5. Details for Making Articles

A.   MOVABLE FURNITURE

SCONCE

Wood: Pine.

Material Requirements:

Procedure:

This is a simple fret saw (or jig saw) job, and in shaping the wood only the dimensions of the back are of vital importance. Lay out the shape on a piece of wood by using ½or 1". squares as shown. The sweep of the shoulders will determine whether the sconce is handsome or not. The shapes of the sides or wings are not critical as long as they have a flowing sweep to them.

Cut out roughly all four pieces, and check by holding together in position.  This will also give you an idea of how much to cut away from the back outside edges of the wings to enable them to fit flush to the back at the proper angle. Assemble the base to the back first, with glue and brads, then add the wings. Note that the wings do not have to be exactly in line with the edges of the base. Sand off all arrises.

This is an old-time piece and a few small irregu­larities will add to the antique air, especially if it is given the antique pine finish described elsewhere.

Ordinarily made to hold long-stemmed "church-warden" clay pipes, this box hangs,in many a hall to hold a clothes brush, with car keys in the drawer. This modern application governs the dimensions to some extent, but the proportion should be adhered to. The back is cut out first, and the shape of the neck and handle can be outlined on squared paper which is then pasted to the wood. Note the should­ers are recessed to take the sides which are glued and nailed on. The two sides are cut out while clamped or bradded together so that the curves are alike. The exact shape of the upper part is not critical but should not be awkward, so follow the drawing as closely as possible.

After assembling the sides to the back, insert the partition, which should fit snugly on all three sides and be set in ⅛across the front. Its bottom sur­face must be a hair's breadth above the lower lip of the box front, and it must be set in absolutely square or the drawer will bind. For this reason it is best to locate it by marking the inner faces of the sides with a line square to the front edges, before installing them. Four brads should be sufficient for each side, and two ½brads through the back, near the sides, and one brad through each side near the front edge, should hold the partition firmly in place.

The front is next fitted.   This is ⅜" material, but the two vertical edges are rabbeted the thickness of the box sides (⅜") to a depth of ⅛". Edges, ¼" thick, therefore show at the sides of the box. The upper edges of the front where they fit against the sides pieces are later sanded off to minimize the break between the two lines.

The base is attached last, flush at the back, but projecting ¼" at front and sides. These edges are sanded round. Finally the drawer is made and fitted. The drawer front is rabbeted to take the sides, that are glued and nailed to it, and also to extend over the sides of the box. The sides are made the full depth of the drawer front, but the front itself is rabbeted at the lower edge to accommodate the drawer bottom. The back of the drawer also is made the full depth of the front and rabbeted to receive the bottom. The front and back rabbets being ⅜" deep and the bottom ¼" thick, the bottom is set in ⅛". It is fastened in place with a couple of brads driven through it into the front and back rabbets, after gluing, and one through each side into the bottom. This unorthodox method copies an original old-timer (except for the glue). The modern way would be to cut grooves in front and sides for the bottom to slide in, and finish the back above the bottom. However, this decreases the inside depth of he drawer considerably, an important mat­ter in such a shallow drawer as this.

HANGING BOOKSHELF

Wood: Pine.

Material Requirements:

Procedure:

Cut three shelves, and match exactly for length and squareness. Cut two side pieces to length and width. Mark out and cut right-hand side to shape. Lay this on left side and mark around as guide in cutting ends to same shape. On inside of left-hand piece, mark off positions of dadoes according to squared diagram. Use this diagram as a guide in marking out curves between dadoes. Next use left-hand piece as guide in locating dadoes on right-hand side piece.  Cut dadoes in both pieces, and fitshelf ends to them. Use narrow shelves top and bot­tom, all three being flush with the front edges of sides. Behind top and bottom shelves, mark cut-out for the braces. Then cut braces to fit snugly. After assembling dry for fit, glue shelf ends to one side, and hold with two screws each, counterbored, and later plugged. Attach other side similarly, checking finally for squareness. Then insert braces, glue and screw to ends and also to backs of upper and lower shelves.   Finish with thorough sanding.

STANDING BOOKSHELF

Wood: Pine, oak or maple.

Procedure:

Mark out and make the ends first, squaring the shelf positions from the back edges (the front edge tapers). Note that there is a shallow dado to re­ceive each shelf in addition to the mortises. This need not be more than ⅛" deep. Cut mortises after dadoing, but do not make dovetail pins till dovetails are cut in top and bottom board ends. Note the inside shelves are set in ½" from the back to allow for the backboard. Cut tenons on shelf end about V narrower than mortises to allow for later insertion of wedges. Next cut dovetails on top and bottom pieces, and from them cut the pins. Cut the back to fit, and absolutely square, then as­semble the shelves to the ends with glue; assemble top and bottom boards, also glued, and insert the backboard to square up the whole structure, check­ing with a steel square. Thin, glued wedges are now driven into the mortise joints, and the top and bottom boards are clamped 24 hours till the glue sets.

Meanwhile make the base, which is simply mitered and held with a glued feather at each corner. This is attached to the bottom of the shelf assembly by screws driven down through the bottom board into the base members. If other than plywood is used for the back, or if there is any danger of shrinkage, it would be best to rabbet the top and bottom boards and the two ends to receive the back board. The back would then need to be ¾" wider and higher to fit a ⅜rabbet.

CUTLERY TRAY

Procedure:

The principal difficulties with this piece lie in securing the correct angles between the joints, but much of this is a matter of trial and adjustment. The sides slope outward and must be trimmed to sit flat on the base. The ends likewise lean out­ward and the shoulders must be flat on the sides to give a close joint. All of this calls for careful trimming and fitting. The rest is a matter of lay­out and cutting to shape. Usually it is best to make the handle unit first, paying attention to the angle of the ends which will determine the slope of the end pieces. The ends are made next, allowing ⅛" on the depth for trimming flat after gluing and bradding to the handle, but no attaching should be done till all parts are ready for assembly.

The angle of the handle ends will serve as a guide for laying out the end angles of the side pieces.

These pieces also should have an extra V' for trimming after assembly; only the center (handle) piece does not, because it sits squarely, at right angles, on the base. The five upper pieces are carefully put together, glued, and bradded before that unit is attached to the base. All trim­ming of the bottom edges is therefore done at the same time.

SPICE BOX LAMP BASE

Wood: Pine.

Material Requirements:

Procedure:

Sides, back, and spacers are first assembled with glue and brads, and the top, first shaped and drilled through, is glued, and nailed on. This top piece is let into the sides and back which are rabbeted to half their thickness. At the front this cap finishes flush with the side members. Note that the three central spacers are ⅛" short. This is to give a clearance of ⅛" between the back of the spacer and the back of the box for the electric cord.

Otherwise the spacers can be notched for the same purpose, but the slots simplify the elec­trical work. All this material is heavy to give the base solidity. Observe that there are only three usable   drawers.    Those   on   the   back   are   all dummies to match the front ones in appearance. The top front one likewise is a dummy, the top spacer being drilled and counterbored to support the brass lamp stem which is held by a nut. Under­side of this spacer also is slotted to take the lamp cord and keep it from interfering with the opera­tion of that drawer. The cord then passes down behind the other spacers and emerges at the back through the lower chamfer of the bottom dummy drawer-front.

This base will look well with a shade 14" square and 11¼" high on a standard projecting 8½" above the top cap. The mouldings used on the piece are not critical; anything heavy enough and not too ornate will do.

Wood: Pine throughout. Material Requirements:

SAWBUCK COFFEE TABLE

Procedure:

Cut each piece to shape and dimensions shown. The finished top, made first, will form a guide for other dimensions.

To make top of single board, saw square, plane face smooth, round corners slightly by sanding; sand off all edges, and smooth them.

To make top from two boards, form straight edge on each board with jointer or longest plane available. Glue and clamp these edges together in line. After 24 hours remove clamps, scrape off surplus glue, and plane top surface (face) smooth and level. Form corners, remove edges, and sand smooth as before.

For the gallery, plane three pieces smooth and of equal thickness.  Cut dovetail pins at both ends of long piece. Put end pieces in vise and mark off shape of pins on square end of each. Also mark off thickness of back strip (⅜") to indicate depth of socket. Cut sockets by sawing sides and cutting out with chisel. Work inside socket lines to get tight fit. Round off other ends of sides as shown, by sawing off corner and sanding to a nice curve. There are several ways in which the legs can be marked off to the proper dimensions and angles, but probably the simplest is to assemble each pair inside a rectangular frame. This frame is made by nailing strips of wood to a flat surface such as a floor or bench or an old batten door. In this case you need four pieces nailed down so as to from a rectangle measuring  18" high and  16½" wide. The corners must be exact right angles (90 degrees). The legs are cut from 3" wide pieces, 1¼" thick and 22" long.

First lay one of these leg pieces cornerwise across the rectangle, with the right-hand corner of the top and the left-hand corner of the bottom in line with the corner of the frame as shown. Holding the leg piece firmly in position, set your bevel protractor blade in line with the frame, top and bottom, and mark off each in turn. You can now continue the pencil mark around the top and bottom, and saw exactly along the lines. This will enable the leg to be slipped snugly into the frame; it should fit into both corners exactly.

Using the first leg as a pattern, mark off the second leg, top and bottom, and cut to shape. Put the first leg back in the frame and lay the second one in position across it so that they form an X into all four corners. With the upper piece held firmly, mark its position across the lower one. This will give you the angle at which to cut in fitting them together. Next, turn the legs over and mark the second one from the first. With your marking gauge, set off the depth of the cut (half the thickness of the wood) along the two sides of each piece. The cut is made by sawing inside the face lines of each leg and removing the waste with a chisel.   Making several parallel saw cuts to the exact depth facili­tates this final operation.

When all four legs are made, and each pair fits together tightly, make sure both sets of legs are of the same height and stand perfectly straight. Then mark each pair so that the proper ones go together again. Now you are ready to cut the mortises for the stretcher, but do not do this until the stretcher tenons are finished. This operation is described later.

For the stretcher, plane material smooth to fin­ished dimensions, and mark off tenon on each end (shoulder is 4⅜" from end and tenon 1¼" wide, 1½" high). Vertically through each tenon cut slot ½" wide, 1¼" long, with drill and chisel. This should extend from 1¼" from tenon shoulder to 1⅞" from the end.

To fit stretcher slots, make two tapered pegs, 3" high, ½" thick, 1½" wide at top (grain running vertically), and taper the front edge to H" at bot­tom. Sand smooth to shape as shown after making guide saw cut under head.

Now assemble each pair of legs and mark them for tenon slots by drawing straight lines, one verti­cal, one horizontal, between the opposite angles, as shown. This gives a pair of center lines as guides for laying out the mortise.  On these mark the hole outline, 1" wide, 1½" high, and check this against the end of the tenon. Cut the mortise with the legs clamped together in position, first by drilling with a ⅞" bit, then finishing the squared sides with a chisel. Try the tenons for fit. Note that these holes must be exactly perpendicular to the face of the leg and vertical, otherwise the two pairs of legs will not be parallel with one another or to the floor.

Cut cleats to length; cut off lower corners at each end; chamfer lower and end edges on the outer side only; sand the end grain smooth and remove all sharp edges (arrises). About three inches from each end drill a ⅛" hole through the side and counter­sink. About 2½"from each end counterbore to a depth of 1", then drill through a hole (⅛" diameter) vertically, for attachment of table top.

