A Foot-rest
When putting on shoes it is convenient to have a short bench on which to rest the foot, and while a hassock will answer well enough, it is not so good as a bench or so easily handled.
Fig. 17 shows a neat foot-bench that is easy to construct from four pieces of wood. In Fig. 18 page 345 the plain bench is shown, while at B a view of the inverted bench is given so that the cross-bar may be seen.
The top board is eighteen inches long, ten inches wide, and an inch thick. The ends, or legs, are seven inches high and eight inches wide, with a V notch cut in from the bottom of each. These feet are set fourteen inches apart, so that there will be two inches of overhang at each end of the bench; that is, the top will extend two inches over the legs at each end. The brace shown at Fig. 18 B is two inches wide, twelve and a half inches long, and an inch in thickness.
The four parts are put together with glue and screws; then the top is padded with curled hair and upholstered as already described.
A Combination Shoe-box and Seat
From two canned-goods boxes the combination shoe-box and seat may be made, as shown in Fig. 19, Fig. 20 being the structural plan.
The left-hand box in Fig. 20 has the lid removed, and a shelf is inserted so as to divide it into two compartments. The other box is provided with a hinged lid. Instead of making the hinges fast to the edge of the box, a strip an inch or two wide should be attached to the rear of the box, and to this the lid is hinged, as shown in Fig. 20. The two boxes are screwed together, and a back is provided for the one on the right. The board forming this back should extend the entire length of the two boxes, and should be secured to them with stout screws. The tops of the boxes are padded with hair, and the sides are covered with upholstery material of any desirable color and quality, the edges being bound with gimp and nails.
The inside of the low box and the under side of the lid should be provided with denim pockets, as shown at Fig. 21. These pockets are formed by tacking a strip of denim to the wood and allowing fulness enough to accommodate a pair of shoes or slippers.