to first-class establishments, and procure the following makes:

Planes, Bailey’s or Stanley’s, iron and wood; chisels and gouges, Buck or Moulson; braces, Barber; saws, Henry Diston; rules and squares, Stanley; files, Stubs, Greaves and Sons.

II.—MY SAWHORSE AND WORKBENCH.

NOW that you have a fair assortment of tools to work with, the next thing is to have a work-bench; for even an accomplished carpenter can’t do much without a good, strong, firm bench. And of course you must have a sawhorse before you can have a bench; but a sawhorse is a simple affair to make, and I will tell you how to set about it right away, for you ought not to buy anything that with a little trouble you can make. Besides it will be good, plain practise with try-square, saw and plane.

Fig. 1

The sawhorse for the average boy ought to stand about twenty or twenty-two inches high, so that you can kneel with one knee on it easily.

You must get two pine boards:

A, 6 feet long, 6 inches wide, 1½ inches thick.
B, 12 feet long, 6 inches wide, 1 inch thick.

Take A, cut off two and one half feet: if not already planed, plane nicely on all sides. (Unplaned boards are cheaper than planed boards.)

Take this two and one half foot board and measure four inches from the end. Lay on try-square and draw a line across the board at dotted line. (See right end of [fig. 1].)

Then measure five and one half inches more from this line: with try-square extend second line across the board. Measure one inch on all these lines from the outer edge of board, and connect by lines b b and c c. With cross-cut saw cut carefully through the one inch from a to b; then with chisel cut out on line b b. Don’t cut quite as deep on the lower edge, for these openings are for the legs, and should slope out a trifle, that the legs may be farther apart on the floor than at the top when nailed on—one eighth of an inch will make difference enough for a good slant. All four leg sockets must be done alike, else your horse will be bow-legged and unsteady.

Now plane the twelve-foot board B (unless it is already planed). Square one end nicely; measure off twenty-two inches. Lay try-square and draw a line across the board. Take the cross-cut saw and saw neatly on the line. Smooth the end with a block-plane, bevelling it slightly, so it will fit firmly on the floor. This is for one leg. Do three more legs in the same way, always trimming the ends with block-plane, to make them stand upon the floor true and even.

Fig 2

One thing, boys, you must remember: In planing across the grain never plane to the end at first, for you will chip the corners and spoil the end. Keep reversing the block; i. e. first plane from A to B, then from B towards A. (See [fig. 2].)

Before fitting the legs into their sockets, plane the legs to fit the five and one half inch spaces made in the first board. The inner upper edge of the legs must come exactly level with the top line of the board. The outer edge will of course be higher on account of the slope of the slot, and must be planed smooth with block-plane after the legs have been firmly nailed into place with three or four eight-penny nails.

To keep the legs from spreading apart at the ends, you must make a sort of brace.

Fig 3

Take a piece of the board left after cutting off the legs, and fit it across the legs under the top board in this way: Hold it close to the board and against the legs, then draw a pencil line, following the outside slant of the legs. (See [fig. 3].) Now with cross-cut saw cut across on this line; trim with block-plane before nailing; put one piece on each end, nailing through to the legs.

One thing more and then your horse is done; ready to stand if not to go.

Find the middle of one end of top board, draw a line three inches long down the board, with try-square. Then on the end measure one inch each side of this centre line. (See [fig. 4].) Draw line from a to b, and cut on lines with splitting-saw; this will leave a triangular space which you will find very useful by and by in cutting small pieces of wood.

From board A there ought to be left a piece about three and one half feet long, and from board B a piece about two feet long. These you will put aside for further use.

Now for the Bench (with a capital B, because it is the principal partner in the firm of Carpenter and Co.).

Buy three good two-inch pine planks. Say two planks ten feet long, one foot wide, and one eight feet long, six inches wide. Ready planed, at the sawmills around here, these cost about eight cents a foot; a little less unplaned. Besides these, you want one ten-foot inch board, one foot wide; this should cost about four cents a foot. Before you really start on your Bench, look around your workshop and decide where you will have it stand. There must be a space ten feet long against the wall, with plenty of light. A window at the left is the best.

One thing you must have which I didn’t reckon with the tools; but it is easy to prepare. I mean a chalk line. There are fancy ones, but the sort I’m going to describe does just as well.

Fig 4

Get a piece of curtain-cord twelve or fifteen feet long, and make a loop on one end; then provide yourself with a good piece of common chalk; when you want to use it, chalk the line well by passing the line over the chalk as you would wax thread; to use it put the loop over a nail at one end of the line you wish to chalk, hold the other taut, and snap the line smartly in the middle; it will leave a straight chalk line for a guide in cutting.

Now take the shorter of the two-inch planks, the one eight feet long, make a mark in the middle of each end, drive a small nail in the left-hand end exactly in the middle; having chalked your line well, slip the loop over the nail, draw the line taut down the middle of the board to the other or right-hand end, holding the line close to the board; pluck the string sharply in the middle and you will find an even chalk line the whole length of the board.

Put one end of the board over sawhorse, take the splitting-saw and cut carefully down the line, holding the saw a little more vertical than you would a cross-cut saw.

Having divided your board thus, lengthwise, you will have two strips eight feet long, three inches wide, two inches thick.

With large plane smooth the rough sides of these strips as well as you can, resting the boards on the sawhorse. One end of each strip must be good and square: if not so already, take small block-plane and square it as best you can.

From the squared end measure thirty inches; draw a line across the board. Then by aid of try-square make another line one eighth inch beyond. This makes it easy to saw straight across the wood with a cross-cut saw. Take block-plane and square the end nicely.