Glue the leg half-lap joints, assemble, and clamp clear of holes (stretcher mortises).   Insert tenons of stretcher in holes, then tap in pegs, lightly but firmly. Next fasten cleats to tops of legs with a No. 9 x 2" screw through each hole, after gluing faces. Now attach the whole leg assembly to the top. Do not glue cleats to top—the wide board must be allowed to expand and contract slightly, otherwise it will split. Use 1½" No. 9 screws for this. Check com­pleted table on flat surface, and trim legs even, if necessary, by sanding bottoms. Finally, attach gal­lery by drilling three holes for the back and two for each side near their ends. These holes go through the table top and are countersunk on the underside. Glue gallery dovetails and assemble; glue bottom edges and clamp in position on the table top.

Turn table over and insert screws. Give whole table a final smooth sanding with .004 garnet paper. For finishes see Chapter VI.

Wood: Pine throughout. Material Requirements:

LAMP TABLE

Procedure:

Make top by cutting single piece to size, or jointing two pieces with glued butt joint, clamped. Tweny-four hours later trim to size, plane smooth on face, sand, taking off all top edge arrises (not the lower ones).

Mark off legs, leaving top 5" parallel sided 1½”square. Taper legs on two adjacent sides only, from the 5" line to bottom, making foot 1" square. With hand tools each leg will need to be tapered by rough sawing and planing to lines. With a bench saw you can make a guide strip as described in Chapter XI, tacking it to each leg in turn. In all cases see that the tapered sides are inside—i.e., that they do not form the outside corners of the table apron. Note that the tapered sides are the ones to be mortised for aprons and drawer rails, but do not make mortises till tenons are cut.

Cut apron to size and form tenons as shown. Note that when assembled the apron pieces are almost level with the outer faces of the legs, i.e., they are set in not more than 1/16". Drill for top screws down from the upper edges at a slight angle toward the inner face, then recess for the screw heads by making pockets on the inner face with a gouge.

Note that drawer top rail is dovetailed into tops of two front legs. Make these before recessing tops of legs.  Drawer bottom rails are tenoned into legs.

Dimensions between shoulders of upper and lower rails must exactly match otherwise legs will not be parallel. With apron and rail pieces finished, cut legs to receive them. Assemble front first, then back and check one against the other for width and squareness. Then assemble side aprons, and, when clamped, see that all four legs are parallel along their outer faces. Disassemble, glue, and re-clamp. Before applying top, fit the drawer slides.

The   drawer  guides   must  fill   in   the  difference between the thickness of the aprons and the thick­ness of the legs after assembly.

Check guides for length in this space before gluing the drawer slides (runners) to them. They must be exactly parallel throughout their length or the drawer will not slide evenly. The slides must be glued to the guides before installation, and the slides must extend be­yond the rear ends of the guides by a distance equal to the thickness of a guide. The slide will then fit snugly into the corner formed by the leg and apron. The slide-guide assemblies can be screwed and glued to the aprons, taking care that they are exactly parallel with the bottom edges of the side aprons. With these small drawers it is not ordinarily necessary to fit a guide or kicker over the top edges of the drawer sides to prevent the drawer tipping when opened. However there is no objection to this extra refinement.

Mark out and fit the front of the drawer first, leaving the board 1/16" or more longer and wider than the opening. Finish the bottom and left-hand edge and fit them into the left-hand end of the opening. Next plane down the right-hand edge to fit the drawer front for length. Use a block against the end grain in planing, or chisel off the top corners to the thickness of the excess wood, to avoid splitting off the corner. Plane down the top edge to fit the opening vertically.

The drawer back is made next, ⅜" shallower than the front and sides so as to clear the bottom board. It is also advisable to take off another 1/8" from the top so that it does not come as high as the sides. The back is fitted in practically the same manner as the front for length.

Rought-cut the drawer sides, planing bottom edge true and making front edge exactly at right angles to it. Check the two sides against one another for size and squareness. If there is a kicker, slide the sides in the drawer opening their full length as a check, and relieve any binding. The parts are now ready for dovetailing together, and the first step is to mark out all dimensions with a gauge. The dove­tails on the sides are cut first, taking care to see that the groove for the drawer bottom is contained in the bottom tail. If the groove is too low, the groove in the back of the drawer front will show at the ends after assembly. Cut the sides of the tails with a saw (you can do both sides at once) and finish with a chisel exactly to the line. Do both ends of the sides, noting that the bottom pin of the back comes above the groove for the drawer bottom.

The drawer front is 3/4" thick, and the dovetails are only ½" long, leaving a ¼" lap covering the tail ends. With the front held in a vise, hold the end of one side to the ¼" line and mark off the pins. Cut the sides of the pins as far as possible with a dovetail saw, and finish with a sharp chisel, checking the tail against the pins as the final trim paring cuts are made. In assembling the dovetails, hold the front firmly in a vise and drive in the tails by placing a block of wood over them and tapping gently. Do not hit the tails with a hammer. Cut the bottom groove in front and sides, and see that they come together exactly. Apply glue between the pins on final assembly.

The bottom is cut to exact size and perfectly square, then the front and side edges are eased slightly by sanding so that it will slide easily in the grooves. A solid wood bottom is usually made thicker than the plywood one, and the front and side edges tapered back for an inch or so. If the bottom is a good fit it should hold the drawer square while the glue sets. Check this with a square. Twenty-four hours later try the drawer in the table, and, if tight, ease the sides with a plane. In plan­ing, support the drawer firmly so that it will not be forced out of square. A pair of 3" x 1" arms screwed to the bench top so that they project the depth of the drawer and hold it front and back will serve this purpose. Do not lubricate the sides or runners of the drawer until it has been fitted perfectly. Later the surfaces may be rubbed with paraffin wax. Small blocks can be glued to the rear of the runners to stop this drawer entering beyond the point at which the front is perfectly level with the top and bottom rails (approximately Xt" inside the front faces of the legs).

After the drawer work is completed, the top of the stand may be attached by screwing from the underside, but see that the overlap is reduced to ⅜ at the back, with the front and sides overlapping the legs 1½" each way.

Wood: Pine or maple. Material Requirements:

TRESTLE DINING TABLE

Procedure:

Make top by cutting boards to length, planing smooth on face and edges; square and fit edges that are to form joints; glue and clamp. Twenty-four hours later scrape excess glue off face joints and ends; sand ends smooth and even, removing all sharp arrises and corners.

Cut cleats to size and plane smooth; cut corners at 45 degrees to half height of wood. Find the vertical center (15" from each end) and mark out slot 4" on each side to receive 8" leg. With mark­ing gauge, set off depth of cut for legs to half thickness of cleat. Saw sides of slot to this depth, and a scant 8" wide. Make several saw cuts in between, the exact depth. Remove waste with chisel.

Drill one counterbored hole near each end of cleat (in tapered portion) for a 1½" x No. 9 screw. Chamfer off end and lower edges on outer side of each cleat.   Sand edges and angles smooth.

Cut legs to exact length and plane smooth. Use cleat to mark off depth of rabbet at top of leg. With gauge, mark off depth of rabbet. Cut rabbet by sawing both across and along grain. Check by fitting cleat dado to the leg rabbet, and see that cleat is at exact right angles to the leg. Now cut tenon at opposite end of leg. The shoulder must be exactly 25½" from the top of the leg, and the tenon exactly 3½" long. Legs must match one another.

Cut feet to size, paying particular attention to thickness (vertically) so leg assemblies will be of exactly equal length. Mark out and saw tapered feet, trimming with chisel if necessary, and sand smooth. Mark out mortise, 4" x 1¼", and check against tenon.  Cut mortise inside lines for tight fit.

Cut stretcher to size and plane smooth. Mark off top and bottom for end tenons. Note these are not shouldered at sides. Use marking gauge for longi­tudinal lines. Cut with saw, top and bottom, and saw down end grain, then smooth by sanding. Top edges can now be chamfered. Next, mark out the mortises on the legs, using the tenons as a guide to size after marking centers on legs.   Check one leg against the other to make sure centers are equi­distant from ends. Cut leg mortises and fit tenons. These can be a sliding fit. With tenons pushed through mortises right up to their shoulders, pencil-mark them at the outer face of the legs as a guide and check for the peg holes to be made through the tenons. Remove the stretcher and mark out peg holes, starting about ⅛" behind pencil mark so that pegs will draw them tight. Finish holes smooth and square inside.

Cut two pegs out of pieces 1½" wide by 4" long. Mark down 1¼" from top and make shallow saw cut in one edge. This marks the end of the tapered part.   Mark off 1" width at bottom of peg, and draw a line from this point to the notch for the taper cut.  Round top by paring and sanding.

Assemble as follows: Glue leg tenon and tap gently into feet; checking angles with square in both directions. Attach battens with glue and two slightly counterbored 1½" x No. 9 screws. Plug with glued dowel stick sawn off level with surface. After glue is set, sand thoroughly all over, trimming plugs, if necessary, with sharp chisel first. Now assemble legs with stretcher and tap in peg firmly. Lay the table top, face down, on a clean floor, bench, or trestle, and place the leg assembly in position on it. The inside of each cleat should be 9 inches from the ends of the table top, but make them equal in any case. With the battens square with the edges of the top, clamp them in position with a stiff piece of lumber and a pair of C-clamps. Insert a 1½" x No. 9 screw in each hole and tighten it into the top. Do not use glue here. Plug the holes with dowel stick or wood paste and smooth them. Finally sand entire table, except under-surface of top, with fine garnet paper, 00 for maple and 0 for pine.

Procedure:

Make top and leaves from three pairs of boards, making square joint edges, and matching each pair till no light shows between edges (see Chapter IV). Join edges with three dowels, one in center and one 3" from each end of boards. Mark dowel center lines while boards are together. Separate boards and carry center lines across edges. Mark centers of lines with gauge, and drive a ¾" finish­ing nail in halfway and cut off heads. Lay boards on a perfectly flat surface and press edges together (the board ends being in line) so nails in one mark centers in other. Remove nails and use holes as centers in drilling holes (1⅛" deep) for dowels. Cut dowels 2" long, groove and glue (as described in Chapter VI) and drive into one hole.  Glue edges of both boards and lay on flat surface with dowels opposite holes in other board. Apply clamps to draw two boards together. Leave clamped and set aside to dry. Twenty-four hours later cut boards to approximate finished dimensions and smooth face side.  Carefully match all three pieces for length.

To make legs, mark outside adjoining faces (for identification) and taper inside adjoining faces, starting 6" down from top. Tops of legs, for first 6" should be 2" square; the feet 1¼" square (see note pp. 101-105). Mark top ends of tapered sides for mortises, but do not outline mortises till apron tenons are made.

Cut apron boards to exact length, then mark off tenons,   all   of  which   are   3"   long.    Find   vertical center of side apron and measure 10⅜" on the left side of it and 9⅝" on the other side of it. Bring these lines down 3" on the apron face so that you have a rectangle 3" x 20". Set bevel protractor to 45 degrees and mark off the saw cut on the top edge of apron from the two vertical lines. Both of these bevel lines run from left to right with respect to the outer face of the apron so that you have a 20" opening cut at 45 degrees through the wood. Instead of making a single wide tenon at each end of the four apron pieces, two narrower ones are used to give greater joint strength. The tenons are made ½" thick and 1¾" wide, with a space of 1½" between them. In squaring top and bottom edges of these boards you can also drill down at a slight angle through the edges for screws to hold the top. Then form pockets for the screw heads with a gouge. The next operation is to mark off the mortises on the legs from the tenons. A sharp point should be used for this to ensure tight fit. The mortises can be roughly drilled out with a ⅜" bit to a depth of ¾" and finished with a ½" chisel. The outer edge of the mortise should be no more than 3/16" from the outer face of the leg, so great care must be exercised to drill and cut exactly at right angles to the leg surface.

