Fig. 18. Fig. 20. Fig. 21. Fig. 23. Fig. 25. Fig. 27.
The back is made from two boards shaped into a curve with a draw-knife and plane and held together with battens, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 25. The battens extend down behind the back of the box, and the ends are made fast with screws to support the back. The back and seat are padded with curled hair and covered with unbleached muslin, over which the upholstery material is drawn and tacked to the edges. A valance of some pretty figured goods to match the seat and back is made, and tacked around the upper edge of the box. Wide gimp and large-headed upholsterers’ tacks will finish the edge of the seat and back, and it would be well to give the wood-work a coat or two of paint or stain.
A Window-seat and Shoe-box
In the illustration of the window-seat and shoe-box (Fig. 26) a substantial and useful piece of furniture is illustrated.
It is made of three boxes screwed together, as shown in Fig. 27. The lid of the middle box is hinged, and the end boxes are stood on end. One end box is shorter than the other, and in both of them shelves are arranged for shoes, slippers, or sandals. A back is made of two boards and attached at the rear of the boxes. The top of each box and the face of the back are padded with curled hair or moss filling that may be had from an upholsterer, and covered with some upholstery material. Buttons and string are caught down into the top of the padded surface to give the tufted effect shown in the illustration, and the sides and fronts of the boxes are hidden with valances. Gimp and large-headed nails finish the edges as shown, and when the wood-work is given a coat of paint this window-seat and shoe-box is ready for use.
Chapter XXIII
HOUSEHOLD CONVENIENCES
In and around the house there is opportunity for the creation of a number of useful articles that can be made by any boy who is at all handy with tools. For example, the tops of doorways and windows in a dining-room may be improved by the addition of narrow shelves, or ledges, on which old plates, slim jugs, or some quaint old bottles may rest.
These ledges may be made from pine, white-wood, cypress, or other wood to match the trim. The wood should not be more than half or five-eighths of an inch in thickness, as shown at Fig. 1. The shelves should be three or four inches in width, with a straight front, or slightly curved, as shown in Fig. 2. This curve is called a serpentine line, and may be shaped with a draw-knife; or, if the wood is soft, it can easily be cut with a compass-saw and finished off with a draw-knife and sand-paper.