find something out of the way with every piece. But at last the boards were all right. The students were required to measure the width of the pieces in the narrowest place. They varied considerably, but all had over a quarter of an inch to spare.
“Now we will use a new tool, that I have not mentioned,” continued the carpenter, taking a bundle of gauges from one of the boxes, and putting one on each bench. “Take your rule, and set this gauge at just six inches.” He showed them how to do it, and then looked at each one to see that it was right.
After telling the class to do as he did, he placed one end of the board against the bench-hook, and ran the gauge the entire length of it. Turning it over, but still keeping the straight edge on the right, he gauged the other side. Hardly one of the boys succeeded in carrying the gauge the whole length of the board. It slipped out of place because it was not held right. But at last all the pieces were gauged on both sides.
“Now we are to plane the other edge of the board down to the gauge-mark. As you are to plane down about a quarter of an inch, you can
take off a thicker shaving. You must keep watch of the mark, for you are not to go the breadth of a hair below it.”
The pupils were exceedingly cautious, and after every shaving they looked at the mark. When they were pretty near it, the carpenter told them to take the jointer. All of them applied the try-square, correcting the faults as they discovered them; and they made very good progress. They were directed to plane out the gauge-mark, which they could see on the planed surface. Mr. Brookbine kept inspecting the work until it was satisfactory to him.
“Now, we want to make these shelves four feet long,—just four feet, not a little more or a little less. Lay the board flat on the bench, and take the larger try-square, for the blade of the small one is only four inches and a half long. We will now square one of the ends of the shelf, but we don’t want to take off more than a quarter of an inch. In marking this, the lead-pencil won’t do, and you must use the point of your pocket-knife.”
The carpenter saw that it was done properly. Then each pupil was required to take the larger of the two back-saws, and cut off the board on the
mark. In using this saw, they were to touch very lightly, rather lifting it up than bearing on with it.
After the utmost watchfulness on the part of the instructor, the cut was passably well done. Most of the workmen had used the small square in their efforts to keep the saw at right angles with the face of the board. Of course, there were some twists in the cut; and half of them had made the end slightly bevelling, in spite of all their efforts to avoid this fault.