Chapter V: Introduction (2)

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

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

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

VII.—HINGES AND LOCK.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With the large brush put on one coat of stain, remembering always to draw the brush in _one direction_ and _with the grain_ of the wood.

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

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

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

The small brush is handy for the shelves and corners.

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

VIII.—CURTAIN POLES.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IX.—BOOK-REST.

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

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

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

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

We will begin with the uprights for the front.

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

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

Now take another piece; square one end as nicely as possible (everything depends in this job on the neatness and accuracy of your work), measure seven and five eighths inches from squared end; cut off and square: you will have a stick seven and one half inches long. Make another like this from the piece left. These pieces we will mark _A_: they are the short uprights in diagram. Now cut two pieces twelve and one half inches long: square both ends; find exact middle, measure one fourth inch in each direction from middle and draw lines with square _across_ the stick. Right and left on the side faces (_not_ the one underneath), draw lines parallel with top face one fourth inch from it. These last lines show how deep you are to saw on the first two lines with cross-cut saw. With chisel remove the little piece one half by one half by one fourth. Take care not to cut the stick deeper than the lines indicate. The sticks will look like fig. 1. These are the cross bars, _BB_.

From another stick cut three pieces six inches long: square both ends; these are marked _CCC_; two belong to the back, and one for the front connecting _CC_. From short pieces left cut two pieces two and three fourths inches long, of course squaring the ends: these are _DD_, and go at side of front.

For uprights of back cut two pieces ten inches long: square ends. On a board or piece of paper mark on a line two points three and one half inches apart. From the right-hand point draw a perpendicular, the line connecting the two points being the base of a triangle. Lay one ten-inch stick from the left hand point to the perpendicular, making the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle. You will readily see how much of a bevel is required to make the lower end set firmly. It will probably be about one eighth of an inch; make the same bevel on the other ten-inch piece: these we will mark _EE_ (the uprights for the back). Bevel the lower ends of the three-pointed sticks (the uprights for front) in the same way. (_See base of fig. 2._)

On one front upright, measure two and three fourths inches from point on face _A_: cut out bit one half by one half by one fourth as in piece _B_. Repeat at eight inches; again at ten and five eighths inches from point of stick. This completes middle upright.

Now to return to pieces _EE_. On a board or paper mark in line three points three and one half inches apart. Hold beveled end of pointed upright on point one, so that a point _Y_ ten inches from bevel will be perpendicular to point two. Stand bevel end of _E_ on point three, so that the other end will rest against point _Y_. You will then see the bevel needed on upper end of _E_ to make it fit against point _Y_. It will be about an inch long.

Treat the other _E_ in the same way, taking care that both bevels start from same face of stick. Square end of new stick: cut off six inches and square again. At point three inches from end cut out bit one half by one half by one fourth, as in _B_. This is the stick _F_.

Cut two sticks ten inches long: square ends. These are _GG_.

The pieces are all cut out; now of course you had more whitewood than these measures, but it is so cheap it seemed best to allow for mistakes, and the spoiling of two or three sticks in cutting bevels, etc. The bits left always come handy.

In putting the parts together you must be very careful. You will need some one-inch brads and some seven-sixteenths or three eighth ones also, and about two feet of brass spring wire, two French screws one inch long (slim ones), and two five eighths inch ones.

Take first the pointed piece for the middle of front: the one with the squares cut out of it: fit one of the _B’s_ into the upper place and the other into the lower one. Put piece _F_ into the middle slot; put two brads through each piece (_BBF_) and into the pointed one. Turn the whole over so the face _A_ is down.

Take two pieces marked _A_; with inch-brads fasten pieces _D_ endwise, so that upper face of _D_ will be two and one eighth inches from end of _A_.

Place one _A_ between the two _B’s_ on the right of pointed stick with _D_ pointing to the right; you will find that the end of _F_ touches _A_ at a point two and one eighth inches from the bottom, so that _F_ and _D_ divide _A_ plus one half inch (eight inches) into thirds.

Place the other _A_ and _D_ facing just opposite on the other side of pointed stick. You will find that the ends of the _A’s_ touch the _B’s_ at a point half-way between the end of _B_ and the pointed piece. Secure in position with inch-brads.

