THE BOOKCASE
This piece of furniture is seen in so many forms that a volume would be necessary simply to catalogue them. The essential features are strong ends or sides, usually a solid back, a base, shelves, often adjustable as to spacing, a top more or less ornamental, and often glass doors.
Perhaps the most important point in the construction is strength. A wobbly bookcase is an abomination, and the weight to be carried is frequently enormous.
A typical case without doors will be taken up and this may be modified, used as a unit and doubled or trebled at the will of the young carpenter. ([Fig. 193].)
If it is made to occupy a certain space in a permanent home, it may be built in and made solid with the wall, but this is not often desirable, particularly in America, where people move frequently. As a general rule, two small bookcases are better than one large one. They may be easily shifted, changed from room to room, and are more apt to fit between windows.
Fig. 193. The bookcase
The uprights 4 feet 4 inches long, 8 inches wide and 7⁄8 inch thick, are rabbeted at the back so that the joint will not show from the side. The back is to be of 1⁄2-inch white wood stained the same colour as the sides. The under top piece and bottom are gained into the sides, both joints being hidden by the later construction. The 3-inch bevelled base is mitred at the corners and cut off square at the back, covering only three sides, as the back is to be flush from top to bottom. The top is to have a moulded edge on three sides, and to be fastened to under top piece by flat-head screws from the under side through countersunk holes.
The four solid shelves are made adjustable in their spacing by the old-fashioned method of sawtoothed strips in each corner. Strips 7⁄8 × 1⁄2 inch are made to fit in the toothed spaces, and the shelves rest on these strips, of which two must be provided for each shelf.
The four toothed strips should be laid out and cut together to insure the shelves being level. The dimensions for all these pieces are given in the detailed drawings.
The front edges are covered by 1⁄2-inch strips, beaded if desired, mitred at the top and cut to fit the bevelled base below. Nailed on with brads, these are set and the holes filled with putty, coloured to match the finish.
In the mission style, the shelves are frequently mortised through the sides and secured by pins or wedges. In this type of bookcase, a solid back is rarely used, and base and top are omitted. In a design of this kind, the top shelf becomes a book rack with ornamental ends. Often only the upper and lower shelves are mortised, the others being gained into the sides as described under wall racks. The lower part of the side is frequently modified to give a wider base and to make the case more stable. One objection to this is the amount of material wasted in cutting out, as the stock for the sides must be the full width of the base.
[XL]
THE MEDICINE CABINET
The wall cabinet for drugs and toilet articles, where the various household remedies may be found quickly, is illustrated in [Fig. 194].
It calls for a panelled door, the construction and details of which are given in the drawing.
After squaring up the four pieces for styles and rails, plough a 1⁄4-inch groove 3⁄8 of an inch deep on the inner edge of all the pieces. This groove is to receive the panel which is planed down to fit. The two uprights are to be mortised at each end, as shown by dotted lines and edge view.
The tenons on the ends of the rails are cut with a shoulder. This closes the space made by the plough on the uprights, as shown in the top view.
The panel is squared up 3⁄4 inch larger each way than the open space between rails and styles and a long bevel is planed on each of the four sides, leaving the thickness of the edges just great enough to fit the bottom of the grooves of rails and styles.
Another method of making a panel is to use thin wood which will just fit the grooves, and to fill the joints with a simple moulding mitred at the corners.
The raised panel is not difficult to make, however, and there is little difference in the time consumed by the two methods.
When the five parts are ready for assembling, the mortise joints are glued, the panel slipped into place and left free to shrink in the grooves. The door is placed in hand screws or clamps over night.
As it is to fit a definite space, always make a door slightly larger than its finished dimensions, to allow for planing off and fitting.
While it is drying, proceed with the building of the cabinet. The back inner edges of the sides are to be rabbeted to receive the back, which may be made of 1⁄4 or 3⁄8 inch white wood. Material for the cabinet proper may be any hard wood, or even white wood.
