Take the first one; plane nicely, being careful to have the ends and edges square. Set this aside for the top of tray.
Plain one edge of second piece (the one and one half feet wide); with splitting saw cut off strips twenty-four inches long by four inches wide: square ends and plane edges of piece left. Measure one foot from end, square and cut off. You will have two pieces alike for the ends or legs, and one strip two feet long, four inches wide, for back.
Round off one edge of top (the piece two feet long by one foot wide) with small plane, and sandpaper smooth. Take two side pieces; find points nine inches from bottom and respectively four and eight inches from side of leg; bore holes with largest bits, split out piece between, enlarge and smooth with gouge or knife to fit the hand. These are to slip the fingers through to hold the tray.
Draw a line parallel with, and ten inches from, bottom of legs and fasten one leg on either end of the two foot by one foot piece, using three one inch screws for each leg.
Fit the back piece neatly on to square edge of top and fasten with four screws; put a screw on upper corner of each of the sides, through into end of back to make it steadier.
If the corners of the sides are rounded as in picture, it will look a little better.
You can make this bed table even more useful by attaching a simple book rest which will be a great comfort to an invalid who is able to read yet finds it fatiguing to hold a book.
Cut two pieces one quarter inch thick, one wide and seven inches long, and one piece nine inches long; one half inch from bottom of the two seven inch pieces, bore holes large enough for seven-eighths inch screws to play in.
One half from ends of nine inch piece, make some smaller holes, and also two holes one inch from top of back (on inside) and eight inches apart.
Screw ends of seven inch pieces into these holes and the nine inch piece into the other ends of the seven inch pieces; of course the screws must play easily. When not in use the rack will fold over and lie inside the back as shown by dotted lines.