Place one of the other pointed sticks to the right, the other to the left of ends of _B_ and _D_, and fasten so that the end of upper _B_ is two and one half inches from point, and _D_ two and one eighth inches from upper _B_ and lower _B_ _slightly_ over two inches from bottom of bevel. In placing these two pointed pieces _be sure_ and have the face _a_ (_fig. 2_) down.

Now for the back. Take the pieces marked _E_; measure two and five eighth inches from upper ends; fasten one of the pieces _C_ by the ends to these points, and the second _C_ at a point a _little_ over two inches from bottom.

Fasten upper beveled ends of the _E’s_ to backs of points _x_ (_see picture_) with short brass screws and a couple of brads.

Next take pieces _G_, and measure two and three fourth inches from end: bore holes large enough to admit long screws; with brads fasten third _C_ at points one and one half inches from ends of _G_, and one and one fourth inch from holes. (This is to support the book.) Then screw _G_’s directly under _B_ and _A_, the long ends directed backward. You will find the seven-inch ends will touch the lower part of pieces _E_ about one half inch from bottom. Fasten with brads.

These two pieces (_G_) serve to keep the back from spreading away from front and make the rest strong enough to support quite a heavy book.

This is really a very simple thing to make, for the lines are all straight, and if you are careful in cutting, fitting and joining, you will feel paid for the trouble.

X.—BOOK-REST. (_Continued._)

YOU now have the book-rest all put together ready for finishing. The first thing now to do is to sandpaper it. For this you must buy some (o) or (oo) sandpaper, and go over the whole thing, being careful not to round the corners. You can accomplish this by stretching a piece of sandpaper over one of the little bits that remained after cutting: this will make a flat, firm surface, and will not be so liable to round the edges as if stretched over your thumb.

Before staining, you must make the brass springs to hold the leaves back.

Cut six and one half inches of your spring wire, (which should be about one sixteenth of an inch in diameter.) At a point five eighths of an inch from end, bend the wire into a right angle; two and one fourth inches from that point give the wire a turn round a small nail, or piece of telegraph wire (you cannot turn it evenly with your fingers alone); this is to give the wire a spring, and will enable you to lift the end of the wire on to the leaves of the book. Now turn the end of the wire in so as to make a rounded end. It will then look like _fig. 1_.

Make another spring exactly like this one: then cut off a piece five and one half inches long, bend to a right angle at a point five eighths of an inch from end. Then at a point two inches from angle, give the wire a turn as in the other set, and turn the end in. Make a second one like this of the remaining piece of wire.

To fasten these springs on to the rest, you must bore a hole one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter through the sides of the two _end uprights_, at a point just below the end of piece _D_. Insert the five eighth inch ends of the larger set of springs into these holes, from the outside. You will find that you can lay the springs back when not in use, and that you can turn them out and lift the ends over the edges of your book, so as to keep the pages down when you do need to use them.

The smaller set can be fastened in the same way under lower _B_ or under _G_ if you prefer, at a point near the lower ends of _A A_.

If you are going to stain the book-rest, it is better to do it before fastening in the springs.

I think ebony stain goes best, and as you can make it yourself, it would perhaps be cheaper.

First you must get some logwood chips (about a teacupful); after boiling them in a pint of water for an hour or so, apply with an old brush (not the chips, but the decoction you have made by boiling the chips!). You can put on two or three coats of this, letting it dry each time.

The next part will perhaps be the hardest. Get some iron rust or old iron filings, put these in strong vinegar or acetic acid and let it stand a day or two; if by this time the liquid is not of a reddish-black color, add more iron rust.

After the two or three coats of logwood, your wood will be of a dark yellow color, but this will immediately turn to a fine black when you apply the iron. Only one coat of this is needful, because it does not soak in. You might try the logwood and the iron on a small bit of wood first, and then you will see if the solution of iron is strong enough for a good black.

When the book-rest is _perfectly_ dry, rub on some thin shellac with a soft cloth: this will make the dull finish now considered so desirable.

This book-rest is very convenient to use round the house at home, and is, as you have seen, very easy to make: but it as an awkward thing to pack away in a trunk if you are going into the country, for instance, or are travelling.

