"There is a bracket," he said; "it consists of three pieces, and properly put together it will hold what it is designed to hold. It is not a thing of beauty, and we must improve it. How? By changing its outline without impairing its strength. In other words, we must 'design' a bracket constructed of three pieces of wood put together at right angles. There's your problem; now take paper and pencil and let us see what you can do."
Fig. 151. Designs for wall brackets
"Oh, in this case, I'll leave it to your judgment."
For fully an hour, no sound was heard in the shop but that of two lead pencils. Harry was getting experience.
"Let me give you a pointer," said Ralph. "Don't try to draw both sides alike, as it is very difficult where you have free-hand lines. Draw a vertical line representing the centre. Sketch one half of the design, and when you have it about right, fold the paper on this centre line and trace the other half."
Harry went to work again and at the end of another hour produced the sketches shown in [Fig. 151].
Ralph criticised them all rather severely, and as Harry was tired, this treatment made him sulky.