The shelves may be 1⁄2 inch thick. Heavier material is not necessary, on account of the short span. They are to be gained into the sides to the depth of 3⁄8 or 1⁄2 inch. The spacing of the shelves should be adapted to the sizes of bottles to be accommodated, and the dimensions given in the drawing are merely suggestive.
The overhanging top may be made either with moulded edges on front and sides or be left square. It is secured by screws from the under side of the false top.
Fig. 194. The medicine cabinet
The sides are shown modified at the bottom to give a pleasing effect, and the back piece may either be brought down and cut to a curved outline, as indicated in the drawing, or stopped at the first shelf.
In assembling, first put the false top in place and nail it to the sides; next put the top on with screws, slip the shelves into their respective grooves, and glue. Put on the back, nailing securely to sides and shelves. To make the cabinet more rigid, drive 1-inch brads into the shelves from the outside set and fill the holes.
Last of all, fit the door, and fasten it with hinges and a catch. A lock may be used, but that is hardly advisable, as in case of an emergency the key may be lost at the critical moment. Stain and polish.
The method of fastening is by screws through the back into the wall studs.
Cabinets for various purposes can be designed along the lines just described, but in each case the method of construction is similar. A stronger cabinet would result if the top and bottom shelves were mortised through the sides in the mission style. The only objection to this is that if the horizontal space be limited, the projecting tenon may be in the way.
Fig. 195. A filing cabinet
The filing cabinet for papers shown in [Fig. 195] is of radically different construction. As it is designed to stand on a desk, or independent shelf, the base may be very simple or omitted entirely, as in the drawing.
It is divided into twelve compartments, with a clear space in each of 121⁄2 × 51⁄2 × 31⁄2 inches, these being the outside dimensions of the drawers.
It is important in building up these compartments to use lumber that is well seasoned and free from warp. Gain the shelves into outside uprights, stopping the groove half an inch from the front.
Before sliding the shelves into the grooves, lay out on the four pieces the grooves for the three vertical partitions. It will be much easier to cut these grooves clear through from front to back, but a better appearance from the front can be obtained by stopping the grooves half an inch back, as on the sides.
Each vertical partition will then consist of three separate pieces slipped in from the back. A cross section of the cabinet will appear, as a. The quarter-inch back is to be gained into the sides as shown in the top view.
The construction of the drawer is shown at c, the sides being cut away toward the back. Otherwise the drawer is simply an open box made of 3⁄8-inch pine or white wood, with 1⁄4-inch bottom put together with brads.
The false front, made of the same material as top and sides, gives a suitable finish, and practically covers all joints; it is secured by flat-head screws from the inside.
In assembling the drawer, it should be made about 1⁄16 inch smaller than the compartment it is to fit, to prevent binding in damp weather.
Bay wood, a light-coloured mahogany, is very appropriate for this piece of office furniture, the edges of partitions being stained to match. A brass drawer-pull, with a space left for a printed label, is to be put on after the polishing is done.
Filing cabinets made by this method may, of course, be made with drawers of different proportions and with any number of compartments, but this size is designed to hold long envelopes, letters, bills, etc.
[XLI]
MISSION FURNITURE
The library table ([Fig. 196]) is a good example of solid and permanent furniture construction. It represents the main principles of the mission style—solidity, strength, simplicity, straight lines, mortise and tenon joints, etc.
To a boy who has worked carefully up to this point it is entirely possible.
As the top is the only part to be glued up, this should be done first. Three boards of 7⁄8-inch quartered oak 10 inches wide, or an equivalent that will aggregate a trifle over 30 inches, and 4 feet long, should be jointed and prepared for dowelling. The method of doing this is shown at a, where two jointed pieces are clamped together. The distance between dowels lengthwise should be measured, and lines squared across the edges with knife and try square. Two pencil lines, as at b, should be made across the joint. Set the marking gauge at 7⁄16 inch. Remove the boards from vise or clamp, and from the faces touched by pencil lines, gauge lines cutting across the three knife lines on each edge.