With all mortises cut, the aprons and legs can be assembled, joints being glued and the whole tightly clamped and checked for squareness. Greater rigidity can be secured by tacking two laths diagon­ally across the tops of the legs. While the glue is setting, the leaf brackets can be made, and the pivot nails driven into holes drilled in the top and bottom edges at the center. The lower nails are cut off at the head, leaving about 1½" in the bracket, and 1½" to go into holes in the apron. The upper nails are cut shorter so that they enter the table top no more than ⅝". Placing the bracket in position in the apron slot, and tapping the upper hinge nail sharply will mark the apron where the hole must be drilled for the bottom pin. The top hole is located by clamping the bracket in the closed position and placing the whole base assembly upside down on the table top which has been laid face down on the bench or floor. First, however, the underside of the top should be carefully marked in indicate the exact position of the four legs. The top overlap beyond the legs is 3" at each end, and only ¼" at the sides. After the pin holes have been drilled in the top, the top and leaves should be assembled. The top and one leaf are first laid on a flat surface, and the ends  lined  up exactly.   The  hinges are then opened and laid in position.   A line is scratched around each one, and cuts are made, as shown, to sink the hinge and its pin into the thickness. The center knuckle of the hinge should be exactly in line with the joint, and the joint should be kept tightly closed when marking centers for the screws. With this type of joint the hinge knuckle will show when the leaf hangs, but the gap can be kept small by careful fitting. The hinges are firmly screwed to the table top before the top is attached to the base. Finally, the leaves are attached while the table is laid flat on its face.

HUTCH TABLE

Wood: Pine or oak.

Material Requirements:

Procedure:

Cut 5 or more lengths of t&g board to total 42" wide, as shown, from which a circle 42" diameter can be cut. Glue and clamp together; leave 24 hours to set. Select a point as center and drive in part way a small finishing nail. With a cord attached to the nail, and a pencil or chalk at a distance of 21", describe the circle. (A thin lath with V-notches at each end can be used instead of the string.) Saw to the line and finish with a rasp and sanding. Usually it is preferable to work on the top after the cleats have been attached. Plane face flat and smooth.

Cut battens from square with a scroll saw after marking out on both faces.   This is properly a job for a power jig saw or a ⅛" band saw. Finish edge by sanding. Mark center lines for 1" pegs that hotel the top to the base 5½" either side the center line. The battens are mounted on the underside of the top, each 10" from the extreme edge. If the battens are 2" thick they will be 18" apart and fit snugly over the base. Battens are fastened to top either by screws, counterbored and having the holes plugged with dowel stick, or with glued pegs, ff pegs are used, the holes are drilled right through the batten and the top. Pegs must be tight fit and the battens must not be glued to the top or con­traction and expansion may split the boards. Be sure the 1" peg holes holding the top to the base

LAVING OUT TABLE TOP ON OAK BOARDS

then measure a further 10" down for the bottom of the dovetail. Note that the seat front and back are 2" wider than the dovetail. Therefore the edges of the end pieces should be straight and square for 2" below the dovetail. Mark this point, then divide the remaining length to the tenons in two, and mark the center where the two double curves meet. This center line will be 6¼." from the bottom, and each double curve will be 3¾" long. The curve should not extend inward more than the depth of the dove­tail, i.e., 1".

Above the bottom line marking depth of tenons is a 4" semicircle. It is generally better to cut this after the tenons are made. The tenons have a ½" shoulder each end, and only a 3/16" shoulder at the sides. The tenons therefore are ⅝" thick. Cut these next. The peg holes at the top are best centered by holding one of them against the top battens and poking the 1" drill through the batten peg  holes.

Place both end pieces in a vise together and drill right through, taking care that the drill is exactly at right angles to the wood.

Next make the front and back pieces. Cut the tails and use them to mark out the cuts on the end pieces. The ends of the front and back pieces must be exactly square, and so must the dovetail shoulders. The curves are cut as before.

The best method of supporting the bottom of the seat is to screw and glue ¾" x ¾" strips all around the inside of the front, side, and back pieces. These must be set up high enough (1") so as not to show below the side curves. The two pieces of ¾" board that form the bottom do not need to be fastened together before being set in place. They are care­fully fitted and supported on the ¾" fillets. The holding screws are then inserted through the fillets from underneath.

With the box part assembled, and all checked for squareness, the feet are added. The mortises are marked from the tenons, and the lamb's tongue ends spaced off and marked for cutting. When the mortises are cut, right through the feet, the feet are fitted temporarily. The 4" tie board or stretcher, cut to length and squared, is placed in position, and the slots to receive it marked out on both feet, for depth as well as length and width. The feet are then removed and the dadoes cut. The stretcher ends are glued and fastened in position with short countersunk screws. The feet are put back on the tenons which have been glued. These should be a tight fit, otherwise thin wedges will have to be driven  in from the underside to anchor them.

The last operation is the fitting of the lid, the top edge of the back being recessed for the hinges. This needs no explanation.

Wood: Maple and plywood. Material Requirements:

MODERN TRAY TABLE

Procedure:

Cut out bottom plywood to finished dimensions; this will serve as a guide for other pieces. Cut the four L-shaped pieces to form base, but do not cut mortises till the leg tenons are made. These four pieces, when assembled, should fit sides of bottom exactly. Now make legs, with the grain as nearly parallel to the sides as possible; form the tenons on top, and see that the legs are of exactly equal length, and the tenons at right-angles to the upper face. In laying out these legs it pays to make a jig by tacking four pieces of lath to the bench top, forming an accurate rectangle as indicated in the leg drawing. Working from a length of 2" x 2" stock, the foot and top are cut to the proper angle first. With the 2" x 2" inside the jig, the shoulder also is marked off on two opposite sides. Then mark and cut the taper on the two inside faces only. Finally, make the tenon. With the legs finished, cut the mortise and attach the legs with glue and fin­ishing nails. See that the tenon ends are perfectly flush with the faces of the plywood pieces. Now assemble base and bottom.

With the bottom face down, place the leg and base assemblies in position on it. After checking for fit, glue the faces of the four base pieces and clamp them in position on the bottom board. Leave to set while making the tray sides or gallery.

The sides are all of ½" stock.   Cut ends to 60 degrees as shown, and plane bottom and top edges to 30 degrees. Join all mitered corners with glue and 1½" finishing nails. Invert the gallery on a flat board or bench top and hold square with clamps till glue is set. Then check evenness of lower edges by standing the gallery in final position on the bot­tom board. Trim high spots by sanding. Mount on bottom by laying the gallery on a flat surface, up­side down, and turning base assembly over on it. The edges of the gallery should be glued and the base clamped to it, still upside down. Now drill 12 holes, as indicated, through the base and bottom into the rim, all at an angle of 60 degrees, with centers 1/4" from the base edge. These holes should enter the gallery parallel to its sides for about ¾". Insert 2" No. 12 or No. 10 c.s. screws and tighten. To finish, lightly plane or sand top edges of gal­lery till they are quite straight and in line. Then miter finish mouldings and apply them with glue and 1" finishing nails.   Note that the quarter-round moulding goes on the edge of the bottom, forming a flange that practically hides the edges of the base plywood.

The handles are installed last, and the screw counterbores plugged with surface-grain wood that should be matched up as carefully as possible so that they will not show when finished.

JOINT STOOL

Wood: Pine or walnut.

Material Requirements:

Procedure:

Use squared paper to make a pattern for cut-out portion of four aprons. Square and smooth four apron boards to finished size. Mark off tenons with line around, ¾" from end. Trace pattern and cut out with coping saw or jig saw. Finish cut edges with sandpaper and remove all sharp arrises. Cut out tenons, ⅜" thick.

Next make legs. These finish to 1½" square, but they are more easily cut with a saw if you use 2" stock. This enables you to saw (preferably with a band saw) with the tool in the wood from one end to the other. Each of the four sides must be shaped, but it is easier to judge symmetry if opposite sides are done first, i.e., sides 1 and 3, then 2 and 4. Done by hand, the simplest procedure is to make a saw cut all around at the top and bottom of the tapered portion. Depth of saw cut will be a scant ¼" if the stock is 1½" square, and the excess will have to be pared away with a chisel. The rounding can be roughed out with a fine rasp and finished with sandpaper. Keep the arrises fairly sharp. The mortises are marked out close to the front faces of the legs, but leave stock not less than 3/16thick for strength. In the case of these aprons the thickness can very well be¼".

The feet of the legs are almost round, and are cut from the square first into octagons after making a fine saw cut at shoulder depth. The corners can then be rasped and sanded off.

The stretchers are made heavy to withstand rough usage and allow for excessive wear, and the tenons are made much thicker than usual. Although the tenons are only ¾" long they should be firm if properly glued and clamped, but there is no objec­tion to driving a finishing nail from the back. A somewhat decorative alternative would be to insert thin pegs of hardwood, allowing the heads to pro­ject ⅛". This adds to the antique air of the piece besides positively locking the joint.

Finally, the top is made.   It should  preferably be of one piece and have an interesting grain.

There is no bead, but the edges are rounded off to the depth of the overhang. The top is secured to the aprons by means of two screws in each, with pockets, for the heads.

The holes are drilled down through the edge of the apron pieces at an angle, and the pocket then gouged out (on the inside of the apron) be­fore the parts are assembled.

A common alternative is to apply ¾" x ¾" strips to the inside tops of the aprons, after assembly, and screw into the top board through these.

Wood: Pine or maple. Material Requirements:

LOOSE-SEAT STOOL

Procedure:

Make legs from dimensioned and planed lengths and mark out for rails and stretcher tenons. Note that rail tenons are shouldered half their length, and set down ¾" from top of the leg to allow for the rail rabbet which is extended into the top of the leg. The mortise is best cut before the top of the leg is recessed. The mortises are cut deep so that one enters the other and some extra tenon length is secured by mitering the tenon ends. All of this calls for careful fitting. The stretcher mortises are cent­ered in the face of the leg so that the stretchers are set in ¼" from the sides of the leg. In these cases it is best to make the tenoned parts first and match them up.   Then, if there is a slight error in dimensioning the actual tenons, adjustments can be made in the mortises.

The rail tenon is ½" from the outer face so that the rail inner face is ¼" from the inner face of the leg.

This makes it necessary to cut a ¼" x ¼" notch in the corner blocks, actually a shade more, to clear the leg arris and make certain the block faces are tight against the rails. Incidentally, do not glue the blocks when you install them or they cannot be tightened later.

In recessing the tops of the legs, saw to both side and bottom lines as far as possible and finish with a very sharp chisel.  Shoulders of rails must fit tight against the leg shoulders so that no joint is visible after gluing and clamping.

In making the stretcher, complete all cutting and fitting to exact dimensions before assembling in the legs, and check after temporary assembly. The dovetails of the cross-stretcher should fit tightly. The length between the shoulders must be exact or the side stretchers will be bowed, either in or out. After careful fitting of all base units, glue and clamp and, after 24 hours, apply the corner blocks.

The removable seat consists of a simple ⅞" x 2½i"frame with mitered and doweled corners. The inner half of the top is beveled so that no sharp edge cuts into the webbing and no ridge is formed that will show through the upholstery. This can be finished in any way desired, using rubber or hair and cotton for the seat. The amount of clearance to be left around the frame will depend on the upholstery details.

FIVE-BOARD BENCH

Wood: Pine.

Material Requirements:

Procedure:

Cut the two legs to size from a 9" board, and taper each side ½" toward the top. Cut in shoulders for the aprons 5" from the top to ¾" deep on either side. Mark the center of the board 4½" to 5" from the bottom. From this point draw a double curve, as shown, to make a pair of feet 2" wide. If this proves difficult, make a paper pattern first. Next make the two aprons, if necessary using a paper pattern drawn on 1" squares. Cut out drawer open­ing on front apron so that top and bottom lips will be parallel with floor when assembled.

