Fig. 3.—Small Easel in Rustic Work.
Sprinkle the brown sawdust on the glued surface, and sufficient will adhere to cover the deal and give the frame a rustic appearance. Cork-dust or filings may be used instead of sawdust. Bunches of fir or larch cones are nailed to the corners, as illustrated; these should be pared at the back with knife or chisel to a flat surface. The outer edge of the shelf is finished with an edging of short lengths of split stick nailed on. The general construction of the bracket, and the method of fixing the glass, will be clear from [Fig. 2], which is a section through the centre.
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Fig. 4.—Method of Attaching Support to Easel. |
Fig. 5—Mitred Joint. |
A small easel for photographs, or, if constructed larger, for a fire-screen, is shown by [Fig. 3]. It is made entirely of round sticks. [Fig. 4] illustrates the method of attaching the back support—namely, by means of a couple of staples, which may be made out of a hairpin. In jointing round sticks together, the joints may be mitred by notching a V-shaped piece out of one stick and cutting the other to fit ([Fig. 5]); or a mortise and tenon, as represented by [Fig. 6], may be used.
In making the easel ([Fig. 3]), the top and bottom bars are mitred to the sides, and the central upright to the top and bottom bars. The joints are secured by either brads or panel pins. Care must be taken to bore for the nails with a bradawl, as nothing looks worse than splits in the work. The upright piece in the centre of the top bar may be secured by driving a long panel pin into the lower upright through the top bar, filing the head to a point to form a dowel, and driving the top piece on with a hammer.