The Easiest Working Woods
: THE BEST WOODS FOR THE BEGINNERThe same thing may be said, relatively, concerning cherry and walnut. While cherry has a beautiful finishing surface, the blending contrasts of colors are not so effective as in walnut.
Oregon pine is extremely hard to work, owing to the same difficulties experienced in handling ash; but the finished Oregon pine surface makes it a most desirable material for certain articles of furniture.
Do not attempt to employ this nor ash until you have mastered the trade. Confine yourself to pine, poplar, cherry and walnut. These woods are all easily obtainable everywhere, and from them you can make a most creditable variety of useful articles.
Sugar and maple are two hard woods which may be added to the list. Sugar, particularly, is a good-working wood, but maple is more difficult. Spruce, on the other hand, is the strongest and toughest wood, considering its weight, which is but a little more than that of pine.
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Technical Designations
As all geometrical lines have designations, I have incorporated such figures as will be most serviceable to the boy, each figure being accompanied by its proper definition. <div> <table summary="Fig 146/147" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing=... The "odd Job" Tool
A most useful special tool, which combines in its make-up a level, plumb try-square, miter-square, bevel, scratch awl, depth gage, marking gage, miter gage, beam compass, and a one-foot rule. To the boy who wishes to economize in the purchase of too... The Angle Of Filing
By angle is meant the cutting position of the file. In Fig. 12, the lines B represent the file disposed at an angle of 12 degrees, not more, for a rip saw. For a cross-cut the angle of the file may be less. ... The Apophyges (pronounced Apof-i-ges)
Fig. 190 is also called the <em>scape</em>, and is a concaved type of molding, being a hollowed curvature used on columns where its form causes a merging of the shaft with the fillet. <div> <table summary="Fig 189/192" border="0" cellpadding="0" ... The Astragal
Fig. 186 shows the ankle-bone molding, technically called the <em>Astragal</em>. This form is round, and properly placed produces a good effect, as it throws the darkest shadow of any form of molding. <div> <table summary="Fig 187/188" border="0"... The Basis Of Moldings
Suppose we take the base type of moldings, and see how simple they are and then, by using these forms, try to build up or ornament some article of furniture, as an example of their utility. ... The Bead And Rabbet
A more amplified form of work is available where the rabbet plane is used with the beader. These two planes together will, if properly used, offer a strong substitute for molding and molding effects. Fig. 219 has both sides first rabbeted, as at A... 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 be... The Bowstring Girder
Only one other form of bridge truss need be mentioned here, and that is the <em>bowstring</em> shown in Fig. 240. In this type the bow receives the entire compression thrust, and the chords act merely as suspending members. ... The Casement (fig 195)
In this we have a form of molding used almost exclusively at the base of structures, such as columns, porticoes and like work. <div> <img src="/images/fig195.jpg" alt="Fig. 195. Casement." title="" height="170" width="187" /> Fig. 195. Casement. </di... The Cavetto
Fig. 187 is the cavetto, or round type. Its proper use gives a delicate outline, but it is principally applied with some other form of molding. ... The Chinese Saw
This saw is designed to saw with an upward cut, and the illustration (Fig. 24) shows the handle jutting out below the tooth line, in order to cause the teeth to dig into the material as the handle is drawn upwardly. Reference is made to these featur... The Claw Hammer
This is the proper tool for driving nails and for drawing them out. Habits should be formed with the beginner, which will be of great service as the education proceeds. One of these habits is to persist in using the tool for the purpose for which ... The Commercial Instinct
It is not enough that the boy should learn to make things correctly, and as a matter of pastime and pleasure. The commercial instinct is, after all, the great incentive, and should be given due consideration. It would be impossible, in a book of thi... The Compass
The compass is one of the original carpenter's tools. The difference between <em>compass</em> and <em>dividers</em> is that compasses have adjustable pen or pencil points, whereas dividers are without adjustable points. Modern work has brought refine... The Cymatium
Fig. 191 is the cymatium (derived from the word cyme), meaning wave-like. This form must be in two curves, one inwardly and one outwardly. ... The Direction Of Light
Now, in drawing, we must observe another thing. Not only does the light always come from above, but it comes also from the left side. I show in Fig. 132 two squares, one within the other. All the lines are of the same thickness. Can you determine by... The Draw-knife
It is difficult for the apprentice to become accustomed to handle this useful tool. It is much more serviceable than a hatchet for trimming and paring work. In applying it to the wood always have the tool at an angle with the board, so as to make a ... The Drawer
The drawer (Fig. 41) shown in cross section, has its front (A) provided with an overlapping flange (B). It is not our object in this chapter to show how each particular article is made, but simply to point out the underlying principles, and to ill... The Drawer Supports