Fig 5

You have now prepared one leg of your bench Cut another thirty-inch length in the same way from the piece left. Repeat this with the other strip. You now have four legs for your bench just alike with nicely squared ends.

For cross-pieces cut from the pieces that remain two lengths of nineteen inches each; cut and trim as before.

Take one pair of legs (i. e. two of the thirty-inch strips), lay them on the floor on the two-inch side, just nineteen inches apart. At one end, between the legs, lay one of the nineteen-inch pieces also on the two-inch side, so it will be flush with the squared ends of the legs; hammer the legs on to the ends of the cross pieces with two or three twenty-penny nails. This job ought to be done very neatly and accurately, so that the shape will be exactly like [fig. 5]. If you are careless and let the legs spread while nailing, your Bench will be hopelessly rickety.

III.—MY SAWHORSE AND WORKBENCH. (Continued.)

TO give greater firmness to the bench there must be some brace made this way: Take the ten-foot inch board; square one end; measure twenty-three inches with try-square; cut off nicely with cross-cut saw. Now you have a board twenty-three inches long and twelve inches wide. Divide in middle at each end; connect the points with chalk line, then cut down this line with splitting saw.

You will have two pieces twenty-three inches long and six inches wide; these are the two end braces. Lay one of these pieces across the legs you have just joined, at the closed end. All the edges must be flush; if not, plane them and make them true. You will see that if you have measured and cut carefully they will come right, for the legs are each two inches thick, making four inches, and the cross-piece is nineteen inches, making twenty-three in all; just the length of your brace. Nail the brace firmly into both legs and cross-piece with six-penny nails. Do the same with the other set of legs.

Now in the space you have chosen for your bench, stand up both pairs of legs endwise to the wall, and six feet apart, leaving full two feet clear beyond, as your bench will be ten feet long when done.

Take the two big planks (the ten foot ones, two inches thick), measure two feet from each end of each plank: draw a line in direction a a. (See [fig. 6].) Then parallel to a a, draw another, b b, one inch farther toward the middle of the board; then another, c c, an inch beyond that, always measuring away from the ends. On these lines a a and b b mark the places for your screws in alternate spaces, thus—

Remember always that screws or nails put in diagonally like that hold more firmly than the same number in a straight line.

Before putting in the screws, see that the legs stand parallel and close to the wall; put the first board on the legs so that the back edge of board is even with the back edge of the legs. Screw firmly into place, taking care to have the outer edge of the legs directly under the first or dotted line; this brings the screws evenly along the cross-piece.

Lay the second board close to the first, securing in same way; the front edge of this second board ought to project one inch beyond the legs. The heads of the screws on the top of the bench must be sunk. You have left a board eight feet long, one foot wide, and one inch thick.

This board is to be put on in front directly under the top board and against the legs. It should come flush at the right end only, leaving space of two feet at the left. Nail this board on to the legs with six-penny nails. You have now a capital bench, which only needs a vise to complete it.

Cut from the board B (left from sawhorse) a length of eighteen inches. Square both ends nicely; lay this against the left hand front leg, flush with the outer edge and coming close under the front board, and nail firmly on to leg.

For seventy-five cents at a hardware store, you can buy a wooden screw about two feet long for vise, with shank one and three fourths inches diameter.

Fig 7

On the front board, ten inches from top of bench, and about five inches from left edge, draw a circle one and three fourths inches in diameter; this circle when cut out should come as close to the leg as possible without cutting it.

To cut this hole take a five eighths bit and bore a series of holes round the inside of the one and three fourths inch circle. (See [fig. 7].)

The piece in the middle will fall out and leave a rather rough hole; but the edges can easily be trimmed.

Then take the board A (the three and one half foot piece), cut it thirty-one inches long. Square one end and then round it as at D. (See [fig. 8].) On the back side draw a pencil line through the middle; place the board against the left leg, with the sharp edge flush with top of bench, so that the pencil line will bisect the circular hole. Draw a similar circle on the board, and cut out as before.

Fig 6

Be careful in the doing of this, as the two holes must be exactly opposite for the screw to pass through. You ought to have two bits of wood left after cutting the legs and cross-pieces. Take one of these bits and put behind the front board on its two inch side and about three inches to the right of the left leg and parallel with the leg. It should just clear the hole. Fasten securely, so that it will cross the joint A. It will serve as a brace, and also give a level bearing for the wooden nut which comes with the screw and is wound on the end of screw after it passes through the two holes.

Your vise as it is will work all right for small pieces, but if you have a large article to hold, the loose board b will not keep its parallel position, for the thickness of the object you have in above will throw out the top end, and the lower end will of course swing in. To remedy this and make your vise adjustable to work of any size, you must do one more thing:

A little to the right of leg, and one inch from the lower edge of the fixed upright, cut a slot two inches high and one inch wide; make a corresponding hole in the loose upright.

Fig 8

Take a strip of board two feet long, two inches wide, and one inch thick. On a line drawn lengthwise through the middle measure one inch from end and mark; then two inches from that point on same line make a second mark; at both those points bore holes with half-inch bit and fit in a peg at each hole. The pegs will be one and one half inches apart.

Then at intervals of one inch bore two alternate rows of holes with half-inch bit, as far as the length of the strip allows. Run this strip through the slot in loose board as in [fig 8], and through the corresponding slot in upright put a peg in a in front of loose board and a peg in b behind loose board; these pegs will hold the strip firm in the slot in the loose board.

According to the size of the object to be held in use, draw the loose board toward you and put third peg into hole at proper distance to keep the loose board parallel with the fixed upright.

