St. Nicholas/Volume 32/Number 1/Practical Boy

by Joseph H. Adams

THE PRACTICAL BOY.

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By Joseph H. Adams.

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I. Carpentry

Introduction.

Among the applied arts and crafts, carpentry yields to none in importance.

One of man’s first instincts was that of shelter, and all through the ages the development of construction has been undergoing its evolution until our present methods bear little resemblance to the ancient.

The boy who is interested in carpentry can have many hours of pleasure with his tools and materials, and the average boy, we believe, is interested in the craft, at least to some extent.

The object of this article is to persuade the young craftsman to work systematically and accurately, and to understand the possibilities and limitations of tools; not to use a chisel for a screw-driver, of to drive nails with the butt-end of a plane, or to use a tack-hammer to drive a tenpenny nail when a larger hammer is within easy reach. These and other things have to be learned by experience or by watching others, and when the lessons have been learned and the proper care is taken and judgment exercised, it will be possible for the boy to make a great many useful things for his own amusement and for the convenience and pleasure of others,

On the subject of tools themselves it enough to say that they should always be taken good care of and never misused; for, inanimate though they are, they resent misuse and retaliate by becoming dull and useless.

I. The work-bench.

One of the indispensable things for the boy carpenter is a good work-bench on which to plane, join, and construct the smaller objects that will be made from time to time. The bench must be substantially made, and be provided with a planing-stop, a vise, and a drawer in which to keep small tools, nails, screws, and the various odds and ends that are employed in carpentry. To begin with, obtain for the legs four spruce or whitewood sticks three inches square and thirty-six inches long,

A Work-bench frame. planed on all sides. Then get two pieces of clear pine or whitewood three feet long and six inches wide, and two more the same length and three inches wide. These pieces should be one inch and an eighth thick and planed on all sides and edges. Lay two of the legs on the floor, three feet apart, and join the ends with one of the six-inch wide strips. Six inches up from the free lower ends fasten a narrow strip, as shown in Fig. 1, and as a result one of the end supports will be finished.

Flat-headed iron screws, two inches and a half long, should be used for the unions. A more secure joint can be had by using glue also.

Fasten the other legs and strips together in a similar manner, and with two pieces of clear pine or whitewood five feet long, eight inches wide, and seven eighths of an inch thick, bind the legs together as shown in Fig. 1, A, allowing the boards to project six inches beyond the legs at both ends. These pieces are the side rails or

Frame of the Work-bench. aprons, and they should be fastened with glue and screws to the upper end of each leg.

At the back of the bench arrange two braces of wood three inches wide and seven eighths of an inch thick, as shown in Fig. 1, A. Beveled laps are to be cut in the side of two legs, as shown in B of Fig. 1, into which the ends of the strips will fit flush. The upper ends of the strips are to be mitered and attached to the inside of the apron, as shown in Fig. 1, A.

For the top of the bench use clear pine planking not less than one inch in thickness; this should be fitted closely together and fastened to the crosspieces with stout screws.

From hard wood a piece should be cut for a vise-jaw thirty-two inches long, three inches wide at the bottom, and seven inches wide at the top (Fig. 2). Near the bottom of the jaw an oblong hole is cut to receive the end of a sliding piece, which, in turn, is provided with some holes for a peg. A corresponding oblong hole is cut near the foot of one leg, through which the piece containing the holes will pass, so that the whole vise-jaw can be kept nearly vertical no matter how thick the piece of wood to be clamped. The final position is shown in the finished bench. Near the top of the jaw a hole is cut to receive the screw that is turned with the lever-stick to tighten the jaw. A bench screw and nut can be purchased at almost any hardware-store and fitted to the work-bench; but if this fitting should be too much of an undertaking for a youthful workman, a carpenter will put it in place. The wood screws are cheapest, but those of steel are the most satisfactory. A small steel one will cost about a dollar.

