Fig. 66.
Fig. 67.
These are laid up in long strips, say twelve inches long, or as may be conveniently handled. They are all sawed out with a fine circular saw, by some one who understands cutting hard wood for this purpose. The stuff must be shoved through the saw with a very regular, gradual feed, so as to cut a smooth surface, and if the saw is not right for cutting smooth on the side, it must be made so; for it will not do to plane the strips after they are sawed, as there never would be any uniformity between them, and the joints would be very imperfect. In gluing them up, there is nothing particular to be observed, except that the glue must be very hot, laid on well with a stiff brush, and the stuff clamped between two thick boards, which have been planed perfectly true on the faces; so that the union will be perfect between the strips. In this way the job will be well done, and the sections will show uniformly. As it is the sections that are mainly used, this is a matter of great importance; for when it is necessary to have an ornamental border to a work-box, for example, it is only requisite to saw off as many sections, from the end of any of the blocks, as may be desired; as in [Fig. 68]. It is then a simple and easy thing to lay them in, one after another, in the place that has been left for them.
Fig. 68.
Fig. 69.
I do not saw off each square strip by itself before I glue the stock, but I lay up several flat pieces, as in [Fig. 69], which represents one end section of the strips, longer than it is high, the saw removes some in cutting, so that when I saw down through the top vertically, as shown by the straight line A, I obtain square strips in long pieces, but all glued together so they are easy to handle, these I afterward glue together again, so that white and black alternate, as in the checker-board, and I then have the pattern precisely uniform in all the length of the stock. I claim originality for this plan, and also expedition in execution; more than either I get entire uniformity. Of course it is easy to make any other pattern in the same way, and it is surprising to see how many rectangular and acute-angled patterns can be made with these sections. It is sometimes possible to get veneers of the right thickness, but any veneer cutter will saw the wood as desired.