A Fifty-Cent Electric Stove
Few persons realize what an intense heat may be developed when the globe of an ordinary incandescent lamp is tightly inclosed, largely eliminating the loss of heat. When the lamp is inclosed, the temperature will increase until the rate of radiation is equal to that at which the heat is generated. A good reflector is a poor radiator, hence, when the metal wall surrounding the lamp is bright and shiny, both inside and out, the heat is reflected inward.
A Handy Electric Stove can be Made at an Outlay of 50 Cents
To make a small stove that will keep liquids warm, melt paraffin, dissolve glue, etc., procure an ordinary 16-cp. carbon lamp, a porcelain receptacle, and a bright, clean tin can, about 4 in. in diameter and 7 in. long. Thoroughly blacken the bottom on the inside, and then solder on four small brackets, cut from sheet brass or copper, so that the can may be held down firmly, when inverted on the base. The latter should preferably be made of hard wood, with the upper edges beveled, as shown. Next bore the hole for the wire or flexible cord. Fasten down the porcelain receptacle, connect the wiring, screw in the globe, and screw down the tin can; the stove is then ready for operation.—John D. Adams, Phoenix, Ariz.
Woven Reed Furniture
By CHARLES M. MILLER
A Variety of Small Stools and
Foot Rests
[The various materials referred to in this article by number or size were described in detail in an article on “A Reed Basket,” in the Boy Mechanic, Book 2, page 257.]
Footstools of reed are preferable, in the home, to those made of other materials, because of their light weight, rounded edges, and comfortable, yielding tops. Reed, rattan, and similar material, used in their construction, withstand hard wear, and will not easily mar floors or furniture, a feature not to be overlooked, especially since the footstool is a favorite seat or play table of children. Several types of stools and foot rests are shown in the illustration. A stool having a framework of dowels, covered with reed, and utilizing the frame to produce a paneled effect, is shown in [Fig. 3]. The upper dowel of the framework is covered and woven over with the top, in the somewhat lighter stool shown in [Fig. 8]; the legs are braced at the ends with reed, arched and covered with winding reed. The stool shown in [Fig. 11] is designed with rounded lines, the bracing dowels being set low, and a panel of openwork woven into the sides. [Figure 15] shows a foot rest, the framework of which is steamed and bent, and the top slanted to provide a more comfortable rest for the feet. It is strongly braced, paneled on the sides with winding reed, and ornamented with openwork scrolls. The details of the construction of the frames and the method of weaving the reed are shown in the other sketches.
Dowels, ³⁄₄ in. in diameter, are used for the main framework of all of the stools shown. The dimensions of the various stools may be made to suit individual taste, those suggested in each instance having been found satisfactory. A good size for the stool shown in [Fig. 3] is: height, 9 in.; width, 11 in.; length, 15 in. The lower of the horizontal dowels should be set at least one-third the height of the leg from the top. The braces are notched at their ends to fit the curve of the legs, and finishing nails are driven into them through the legs. The corner joints are further reinforced by a binding of reed, placed over them. The holes for the spokes are bored through the braces before the construction is nailed together. They should be bored about 1¹⁄₄ in. apart, spaced uniformly, according to the length and width of the stool. The tops of the legs should project about ¹⁄₁₆ in. above the upper braces, so as to produce a level surface when the winding reed is applied.
The upper end of the legs must first be covered with winding reed, as shown in [Fig. 2]. Tack a strip of the reed on; then add successive pieces, as shown, until the end is covered. The joint of the leg and the lower brace must be reinforced, as shown in Fig. 2, by tacking winding reed over it horizontally. The braces must then be wound with winding reed, the spokes being inserted later. In winding the reed on the braces, tack one end of it to the brace at the left of a leg; then begin the winding on the brace to the right of the leg, and as each hole is encountered mark with pencil on the reed, so that if any of the holes are covered they may be found easily, when inserting the spokes. The marks should be made on the lower side.