Assemble legs and aprons with clamps so that legs are about 3" farther apart at bottom than at top.  Mark this position on the inside of the aprons. both sides of the leg. Before attaching the cleats, drill holes for two screws through the ¾" thickness to take the screws that hold the leg. Glue and screw cleats to aprons. Lay each leg in position against the apron and mark the waste to be cut away in fitting the apron to the shoulder. Trim this to shape before proceeding further. Glue and screw the cleats to the legs while the four pieces are clamped together. Since the legs are tilted, a corner will project above the apron. Pare this off with a chisel so that the top of the leg is even with the top edge of the apron. You will also need to take a shaving off the outside edge of each apron as these are also slightly tilted.

will not be more than 6" long. After fitting top, with cleats attached, and seeing that it beds down evenly all around, set it aside and make the drawer runners and guides. These need to be carefully fitted to the slope of the aprons, using the corners of the drawer opening as guides.

The simplest and most substantial method of at­tachment is to build out the inner sides of the legs with triangular pieces and attach the runners to their faces. The same effect is secured by making the guides an inch or so thicker, and cutting them to shape as required. The whole unit is then glued and screwed to the legs. The same system is followed with the top guides. Carefully check the drawer guides and slides to see they are absolutely parallel Then make the drawer.

The drawer is both shallow and short and should be made of wood as thin as possible. With thin sides it will not be possible to make dados for the bottom without unduly weakening them. Instead, glue a square strip along the inner bottom edge of each side, ⅛" or 3/16" thick. An eighth of an inch above this glue another strip which has its top outer corner rounded off. This will leave a ⅛" groove for the bottom board to slide in. The front of the drawer, being sufficiently thick, can be grooved as usual. If the bottom is made of solid wood it should preferably be no less than 3/16" to ¼" thick, with the front and two side edges tapered off to ⅛" or less. The back of the drawer is cut narrower, as usual, to clear the bottom, which can be kept from sliding out by means of a small brad.

Wood: Maple. Material Requirements:

SIDE CHAIR AND ARM CHAIR

Procedure for Side Chair:

Cut out rear legs by sawing out of 5" x 36" plank, after marking out as shown in drawing. Sand back of center portion into smooth curve. Next mark out for four mortises and cut tenon on top; cut out front legs, tapered on two inside faces only. Mark out tops for seat recesses, each 1" deep, 1½" wide along front, and 1" along the side. Angle cuts are made with a saw and the job is finished with a very sharp chisel. The seat rails are cut next, and it is usually best to make the front and rear ones before cutting the side rails. As usual, the rails are rab­beted, then the tenons are formed. Next, the mortises for these tenons are cut in front and back legs. In each case the rails should be approximately flush with the outside surfaces of the legs.   When rails and their joints have been properly made and checked for squareness, the more complicated side rails are made. The important job on the side rails is to mark out the shoulders at the correct angle. This is best done by first laying out the chair frame, full size, on a sheet of brown paper. The outlines of the side rails are then cut out to form a pattern, ignoring the tenons. The ends of the pattern will then form the proper angle and can be laid on the wood as a guide in marking.

The tenons are made at right angles to the shoulders and therefore at an angle to the sides of the rails. It is well to check one rail against the other to see that the pairs of angles are equal. When the tenons are finished they are used as  marking guides for their mortises, and the mortises are cut at right angles to the faces of the legs as usual.

LAYOUT OF LEG ON 5x36 in. BOARD 1¼ in. THICK

LAY°UT OF FRONT LEG ON 2 x 17.5 h in. BOARD

The entire seat frame and legs can now be assembled, on a perfectly flat surface, for a final check on symmetry both horizontal and vertical. Following this, the two back rails and top rail are made. The two lower rails are carefully checked for length against the back seat rail and against one another. These rails serve more as a back rest than as a structural part of the chair. However, they should have the mortises cut, and should be assem­bled before fitting the top rail.

The top rail extends the full width of the back of the chair, i.e., the length of the seat rail, from shoulder to shoulder, plus the thickness of the two legs. The blind mortises are cut near each end so that they fit snugly over the tenons on the tops of the back legs. With the rail held firmly in this position by the tight tenons, the top corners are rounded off with a plane and the top and ends finished with sandpaper so that all faces are in line with the legs and the joints barely visible. These tenons should be snugly fitted because only glue is relied upon to hold them.

If it is desired to upholster the back, canvas can be passed around top and bottom rails (or top and second rails) to hold a foam rubber pad and form a foundation for the surface upholstery material. When the whole chair is ready for final assembly, front and back joints are glued and put together first and firmly clamped. Then the side rails are added, and the seat of the frame squared up sym­metrically and clamped.

At this point the corner blocks are prepared and inserted, being glued and screwed firmly in position. They need fitting carefully so as not to pull the seat out of shape. Sound pieces of sycamore or bass will serve for these. Finally, the seat cushion frame is made, taking the dimensions directly from the seat frame rabbet. Corners will need to be cut out for the rear legs, and the back strip must be amply wide to allow for this without excessively weakening the open mortise joints.

Procedure for Arm Chair:

Procedure as for the side chair is followed, with some exceptions. There will be no rabbet in the front legs for the seat.   Instead, the seat cushion frame is notched at the front corners. The arms are mortised before they are shaped so that you have a strong, solid and square piece to work on.   The angle of the rabbet, where the arm joins the back leg, is marked directly from the leg. Finally, the arm is shaped with a spokeshave followed by sand­ing after the deep cut on the underside has been roughly sawed and chiseled out. The back end of the arm is attached to the leg with two screws, slightly countersunk and their heads covered with a thin disc of wood, rounded on the surface to project slightly and simulate pegs.

The back of the arm chair can easily be up­holstered in the same manner as the side chair, though the pad will be much shallower than the one covering three back rails.

WING CHAIR

Wood: Pine.

Material Requirements:

Procedure:

In this piece the base is the governing unit and should be made first. The top part is then fitted to it and the dimensions adjusted accordingly, though they should vary but little. Note that the front legs are square and straight; the rear ones are curved backward to counteract the otherwise top-heavy appearance of the sloping back while increasing the stability. The back legs are cut from 2" x 3" material, and the sloping does not start at the top but 2" down. This presents a square surface to the side frame member and makes fitting easier.

The four rails are heavy and strongly jointed, with haunched tenons to take full advantage of their depth. These tenons are marked as 1" long but should be scant. The best way to cut these mortises is to drill the square part the full depth, and, when chiseling out, to cut the upper corner out only after most of the square portion has been cleared. The chisel must be very sharp so as not to split the wood due to working at an angle across the grain. If the tenons are made first they can be used to check the depth and shape of the mortise.

in making the side-rail joints, the shoulder cuts are carefully marked at the proper angle. This angle is best determined as described on pp. 99-101 immediately preceding. The assembly is greatly strengthened by an H-stretcher, tenoned into the legs fore-and-aft, and tied together with a trans­verse piece dovetailed into them. These dovetails need to be carefully made and close-fitting. The tails are made first, four-fifths of the depth of the side pieces. These joints must be a good fit and strongly glued or the side members will be greatly weakened. The side-piece tenons must allow for the angle of the tenon shoulders (the same angle as that of the side rails). The transverse stretcher is best fitted last when the rest of the base, including the fore-and-aft stretchers, has been assembled, glued, and clamped. If the dovetails are a good press fit it will not need clamping.

The wings can be made next, and the first oper­ation is to lay out the curved portion. It will be necessary to make the wing side unit of two pieces, srongly joined. Since the wing measures 12" across at its widest part, a board of that width is needed. A full-size pattern of the shape should be made on heavy paper, with 2" squares. This is cut out and laid on the 12" board with the back line of the pattern parallel with the back edge of the board. This will show how much more is needed to com­plete the side, and the angle at which the joint will have to be made. This joint should be a glued tongue-and-groove because the side needs to be supported its full height (8").

Note that the grain of the wing unit runs vertically, and the rest of the arm unit should do this also. Since you presumably have a 12" wide board, this should present no  difficulty.   Otherwise, two narrower boards, and an extra joint, will be called for. A feasible alternative to the t&g joints would be the insertion of three ⅜" x 1½" dowels in the 8" joint. Luckily we are able to stiffen the whole side with a pair of moulding strips running along the top edge as a support for the arm rest. At the bottom, the side portion will also be stiffened by a 3" trim board screwed to the frame and side. On the inside, too, the side is fastened to the seat frame, keeping it straight and rigid.

DETAIL of STRETCHER

CROSS RAIL

When the two wings and sides are completed, make the back and seat frames that hold them. Both these units have pinned open tenons at the ends of the side members and an ordinary tenon joint at the middle. The finished height of the back is 35¼" but another half-inch should be allowed to take care of the trimming, top and bottom, neces­sitated by the sloping back. The amount to be taken off one edge of the bottom can  be gauged by holding the back against the wing member, in line with the back slope. The excess will project below the bottom edge cf the wing unit. The top excess can be removed after the back and sides are assem­bled. It is a good idea in making both back and seat frames to check them against the base for width, allowing  1½" for the two ¾" sides.

The back frame is attached to the wings by counterbore screws through the 2½ side members. With the wings supported by the back frame, the bottom frame can be inserted and screwed to the sides. The edges of both frames should be glued before screwing.

The upper portion is completed with the attach­ment of the arm rests. The two angle strips are glued, and screwed with 1½" No. 6 screws to the top edges of the sides. When the glue has set, the arms are attached with 1¼" No. 6 screws inserted at an angle through the angle strips from below and on alternate sides. The finished seat assembly can now be mounted as a unit on the base.

The frame is screwed directly to the base side and front members with 1¾" No. 12 screws. The junction of the base and upper part is concealed by the 3" wide finishing strips, mitered at the corners. The side strips need to be shaped slightly on the inside face at the ends to take care of the angle between the legs and the frame side-members. They are attached with countersink screws to the frame and to the sides, the back frame, and the front edge of the seat frame. At the front the trim board exends up ⅝" above the frame to cover the front edge of the upholstery frame. This sets the height for the rest of the trim.

The chair is upholstered by applying webbing, cotton, horsehair, muslin, and covering material to the two upholstery frames and setting them in position.

The back frame is held at the top by extending the cover material over the top of the chair back frame and bringing it down to the bottom of that frame and securing it there with the trim board. Several alternatives to this method will suggest themselves.

CHAISE LONGUE

Wood: Pine or oak.

Material Requirements:

Procedure:

Make legs first, starting with the back ones which govern certain dimensions of the others. These can be cut out of planks 2" x 6" x 38" most economically, after marking out as shown in drawing. Sand back of center portion into a curve, and curve ends of front faces into the face of the side-rail mortise section. Do not sand off the top of the leg until after the top rail has been fitted.

Because the side rails call for deep mortises, the head rail is attached by dowels which do not weaken the back as much as a second mortise would. These dowels do not go entirely through the side of the leg, but they serve to lock the side-rail tenons in place. For this reason the head rail can­not be assembled until the side rails are made and put together, and the dowel holes then drilled.

The back of the seat is formed with a pair of rabbeted cross-bars tenoned into the stiles. The rab­bets are intended to receive an upholstered plywood back, or a caned frame. The top rail can be fitted temporarily and its top front edge sanded off, to­gether with the tops of the back legs, so that they are nicely rounded toward the front.

The other four legs are now cut, checking the height of the tenons and shoulders against the back leg mortises. The side-rail mortises in the back legs should be exactly 14½" from the floor, and since the side-rail tenon has a ½" shoulder, the bottom of the side rail itself will be 14" from the floor. The tenon in the bottom legs will therefore be 14½" from the floor, but the shoulders on the center legs will be only 14" from the bottom.

