Joseph H. Adams

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 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. ”