You see by having holes enough in the strip you can adjust the vise to any size. Of course you understand that this is not needed in small work.

If you look closely at [fig 6] you will find that there is still one thing unexplained: the rows of holes in the front board.

When you have some long piece of work in your vise you will find it troublesome to keep it level; if you have a number of holes bored in the front of bench, with a good peg to fit, by changing the peg according to the height desired, you can raise the right end of your piece of work to the right level.

A plain hook is a desirable addition to the work-bench: its use is to hold a board when you wish to plane the surface. It is adjustable according to the thickness of the board, and should be set in and screwed on to the bench at point Y. It will cost at hardware store about seventy-five cents.

Note.—In [fig. 1] (the sawhorse) one leg is drawn in dotted lines to show the way the leg is fitted into the hole, and the right slant. In [fig. 6] the broken space in front board is to show the position of brace on right leg.

IV.—USE OF TOOLS.

WE begin with the saws, of which you have two: cross-cut saw, and splitting saw.

The use of a cross-cut saw, as the name implies, is to cut across the grain or fibre of the wood: it is one of the most indispensable tools we have. The teeth are finer and closer together than those of the splitting saw, which, as the name describes, is intended to cut with the grain, usually lengthwise, of a piece of wood. Never try to substitute one for the other, for you would injure your tools. When you want to use a cross-cut saw, the saw should be held at an angle of about forty-five degrees, and must also be held steadily without swerving to the right or left; otherwise the teeth of the saw will stick, and you cannot make a clean cut.

You will observe in looking at a saw that the teeth are set, as it is called; every other point turning a little away to the right or left of a straight line; the reason of this is, to make the cut wider than the saw blade; otherwise after cutting in a little way the friction would make the blade bind. Saws are, or should be, in proper condition to use when they are bought; if not, or if by any accident the teeth should get bent, you must have the saw set without meddling with it yourself.

A splitting saw is used differently from a cross-cut saw; it should be held more nearly upright; the cutting is always done on the down stroke. Never press the saw against the wood; the teeth will catch, and the saw bend, and the wood won’t be cut if you add any weight to that of the saw itself.

There is a certain amount of knack required in order to saw well, but practise will improve even the most awkward workman. Always saw slowly and easily, in a sort of regular time. Be sure the wood is held firmly and doesn’t hop.

USE OF PLANES.

We have jack-planes, smoothing-planes, and block-planes. When you want to make aboard thinner, or smoother, it has got to be planed; also the sides and edges of a board are sometimes rough, or you wish to bevel them.

If the grain of the wood is perfect, there is no trouble about planing in either direction, but generally the grain runs in a slight slant or angle to the surface of the board instead of parallel to it. If, then, you start your plane and plane “against the grain” of the board, the edge of the plane will catch in ends of the grain lines, and the surface will be chipped instead of smoothed. If, however, you start it and plane “with the grain,” the ends of the grain lines are smoothed down, like the feathers on a bird’s wing when you stroke it down instead of up. So it is well to be sure about the grain before you begin to plane. Sometimes the grain is twisted and runs one way in one part of the board and another way in another part in a wavy line. Then you must vary the planing according to the surface. You would soon learn these simple things perhaps, but to know them at the outset will save you some vexation.

The smoothing-plane is much shorter than the jack-plane, and is used for smoothing smaller pieces which would be lost under the jack-plane, and also for smoothing inequalities left by the jack-plane. I have put no smoothing-plane on your list, as for ordinary work the block-plane can be used as a smoothing-plane. Thus: Turn the small thumb-screw at the front of the block-plane and press it forward; this opens the mouth of the plane so that the plane can be set more and cut a larger shaving.

Now for the proper use of the block-plane, remembering to restore it to its original set if you have been using it as a smoothing-plane. To smooth the ends of boards you need a small plane which can be set very fine; i. e., with the blade projecting very little from the face of the plane, and with the mouth so closed that the blade will not chip in cutting.

One important principle must be practically learned before you can do good work: Everything in carpentry from beginning to end must be done on the square. In planing, above all things, the square must begin every bit of work, and end it, and be used to test it, all the way along; it is just what the name implies, a try square; so perhaps the next thing explained had better be some of the uses of the square.

To give all the uses of this apparently simple tool would be to give you a thorough knowledge of geometry, and fill a volume. I will, however, give some of the more common uses:

1. In sawing across a board, if you wish to have the cut true and even, you must use the square. One edge is, of course, already planed, and from this all your lines are drawn. You wish, we will suppose, to saw three inches from the end of your board; lay the thick or handle part of the square close against the even edge of the board, three inches from the end; you will find that the blade lies flat across, the board at a right angle with the edge, and a pencil line drawn close to the blade will be a guide for cutting.

2. To test the evenness of the end of a board which you have been trimming with a block-plane: Apply the square to the side and edge of the board; if the work is true, the blade will be level with the end of the board; if uneven, the defect is quickly seen.

3. It is well to test your square itself; thus: Lay your square snug against a straight edge with the handle to the left; draw a line where the edge of the blade comes: then reverse the square, having the handle to the right; draw a similar line: if the square is true the lines will coincide; if they diverge ever so little the square is imperfect, and you should buy another.

4. In planing the edge of a board, put the handle of the square against the face of the board; the blade will then go across the edge, and you can soon see if it is even; i. e., at right angles with the face of the board.

Hammering a nail seems a very simple thing, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to do that, as you’ll find for yourself after you’ve split two or three bits of work; but you might as well learn the right way at first.

