Fig. 116.
Fig. 117.
The tongue on the edges of the top and the bottom can be made with the plow by fastening the pieces in the vise and rabbeting out the corners as shown in [C, Fig. 114].
After all cutting and fitting has been done smooth the inside of each piece with the plane; then take the steel scraper ([shown in Fig. 117]), and scrape the surfaces; then finish with sand paper; glue the corners; put the bottom in place and fasten together with hand screws and let dry. There are no nails used in the construction of this exercise.
Finish the outside of the box in the same way that the inside was done.
After finishing the outside and the top, use filler or stain to color the wood. The filler is a mixture of fine whiting and linseed oil with a little turpentine to act as a dryer, colored with any of the pigments desired. A little experience is necessary in using the colors to obtain the desired shade.
The filler comes already prepared, of a cream color, and must be colored as required. Apply the filler with a brush, and let it stand on the wood for a short time; then rub it off with cotton waste or a rag; then set the work aside until the surfaces are perfectly hard; then give a coat of shellac varnish and let it dry. Repeat the operation two or three times, using sand paper to smooth each coat of varnish.
After the varnish is thoroughly hard, take powdered pumice and oil or water, using a soft rag, and rub the surfaces until they are smooth; then take rotten stone and oil and rub until it has a fairly bright gloss. Rub with a soft dry cloth, then finish with the palm of the hand until a bright glossy surface is obtained.