The spokes extend from the lower edge of the bottom rail on one side to the lower edge of the corresponding rail or brace on the opposite side. Short spokes are fitted between the upper and lower rails at the ends of the stool. The top is woven complete before the sides are woven, the pairing weave being used. In this method two strands of reed are handled together, the first passing behind one spoke, and being below the second strand, and then passing in front of the next spoke, and being above the second strand, etc. This weave is shown in detail in [Fig. 9], illustrating an [article] on “Taborets and Small Tables for the Summer Veranda,” page 155, July, 1916. The weaving of the top includes the covering of the upper rails at the ends of the stool, which are wound in as spokes, the reed passing around them and being directed back in the opposite direction.
The weaving for the sides is carried around the stool continuously, passing around the legs. One of the strands in the pairing weave passes behind the leg, and the other must be wound around it an extra turn, to cover up the space otherwise exposed. The reed is wound around the legs to the lower end, the strand being tacked at the inner side of the leg.
The framework for the second type of stool is shown in [Fig. 6]. The two side rails are fixed into place by the same method used in making the first stool, and the frame is braced on the ends by sections of No. 12 or No. 14 reed. These are fitted into place and covered in the winding. The braces should be fitted to the curve of the leg, and nailed into place with small finishing nails. The ends where the braces join the legs and rails should be whittled down to a long, thin wedge, so that they may be bound in securely by the reed that is wound around the legs, as shown in [Fig. 4].
The spokes in this model, as shown in [Fig. 6], do not pass through the upper rails, but extend from one lower rail over the upper rails and to the lower rail on the opposite side. This makes it necessary that the upper rails be set slightly below and in from the top and outer edges of the legs. The lower rails should then be set in so as to be uniform with the upper ones.
The lower rails and the end braces are wound by the method used for the rails in the first stool. The tops of the legs are finished differently, however, as shown in [Figs. 4] and [5]. The weaving is begun at the lower rail, and proceeds until the side panel is filled to the under edge of the upper rail. The weavers cannot then be returned at the corner, and are cut off to extend 2 in. beyond the leg. Their ends are thinned out, and then brought around the corner against the upper rail on the end, as shown in Fig. 5. Alternately they are turned down on the leg and against the end rail, producing a covering for the corner. The strands of the top are woven over the thinned-out ends, and bound over the joint of the braces with the upper rail. The corners may be beaten gently with a block of wood to smooth them, and to bring the weavers firmly together. The weavers pass twice around the legs, as each strand is brought to the leg, as shown in [Figs. 5] and [7]. It will be found convenient to place the spokes in only one lower rail, as in [Fig. 6], while weaving the first side panel, and the top. As the work proceeds the spokes are bound down to the upper end rails, and when the middle of the second side panel is reached, they are trimmed off and fitted into their holes, on that side.
The third stool differs fundamentally from the preceding ones in that the framework is curved at the upper ends, and the weaving of the top is carried down over the ends. The framework is shown in detail, in [Fig. 9]. Ash dowels, ³⁄₄ in. in diameter, are used for the framework, and the rails are notched into the main sections, and nailed, as were those in the preceding stools. The length of the curved dowels must be determined carefully, and it is desirable to have the stock longer than is necessary for the finished pieces, so that inaccuracies in bending may be allowed for properly. The distance between the legs should be such that a space of ¹⁄₂ in. is provided between the legs and the first hole for the side spokes, and the intervening spokes should be placed 1 in. apart. A satisfactory size is to make the stool 6 in. high, the end rails 8 in., and the side rails 13 inches.