If you look at a nail of any size, from a brad to a twenty-penny spike, you will find that the sides are parallel and straight, and two are wedge-shape or sloping; also one of the straight sides is finished smooth, the other is rough. A nail is virtually a wedge. Now the principle of the wedge is to split things when the wedge goes with the grain, as when you split a board with an axe or hatchet; for an axe is a wedge, as you will see if you think about it.

If, then, your nail is put in wedge-fashion with the grain, ten to one the second good tap with your hammer splits the board; if, however, you turn the nail the other way, so the wedge side is across the grain, and the straight side with the grain, the nail is held firm by the grain pressing against the wedge, and the board doesn’t split. This is the reason that fine work is done with brads better than with tacks, for tacks are wedge-shaped on all sides, and in driving them if the wood is thin it is very apt to split.

Always start a nail in the direction you mean to have it go, and don’t depend on straightening it afterwards. If, however, it gets a wrong slant, don’t bend it back with your fingers, nor hit it a knock sideway with your hammer which will likely enough break the nail short off; but with every regular stroke of your hammer give an inclination in the right way, and it will get there.

Don’t hold on to the nail too long; in soft wood the second hammer tap ought to find the nail firm enough to stay. Don’t make the first or the second hammer stroke a long hard one; if you do, likely as not you’ll mash your fingers. The first tap should be light and short; get the swing gradually, a few inches first, adding a few inches more with each stroke; by the time you want full force to drive the nail home, you’ll find you can’t hit anywhere but on the head of the nail. This is something that practise alone can make you perfect in. If you watch a good building-carpenter, it seems as if he threw the nail into place with one hand and hit it on the way.

Don’t think you must look at each nail in order to place it right. Your eyes must be in your finger tips; the smooth side goes with the grain.

Always keep the different sizes of nails separate; then you won’t be bothered by finding the wrong nail in your fingers when you are in the midst of a job.

In using chisels and gouges never strike with a hammer, but always with a wooden mallet; the hammer splits the handles.

In most chisel work it is better to put the bevel edge to the line you wish to cut until you have cut out most of the wood, then finish with the other edge and the pressure of your hand instead of the mallet.

It will be easier to explain the use of the other tools as we come to them in construction.

V.—HOW TO MAKE A TOOL CABINET.

NOW that you’ve got some very good tools, it is time you knew how to take care of them as well as to use them.

The best tools will grow rusty and dull, and shabby, also, even if they don’t hide away out of sight just when you most want to use them, unless you have a proper place to put them and always remember to put them in that place when you have done using them.

I suppose you think you must have a tool chest for this; now a tool chest is a very good thing if you want to carry your tools on a journey, i. e. if you are a city boy and want to take your kit up into the country and have the tools safe from jarring under the hands of the baggage-smashers; but I’ve found that a tool chest isn’t as handy to have in the work shop as a tool cabinet; so I’m going to tell you how to make a good tool cabinet with less expense of money, material and labor than a tool chest would require.

But you must be more exact and careful in measuring and cutting than you had to be in making the sawhorse and bench. In getting your materials, try to have the boards fully one foot wide and three fourths of an inch thick. It is easier to make estimates on these dimensions, and foot boards are usually the easier to obtain; so all the measures for the cabinet are made with reference to these dimensions. If you happen to have boards that are wider or narrower, you must do a little figuring on your own account and make the proper allowance.

For a tool cabinet three feet three inches long and two feet wide, which will hold all the tools on the list given in the first paper and leave room for several more that you will be likely to own by and by, you must have one six-foot board fully twelve inches wide and three fourths of an inch thick; one seven-foot board, twelve inches wide, one half inch thick; one nine-foot board, twelve inches wide, one half inch thick; also a number of three fourths inch screws which you are supposed to have in stock; one pair brass (or iron) hinges for three fourths inch board, and a hook for fastening, unless you prefer a lock.

Take three fourths inch board (the one six feet long), plane both edges; then by aid of chalk line and splitting-saw, cut off a strip two and one half inches wide, running the whole length of the board.[A]

The board that remains should be nine and one half inches wide. Smooth the edge with plane enough to remove the roughness left by the saw; then cut off another strip two and one half inches wide like the first. Smooth the edge of the remaining seven-inch board; then divide this seven-inch board into two even strips which will be six feet long and about three and one half inches wide, perhaps a trifle less, from the loss in planing.

All these strips will have one edge that has been planed and one left rough by the saw. If you lay them together you will find that you have two pairs of strips; one pair two and one half inches wide, and one pair three and one half inches wide. Each pair must be alike in width, otherwise the cabinet will be uneven and lobsided; so before going any farther lay the strips together and plane down any inequalities.

Now take one of the three and one half inch strips with try square and block plane. Square one end; measure three feet three inches from squared end and allow one eighth inch for waste in cutting.[B] Cut off square with cross-cut saw. Square end of piece cut and also of piece remaining. Measure twenty-two and one fourth inches and cut and plane as before. Do the same with the other three and one half inch strip. You have now two sides and top and bottom of main part of cabinet, and some small bits left for which we shall find a use, i. e. you have two pieces three feet three inches long and three and one half inches wide, for sides, and two pieces twenty-two and one fourth inches long and three and one half inches wide for top and bottom.

Now take the two and one half inch strips; cut three feet three inches off each, also twenty-two and one fourth inches as with the others. Each set of pieces must be alike in length and width; you have two pieces three feet three inches long and two and one half inches wide, and two pieces twenty-two and one fourth inches long, two and one half inches wide; these are for sides, and top and bottom of door of cabinet. Lay these four pieces aside while we get ready for the back of the cabinet and front part of door.

