The back piece is made with plane and chisel. The straight bevels are cut with the smoothing plane, and the curves with the chisel. The two openings or mortises should be laid out and cut before the ends are rounded. The wood is removed by boring several small holes within the lines, and finishing to line with a chisel and mallet. The two supports, or brackets, involve nothing new, and after being finished are glued into mortises.
The towel sticks may be ten inches or more in length, squared up to 7⁄8 inch × 1⁄2 inch. The taper begins two inches from the bored end, and from this point is planed in a straight line to 3⁄8 inch square at the small end. The rounding is done in the same manner as in the towel roller, the tips rounded with a knife, and the whole piece sand-papered smooth.
The three sticks are held between the two supports and a 3⁄8-inch dowel passed through the five holes, which should of course be in line.
The ends of this dowel can be split before they are placed, and then in the final position small thin wedges can be driven in with a little glue.
[XXXII]
CLOCK CASES
Among small articles for household use the clock case is a popular model, and the designs range from the mission style, characterized by straight lines and plain surfaces, up to elaborate attempts at imitating in miniature the old-fashioned tall "grandfather's clock."
While an ordinary alarm clock may be used for the clock proper, the small size nickeled clock, 21⁄4 inches outside diameter, is more satisfactory and very reliable. It costs about seventy-five cents.
In designing the frame, or case, structural items must be considered first. The clock needs a platform to stand on, there must be a circular opening just large enough for the face to fit, and the structure requires an opening in the back, so that the clock may be wound or removed.