Take one of the side-facing boards (Fig. 37) and cut a rectangular opening in it. This opening should be 4 inches wide and 18 inches long, so placed that there is 1 inch of stock at the upper margin and 2 inches of stock at the lower margin of the b... The Easiest Working Woods
The same thing may be said, relatively, concerning cherry and walnut. While cherry has a beautiful finishing surface, the blending contrasts of colors are not so effective as in walnut. Oregon pine is extremely hard to work, owing to the same diffi... The Facing Boards
These boards are each 1 inch thick and 7 inches wide. As the top of the table is 42 inches long, and we must provide an overhang, say of 2 inches, we will first take off 4 inches for the overhang and 4 inches for the legs, so that the length of tw... The File
In order to experiment with the filing motion, take two blocks of wood, and try surfacing them off with a file. When you place the two filed surfaces together after the first trial both will be convex, because the hands, in filing, unless you exert ... The First Stroke
Now, to hold the saw in starting is the difficult task to the beginner. Once mastered it is simple and easy. The only time in which the saw should be firmly held by the hand is during the initial cut or two; afterwards always hold the handle loose... The Flooring Joist
The flooring joists (A) are then put down (Fig. 230). These should extend clear across the house from side to side, if possible, or, if the plan is too wide, they should be lapped at the middle wall and spiked together. The ends should extend out ... The Foundation
This may be of brick, stone or concrete, and its dimensions should be at least 1½ inches further out than the sill. ... The Frame Assembled
The frame is now ready to assemble, but before doing so a drawer opening and supports should be made. The ends of the supports may be mortised into the side pieces or secured by means of gains. Mortises and tenons are better. ... The Gage
The illustration (Fig. 19) shows one of the most useful tools in the kit. It is used to scribe the thickness of the material which is to be dressed down, or for imprinting the edges of tenons and mortises. Two should be provided in every kit, for co... The Gage
A man, who professed to be a carpenter, once told me that he never used a gage because he could not make it run straight. A few moments' practice convinced him that he never knew how to hold it. The illustration shows how properly to hold it, and th... The Grindstone
As most of the tools require a grindstone for sharpening purposes, an illustration is given as a guide, with a diagram to show the proper grinding angle. In Fig. 16 the upright (A) of the frame serves as a line for the eye, so that if the point of... The Grindstones
It is better to get a first-class stone, which may be small and rigged up with a foot treadle. A soft, fine-grained stone is most serviceable, and it should have a water tray, and never be used excepting with plenty of water. An Oil Stone is as esse... The Gutter
In Fig. 233 I show a most serviceable way to provide for the gutter. A V-shaped notch is cut out of the upper side of the rafter, in which is placed the floor and a side. This floor piece is raised at one end to provide an incline for the water. ... The Hard-ribbed Grain In Wood
This peculiarity of the grain in ash makes it a beautiful wood when finished. Of the light-colored woods, oak only excels it, because in this latter wood each year's growth shows a wider band, and the interstices between the ribs have stronger contr... The Hatchet
The hatchet should be ground with a bevel on each side, and not on one side only, as is customary with a plasterer's lathing hatchet, because the blade of the hatchet is used for trimming off the edges of boards. Unless ground off with a bevel on bo... The House And Embellishments
The refined arts, such as sculpture and painting, merely embellish the home or the castle, so that when we build the structure it should be made with an eye not only to comfort and convenience, but fitting in an artistic and æsthetic sense. It... The Jack Plane
This plane has the cutting edge of its blade ground so it is slightly curved (Fig. 6), because, as the bit must be driven out so it will take a deep bite into the rough surface of the wood, the curved cutting edge prevents the corner edges of the bi... The Legs
Now prepare two legs (D) for the tail end of the frame, each 32 inches long, with a chamfer (5) at one end, and provided with four bolt holes. At the lower end bore a bolt hole for the cross base piece. This piece (E) is 4" × 4", 21 ... The Length Of The Mortises
Then take a small try square (Fig. 28) and add two cross lines (B, C) on each of the inner surfaces, the second line (B) one-half inch from the finish line (A), and the other line (C) seven inches down from the line (A). The side facing boards, here... The Mandrel
A piece of steel tubing (S), No. 10 gage, ¾ inch in diameter, 11½ inches long, will be required for the mandrel. Get a blacksmith, if a machine shop is not convenient, to put a fixed center (1) in one end, and a removable centering mem... The Miter Box
This should be 14 inches long and 3" by 3" inside, made of hard wood ¾" thick. The sides should be nailed to the bottom, as shown. <div> <img src="/images/fig9.jpg" alt="Fig. 9." title="" height="141" width="400"> Fig. 9. </div> ...