The shelves on which the plates rest are three inches wide and twenty-one inches long. The dowels extend from three to six inches over each end, as shown in the drawing. From their under-sides cups may be suspended on hooks screwed into the wood. The front edges of the shelves are provided with a strip of wood fastened on with slim, steel-wire nails, to prevent the plates from, sliding forward, as shown in Fig. 6, which is a plan of the arrangement of bracket, shelf, and dowel. The dowels can be had at a hardware store for two or three cents each, and from a quarter of an inch to the diameter of a small curtain-pole.
A Cup and Plate Pyramid
The cup and plate pyramid (Fig. 7) is another attractive dining-room feature and is very simple to construct. Three of the shelves are cut with a serpentine front, as shown in Fig. 8 A, and measure twenty-six, twenty-two, and eighteen inches respectively; while the top one is twelve inches long and cut as shown in Fig. 8 B. The shelves are six inches wide at the middle, and three of them are two and a half inches wide at the ends.
Short brackets one and a half inches wide and two and a half inches long support the shelves at the ends. Under the middle of the bottom shelf a large bracket five and a half inches wide and eight inches long is cut and made fast with long, slim screws driven down through the bottom shelf. A notch is cut at the front of each shelf, and a corresponding one in the staff that binds the shelves together, so that they are spaced, from the bottom up, eleven, ten, and nine inches apart. Slim, steel-wire nails two inches long will secure the brackets to the wall, or long, slim screws may be used.
A Butler’s Tray
For the house that is not built with a butler’s pantry, or for the mother who does her own housework, the tray and drop-ledge shown in Fig. 9 will be found a very convenient piece of dining-room furniture.
Fig. 9. Fig. 10. Fig. 11. Fig. 12.
Two brackets on hinges will support the shelf when it is up. When it is dropped the brackets fold in against the wall, as shown in Fig. 10.
The ledge and brackets are of pine wood three-quarters of an inch thick and planed on all sides and edges. The tray is of white-wood five-eighths of an inch thick, and put together securely with glue and screws. The ends and handle-grips are cut with a compass-saw and finished with sand-paper; then the tray is stained and varnished to match the shelf and brackets.