An important feature of the side rails is the (launched tenon at the foot end. This gives the extra width to resist sideways bending and at the same time is entirely concealed. In cutting the mor­tise for this in the leg, the holes are drilled as if the tenon was 3" high, spaced 1½" from the top of the leg. After these are cut to the proper depth and trimmed to the finished width, the angle cut is made  down  from  the top  into the  hole  which  it enters ½" from the bottom. The tenon is cut to fit this mortise. Here again the foot rail is attached with dowels, the dowel holes being drilled while the tenon is in place.

After all six legs have been cut and fitted to the side rails, the set of three transverse stretchers is made. Each of these calls for a ¾" x 1" mortise in each leg, all centered at 7" from the bottom. With these in position and the whole frame clamped together it is a simple matter to locate the main stretchers and measure their required lengths ex­actly. The angle at which each stretcher enters the leg can be seen, and marked, if the top and bottom lines are marked on the corners of the legs. If the whole frame assembly is turned upside down on a pair of horses this work will be simplified. The bot­toms of the stretchers will be 6¼" from the bottoms of the legs—exactly in line with the cross-stretchers. Holding each stretcher in turn at this level (between is own respective pair of legs) you can mark the distances each face will come either side the corner of the leg (presuming the stretcher tenons have not yet been cut). If this is found difficult, a short length of scrap wood, the size of the stretcher material, notched at the end to straddle the corner of the leg, may help in marking the side lines.

When all the legs have been marked, you can make fine saw cuts across the leg corners, inside the horizontal lines and extending to the vertical lines. These are the limits of the square face to be formed on the leg against which the stretcher shoulders will rest. This flat surface is now formed by chiseling out the waste between the saw cuts and along the vertical lines. In the centers of these rectangular spaces, the mortises are cut in the usual manner. After all mortises and tenons have been cut, the stretchers are marked for notching where they cross one another. This is easy to do if the frame assembly is stood on a large sheet of paper and the outlines of the legs marked on it.   The frame is removed and a stretcher placed in position and its outline marked. The other stretcher is then laid across this outline, joining the other pair of legs, and its out­line also drawn. A bevel protractor is set to the angle at which the two pairs of lines cross and used in setting out the cut for the halved joint.

In the final assembly the side rails are first put together with their respective legs. Then the end rails, whose dowel holes have been drilled while the side tenons are in position, are attached to one side.

The stretchers likewise are placed in position on the same side. Finally, with all tenons and dowels glued, the other rail and leg assembly is attached 1o the loose ends of the cross members, and the whole clamped tightly in two directions. If all members are tight, the angle stretchers will prevent the frame being pulled out of square. What remains to be done depends upon the type of upholsered units to be employed. Usually the simplest and cheapest way is to screw and glue 1" x 1" strips to the inside of the side members to support a number of slats that will form a base for a loose cushion. Alterna­tively, a loose upholstered frame can be set in, in the same manner as the back.

Wood: Pine and plywood. Material Requirements:

MODERN BEDSTEAD

Procedure:

Start with base, first cutting four legs and mark­ing out for mortises and cut-away corner. Cut corner first, removing wood 5" down from the top by 1" x 1". This leaves two faces, each 1½" wide, down the middle of which a ½" mortise is to be cut. But do not cut the mortises till the side and end rail tenons are finished. Next make the end rails of ⅞" stuff, 5" deep, 40" long. At each end form a 1½" x 4" tenon, ½" thick. From these tenons cut mortises to fit on the two pairs of legs. Then make side rails.

Side rails are a little more complicated, having four dovetail sockets cut into their bottom inside edge. The centers of the first and last bearer are 9" from the ends of the pieces. The centers of the other pair are 18" apart. Mark these centers but do not cut the dovetails yet. Finish the side rails by cutting the tenons, then mark off the mortises for them in the legs.   Cut and fit them tightly to the mortises.

The bearers, cut from ¾" x 3" stock, are 41½" long. Note the sharp angle of the dovetails necessi­tated by the bending and consequent tension they are to undergo. Carefully match all four bearers for length between shoulders. Now turn the leg and rail assemblies over and fit them to the side rails. With the whole base upside down, use the bearer ends to mark out the dovetails on the centers previ­ously indicated. While doing this, see that the base is exactly square by checking outside corners with a large steel  square  or measuring  the  leg  centers crosswise. Also check each bearer for squareness with the side rails. Disassemble and hold side rail in vise to cut dovetails. Cut as far as possible with a saw, then chisel out remainder.   Fit all dovetails and mark the boards for their final position. Glue and screw them to the side rails, then glue and assemble all tenons to the legs. Clamp the frame till glue is set.

Meanwhile the strips of ¾" x 1" can be glued and screwed between the bearers, between end bearers and legs, and laterally the whole width of the head and foot boards. These must all be level with the upper faces of the bearer so that each supports its own proportion of the total weight of the mattresses.

With the base made, the construction and addition of the headboard is simple. It consists princi­pally of a sheet of ⅜" plywood in a frame. The frame has a 3½" wide top rail, a pair of 2½" wide stiles, and a 3" bottom rail, all tongued together. These pieces are all ¾" thick, and each inside edge has a ⅜" groove ploughed in it, ½" deep, to receive the plyboard. The top ends of the stiles have tongues ½" long and ⅜" thick that fit into the top-rail groove. The bottom rail has a similar tongue on each end and these join the stile grooves. The length of these tongues, properly glued, should give sufficient anchorage, but they do not have to be relied upon to hold the frame together. Two 1½" x 2½" posts are attached to the back of the head­board, projecting 10" below it.   These are counter-bored and screwed to the top rail, the stile and the bottom rail, tying them rigidly together. The ply­wood is not glued in the grooves.

The whole head assembly rests on the top bed rail and is supported by a pair of wrought-iron brackets on the back of each leg. In addition, any possible movement is checked by running two No. 9, 2" screws through the bottom head rail into the bed rail. For this purpose, two screw pockets are formed in the usual manner, an inch from the bottom edge of the back rail.

This bedstead will accommodate a box spring and an inner-spring or foam mattress. As in ail such cases, the mattresses should be bought first to insure the frame being made large enough to fit.

Wood: Pine or maple. Material Requirements:

LOW-POST BEDSTEAD

Procedure:

Make the four posts first. Plane stock smooth all over and mark out for cutting. Rough out with saw and finish with chisel, using rasp for curve under top cap. After all work is finished they should be fine-sanded till all parts are perfectly smooth. At this time decide whether or not you want demount­able joints for taking bed to pieces, and mark out posts accordingly. For permanent joints you can have pinned tenons or tenons secured with screwed angle plates. Demountable joints are best made with either bolts or sheet-metal hooks. Procedure in case of bolted joints is the same as in the tenon joint, i.e., a tenon is made first.

Mark out and cut a mortise on each post, 1½" deep for a tenon 3" wide and %" thick.  In marking out, place all four posts side by side and mark top and bottom of mortise with a square across all faces, being sure that all post feet are exactly in line. With the screw type of joint these mortises need to be on the center line of the post and not to one side. This imposes limitations on the length of the tenons of the head and foot rails. These have to be no longer than 1⅛" and therefore should be pinned as well as glued. A ⅜ maple dowel will serve.

The bolt holes in head and foot posts should just clear the ½" bolts, and be counterbored ¾" to sink the heads. This will leave ¾" of wood between the bolt-head and tenon to take the strain. Head and foot boards are laid out on  1" squares and cut with a scroll or band saw. The tenons here can be a full 1½" and if properly fitted and glued will not need planing. If it is necessary to joint two boards to provide the width required a glued t&g joint is recommended, with the tenons entering the posts being made a slightly loose fit vertically. This will obviate any shrinkage stress on the boards. It is particularly important to have the sides of these boards exactly parallel and at right angles to the base so that the shoulders of all four tenons will fit snugly against the posts. As an alternative, ½" ply­wood can be used for these boards, in which case the side fit of the tenons must be tight. The ply tenons are best tapered very slightly top and bot­tom so that they make a tight joint, but all four must fit the mortises equally well.

With all joints formed, the head and footboards and their respective rails can be glued and clamped into their posts, and pinned. Before the side rails are assembled, the strips of 1" x 1" should be glued and screwed to them, in line with their bottom inside edges. At least six screws should be used to each side. If a box spring is used that fits snugly against the end rails, similar strips can be used on these rails to take some of the weight and obviate tipping. The principal load, however, is taken by the slats that rest on the side strips. If head and foot strips are used they should of course be 1" up from the bottom edge so as to be level with the tops of the slats. These strips also serve to stiffen the side and end rails against bending outward.   The slats can be of spruce and should be cut to exact length so that they will rest on the 1 x 1's without bulging the sides yet having a maximum bearing on the strips. For this reason special care needs to be taken to see that the ends of the slats are absolutely square.

NOTE: The simplest form of detachable rail has a half-dovetail tenon, with a wedge or key to force It up into the upper part of the mortise, as in the drawing. More modern is the thin metal hook sandwiched into a saw cut in the rail end and engaging one, or two, metal pins through a similar saw cut in the post.

Procedure:

The posts of this bed are made in two parts for structural reasons, and this makes it possible to con­struct the head and foot assemblies as permanent units for strength and convenience. The posts are made first, and in this design no turning is called for. Each post is in two sections, as shown in the drawings, joined together by heavy dowels. The dowels are fixed in the upper part and detachable from the lower part. The bed can therefore be used either as a low-post or tall-post type. In the former case all that would be needed would be 2 pairs of caps for the posts.

The upper sections of the posts can be made from a 7" wide plank, 4" thick, or even a narrower one if the grain runs parallel with the centers of the posts. After they have been roughly ripped out, the posts are marked on all four sides and the ends to produce an octagonal column 4" thick at the base and ¾" thick at the top. The best procedure is to rip out the post from the 4" plank so that you have a 4" thick piece tapering to ¾". This gives a square tapered post which is easily made into an octagon by planing off the four corners till all sides are equal in width.   One inch from the bottom of each post the sides are beveled off as shown. The bottom sections of the posts are kept square, with the lower 10" tapered to a 2" foot.

Joining the two parts of each post requires ex­treme care. The dowel hole is large and must be exactly parallel to the center. It is simple to mark the center of the square section by drawing lines from corner to corner, but less easy on the octagonal piece unless all eight sides are equally wide. That center, of course, can be marked while the post is still square. Another important point is to see that both the butt end of the post and the top end of the lower section are exactly square with their centers. A slight variation here makes a big differ­ence in six feet, and the post must not lean at all. The drilling of the dowel holes, in most cases, will have to be done horizontally, and a jig of some sort will need to be used to ensure that the holes do not wander or exceed their proper depth.   The dowel should be a fairly tight fit in the holes, and have a saw kerf along each side of the upper half to allow escape of air and excess glue. It will only be glued into the top section. Both ends of the dowel should be rounded off, and the edges of the holes slightly chamfered. The post tops are finished by drilling the top end for a metal screw to hold the curtain bar and finial. After fitting, the upper sections are laid aside until the rest of the bed is completed. Next, all mortises should be cut in the lower sections.