From the seven-foot board (after planing and squaring one end) cut off three feet three inches; plane square the ends and cut off another piece three feet three inches.[C]

From the nine-foot board in the same way cut two similar pieces three feet three inches; smooth edges, planing off as little as possible.

THE TOOL CABINET OPEN.

The piece remaining will measure about two and one half feet in length; from this cut off a piece twenty-two and one fourth inches long. Saw strip three and one half inches wide, which to save confusion we will mark A; plane edges, cut off another strip two and one half inches wide; mark this B. Next a strip three and one half inches wide; mark this C. Cut C so as to measure seventeen and one half inches in length.

The cabinet is now mostly cut out; the next step is to put it together.

Take pieces for sides and top and bottom of cabinet. Lay two sides parallel at a distance of twenty-two and one fourth inches apart; put top and bottom in so they will be flush with end of sides. Nail the sides on to ends with six or eight-penny nails. Take care to keep the corners square, as they will be if the edges are even and kept flush.

Before nailing on the back test the squareness of the frame in this way (unless your eye is very accurate; even then it is a good thing to get in the habit of measuring exactly): measure the diagonals from the opposite corner. If the measures are alike, all right; if, however, one diagonal be longer than the other, make it right with gentle, steady pressure on each corner with both hands. When the diagonals are exactly alike the corners will also be right angles. Now lay on two of the two and one half inch pieces (those three feet three inches long and one foot wide); be sure and keep all the edges flush and nail firmly.

Do the same with pieces prepared for doors, and you will find you have two shallow boxes three feet three inches long and two feet wide (outside measure); one will be three and one half inches deep, the other two and one half inches deep.

Now take piece marked A, which is for a shelf in the cabinet; measure and mark six and one half inches from right hand end (this is the length for the small plane); then measure and mark another one half inch beyond this point; from this last point measure length of your oilstone, which is probably six or eight inches. The space remaining will make a sort of box, or tray, for rule, chalk line and reel, pencils, etc., when you have made some use of the bits of wood you had left after cutting the shelves.

In the one half inch space between place for plane and oilstone put a little block one half inch wide and one inch long. At the end of space for oilstone nail a strip an inch wide across the shelf, and a similar strip in front. This makes one side and front of tray; the other side and back will be formed by the cabinet itself.

VI.—HOW TO MAKE A TOOL CABINET. (Continued.)

AFTER shelf A is fitted in this way, you will nail it into its place in cabinet so that the top of shelf is just seven inches above top of lower shelf, or bottom of cabinet which serves for a shelf.

After the shelf is fitted into its place in the cabinet, you will find that at one end you have a convenient little tray to hold such things as chalk-line, rule, pencils, and other small things that are always getting out of sight when you most need them. The plan for A is just six inches above lower shelf (or bottom of cabinet).

N. B. All measurements now are inside measurements.

B is twenty-two and one fourth inches long and two and one half inches wide. Draw a line down the middle of this strip (i. e., one and one fourth inches from each side). Measure one inch from left-hand end and mark. Then from this point on pencil line measure one and one half inches and mark again. Repeat this until you have six points marked on the pencil line, with one and one half inch spaces between. From the last point measure one inch, and mark. Repeat at intervals of one inch until you have thirteen with inch spaces. This should leave about three fourths of an inch on right end.

TOOL-DOORS.

On the first six marks (those one and one half inches apart) bore five eighths inch auger holes. These are for tool sockets. First two for the chisels you have already; next three for the chisels or gouges you may have; the last for the screwdriver.

There must be doors for the tools to enter by; so you must cut openings one half inch wide from the front of shelf to each hole. This is easily done with your cross-cut saw, leaving spaces as in drawing.

You have still thirteen marks with inch spaces. Bore nine holes a trifle larger than the shanks of the bits you are to place therein; three of these bits you already have; the other six spaces are for the bits you are likely to purchase by and by.

The four remaining marks are for holes graduated in size, thus: First, one with three eighths inch bit (one of those belonging to smaller set); second, with one fourth inch; third and fourth, with the next smaller sizes; each bit going into a hole a size larger than itself. These smaller bits go in point down. It will be a great convenience to mark the numbers of the bits on the shelf against their sockets.

Shelf B is to be nailed twenty and one fourth inches above shelf A.

Now for shelf C. Ten inches from left-hand end, put small one half inch block for same purpose as similar block on shelf A; i. e., to keep plane from sliding. Nail shelf C three inches above shelf A in left-hand side of cabinet. This little shelf of course does not reach across the cabinet like the others.

Six and one fourth inches above shelf C, and four inches from left-hand side of cabinet, bore hole with one half inch bit, which shall have a slant downward. Parallel to this, and eight inches to the right, make another hole just like it. Insert in these holes wooden pegs two inches long. Be sure they fit firmly with back of cabinet. These pegs are for the draw-shave to hang upon, as seen in diagram.

Ten and three fourth inches above shelf A, and three inches from right-hand side, make one half inch hole slanting down; one and one half inches beyond make another; insert pegs three inches long. These are for the mallet.

The body of the cabinet is now fitted, and we will go to work on the cover.

Take two blocks one inch square and one and one half inches long; draw a line lengthwise exactly in the centre of each; cut down the line one half inch deep the length of block. Put one of these blocks slit uppermost on bottom shelf of door four inches from left-hand corner. Five and one half inches to the right, put the other; fasten into place with screws.

Twenty-one inches above first block, four and one half inches from side of door, put block one inch square, one and one half inches long. This goes on horizontally, parallel with lower block. In centre of this make small hole, say one fourth inch deep, with smallest bit.

Make a second block just like it, and place five and one half inches to the right of the first one.