You may like to make another, if you have been successful with this one, and this time you can make it with hinges, so as to fold up compactly, by making the following alterations:

The front will be the same and the back also, with the exception of the uprights _E E_, being hinged instead of screwed on to upper _B_.

The two _G’s_ must have a one fourth inch hole bored one fourth of an inch from the back end, and a corresponding one bored through _E_ about an inch from the bottom; these holes are for pins, on which the _G’s_ may turn.

Instead of the six-inch _C_ which joins the two _G’s_ at a point one and one half inches from outer end, there should be two pieces seven inches long fastened with brads, at points respectively three inches and six and one half inches from outer ends of _G_. The piece six and one half inches from end _can_ be left out—though it looks neater with it—but the back will shut closer without it.

Now put the peg through the _G’s_ and into the _E’s_.

Draw the back of the book-rest from the front, put ends of _G’s_ through the spaces bounded by pieces _A_, _B_ and _D_, and you will find that the _G’s_ rest in the corners made by _A_ and _B_.

When you want to shut up the book-rest, you must draw the _G’s_ out, and turn them away from front on to the back of the _E’s_, and then shut the _E’s_ up on to the _A’s_ as in figure.

I don’t think this quite as pretty as the fixed book-rest, and there are of course other ways of changing the original plan which would be more ornamental; but this is very easy and will answer the purpose. You will find it good fun and good practice to experiment on changes in any of the designs given, after you have mastered the simple forms and the plain directions given in these papers.

XI.—A BED TABLE.

THE accompanying figure shows you a very useful but rather peculiar piece of furniture quite simple to make; if you are ever ill in bed yourself or any one in the family is obliged to lie in bed and have meals brought to them, I think you will say it is a handy thing to have instead of a waiter that joggles and tips on one’s lap in the bed, instead of even a table at the side of the bed that compels one to twist round uncomfortably in order to reach.

It explains itself, almost; but a few directions and dimensions will help you.

As you can see, it is a tray with legs to set over the lap in bed, with a rim to keep things from sliding off, and is light enough to be carried by the side handles; a tempting breakfast for the invalid can be arranged neatly upon it instead of a waiter.

It can be made of any kind of wood, but black walnut is as pretty as any and enough can be bought for it, for about fifty cents.

You will need two boards, each two feet long; one should be one foot wide and one half inch thick, the other one and a half foot wide and one half inch thick.

Take the first one; plane nicely, being careful to have the ends and edges square. Set this aside for the top of tray.

Plain one edge of second piece (the one and one half feet wide); with splitting saw cut off strips twenty-four inches long by four inches wide: square ends and plane edges of piece left. Measure one foot from end, square and cut off. You will have two pieces alike for the ends or legs, and one strip two feet long, four inches wide, for back.

Round off one edge of top (the piece two feet long by one foot wide) with small plane, and sandpaper smooth. Take two side pieces; find points nine inches from bottom and respectively four and eight inches from side of leg; bore holes with largest bits, split out piece between, enlarge and smooth with gouge or knife to fit the hand. These are to slip the fingers through to hold the tray.

Draw a line parallel with, and ten inches from, bottom of legs and fasten one leg on either end of the two foot by one foot piece, using three one inch screws for each leg.

Fit the back piece neatly on to square edge of top and fasten with four screws; put a screw on upper corner of each of the sides, through into end of back to make it steadier.

If the corners of the sides are rounded as in picture, it will look a little better.

You can make this bed table even more useful by attaching a simple book rest which will be a great comfort to an invalid who is able to read yet finds it fatiguing to hold a book.

Cut two pieces one quarter inch thick, one wide and seven inches long, and one piece nine inches long; one half inch from bottom of the two seven inch pieces, bore holes large enough for seven-eighths inch screws to play in.

One half from ends of nine inch piece, make some smaller holes, and also two holes one inch from top of back (on inside) and eight inches apart.

Screw ends of seven inch pieces into these holes and the nine inch piece into the other ends of the seven inch pieces; of course the screws must play easily. When not in use the rack will fold over and lie inside the back as shown by dotted lines.

To keep the book from slipping forward insert two movable pegs about three and a half inches apart in front of middle of back.

XII.—CABINET.