Several alternative methods of rail construction can be used. Generally the plain mortise and tenon is not satisfactory. Such beds need to be demountable and the old-time shallow heavy side rail with long bolts is an advantage. A good alternative is to use the 1" x 5" side rails and attach 4" x 5" blocks, 11/2 thick, to their inner ends, with  metal  connector  plates  sandwiched   between the two. These plates have jaws which engage with metal rods (or heavy screws) inside a narrow mor­tise in the post. These metal connectors can be either bought ready for use or cut from pieces of ⅛" steel plate and drilled for the attaching screws. To assemble this device, the plate is held against

                the end of the side rail, projecting beyond it the depth of the slots. The positions of the screw are marked through the screw holes and the holes made through the rail and countersunk. The plate is now placed on the inside of the rail, the 1½" block laid on the other side of it, and the screws inserted and tightened. For best results the plate should be let into the thicker block and the surrounding wood glued.  The slot in the post to receive the connector is made either with a small-diameter circular saw or drilled and chiseled out with a ⅛" mortise chisel. The height of the slot must be sufficient to clear the connector when it is raised to slip over the pins. The pins can be ordinary, heavy screws inserted from the inside face of the leg. The depth of the side rail calls for a connector almost as wide and having a pair of slots for two separate pins, one above the other, as indicated in the sketch. This will prevent any twisting of the rail. The head and end boards are tenoned and assembled as usual, as nearly flush with the other faces of the posts as possible to make room for the demountable joints on the other faces. Old-time beds of this type usually had solid rails up to 4" square, drilled for a rope "spring."   If the bolt-type fastening is preferred, these rails can be substituted, preferably not more than 1¾' x 3½" in section.   If necessary the box spring can then be mounted directly on the rails. The valance or curtain bars are drilled for the screws in the post tops.   These screws can be cut out of ¼" bolts, and screwed into the holes made only slightly under ¼" diameter. The finials can be threaded in a similar manner.   Any blacksmith will make the mattress suspension hooks which can hook over the top of the 1" side rail or be screwed to it. The post feet are best finished with domes of silence.       

WELSH DRESSER

Wood: Pine

Procedure:

For base proceed as follows: Make up boards of required width for the two ends and two partitions. You will probably use two boards for each, glued butt joints will serve.   Tops of the end boards are reinforced with ¾" x 1½ft" battens, glued and screwed, 1ft" side up. These take the screws to hold the base top. The partition boards have ¾" x ¾" battens which are not attached to the base top at all, but stiffen the partition against warping. At the ends of these stiffeners, the two partitions are notched to receive the longitudinals. At the same time, the ends of the front top rail are dovetailed into the end boards. The dimensions of this joint should be carefully noted. The mortises for the tenons are formed on each end of the stiles which are jointed into the base member of the. frame and the top member, and the whole is assembled to the end boards and fastened by screws down through the top rails.

Set in ⅝" to clear the back boards is the back top rail. This is glued and secret-screwed to the end boards as shown. The inside face of the end boards is dadoed for the shelves, the center line being 17" from the bottom of the board. The facing side of the partitions also is dadoed at that level, not more than ⅛" deep. This dado is stopped ⅝" from the back edge so that it will not show when the back is installed.

The shoulder partitions are now inserted, set in ½" from the drawer edges of the center stiles. They are fastened in the same manner as the end boards. In all cases the stiles are glued to the front edges of the transverse boards, and held to them by finish­ing nails driven through the faces of the stiles. The small nail holes are later filled with wood paste.

On either side of the center drawer section, cleats are screwed to the bottom front rail, end board, and partition, to support the ⅝" cupboard bottom boards. This bottom piece should be one board, or two glued together, and should fit snugly on all three sides. The tops of the cleats are then glued and the board toenailed into the cleats and sides. It thus becomes a part of the structure, adding stiff­ness and forming an anchor for the back board when it is finally installed. The cupboard shelf is of course inserted in the dadoes before the partition is firmly attached.

32*"

The drawer supports are now inserted. Note that the drawers and their dividing rails are set back the thickness of the front stiles, i.e., ¾". The front rails, in fact, extend behind the stiles, from one partition to the other. The rails are therefore 1" longer than the drawer opening. These front pieces, however, are not inserted by themselves. After fit­ting for length they are assembled with their side members that are angle-tongued into them. These three pieces are inserted as a unit, with a little glue on the face of the front rail where it is to touch the stiles. The rail is clamped to the stiles while the side pieces, already glued, are screwed to the par­titions. Locating the rails is simplified if the little ½" x ½" filler blocks are cut first. These are glued in the corners behind the stiles and the front rails fitted to them. If the blocks are cut exactly to length the rail will automatically be at right angles to the stiles and the drawer openings therefore square. Similar blocks are laid in the angles of the runners to form guides for the drawers. In the case of the bottom drawer, the front rail goes behind the base strip (bottom rail) and through-tenons can be used for the runners. Guides are used here also, together with a back rail. This rail is pocketed at each end for screws that hold it to the two partitions. It serves to maintain the relative positions of the partitions. The final stage of carcase construction is the installation of the top, fastened by screws from below through the top rails and end battens. It is not glued on so that it can expand slightly. The doors are made and installed last, with panel grooves and shouldered tenons. The panels need to be fitted carefully so that they show the same margin all around. The inner edges of the doors can be relieved a little so that they will open and close without binding, but this should not be done till after the hinges have been installed. A shaving under the door while fitting the hinges will insure bottom clearance.

SUPPORT OeTWL BOTTOM ORAWER-AOD FILLERS *CUIOES

ETAILS FOR MAKING ARTICLES

Some means of keeping the doors flush with the stiles when closed will be needed. The bottom board can be set up slightly for this, but it is a simple matter to install small wood stops, top and bottom, for the closed door to strike against. Nor­mally the doors would be kept closed with wooden turnbuttons, but ball catches can be used to serve both purposes with small sacrifice of authenticity. There are no problems connected with the drawers, but care is necessary in making the front to fit the opening snugly.

The shelf unit can be varied in height to suit individual requirements without altering the general pattern. The side members call for careful work with the scroll (or band) saw, and the decorative foot should not be weakened by over-cutting the thinnest part. Since all shelves differ in height the length of the edge curves varies, but a good sweep can be achieved by the use of squared paper.

Note that the shelf dadoes are ⅛" thinner than the shelves. The shelf ends have ⅛" x ⅛" cut away from the top side to fit the dadoes. In fitting the shelves they must be of exactly the same length, and all three installed at the same time. Each is secured with glue and two 1½" No. 6 screws at each end, slightly counterbored. Before fitting the shelves, plough a triangular groove the full length of each shelf, about 1¼" from the back to hold plates, etc. As an alternative, ¼." square strips can be glued and bradded on, and the top arrises rounded off.

The fascia board is fitted next and then the crown moulding. The moulding must be fitted accurately in the miters but no tongue is necessary. Fine finish­ing nails will help the glued joints. Note that the top edge of the moulding is rabbeted ⅛" x ⅛" to take the plywood top. The moulding therefore is set up ⅛," above the top of the side and back and fascia boards and nailed to all three.

The back, comprised of M" t&g boards, is fastened to the backs of the shelves and caught at the ends by finishing nails through the sides. The tongues should be glued, and a ¾" x 1" strip can be glued and screwed to the top of the boards, inside, as a batten and nailing strip for the plywood. A similar ½" x 1" batten at the bottom edge may make neater job.

The triangular glue-blocks that hold the crown moulding are inserted as soon as the moulding has been fixed in position, and should be level with the tops of sides and fascia boards. The blocks do not need nailing but the lower edges of the moulding can be reinforced with a few ¾." finishing nails.

Others can be applied through the plywood into the top of the moulding. The top is held to the base by six ½ dowels, 1½" long. These are glued into the top unit but not into the bottom/ so that the top can readily be re-moved. The top can be held more permanently by making two or more pockets in the back boards and screwing into the base top.

Carcase—

Ends-Two pieces ¾" x 15" x 44".

Top-One piece ¾" x 153/i" x 37½”

Bottom-One piece ¾" x 15" x 36".

Back-One piece ply ⅜" x 35" x 43½".

Front Rails—Five pieces ¾" x 3" x 35".

Back Rail-One piece ¾" x 3" x 43½".

Slides-Eight pieces ¾" x 1½" x 13⅛".

Center Hangers,  Runners, etc.—Three ft.

 of    ¾" X 3".

Guide-One piece ¾" x ¾" x 11⅝".

Feet—Two pieces 3" x 3¼" x 16½".

Base—Nine and a half ft. of Va" x 3", one piece

¾   x 3" x 6".

CHEST OF DRAWERS

but the back end is held in the groove by a slotted screw hole that allows for expansion and contraction of the end board. The grooves keep the runners in line.

The ⅜" plywood back will not cover the ends of the runner grooves if it is fitted between the full thickness of the end boards. To make a really professional job, the end boards should be rabbeted to the depth of the runner dadoes so that the back board will cover them.

On all these chests, the very best construction

Wood: Pine or maple and pine.

Material Requirements:

Procedure:

On this type of solid-ended carcase, the most important job is to make the dovetails, stopped dadoes, and mortises exact as to size and square­ness. The end boards themselves therefore must be true and square, and in construction you have to allow for shrinkage which is not so important with paneled ends. The drawer runners, for ex­ample, must not be fastened securely to the end boards.

At the front end they are located by stub tenons into the front rails, and may be glued there,

provides for dust boards between drawers. If you decide to use dust boards, which can be of very thin ply, it will be necessary to groove the front rails and the runners to receive them. If you do not use dust boards, the front rail need only be grooved at the points where the runners are stub-tenoned into them.

CARCASE DETAILS

The two top drawers call for a center runner and kicker. The double runner could be supported by a vertical bar or muntin fastened into the back top rail and the bottom board. All you need, then, is a groove in this board to hold the back end of the runner. This, however, shortens the other draw­ers by the thickness of the vertical board, though it helps stiffen the carcase. In place of the con­tinuous board, a  hanger, as shown, can  be used satisfactorily, and only the top pair of drawers will be shortened (from front to back). In this case, the runner is tongued into the front rail, glued, and held by a couple of nails driven in at an angle so that they will not easily pull out or loosen through the drawers striking the hanger.

It will be noticed that the drawers are lipped ⅝" all around so that the fronts just clear one another by ⅛" or so. This leaves very little of the front rails visible when the drawer is closed. If the chest is of maple these rails can be of pine, stained to match, but a better job is to face them with a ¼." strip of maple. The ends, of course, would be of solid maple.

The bottom of the chest is attached to the sides by lapped dovetails.   The construction is similar to that of the top, i.e., two pairs of dovetails, but the end boards are rabbeted between these dovetails, and the bottom board held in the rabbet with glue and screws. As an alternative the bottom can be dovetailed right across, preferably with small dove­tail pins at each end and wider ones in the middle. The small dovetails help to keep the end boards from curling outward.

The construction of the base offers no problems, but the corner miters should be fastened with dowels as well as corner blocks, and the whole screwed firmly to the bottom board of the carcase, using slotted holes at the back and no glue.

The top of the chest is attached by screwing up through front and back rails, and this may be glued and clamped, because any expansion will be nearly the same as that of the end boards to which the rails are attached.

The drawer muntins are simple to make. Cut the grooves first, to accommodate thickness of drawer bottoms, then form lap and dovetail, finally round­ing off the corners of the face that goes inside the drawer. After the top and the drawer fronts have been finished and assembled, they can be rounded off at edges and corners to give the rustic effect as shown.

FRAMED DESK

Wood: Pine, maple, or walnut.

Procedure:

This carcase is entirely framed, the ends and inside faces of kneehole being filled in with½ plywood. The first step is to make four transverse frames. In each case the front stiles are 1/4" thicker than the horizontal and rear members to allow for the ply panel. The end front stiles are rabbeted back ½  to take the plywood, but in the case of the kneehole frames the ply finishes flush against the back face of the stiles. In all four cases the ply ends extend ¼" beyond the backs of the two pedestals to form a rabbet into which the two back panels fit. These back panels are then flush with the backs of the bases and covered by the top. The rail that goes under the top drawers is halved or notched into the two kneehole stiles so that it forms an unbroken line right across the desk. The three middle 3" front rails have widely spaced double tenons to ensure they do not rock—a much better and stronger system than a single wide tenon. The four sets of drawer slides in each pedestal are screwed to the rear stile at their back end; at the forward end they tongue into the rails.   At the bottom, however, the runner is screwed to the lower side rail and tongued at both ends. The pair of wide 3" transverse pieces at each side of the kneehole serve as kickers for all three top drawers. Both top and bottom, front and rear, rails are dove­tailed into the stiles.