Fig. 196. A mission library table
Where these lines cross, bore 3⁄8-inch holes with a dowel bit to the depth of at least 1 inch. Lay out the other dowelled joint in the same manner. Saw six pieces of 3⁄8-inch dowel 2 inches long, and glue ends of each dowel in the holes prepared in the middle board, as shown at c.
Put a thin layer of glue on the joints with a brush and clamp the three pieces together. While the glue is hardening, proceed with the frame. This consists of four legs, four top rails, the lower cross rails, a shelf, and four wedges.
The sizes are as follows:
| Top rails | 2 | 42 × 3 × 7⁄8 |
| Top rails | 2 | 24 × 3 × 7⁄8 |
| Cross rails | 2 | 261⁄2 × 3 × 7⁄8 |
| Shelf | 1 | 443⁄4 × 12 × 3⁄4 or 7⁄8 |
| Wedges | 4 | 21⁄2 × 7⁄8 × 3⁄4 |
The construction of the top rails is shown at d in the detail drawing. The only point calling for special attention is to see that the tenons are flush with outside of rail, being cut on only three sides, and the mitre at the end of each. The necessity for this mitre is shown in the drawing of the top of leg at e, where the two tenons are shown meeting in the blind mortises. The short rails are identical with those shown at d, except in length.
The detailed drawing of the legs is shown at f, and to make sure that the four are uniform, they should be laid out in pairs, the two at one end together, then the second pair; and finally the two pairs must be compared to discover any possible inaccuracies. The cutting of the mortises may be hastened by boring several holes inside the lines from each side.
Fig. 196. A mission library table (continued)
The drawing at g shows the layout of the lower rails, with tenons at the ends, and mortises on flat sides to receive the tenons on ends of the shelf. As in previous cases, these two pieces should be laid out together.
The most difficult work up to this point is the cutting of the two blind mortises at the top of each leg to receive the mitred tenons. This operation could be simplified, by replacing the mortise and tenon at that point by a dowel joint, but it would no longer be genuine mission furniture, and a much weaker form of construction.
The drawing of the long shelf explains itself, two tenons being cut at each end and a rectangular hole cut through each tenon for the wedge. The tenons are shown with a slight bevel, which is cut with a chisel when all other work is finished.
Before proceeding further, it will be wise to try and fit all the joints. Number or letter the two parts of each joint, as it is finished, to assist in the final assembling. This process of fitting should take some time, for it cannot be hurried safely. When it is finished, the way to fasten the top to the frame should be considered.
Several methods are in use, and two are shown at h and i. At h a hole is bored at an angle in the rail. As it goes only part way through, it provides a shoulder for the screw head, and the screw is driven through a hole drilled for the purpose into the solid top.
If this method is used, at least ten screws would be needed for a table of this size, three on each side and two on each end.
The method shown at i is probably the better of the two. Blocks of wood of the shape and size given in the drawing are made and fitted into a groove ploughed in the rails.
This groove may be ploughed the full length of rail, or cut out for an inch or two with a chisel. The tongue and groove should fit snugly, and the block be securely fastened to the top with screws. Two blocks on each side and one on each end will be sufficient.
A simple method is to fasten top and frame by angle irons 2 inches long, on the inside.
This question having been decided, take the glued-up top from clamps and dress down to size. The under side should be trued up enough to fit neatly over tops of legs and rails, and the upper side should be planed, scraped, and sand-papered.
The final assembling should be done in this order:
Assemble the two ends separately. Each end consists of two legs, a top and a bottom rail. The mortise and tenon joints should be glued, and a clamp used at top and bottom. Test for squareness. When dry, remove clamps, insert shelf tenons and those of top rails in their mortises, and clamp lengthwise. Drive a wire brad through each tenon, from the side of leg least conspicuous, and set with nail punch.
Put on the top, and level bottom of legs where necessary. Remove all traces of glue, and fill brad holes with putty, coloured same as stain to be used.
Place wedges in mortises provided, and fasten each one with a small brad driven through the side of shelf tenons. Stain and polish.