Harper's indoor book for boys

by Joseph H. Adams

A Treasure-chest

For stamps, coins, minerals, and other valuable possessions, the treasure-chest shown in Fig. 14 is just the thing.

To give the chest an appearance of strength and security, the doors should be made of wood one and a quarter inches thick, while the legs and feet should be of one-and-a-half inch stock. The box is thirty inches long, eighteen inches high, and twelve inches deep (inside measure), and the top projects an inch and a half over the ends and front when the doors are closed. The legs are twenty-eight inches high and twelve inches wide. At the lower ends feet are cut from wood the same thickness as the legs, and made fast to them with screws. A cross-rail six inches wide and cut in at the under edge is mortised and tenoned into the legs twelve inches above the floor; while across the top of the legs a board twelve inches wide is securely fastened, and braced at the back with a four-inch rail, to prevent this base from racking with the weight of the chest.

Shelves and divisions are arranged, according to requirement, within the chest. To close it, two doors are swung on stout hinges, against which lead hasps are mounted to lend an appearance of strength. These are cut from stout sheet-lead, and applied with large-headed upholsterers’ nails painted black. The front hasp-ends should be ten inches long and the return ends five inches in length. Over the key-hole a long hasp may be placed, with a corresponding one on the other door to complete the decorative effect.

Studying-table and Stool

For service and comfort when studying or writing, two useful pieces of furniture are shown in Fig. 15.

The top of the table is twenty-four inches wide and forty-two inches long. It can be made from three or four boards of pine or white-wood glued together at the edges and battened at the under side. The front legs should be twenty-seven inches high and two and a half inches square. The rear legs are thirty-nine inches high, and where the table-top joins them laps are cut out on two sides for a depth of one inch, and a corresponding notch is cut from the corner of the ledge so as to fit into the lap. The lower rail at the back is six inches wide, and the lower side-rails are four inches wide. The shelf attached to the top of the rear posts is seven inches wide and forty-two inches long. It need not be more than seven-eighths of an inch in thickness, and the front ends of it may be supported with short bracket sticks which rest on the table-top close to the rear posts.

At both the front and back brace-strips are let into the legs and the edge of the table, as shown in Fig. 15; these pieces are eighteen inches long and bevelled at both ends.

To accurately cut the laps in the legs and table-top, lay a strip across in the proper place, and mark the lines with a pencil; then with a saw cut slowly and accurately on this line to the proper depth. With a chisel cut the wood away and let in the brace-strips, when they can be securely fastened with glue and screws. At both ends shelves may be attached to the posts and the braces, as shown in the illustration. These will make good book-ledges or convenient places for pencil and pen boxes, extra pads, and school trappings. Books may rest on the table under the top shelf. To prevent their falling off at the back, a rail two inches wide is attached to the rear posts and supported at the middle by a short upright block which also acts, as a brace to the middle of the top shelf.