Then from one half inch wood, cut two little strips two inches long, one half inch wide, for buttons. In the middle bore hole large enough for screw to turn freely; attach to middle of upper blocks with screws. The tips of the saw-blades go into the slits in the lower blocks. The openings in the handles slip over the wooden buttons which you have just made, and which are horizontal when the saws are put on, and are then turned like the button on a barn door to hold the saws firmly in place.

Now we must provide for the hatchet, so it will not get harm nor do harm.

Take block of one inch wood, five inches long, three inches wide; plane one half of one face in a slant from the middle, so one edge will be three fourths thick, leaving one half the block one inch thick, as at first. Bore two holes in the half that is still square, big enough for two screws to go through and fasten on to lower shelf or bottom of door. This block in its place is one inch wide at the bottom, and three fourths inches at top, leaving a kind of bevel five inches long for hatchet-blade, between block and back of door. Put hatchet in; hold it upright and mark where handle needs support to keep it horizontal; probably about nine inches from blade; with screws fasten on two small brackets, or else put in slanting pegs, if you do not care about the looks outside.

Four inches from top, and five and one half inches from left-hand side, put similar bracket or peg; three and one half inches further, on the same line, put another; these will serve to support the bit brace, and I have left enough room for the keyhole-saw, which you can see in the diagram, and which some time you will like to own.

Now cut a piece of wood three inches long, two inches wide, and three fourths inches thick; draw line across one end and down the edge two inches long.

Cut this line out as you did for the slits for the saws, and then (slit up of course) with two screws put through the lower part, fasten block at point ten inches from right-hand side, just far enough above the saws to clear them. This is for the try square, the slit being for the blade.

Fifteen inches from left-hand side, and four inches from top, put a bracket; on the same line, one and one half inches farther from the left side, put another; these are for the hammer.

You now have all your tools in place. You will in all probability have had some tools in the house before we began, such as pincers, gimlets, perhaps a saw; but of course I have not a list of those things.

So I have simply given you a good deal of room to put them in, and by this time you ought to know how to secure them in their places.

VII.—HINGES AND LOCK.

TO make the tool cabinet complete there must be hinges and a lock. These you can get at a hardware store. Ask for hinges for three quarters inch wood, and about three inches long; you will need three hinges, and the screws to fit the holes. Brass hinges are best, and look neater and more tasteful than iron, though iron will do. If the screws don’t come with the hinges, then look out some that will fit, from your stock on hand.

The first thing for you to settle is which way you wish the cabinet to open; i. e. to the right as in the diagram, or to the left as might be if the only place for your cabinet happened to be a corner which would not admit of opening to the right. Suppose the door is to open to the right. Find the middle of the front edge of the right hand side of cabinet. Mark across the edge, then measure one and one half inches each way from that line and mark. This is the place for the middle hinge. Five inches from the lower corner on the same side, and five inches from the upper corner measure and mark; then measure three inches further from these last lines and mark; these are for upper and lower hinges. In these three spaces, so marked, cut out rectangles as deep as the thickness of one wing of the hinge.

Repeat these measurements, markings and cuttings on the left hand side of cover or door. Be careful in measuring so that the two halves of the cabinet will come together and exactly match.

Now to put on the hinges: Take one hinge, shut it together tight, so as to be sure you are folding it the right way; then open till the wings are at right angles. Lay left wing into space cut for it in right side of cabinet. Take care to have the wing fit neatly, letting the round edge of hinge project. Screw firmly into place. Put all the hinges in place on the cabinet before beginning on the cover.

Now lay the cabinet down flat on your workbench, or on the floor. Put the cover down beside it, with a bit of board or blocks underneath thick enough to bring the hinge places of the door on a level with those of the cabinet. Then fasten the right hand wings of hinges into the places prepared on the left side of door. Be careful, as before, to have the round part of hinge project so that it will work freely and have the wings flush with inside of cabinet and door.

When open, there will be a narrow space between the door and cabinet, but when closed they will fit tight.

Now for a fastening: If you simply wish to keep the cabinet closed when not in use, you can put a hook on the door, the eye on the cabinet. If however you wish to lock up your tools for safe keeping, you must invest in a good lock and key. The best sort for your purpose is what is called a chest-lock. ([Fig. 1.]) They come in various sizes, so I can’t give exact measurements. It must of course go in the middle of the side opposite the hinges.

FIG. 1.

As you look at the lock you will see that one face is smooth, and the other side, where you find the keyhole, is irregular. This irregular part is the one that sets into the wood. From the inside of cabinet (opposite the middle hinge) cut a place to correspond in size with the lock so that it will fit neatly. The opening for the key must of course be cut through on to the outside of cabinet. Be careful to do this neatly and cut out no more than is needful for the key to pass in freely.

By and by, on a bit of nicer work, I will tell you how to put on a scutcheon to guard the keyhole, but it isn’t necessary for this. The other part of the lock which has the tongue, or tongues, is fitted into the door of the cabinet in the same way; the tongues of course projecting from the edge of the side. Be careful to have them come exactly opposite the openings for them in the cabinet side. You cannot be too exact in carpentry. The next thing is to fasten the cabinet securely against the wall. Of course you can stand it on the end of your bench, but it is better on the wall.

You will need four strips of brass four inches long, one inch wide, and about one eighth thick, with four holes for screws bored in each piece. Two of these go on the top corners, and two on the lower corners of cabinet. Put them on so that the screws will go through into the inch-thick side of cabinet, not merely into the thinner back. Half the length of the brass piece with two holes must project above on the upper corners, and below on lower corners. ([Fig. 2.])