From the apron at the front of the bench a piece should be cut fifteen inches long and six inches wide. This will admit a drawer of the same width and height and as deep as desired, although twenty-four inches will be quite deep enough. Rabbets are cut in the ends of a front piece, and sides are let into them, as shown in Fig. 3. The bottom and back are fastened in with screws, and the drawer is arranged to slide on runners that are fastened across the bench inside the aprons, as shown in the upper corner of Fig. 1, A. At the front of the drawer a “core” may be cut and a thin plate of iron

The Finished Work-bench. screwed fast across the top of it, so that the fingers may be passed in behind the plate to pull the drawer out. A projecting drawer-pull must not be used, as it would interfere with boards when clamped in the vise. When planing strips or boards that are too long for the vise to hold securely, a wooden peg inserted in a hole at the opposite end of the apron from the vise will be found very convenient to support the end and relieve the strain on the vise. Two or three holes can be made for hoards of different widths.

A planing-stop with teeth can be purchased at a hardware-store and set in place near the vise-jaw, and the complete bench will then be ready for use.

II. A Tool-rack.

For the accommodation of chisels, small hammers, screw-driver, awls, compass-saw, pliers, and other handle tools, a tool-rack

will be a very convenient receptacle to fasten against the wall over the work-bench, Such a rack is shown below.

A Tool-rack.

This is thirty-six inches long and twelve inches high, with a ledge projecting two inches from the backboard, A leather strap is caught along the upper part of the board with nails to form loops, into which the tools are slipped.

A Tool-cabinet.

The ledge is made from two sticks; one of them, one inch and a half in width, is cut with a saw, and notches are cut with a chisel by removing the wood between the saw-cuts, as shown in Fig. 4. When all the notches are cut, the narrow strip, half an inch in width, is screwed fast to the notched stick, and with long screws the ledge is attached to the lower edge of the board.

III. A Tool-cabinet.

A very convenient tool-cabinet that will hang against the wall may be made with two doors of nearly equal size, so that there will be four instead of two surfaces against which to hang tools. The body of the chest is thirty inches high, twenty inches wide, and nine inches deep, outside measure, It is made of wood three quarters of an inch in thickness, fastened together with screws and glue, and varnished to improve its appearance, One side of the cabinet is but three inches and a half wide, and to this side the inner door is made fast with hinges, so it will swing in against a stop-molding on the opposite side, as shown at A in Fig. 5.

A small bolt on the door will fasten it in place when shut in, and on both sides of this door hooks and pegs can be arranged on which to hang tools. Inside the hack of the cabinet hooks and pegs can be arranged also, for saws, squares, and other flat tools, The outer door is provided with a side strip (B, Fig. 5) to take the place of the lacking part of that side of the cabinet, and when the doors are closed in and locked the appearance of the chest will be uniform, as shown in Fig. 5 on the opposite page.

Joints.

With a little careful planning and figuring it will not be a difficult matter to construct this cabinet and the doors so that they will fit

snugly and close easily. The doors will keep their shape better if made from narrow matched boards and held together at the ends with battens or strips nailed across the ends of the boards, as shown in C of Fig. 5. Two-inch wrought butts will be heavy enough for the hinges of the doors. Provide a cabinet lock at the edge of the outer door.

On the inside of the outer door some tool-pegs can be arranged, and near the bottom a bit-rack is made with a leather strap formed into loops as described for the tool-rack. Under each loop a hole is

Joints.bored in a strip of wood into which the square end of the bits will fit, so they will stand vertically and appear in an orderly row; for chisels a similar set of pockets can be made of wood.

IV. Joints.

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One of the first lessons to learn will be that of making wood joints; for no matter what object is to be made, its construction will require some joiner work. There are, of course, a great variety of joints employed in carpentry, but many of them would be too complicated for the boy carpenter.

The easiest joint to make is the straight or box joint, made by butting the end of a board against the edge of another and nailing or screwing them fast, as in C of Fig. 5.

Fig. 6 shows a lap-joint made by cutting away a portion of the wood on opposite sides of the ends which are to be joined, so that, when fastened, the wood will appear as a continuous piece. For corners and angles where a miter-box is not available the lap-joint is a very good substitute, and for many things it is stronger than the mitered joint, and much to be preferred.

Fig. 7 is another form of lap-joint, when the end of a strip is embedded in the surface of a stout piece of wood. This joint is very useful to the carpenter when making furniture, and for frame construction in general. Fig. 8 is a beveled lap-joint, and is used for timbers and posts under certain conditions where the joint can be strengthened by another piece of wood at one or two sides, Fig, 9 shows a tenon and mortise; the hole in the upright piece is the mortise,
A Low Bench. and the shaped end on the stick is the tenon. The shaped end should fit the hole accurately, and the joint is usually held with a pin or nails driven through the side of the upright piece and into the side of the tenon when embedded in the mortise.