To stiffen the kneehole section of the structure, a deep (7") shaped member is inserted in the frame to form the back of the center drawer opening. This is tenoned at each end, and fastened strongly to the rear longitudinal with glue and screws. The continuous rail below the front of the top drawers, notched into the stiles, serves the same purpose there, so there should be no relative movement between the two pedestal units, nor any tend­ency for the center drawer to bind on an uneven floor.

A special feaure of this desk is the double top which opens out to about 86½ ". Three strong hinges

Procedure:

The only critical operation is the dovetailing of the top front rail into the base stiles. The base consists of two frames, joined together at 90 degrees to form the back corner, held across the front by the bar which dovetails into the front uprights of these frames and into the corner stiles. This fitting is best done after the frames are made and assembled to the stiles by pocketed screws and corner blocks. With the frames and stiles thus rigidly held together it is possible to insert the front frame in position between them and clamp the whole solidly together. Note that the main stiles have their inner face beveled to 45 degrees. The top rail can be laid in position and its ends marked off flush with the sides.   The ends are then cut to shape and the dovetail pins scribed back to the thickness of the stiles and frame. With the dovetail pins cut, the rail is again laid in position and used as a jig for outlining the dove­tails. Three pockets are made in the rail for screws to hold it to the front frame. The whole is locked firmly together by the plywood base which is screwed to the corner blocks and a strip fastened to the back of the front frame. A strip of 1½ " mould­ing is used to cover the edges of the plywood top in front, and a plain strip along the two back panels. This moulding is set up about ¾" to cover the joint between the upper and lower sections of the cupboard.   The doors are fitted last, and themeeting stiles are rabbeted ½ " and fitted either with key lock or ball catches top and bottom. If a lock is used, no knob need be fitted.

BOTTOM BOARD

The top section of the cupboard is constructed in a somewhat different manner because it has no great weight to support. No dovetailing is used, the top and bottom boards providing the necessary attachment and support. Note, too, that the door frame stiles are attached to the main stiles with slip tongues, and the sides are rabbeted into the main stiles. It is usual to let these stiles, both top and bottom, project slightly beyond the backs so that they fit closer to the walls which are often slightly irregular.

DOOR

FRAME JOINT (BEAD1 RABBET MITRED)

The interior of the upper section will look better if the sharp inside angles are eliminated. Therefore it is a good idea to support the shelf or shelves on triangular blocks or fillets fitted into the corners. These blocks are inserted both below and above the shelves, and can be cut conveniently from lengths of 4" x 4" material. The upper shelf should be shaped at the front and screwed firmly in position. The crown moulding is mitered at 67½  degrees and held with glue and nails at the bottom and glue-blocks at the top.

The glazed doors are made up with frames beaded on the inner edge and tenoned through— the bead being mitered and the back rabbeted ¼” for the glass. The temporarily assembled frame is then marked out for glazing bars. These bars are plain and very simple to make from ¾" square stock rabbeted into T-shape. Their ends are mitered into the rabbet of the frame and extend into the body about ½ ".

The glass can be held either with glazier's points and putty or by ¼" triangular strips of wood bradded in place. Mitered at the corners, these strips make a neater job than the putty. The door closing edge needs no rabbet, but a ¼" strip should be glued and pinned to the closing stile, and a key lock is recommended here, or a knob and interior turnbutton.

B. BUILT-IN FURNITURE

The distinction between fixed and movable pieces may not be as simple as it appears. Ordinarily, a piece of built-in furniture, such as a cupboard or a set of shelves, is fitted into a certain space and is permanently attached to walls or partitions so that each becomes a part of the other. Walls and ceilings may form an essential part of the unit, and there is no objection to this provided the structure is definiely intended to be permanent. However, in many houses today, there is a likelihood of them changing hands sooner or later, and if the unit has to be remodeled or dismantled the walls may be seriously damaged in the process.

Therefore, in most cases it pays to consider just how far this process of building-in should be carried. One alternative is to construct the unit so that it needs no permanent and firm attachment to the surrounding fabric. Another is to build the piece as a complete unit in itself, designing it to fit the available space. Needless to say, the permanently attached unit is the cheapest to construct, under ordinary conditions. But, the most important point to remember is that house interior walls usually are not flat and the angles rarely a perfect 90 degrees. As a result no lines or measurements can be taken for granted and everything must be fitted individually. Thus, while considerable material is saved, much time is consumed in construction.

One of the most important operations in fitting the parts is "scribing." This consists of using a pair of dividers or compasses to trace the actual devia­tions of a wall from the perfectly flat and mark them upon the wood member that must rest against the surface. Actually, scribing is a simple matter of drawing one leg of the open dividers along the wall surface, while the other point moves along the top of the wood. This indicates directly on the edge of the wood the actual variations in the wall sur­faces. If you then saw the wood along this line, the two surfaces will make contact the entire length of the wood. This is important in getting maximum support and rigidity from the member attached to the wall. The same system can be used to make skirts, or plinths to fit snugly to baseboards, etc.

Variations in angles have to be measured directly, and the piece made to conform instead of trying to force a right-angled frame into a corner several degrees out of square.

Equally important with these points is the proper attachment to structural members and not merely to plaster or wallboard surfaces. Conventional walls contain 2" x 4" studs spaced 19" apart on centers, and it is to these studs that supporting parts of the furniture should be attached. The location of the stud can often be detected by tapping the wall, and its presence verified by driving a thin finishing nail through plaster and lath. The same method can be used to find ceiling joists, but it is better where possible to locate those joists from above and poke a nail through along side the joist.

In attaching to brick or brick plastered over, wood or fiber plugs should be used, inserted where possible into the mortar joints. If screws are used, so much the better. In hollow walls, where attach­ment cannot be made to studs, it may be possible to employ toggle bolts. Here, especially, the struc­ture must be solid and immovable so that there will be no tugging or vibrating against the laths.  Such stresses, especially those caused by swinging and slamming doors, will bend the laths and crack the plaster.

All of these built-in pieces call for something much more than rough carpentry. The supporting pieces should be of proper dimensions, planed smooth, and fitted with precision. The joints, too, should be those used in cabinet making, and the parts put together in the same manner and with equal care.

The ideal system therefore is to design the struc­ture and plan the work so that much of it can be done in the shop and only that necessary to fit it to the space need be performed on the site. The various pieces illustrated are designed with these facts in mind.

RECESSED BOOKSHELF CUPBOARD

Figure I: One of the simplest of built-in units is the bookshelf-cupboard applied to a doorway re­cess. Here you have the door frame to use as part of the structure, though the door, if paneled, is better replaced.   In Fig. I such an arrangement is shown with all the new units inside the recess. The doorway has a simple architrave, though a more elaborate one might be just as successful. To get a maximum depth (8") and a plain back, the door has been replaced with a sheet of plywood. In other cases the paneled door might have a sheet of ¼" ply fastened over it to get the same effect. To ensure the least possible damage to the sur­round, the whole thing is lined with ⅝" boards which come within ⅝" of the face of the architrave. This lining consists of three pieces of ⅝" board assembled with the four shelves, the bottom one leaving space for the cupboard beneath it. The shelf measurements are made with the three pieces held tightly in position. With the lining pieces at the sides, the three upper shelves can have adjust­able supports. The bottom one, forming the top of the cupboard, is best screwed to ¾ x ¾" supports. With the shelf section fitting snugly in the opening, the cut-out edges of the shelves and soffit and the rail over the doors are fitted exactly for width and fastened with finishing nails to the edges of the shelf and lining boards.

The door frame is completed with a pair of 1½ " stiles on which the two doors are hung. These doors reach to the floor, but if the floor is too uneven to permit of them opening freely, a narrow rail also can be fitted across the bottom and the doors short­ened to correspond.

CORNER CUPBOARD

Figure II: A built-in corner cupboard, as shown, constitutes a slightly more complicated problem. Something fairly substantial is needed to secure the front stiles and the head. The long sides must be held firmly against the walls at all points, and this calls for a solid backing. Undoubtedly the best looking job is secured by providing a wooden back to the shelves. Furthermore the 90-degree corner in the wall does not look well when framed by the woodwork. Much better appearance is secured by putting in a built-in wide board across that corner. If this is done, the shelves and their back boards can be assembled as a unit, and the front frame applied afterward. Exact fit therefore is most im­portant for the shelf unit, but the front frame must be finished on the job to hide any discrepancies, and cut to fit any irregularities of the walls.

The entire back boarding and the four shelves can be constructed as a unit, and propped in posi­tion, and the facing boards then fastened to it. But these boards must have a flat surface to seat against. This is provided by beveling off the front edge of the back boards, and fastening triangular strips to them, about 2½  inches wide.

If the back boards are brought down to floor level, they can be trimmed so that the whole struc­ture is a tight fit in the corner, and will need no further support than perhaps four nails, or screws, into the studs nearer the front edge.

The facing boards and arch are made in four pieces—two stiles carried up to the spring of the arch, and the arch cut in two at its vertical center. All these are simple flush butt joints, the upright edges being screwed to the triangular back strips. The center joint will call for a horizontal strip across the front of the inside assembly to which it can be firmly screwed. This member, possibly a 1" x 3", is let into the triangular side pieces and screwed into the edges of the back boards.

DOOR-FLANKING BOOKCASE

Figure III: A different set of problems is en­countered in flanking a door with a pair of book­cases, as Fig. III. The whole structure is unified by carrying the frieze piece right across the doorway. The only drawback to this arrangement is that it tends to make a room look shorter. If this is objec­tionable, the center part of the frieze is best left out.

Apart from the frieze, this design consists of two separate but similar units built into two corners. Ordinarily, no wood back is needed. The walls form the back and one end of each, and only the inner end is of wood. In such a case it would be necessary to provide a strip down the angle of the wall to support the shelves, unless everything was attached directly to the walls. However, a much better arrangement is to install a board at both ends of the shelves, minimizing the danger to walls, and making the whole unit self-supporting. In a caselike this you can make each set of shelves and end boards as a unit, place them in position, and then add the fascia board, stiles, and door frames. Theend stiles are probably the only pieces that will have to be fitted to the walls by scribing. All four rails should be tenoned into the stiles, and these assembled and placed, temporarily, in position, be­fore the frieze piece is cut out.

In most cases, the frieze, 10 inches or so deep, will have to be in more than one piece to span the room. In such a case the joint should be centered over one of the doorway stiles so that both boards can be nailed to the edge of the shelf end board. Any such joint should be well made so that it will not show through paint. For a stained job it might be better to make the frieze in three sections, with a joint over each doorway stile, and the grain matched accordingly. The joints between stiles and frieze can be fitted last, and trimmed to suit the ceiling irregularities. The doors are not made until the rest of the work is completed and finally in­stalled.

THREE-UNIT COUNTER AND CUPBOARD

Figure IV: The kitchen or living room fixture shown in Fig. IV is properly three units tied together with one continuous board forming the counter top. As usual in this semi-permanent form of construction, end boards are used, but no back, except for the center open-shelf section. As customary, the end stiles are cut to fit the walls exactly and measure­ments made while they are held in position. The counter board is neatly fitted and the top finished because that cannot readily be done later.