FIG. 2.

You will want some one to hold the cabinet steady for you while you secure it with long heavy screws, two at each corner. Of course your tools are not in the cabinet while you are at work upon it.

One word of caution: If the cabinet is to go in a corner, leave a few inches (i. e. the thickness of the door) measured outside between the wall and hinges, or you’ll find you can’t open the door.

If you have carefully followed all the directions, you have now a good, plain, serviceable tool cabinet.

If you would like to stain it, which would improve the looks, I will try to tell you how. You must not get discouraged if the first attempt doesn’t turn out very well, for one must practise even to stain well; but the cabinet is a good thing to start with. Of course the staining is easier done before the cabinet is hung; but a neat workman can do it on the wall.

First determine the color you wish your stain to be. I should say black walnut, as it is the easiest to put on, and you will not be likely to tire of it. The quantities I give will do more than the cabinet; but if stoppered tight will keep for future use, and for very small quantities you have to pay exorbitant prices.

I haven’t much faith in home-made stains; they cost about as much, and are not very satisfactory. At any oil or paint shop, get a quart of stain, which will cost forty or fifty cents; one fourth pound clear glue for sizing—this ought not to be more than eight or nine cents; one quart nice varnish (what is called inside coach varnish is the best), this will cost about seventy-five cents; at same time get a small piece of putty, same color as the stain; the man at the paint shop where you get your stain, will color the putty for you. With this colored putty fill up all holes made by nail heads or screws.

If you are on good terms with a painter, he will likely enough lend you a couple of brushes. If you have to buy them, get one large and one small, costing from fifty to seventy-five cents.

See that the surface of the cabinet is free from dust; to make sure, wipe inside and out with soft cloth. Stir the stain up thoroughly from the bottom of the can with a small stick; repeat this frequently, otherwise your stain will not be even colored.

With the large brush put on one coat of stain, remembering always to draw the brush in one direction and with the grain of the wood.

Put on as evenly as possible; always pat and press the brush on the side of the can so it will not drip, otherwise your stain will be streaky. Let this dry thoroughly for half a day where no dust is flying. Prepare the size by melting glue in warm water, add boiling water till thin and smooth, then add a spoonful of lime water.

Clean the stain brush in warm water and use it for the size; one coat put on evenly so as to cover every part stained; clean your brush again in warm water. Next day put on the varnish; this requires especial care. It must be a thin, even coat if you wish to have a creditable job. It is worth taking pains. It ought to have a day or two to dry in a place where no dust is flying.

If you are in a hurry, you can use shellac, which dries almost instantly; but for this very reason, is much harder to put on well. I always prefer the coach varnish.

The small brush is handy for the shelves and corners.

Make a neat job, and don’t let the size or the varnish get into lumps in the corners.

VIII.—CURTAIN POLES.

PERHAPS this paper will sound more like upholstery than carpentry, but there is carpentry in it, and of the sort too that boy-carpenters can do just as well as men-carpenters, and make changes in accordance to the requirement of the windows for which they are planning, the material at hand and their own taste. Always remember that mere rules for such work are not enough, and that you must keep on hand a good supply of common sense.

If you should look in the yellow-covered Farmer’s Almanac, hanging by a loop in the chimney corner, you’d see, “About this time look out for clearing weather;” that means clearing out and cleaning up and setting the house in order inside, as well as old Mother Earth outside: what our mothers call “spring cleaning.” Curtains come down to be washed and put up again, and it’s a good time, too, to put up curtains where there never have been any, for nothing makes a room look more homelike and inviting than drapery of some sort or other, no matter how simple.

It used to be the fashion to tack curtains across the top of a window-frame with a strip of stamped brass-work called a cornice, or a bit of bright chintz, or turkey red, or something like a ruffle, to cover the edges; but curtain poles, or rods and rings, are the fashion now. They are prettier than the other things, and have one advantage beside: the curtains can be pushed quite to one side when one wants more air or light, and can be drawn close together again when more perfect shade is needed.

Suppose you want to fix up your own room to look pretty and not cost very much. I found it good fun to make something useful out of something other people had discarded as useless. I’ll tell you how I made my room look cosey, and what I did it with. It had just one window, a half-dormer as they call it, and looked to the west, out over the hills; but the sun shone in very bright and hot in the afternoon, and I had to have a dark shade which I fitted myself from one that had belonged to a larger window. It kept the sun out, but it was not pretty, and I was determined to have some draperies. Of course I could not make curtains, for a boy is more handy with a hammer than a needle; but when mother found what I was up to, she said she’d give me the curtains if I could do all the rest. They were very simple, just cream-colored Nottingham lace, and cost $1.00. They might have been made of unbleached strainer cloth at six cents a yard, with a ruffle, if this had been for your mother or sister who didn’t mind sewing; but it is the pole I mean to tell you about.

I’m sure to look at it you would never guess what that pole was, or where I got it.