The mortise-and-tenon joint is used extensively in framing; and for doors, window-sash, blinds, and in cabinet work it is indispensable, Fig. 10 is the mitered joint, and in narrow wood it is usually cut in a miter-box with a stiff back-saw, as it can be more accurately done than by the eye and with a plain saw. The mitered joint is employed for picture-frames, screens, moldings, and all sorts of angle-joints. Fig. 11 is the tongue-and-groave joint, and is cut on the edges of boards and some timbers that are to be laid side by side, such as flooring, weather. boards, and those to be used for partitions,

Fig. 12, A, is a rabbet, and is cut on the edges of wood where other pieces of wood fit into it, or where wood laps over some other material, such as glass or metal. The inner molding of picture frames is always provided with a rabbet, behind which the edge of the glass, picture, and backing-boards will fit. Fig. 12, B, is a rabbet-joint made with a rabbet and groove, and is a good one to employ for box corners, bottoms of drawers, and where the edges of two pieces of wood come together. Fig. 13 is the dovetail-joint used for boxes, drawer comers, chests, and sometimes in cabinet work where the corners are to be covered with moldings or edging strips. Fig. 13, A, is the straight dovetail employed in the cheap construction of small boxes for hardware, groceries, and other wares, and is, of course, the easier of the dovetail-joints to make.

V. A Low Bench.

Small benches are always very useful to work upon when sawing, nailing, and matching boards; and the uses to which benches can be put are too numerous to mention, for they are quite as useful about the house as they are for a part of the carpentry outfit.

The low bench is fifteen inches high and twelve inches wide, and the top is twenty-two inches long, The foot pieces are cut as shown in Fig, 14, and at the upper end at each side a piece is cut out to let in the side aprons. The aprons are three inches wide and seven eighths of an inch thick, and are held to the foot pieces with glue and screws. In the top a finger-hole is cut, so as to lift the bench easily.

V. A Step-bench.

From the details given above it will be an easy matter to make the step-bench shown on the next page. This is thirty inches high and fifteen inches wide. The top step is eight inches wide and the lower steps six inches.

VII. A Shoe-box.

A Shoe-box and seat is a useful piece of furniture in the bedroom. Two boxes purchased at a grocery-store can be made to serve the purpose,

A Step-bench. but to make a really strong affair the frame should be constructed of boards three quarters or seven eighths of an inch in thickness. A good size for the box is twenty-four inches high, fifteen deep, and sixteen wide; while the seal-box may be thirty inches long, and fifteen inches high and deep. These boxes are to be attached to each other with stout screws; and a back the length of the two boxes, having a rounded corner, is to be securely fastened to the rear of each box, as shown below in Fig. 15. In the shoe-box two shelves are screwed fast, and to the lower box a cover
A Shoe-box, showing construction. is arranged on hinges, so that it can be raised from the front. The back, seat, and top of the shoe-box can be covered with denim, under which a padding of hair or cotton will make a softer back and seat, The denim may be caught down, or “tufted,” with carriage-buttons, and string passed through holes made in the wood can he tied at the reverse side. Around the front and sides a valance of cretonne or denim may be gathered and hung from the top edge of the box and seat, fastened at the edge by gimp and tacks, Brass-beaded upholsterers’ nails driven at regular distances apart will present the best appearance. Where the valance at the edge of the shoe-box meets the seat, the fabric is to be divided, in order that it may be
A Shoe-box, covered. drawn to one side when taking out or replacing shoes, A coat of shellac or paint will cover the exposed parts of the woodwork not hidden by the upholstery goods.

VIII. A Shoe-blacking Box.

A convenient article and one easily made is a shoe-blacking box, as shown on the next page. It is twenty-four inches high and eighteen inches square, and the compartment is four inches deep. Four sticks two inches square and twenty-four inches long will form the legs. Each one should be cut away at one end for a distance of five inches, as shown in Fig. 16, so that when the sideboards are fastened to them the joints will be flush, Two sides of cach stick should be cut away to a depth of three quarters of an inch, and the small end of the stick may be tapered slightly. The sideboards,

A Shoe-blacking Box. of three-quarter-inch wood five inches wide, are screwed fast to the top of the legs.