| Fig. 1 | Fig. 2 | Fig. 3 | |
| Fig. 4 | Fig. 5 | ||
| Fig. 6 | Fig. 7 | Fig. 8 | |
| Fig. 10 | |||
| Fig. 9 | Fig. 11 | ||
| Fig. 14 | Fig. 12 | Fig. 15 | |
| Fig. 13 | |||
The Making of Stools in Woven Reed Affords the Craftworker an Excellent Opportunity to Produce Constructions, for Home Use, or as Gifts, That Have Originality and a Personal Element. The Frameworks for Four Typical Stools and Foot Rests are Shown at the Left, and the Completed Objects at the Right. Figure 14 Shows a Variation Adaptable to the Methods of Weaving Shown in Other Models
The method of bending the dowels is shown in [Figs. 12 and 13]. They must be soaked in hot water or steamed, and clamped around the form as indicated, being left to dry. A pipe fitted over the ends of the dowels, to give leverage, will aid in bending them. The form is made by fitting pegs, suitably spaced, into a board, ⁷⁄₈ in. or more in thickness. The curved pieces may be braced temporarily, as shown, and removed from the form when partly dried, so that it can be used quickly for the second piece. The pegs must be set close enough together so that the curve at the upper ends of the legs will not be too large, making the legs appear short. Care must be taken in bending this short curve, as the dowels are likely to break if the curve is quite abrupt. By setting the pegs solidly and making them long enough, two pieces of dowel rod may be curved in the form at the same time, and permitted to dry. A convenient tray of galvanized iron, for use in heating water for the moistening of the dowels, is shown in [Fig. 10]. It is 28 in. long, but may be made shorter if the points at which curves are to be made are moistened separately. A wash boiler, or any other suitable vessel, may be used for heating the water and dipping the dowels into it. After being shaped, the pieces are trimmed off to the proper height on the leg portions. Holes for the spokes are then bored through the lower and side rails, and they are notched and nailed to the legs.
The cross rails of the framework, shown in [Fig. 9], are fixed into place by the method used in the previous models. The lower rails should be set about 2 in. from the floor, and are bored for double spokes. The rails are set with their outer edges ¹⁄₈ in. in from the edges of the legs, so that the weaving will be flush with the surface of the legs, rather than project slightly beyond it. The spokes for the ends and seat, or top, pass from one lower rail on one end to the corresponding rail on the other end, and are supported on the upper end rails. There are no corners to be fitted with the winding reed in this model, as the windings continue over the curves at the ends and down over the latter, by the same method of weaving as used in the top. The weaving is begun at the lower rails, and passes completely around the sides and ends of the stool, until about 1¹⁄₂ in. has been covered, up from the lower rails. The ends only are then covered, the strands of reed passing around the curved portion of the upper rails, and around the dowels forming the support for the top, in weaving back and forth.
The ornamental weaving at the sides of the stool is produced by spreading out the double spokes and conducting them to the proper holes in the upper rails. Several types of design may be made by crossing the spokes in various ways before setting them into the holes in the rails. The short spokes in the sides are permitted to remain with their upper ends free and longer than necessary while the 1¹⁄₂-in. lower section is woven. They must be cut carefully to the size necessary to form the desired design, and the ends glued into the holes.
The stool shown in [Fig. 15] is designed as a foot rest, with a slanting top. It is similar in general construction to that shown in [Figs. 9 and 11], the framework being made of dowels, bent to the shape indicated by means of a form. The top and ends are woven in the manner described for the previous model. A point of difference to be noted is the bracing by means of a woven panel below the side rails, as shown in Fig. 15. This feature may be carried around the ends also, or the ends may be braced to the lower side panel by the method of bracing shown in [Fig. 4]. The rails around the stool are all on the same level. The double spokes for the top are fixed into the end rails, the spokes for the side panels into the side rails, and the smaller dowel placed at the lower edge of the side panels, as a support for the twisted weaving shown. The weaving of the top and the panels is by the method used in the previous model. The scrolls fitted into the open portions of the sides are tacked into place, and the strands of weaving reed carried over them, where the curves touch the upper and lower rails. A variety of designs may be worked out for the openwork. The scrolls are made of No. 6 or No. 8 reed, and should be formed on a base, as in [Fig. 12], brads being used to hold them in shape until dry.
Another type of foot rest with a slanting top is shown in [Fig. 14]. The framework is built up of dowels, straight sections only being used. The joints are fastened by the method used in the first and second models described. The method of covering the frame is essentially the same as for the stool shown in [Fig. 15], or an adaptation of that used in [Fig. 11] may also be applied. Where facilities for steaming or moistening the dowels are not to be had conveniently, this type of construction will be found satisfactory, the designs being limited to straight lines, however. The method of covering the framework used in [Fig. 3] is also available for the framework shown in [Fig. 4], and the corners may be finished as shown in [Fig. 2]. Numerous variations and combinations of the types shown may be worked out readily after one has become reasonably familiar with the possibilities of woven-reed construction.