Up in the attic, in one corner, I found an old United States map, so old, so out of date that as a map it had been useless for years and years, for it was printed when the State of Ohio was “way out West.” The map used to hang in grandfather’s library half a century ago. It had black rollers with acorn knobs on the ends. I thought right away that the smooth slender pole would be just the thing for a curtain pole if I could get the map off without splitting the roller which was of soft pine stained black. A sharp knife and a little care did it. One of the knobs was easily loosened. Then I measured carefully over my window and cut the pole the right length and fitted the knobs smoothly into place. A little sandpaper and a coat of varnish made my stained pine roller look like ebony. But what was I to do for curtain rings! The pole was too slender for the heavy wooden rings sold by the dozen at the upholsterer’s; besides I did not want to spend any money. Back to the attic I went and rummaged in what we call the “trumpery box,” full of the odds and ends that accumulate in an old house. Among a lot of brass knobs and hooks and hinges, I came across a lot of dingy metal rings tied together with a bit of stout string. The rings were about an inch and a half across; I could not tell what the rings were made of, they were so black, but I thought a good washing would bring out the complexion, so I put the rings into a bath of ammonia and soda, which soon showed that under the black coating was something very much like brass. A stiff brush and a little fine pummice gave me a dozen glittering rings, six for each curtain. I divided the curtains evenly; with strong thread fastened the rings in place on the upper edge of each curtain and slipped them on to the pole. Two inches from the ends of the pole I screwed the little rings through which the cord had passed when the map was hung. A little hook at each end of the upper window frame served to hang my pole, which of course was very light, but heavy enough for muslin or lace. In the same “trumpery box” I found two brass knobs (door knobs, I guess they were). I screwed one of these each side of the window and looped back my curtains. There was my window, as new-fashioned or as old-fashioned as you choose to call it, but very pretty and inexpensive.

There are few old houses in the country that would not give at least as much to work with as I had. The old rollers on old-fashioned paper shades, such as you will find in lots of up-country attics, would make just as good poles stained and varnished. Even the acorn caps are not essential, for many of the most fashionable portieres and curtain poles, nowadays, especially those of bamboo, have no caps at all on the ends: only then you put a screw in at right angles, to keep the end ring from coming off.

That was the first curtain pole that I put up. The next room I tried my hand on had a bay with three windows, and was harder to manage, but it did not cost very much after all. I saw an advertisement of an odd lot of curtain poles with rings and brackets complete for seventy-five cents apiece. Since then I have seen them advertised for sixty cents, which is cheaper than you can get the wood and turn them for yourself.

I found that two poles would do for the three windows, for the side windows were narrow, and half a pole was enough for each. I only wanted two ends instead of the four that belonged with the poles, so a trifle was allowed, enough to give me some extra rings and two extra brackets.

The first thing to do was to get the angle of the bay: this I did with some mathematical instruments, but you might not have those handy, and this way will give it near enough. Take a good-sized piece of stiff paper (stout wrapping paper will do), lay a straight edge on the floor against the mop-board of the middle window, and fold the end of the paper to exactly fit the side mop-board, something like this. Then fold the straight edges together and you will have the angle shown in the dotted line.

Measure length of middle and side windows and cut the poles at the angle shown by the folded paper: a few brads will secure the slanting ends when they are neatly put together.

The brackets that come with these cheap poles are iron spikes bent up at one end. Two are used for each pole; they are driven into the wall about four or five inches from the ends of the poles, and the poles rest on the brackets; of course the joined corners count as ends, and are supported in the same way. Some prefer to put ring-headed screws into the poles and slip the rings over the ends of the spikes; and more expensive poles have brass “cup brackets” which of course are ornamental, but also expensive.

The wooden rings have ring screws on which to fasten the curtains. The number used is a matter of taste and depends upon the stuff the curtains are made of, the size of the folds you want, and the number of rings you have. Five or six do very well for a yard-wide curtain. Be sure and divide evenly; put one ring at each upper corner and the rest as they come; a few stitches with coarse thread will secure them, or better still, an inch of tape slipped through the ring and fastened by the doubled ends on to the edge of the cloth. You can buy curtain hooks if you like, and have them sewed on. These are something like big dress hooks: the advantage is, that when you want to take curtains down you just unhook them from the rings without taking the poles down at all.

I know a boy who made a pretty pair of curtain-poles out of two straight, slender beech saplings; he twisted rings out of stout wire and wound them with crossway strips of dark cloth. For muslin curtains, loops of bright ribbons instead of rings would be prettier still on such rustic poles.

Would you like to know what curtains went on to my sixty-cent poles? They are very “æsthetic” in color, but are just soft Canton flannel at a shilling a yard. The centre of olive, the sides dark crimson with bands between of darker olive. These are looped away on either side with bands made of the flannel and underneath are full curtains of six-cent scrim, (unbleached).

But curtain-making belongs to the girls, so having told you how to make the poles and put them up, I will leave the rest to them.

IX.—BOOK-REST.

PERHAPS you would like now to make something useful and pretty for your father or your big brother, so I will try to tell you how to make a book-rest like one I made myself for Christmas. It has no fancy carving about it, but is made (as you can see by the illustration) of straight pieces.

The directions for finding the angles might be given mathematically, so that you could get them for yourself with a little figuring, but it will be easier practically to find the angles in the way I describe, and they will be accurate enough for this piece of work.

For the book-rest you must buy some planed whitewood which is preferable to any other on account of staining. A piece eighteen inches long, twelve inches wide and one half inch thick, will be enough; it will cost about ten cents.

Lengthwise with chalk-line mark off eleven strips five eighths inch wide; cut them with splitting-saw and plane, the sides cut with fore-plane, making each strip JUST one half inch in breadth as well as thickness.

We will begin with the uprights for the front.

Take one of these strips, square one end: then measure a little over one half inch down the stick, and with try-square make a continuous line around the stick.

Find the centre of the end just squared by drawing diagonals, and then either with block-plane or knife, point the stick by putting the edge of knife on the continuous line on one of the faces of the square, and directing the blade toward the centre of end; a steady, firm pressure will give a good bevel. Finish the other three sides in the same way, and you will have a pyramid with square base for one end of your stick: cut the stick off square thirteen inches from the point. Finish two more sticks in the same way, and you will have your three front uprights.