A bottom sixteen and a half inches square is fastened inside the frame, where it is held in place with steel-wire nails driven through the lower edge of the sideboards and into the edge of the bottom all around. Four brackets are fastencd with screws at each side, under the side-boards, and a cover is hinged to the box; it is prevented from falling too far back by a chain attached to the under side of the lid and to the inside of the box. Over the front edge of the box bend a strip of zine, and tack it fast to both the inside and outside of the front board. This will prevent shoes from chafing the wood away, and is easily cleaned when muddied by dirty shoes.

A few thin coats of olive-green or light-brown paint will add to the appearance of this shoe-blacking box; and the owner should take pride in keeping it clean, and the brushes in good order.

IX. A Chair.

The construction of a chair is perhaps as interesting as anything in carpentry. and a plain chair like the one shown in the illustration can easily be made from soft or hard wood, the joints being all open and simple to cut, as you can see by looking carefully at the drawing. The legs are two inches square, the seat is sixteen inches square and eighteen inches high, and the back posts are thirty-six inches long. The front and back posts are cut out, as shown in Fig. 17, to receive the crosspieces that bind the legs and back together. These strips are two inches wide and three quarters of an inch thick. The side strips are two inches up from the floor, and the back one is four inches high, while that at the front is let into the rear of the posts, and its lower edge is eight inches from the floor. The seat is made
A Chair.from matched boards, and the back is ten inches wide, made from a single board, and all the joints are glued and screwed together. Chairs that are made in shops have the joints doweled or mortised and tenoned; but the lap-joint is much the easiest and strongest one to make if the cuts are accurately sawed, and if the cross-pieces fit the laps so snugly that a mallet is necessary to help drive the strips home. The seat and back of this chair can be covered with denim, leather, or other suitable fabric drawn over some curled hair or cotton that can be used for padding, and fastened down around the edges with large flat-headed tacks or upholstery nails. Shellac, varnish, or paint may be used to give the woodwork a good appearance, and when completed this chair will surely be the pride of the boy who made it.

X. A Table.

This is not so difficult as it might seem. When constructing a table, bear in mind that every joint should be made to fit accurately, or in a short time it will rack and become useless, just as a poorly made chair is soon consigned to the attic, the cellar, or the woodpile. The proportion and shape for a good strong table are shown in the illustration, and if well-seasoned wood, free from knots or sappy places, is employed, a good result can be counted on, if care is taken in the workmanship. For the legs obtain four sticks thirty-three inches long and two inches and a half square, From two sides, at the top end of each stick, cut the wood away for five inches to a depth of seven eighths of an inch; then cut two boards five inches wide and forty-two inches long and four more thirty inches long for the frame. Six inches from the uncut lower ends and chisel out laps from the inside of the legs, so that two of the thirty-inch lengths will fit into them, and with two long and two short boards unite the legs so that a frame thirty inches wide, forty-two inches long, and thirty-three inches high will be had. An under shelf can be made, as shown in the cut. The table-top extends over the framework for three inches all around, and it is made of narrow tongue-and-grooved boards driven together and screwed down to the band around the top formed by the thirty and forty-two inch boards,

A Settle.

To finish this top nicely, it can be covered with felt or some of the effective imitation leathers in old red, green, or brown shades, caught on the under side with ordinary tacks, and made fast on the edge with stout ornamental tacks,

XI. A Settle.

A comfortable settle for the piazza or yard can be made from pine, whitewood, cypress, or other wood that is at hand and easy to work.

A Coal and Wood Box. It is fifty-four inches long, eighteen inches wide, and the seat is eighteen inches above the ground. The sides are made from strips three inches wide and seven eighths of an inch thick, as shown in A of Fig. 18. The arms are twenty inches long, six inches broad at the front, and cut the shape of B in Fig. 18. The notches or laps cut in the rear posts are to let in the strips forming the back and lower brace to the settle. The joints should be made with screws rather than nails, as they hold better and do not work loose, Small brackets support the arms at the front corner posts, and an upright batten at the middle strengthens the back of the settle. A close inspection of the drawing will show the joints clearly and also show how the frame is put together. A few coats of paint will finish the wood nicely, or it may be stained and varnished if the wood has a pretty grain. Cushions and a sofa-pillow or two will add to the comfort of this commodious seat, which is a most useful piece of furniture at any time.