The end stiles are notched into the front of the board, and are continuous from floor to ceiling. Otherwise the section below the counter board and that above it are entirely separate. A small piece of nosing carried across the two end stiles makes it look as though the counter board separates them also. Note that the center portion of the counter board is cut back a couple of inches.

With the stiles and counter board cut, and dimen­sions taken, the rest of the work can be done in the shop. Construction is simplified if end boards are used, extending the full height of the cabinet, and fastened to the ends of the counter top. Otherwise a frame of square-section material (prob­ably 2" x 2") will be necessary. The end boards should be dadoed for the counter top and the board that forms the floor of each cupbord.

The base is made first, with transverse boards separating the three sections. The cupboard rails are tenoned to the stiles and screwed to the counter top. In the end sections the stiles are fastened to the front edges of the transverse boards, and the stiles of the center section are screwed to those transverse boards farther back. When the base is finished as a unit, the upper sections are made.

The principal parts here, again, are the sides.

These two boards, reaching from the counter top to the ceiling, are dadoed for the cupboard bases. Both are set in position with the bases. Each cup­board frame is then assembled to the long stiles already in position and mortised for the horizontals. The fit to the ceiling here is not critical because an ogee or crown molding is used to cover that joint.

Finally, the cut-out frame of the center portion is made and mitered and trimmed down to fit snugly in the space. If a wooden back is used for the center section, it should be inserted first. The shelves in the center section are intended to be adjustable. Otherwise the inner sides of the end boards should be dadoed. The cut-out frame is best left plain, but may have its edges covered with a small moulding.

CLOSET AND DRESSING TABLE ALCOVE

METHOD OF FRAMING

Figure V: This indicates a neat way of providing a bedroom closet by combining it with a dressing table alcove.   Forming a complete unit across one wall, it does not appear to be an afterthought or a homemade addition. The main structure is a cup­board built on a pair of 2" x 2½ " frames tenoned together. The top members are carried across the full width of the room, eight inches from the top of the uprights into which they are half-lapped. These terminate in another pair of uprights connected by transverse rails top and bottom. The whole system of 2 x 2½ 's forms a rigid frame to which the facing boards are nailed or screwed. The bottom skirt board of the closet stiffens the whole door frame, besides hiding the bottom 2" x 2½ " rail by which it is attached to the floor. This and the ceiling and end boards may have to be scribed to the floor, ceiling, and wall surfaces. The dressing table counter is supported on cleats, and may have shelves beneath it. Above is a large mirror. The cased sides of this space may be cut away and recesses provided for lights or shelves or both. The top likewise can be cut away for a fluorescent tube, either open or covered with ground glass. The door surround should be rabbeted to keep out dust.

CORNER SEAT

CORNER SEAT DETAILS

Figure VI: A unit that is best built entirely into the corner is the seat in Fig. VI. This unit is compara­tively large and not likely to fit anywhere else. Moreover, it must be quite rigid. The two end pieces are made of heavy wood, two inches thick, and cut out of one pieces. They can be dadoed for the seat members, or have a cleat screwed to them. In the former case, the seat support (a pair of 1" x 3" longitudinals) would be tenoned into a short 2" x 3" which in turn would fit in the dado. This would be fastened with screws from the inside.

The seat frame would be made up of 2 x 3s, with another 2x3 running along the floor, a transverse stiffener and a pair of legs every four feet or so. The stiffener would be tenoned into the longitudinals, and the legs tenoned into the seat rail. The front leg would also tenon into the floor rail, but the rear one would rest on the floor and be carried up to form an attachment for the back rest.

At the seat corner, the two pairs of longitudinals would tenon into one another, with legs in each angle, and a back support. The back should have a slope for comfort. This can be provided by pieces sloping inward a couple of inches from the tops of the posts.

Details depend upon the method of upholstering. The seat and back can very well be covered with ⅜" to ⅝" plyboard, depending on the stiffness required. The front of the seat frame also could be boxed in with plywood, and it would add to com­fort if it sloped inward a couple of inches toward the floor.

The back support can be either a sheet of ply­wood laid in at an angle behind the rear seat board, or composed of heavy supports attached to an upward extension of each rear leg, plus a top longitudinal. In the latter case webbing stretched between the supports, horizontally and vertically, would carry any upholstery. The alternative would be to pad the plywood.

In either case the top of the seat would be fin­ished off with a strip of 1" x 2" with its front edge rounded completely off, as shown. This forms a cap­ping for the legs and back board.

The most difficult part of this structure is the rounded corner. This calls for a top rail blocked out to take three pieces of plywood tapered toward the bottom. Padding on top of these changes the three flat surfaces into a continuous curve.   If the webbing system is used, the corner can be filled in with a curved rail for the webbing attachment.

DOUBLE BUNKS, DETACHED

Figure VII: In contrast to the foregoing, the simplest type of built-in bed is that shown in Fig. VII Actually it is not built-in but is firmly attached because it is tall and cannot be taken apart. Nor­mally such a bed, if 2' 6" wide or over, will stand of its own weight, especially if made of a heavy wood such as maple or oak. However, it can be made narrower with safety if attached in some manner to the floor or wall. The construction is obvious from the drawing, consisting of 3" x 3" legs, with sides and ends of the bunks firmly tenoned in. A removable guard rail slips over the edge of the upper bunk. Slats are used to support the mat­tress. A much more ambitious form of this double bunk is that shown in Fig. VIII.

DOUBLE BUNKS, ATTACHED

Figue VIII: Here the whole frame is made of 1" x 3" boards, with lapped or rabbeted joints, strongly glued and screwed. The wider horizontal pieces are tenoned with the edges of the corner boards. These edges touching the ceiling can be scribed and shaped, but the corners in contact with the wall cannot. They need to be firmly screwed through to the wall studs after the complete struc-ure is assembled and fitted into position. A board forms the base of both beds. If laths are used, a strip of 1" x 1" can be inserted in each side corner to space them apart from the bottom board. This unit is intended to be painted all over so that no joints or end grain are visible.

DIVAN WITH DRAWERS

Figure IX. For a bed-sitting room this divan serves a dual purpose, and is simple to make. The base consists of a box containing three drawers. The whole is made of ¾" boards. The top and bottom (made up of three boards glued together) are secret (lapped dovetailed into the ends, and the par­titions tenoned into both.   It will pay to make a small lip all around the upper surface to hold the mattress or spring cushion in place.

If this unit is screwed to the floor, any skirting board should be removed first. Since the box por­tion is open at the back, the ends can be cut to fit over the baseboard. With no movement possible between the box and wall, no other support is needed for the cushions. But if the box is not attached, a light frame should be screwed to the back of it to hold the cushions while the piece is not in use as a bed.

CLOSET-BUNK-DESK

Figure X: This combined closet, bunk, and desk is built on the same principles as Fig. V, but the bed section will need a stiffer frame, say 2" x 3". Here, beveled t&g boards are used for facing. The depth of the frieze board will depend upon the height of the room, but the head room over the bunk is best left open.

The main unit of the frame consists of the two transverse frames supporting the bottom of the bunk and joined by rails carrying it at the sides. All these joints are tenoned, and the uprights are let into horizontals, top and bottom, that go the full width of the room.   Normally, the bunk would not be more than 2 6",back to front, but the desk shelves would be much shallower. This would leave a secret space behind the shelves which might be got at through a loose panel at the head of the bunk, or by doors in the backs of the shelves. With the substantial framing used, there need be few points of attachment to the walls, ceiling, and floor.

CABINET TABLE FOR CORNER BEDS

Figure XI: This illustrates a commonly used fixture that serves to fill in the corner space between two beds placed along adjacent walls. It is best made of plywood, but butt-jointed boards, glued, will do. Since the unit has no bottom it is easily assembled with screwed and glued corner blocks. The door hinges to the edge of the side and closes against the other edge, both edges being cut at 45 degrees to match the angle of the corner.

The two flat tops are let into the rabbeted edges of the sides and back.  The lower top also is cut away to fit tightly against the inner faces of the two partially open sides. If plywood is used, any end grain can be covered with flat strips of wood. The three edges visible around the open front should be so covered if they are plywood.

LOWER TOP DETAIL-CABINET TABLE FOR CORNER BEDS

TWIN BEDS WITH BOOKSHELF-DESK

Figure XII: Twin beds can be made into a neat unit by a bookshelf-desk as in Fig. XII. This again is not strictly a built-in piece, though it should be firmly attached to the wall or floor. The bed units should be left free so that they can be swung aside for making, etc. The treatment here is modern with no decoration, but with strict attention to propor­tion. The lower part of the unit can be cased in, or recesses may be made so that the heads of the beds can be pushed back into them. The small book or writing shelf is fixed, and a pair of goose­neck lamps built in for individual night reading. All is of ¾" lumber, the rails tenoned into the uprights, and the shelves and bottoms dadoed into the ends and partitions.

SOFA WITH BOOKCASE AND END TABLES

Figure XIII: This is a somewhat similar device to Fig. XII, but adapted for a library or living room. The bookcase is shallow (seven inches or so) and car­ried on extensions of the end. In addition there are a pair of box-shaped ends in between which a sofa is intended to fit. These form end tables, and open in front as cupboards. Obviously, this piece must be built around some specific lounge or sofa, and the dimensions, particularly of the end pieces, must be determined by the bulk of the upholstered piece —they must not overpower it. Usually it is best, and most convenient, to make the shelves and ends separately, and secure them together below the bottom shelf and inside the ends, with detachable cleats.

WALL ANGLE CABINET WITH DRAWERS

Figure XIV: This is essentially a kitchen piece, adapted from the Shakers, which fits into any wall angle. It is made almost entirely from ¾" boards, complete with back and bottom, but no top. The back can very well be of ⅜" matchboarding since it has no structural purpose. The horizontal drawer dividers and top are dovetailed into the center and end boards. The two vertical corner boards of the upper section are slightly rabbeted to take the end boards.

The bottom board, below the drawers, is dove-tailed into the ends. Since there is no top to the cabinet, the inside angles of the front corners are best stiffened with long corner blocks, extending from one shelf to the other, as well as above and below them. These shelves should be dovetailed in to help keep the upper section square and rigid.

CORNER COUNTER WITH DROP TABLE

Figure XV: This is one corner of a kitchen counter with an idea for a drop table. Such counters, as a rule, need to be solidly built-in. They may be either framed or worked out of plywood or ¾" board. The best procedure is to set out the counter base, locating the partitions, and tying them together with fairly light longitudinals. The front bottom rail is set back a couple of inches to give toe room, and the drawers and bottom boards project level with the top rail. If the front and rear rails are connected by tenoned transverse rails, and the partitions set on these rails, there will be ample support on all sides for the bottom boards. The drop shelf shown is supported by a pair of butterfly brackets, hinged top and bottom to turn inwards. They are set far enough in so that the leaf fills the space without projecting beyond that point.

BATHROOM, KITCHEN OR BAR COUNTER

Figure XVI: Bathroom counters, as in Fig XVI, are constructed on the same lines as the kitchen counter described above. A plywood top is an advantage in letting in the washbowl, some styles of which have flanges that must be set on, not in, the lino­leum top. Finally there is the kitchen or bar counter that calls for a curved frame. This is usually open at the back and close-boarded in front. The princi­pal part of the frame therefore is that supporting the boards on the outside curve.

Several uprights are tenoned into 2" thick top and bottom rails. The curve is secured by making the rail from a wide piece of wood and curving that flat piece. The rails remain square but follow the line of the curve. The toe clearance is provided by mounting the bottom curved rail on a thicker rail made in sections and cut to the same curve. Fairly narrow and thin lapped boards are used to cover the front of the bar, and the top is made to project an inch or more beyond it.

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