BROAD SURFACE PLANING

CUTTING HOARD

This is a simple exercise in broad surface planing. Procure the material 7/8" x 6" X 13". Plane to the required size, following the rules for planing in three dimensions, step B. A choice of four designs is offered on the drawing. The curve in the working drawing is made with compasses, sawed out with the turning saw and smoothed with the spoke shave. The other designs show simpler treatments. Locate the holes as shown. Remember to bore only until the spur shows thru. Then reverse the wood, finishing the boring from the opposite side. Be sure all surfaces are clean and smooth. No stain or shellac should be used on this project.

NARROW SURFACE PLANING

PENCIL POINTER

This article is used to put the final point on a newly sharpened pencil.
First procure the wood, 3/8"X 1 1/2"X 8" and plane it to the proper thickness, width and length, following the steps in Planing.—(First Method) or (Second Method).
The workman may use the outline for the handle shown on the drawing, or he may design a suitable outline for himself. The handle should be kept symmetrical in outline.
I f the outline shown on the drawing is followed; first, draw the center line, upon which
the hole is located and bored. Next draw off" the taper and plane carefully to the line. All surfaces should be cleaned with sandpaper. The No. O sandpaper shown on the drawing is cut from the larger sheets. Ordinarily sandpaper is torn to size, and not cut, as it may be plainly seen that it would ruin the cutting edge on any tool. In this case an old knife may be used to prepare the paper, as a smooth edge is desired. The paper is glued to the wood with a very thin coat of glue. The handle may be decorated with a stencil design or simple carving.

PLANING TO DIMENSIONS

There are several ways of planing the pieces of wood contained in a project. When the project is a simple one, there are two common sets of steps that may be used. The first is used when the wood for the project is furnished mill-planed to the finished thickness. The second is used when the wood is furnished thicker than the finished dimension. The first set of steps is generally used in most elementary work, on simple objects. It is also followed by the workman who is making very large objects, such as bookcases, large cabinets, etc., when the large surfaces are planed very carefully by machinery to save labor. In such large projects the joints and intricate work are finished before the surfaces are dressed off by hand. In no case is it considered desirable from the viewpoint of a skilled workman to allow machine marks to show on the finished article, whether it is large or small. If one will examine furniture of various types, it will be found that only that which is very inferior shows any machine marks on the surfaces.

TOOLS AND THEIR USES

Knowledge of Tools.—A knowledge of tools and their uses is the first and most important requirement. The saw, the plane, the hatchet and the hammer are well known to all boys; but how to use them, and where to use the different varieties of each kind of tool, must be learned, because each tool grew out of some particular requirement in the art. These uses will now be explained.
A Full Kit of Tools.—A kit of tools necessary for doing any plain work should embrace the following:

1. A Hatchet.
2. A Claw Hammer—two sizes preferred.
3. Cross-cut Saw, 20 inches long.
4. Rip Saw, 24 inches long.
5. Wooden Mallet.
6. Jack Plane.
7. Smoothing Plane.
8. Compass Saw.
9. Brace.
10. Bits for Brace, ranging from ¼ inch to 1 inch diameter.

THE BEST WOODS FOR THE BEGINNER

In this place consideration will be given to some of the features relating to the materials to be employed, particularly with reference to the manner in which they can be worked to the best advantage, rather than to their uses.

The Best Woods.—The prime wood, and the one with which most boys are familiar, is white pine. It has an even texture throughout, is generally straight grained, and is soft and easily worked. White pine is a wood requiring a very sharp tool. It is, therefore, the best material for the beginner, as it will at the outset teach him the important lesson of keeping the tools in a good, sharp condition.

Soft Woods.—It is also well for the novice to do his initial work with a soft wood, because in joining the parts together inaccuracies may be easily corrected. If, for instance, in mortising and tenoning, the edge of the mortised member is not true, or, rather, is not "square," the shoulder of the tenon on one side will abut before the other side does, and thus leave a crack, if the wood is hard. If the wood is soft there is always enough yield to enable the workman to spring it together. Therefore, until you have learned how to make a true joint, use soft wood.

HOW TO MAKE A MORRIS CHAIR

The stock necessary to make a morris chair of craftsman design as shown in the engraving can be purchased mill-planed and sandpapered on four sides as given in the following list:

• 4 posts 1-3/4 by 3 by 26 in.
• 2 front and back rails 7/8 by 5-1/2 by 24 in.
• 2 side rails 7/8 by 5-1/2 by 28 in.
• 2 arm pieces 7/8 by 5-1/2 by 37 in.
• 7 slats 3/8 by 2 by 24 in.
• 2 cleats 1 by 1 by 22-1/2 in.
• 2 back stiles 1 by 2-1/2 by 24-1/2 in.
• 2 back rails 1 by 2 by 17 in.
• 3 back slats 3/8 by 1-1/2 by 19 in.
• 1 back support 3/4 by 3/4 by 24 in.
• 2 support rests 1 by 1-1/2 by 8-1/2 in.
• 2 dowels 1/2 in. diameter, 6 in. long.

HOME-MADE MISSION CHAIR

Suitable for Dining Room Use

Details of Chair Construction

A mission chair suitable for the dining room can be made from any one of the furniture woods to match the other articles of furniture. The materials can be secured from the planing mill dressed and sandpapered ready to cut the tenons and mortises. The material list can be made up from the dimensions given in the detail drawing. The front legs or posts, as well as the back ones, are made from 1-3/4-in. square stock, the back ones having a slope of 2 in. from the seat to the top. All the slats are made from 7/8-in. material and of such widths as are shown in the detail. The three upright slats in the back are 3/4-in. material. The detail drawing shows the side and back, the front being the same as the back from the seat down. All joints are mortised in the posts, as shown. The joints, however, can be made with dowels if desired. If making dowel joints they must be clamped very tight when glued and put together. The seat can be made from one piece of 7/8-in. material, fitted with notches around the posts. This is then upholstered with leather without using springs. Leather must be selected as to color to suit the kind of wood used in making the chair. The seat can also be made with an open center for a cane bottom by making a square of four pieces of 7/8-in. material about 4 in. wide. These pieces are fitted neatly to the proper size and dowelled firmly together. After the cane is put in the opening the cane is covered over and upholstered with leather in the same manner as with a solid bottom.

RUSTIC CHAIRS AND SEATS

Fig. 46.—Armchair.

 

For the armchair (Fig. 46) select four slightly curved legs about 3 in. in diameter; the front pair are 2 ft. high and the back pair are 2 ft. 9 in. high. The front seat rail is 1 ft. 2 in. long by 2½ in. in diameter, the back rail is 1 ft. long, and the side rails are 1 ft. 3 in. long, their ends being trimmed to fit the legs, and fixed with inserted ash or elm dowels ⁷/8 in. in diameter; see Fig. 47. The height from the ground line to the seat top is 1 ft. 4½ in. The battens forming the seat rest on the side rails, and cleats are fixed to the inner sides of the four legs (see Fig. 48) to support the extreme back and front battens. The arms and back are made in three parts, the scarfed joints coming immediately over the back legs. The trellis work is then added, and finally the struts and dentils are fixed around the seat. The chair can be made from unbarked wood without any dressing, or the bark may be removed and the wood, when dry, can be finished in stain and outside varnish.