XII. Coal and Wood Box.

A combination box for coal and wood can be made from an ordinary box with the sides and one end cut down, as shown in the illustration; but a more serviceable one is made from boards seven eighths of an inch thick, planed on both sides, and the joints securely glued and screwed. The sides are twenty-six inches long and twelve inches high at the back, but at the front they are only four inches high, A back piece ten inches wide and twelve inches high is cut and fastened in place, and a front strip four inches high is also made fast with glue and long slim screws. A division board is placed in the middle of the box where the vertical line of screw-heads is shown, and a bottom ten by twenty-four inches is held in place with screws passed through the lower edge of the front, back, and sides, and into the edges of the bottom. A lid the width of the box is hinged to a cross-strip over the partition, and a handle at the lower end will make it easy to lift the lid, or the lid can be made to project an inch in front and so do away with the handle. Under the corners, blocks with the corners rounded off will act as feet, so as to raise the bottom of the box an inch or two from the floor. Thin

A Plant-box on the piazza rail.

stain and two coats of varnish will finish the woodwork on the outside, but on the inside a coat or two of asphaltum varnish will give it the best finish. Sticks of wood or kindling may be kept in the square receptacle, while under the lid can be kept at least two bucketfuls of coal. If the fuel-holder is used only at the open fire, logs may be stood on end in the square box, and kindlings may be kept in the covered half.

XIII. A Plant-box.

For growing plants and flowers, a plant-box for the piazza rail can be made and arranged as shown in the illustration, This can be very easily made from pine boards an inch thick, eight inches wide, and six inches deep, outside measure, and as long as desired to fill the spaces between posts. Straight joints or box-joints are made at the corners and fastened with screws, and the inside of the box is treated to several successive coats of asphaltum varnish to render it waterproof. Several small holes are bored in the bottom of the box to drain off surplus moisture, and the box and supports can be painted a color to match the trimmings of the house. To anchor the box, screw a board to the balustrade on which the inner bottom edge of the box may rest; and support the outer edge by means of braces attached firmly to the under side, and to the piazza floor, as shown in the illustration. Two small brackets nailed to the under side of the box and to the batten will hold the box in place and prevent it from slipping off the top of the batten. This is a necessary precaution to prevent the whole contrivance from falling in the event of its becoming dislodged at any time by the wind or by a possible jarring against the piazza rail.

XIV. A Suspended Settle.

A suspended settle is a very convenient piece of piazza furniture and not a difficult thing for the young carpenter to make. The corner posts are two inches and a half square, and the boards used in its construction are seven eighths of an inch thick and four inches wide, The seat is forty-two inches long and eighteen inches wide, and the back is fifteen inches high from the seat. The arms are cut as shown in B of Fig. 18, and securely screwed to the corner posts. The frame pieces supporting the seat-boards are let into the back and front posts, in which laps are cut as shown in Fig. 19, A and B, and securely fastened with flat-headed screws. Both the rail to which the backboards are attached, and the rear ends of the arms, are let into the corner posts and fastened with screws. The seat is suspended from the ceiling of the piazza by four chains, that can be purchased at a hardware-store, from a ship-chandler, or can be made by a blacksmith from iron three eighths of an inch in diameter. If it is not possible to obtain the chains, rope may be substituted, but it will not look as well. Two yokes bolted to the top of the back posts and eye-straps for the front posts will anchor the chains securely to the settle. The yoke is shown in Fig. 19, C, and the eye-strap in Fig. 19, D. A bolt passed through the top of the rear posts and the holes in the yoke will secure it firmly, and a nut will prevent it from slipping loose. Holes are made in the arms, and the eye-straps are passed down through them and attached to the front corner posts with screws, as shown in the illustration. The back of the settle is composed of

A Suspended Settle.

boards four inches wide and placed an inch apart, Cushions and pillows will complete this useful piece of furniture, that in the winter-time may be hung in a den or library.

The December article will show, with many illustrations, “How a Boy can Decorate His Room.” (See page 94.)