Free Furniture Plan Sitemap

01. SETTING UP SHOP - There are few occupations for pleasure or profit, as satisfying as working in wood. And this satis­faction is nowhere more fully realized than in shap­ing wood into things of beauty and utility that add charm and comfort to the home.

The material itself is pleasant to handle and easy to work; it is clean and tractable, and almost any­one with the slightest mechanical aptitude can acquire, without too much difficulty, the necessary skill. Such is the appeal of cabinet making, and the reason why so many take to furniture con­struction as a hobby or even turn it into a business.

02. TOOLS + EQUIPMENT - Bench.Of all the equipment necessary to the cabinet shop, the most important undoubtedly is the bench. Even in shops equipped with power tools here is where the actual fitting is done and the final touches put upon the parts as they are finished and assembled. Here, too, much of the marking, cutting, and planning is done, as well as the regular hand operations. The bench must be designed, located, and equipped with this in mind.

03. WOODS + ACCESSORIES - Before discussing the different kinds of wood, it is necessary to clear up a common point of confusion that arises from the arbitrary classification of woods by the lumber trade.

In the lumber business all woods that come from conifers, i.e., trees that have needles or scale-like leaves, are classed as softwoods, and all woods from broadleaved trees are called hardwoods. Note that in this connection both softwood and hardwood are spelled as one word.

04. CUTTING + JOINING - Ever/ piece of furniture is designed to serve a certain specific purpose and at the same time with­stand wear and tear and accidental damage. In properly designed pieces the normal stresses are distributed and the proportions of the members are calculated to withstand normal strain without being too bulky or heavy.

05. MAKING ARTICLES - 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.

06. FINISHING FURNITURE - There are two general types of finishes, classified according to whether they are transparent or opaque. The transparent finishes, designed to bring out the natural beauty of the wood are oil, water, and spirit stains, rubbed oil and wax finishes, shel­lacs, varnishes, and clear lacquer. The opaque coat­ings include paint and lacquer enamels.

07. DESIGNING FURNITURE - It is interesting to plan an odd piece for some special location or to serve some particular pur­pose, and, in the case of built-in units, it is nearly always necessary to plan or lay out the parts or units for the best effect. The aim should be to secure results that combine good workmanship with nice proportion and beauty of line. The essentials of good workmanship are sound construction and first-class finish, to professional standards. Sound construction involves accurate and strong jointing and design that ensures a proper distribution of stresses.

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