The boys on United States battleships are fond of making trinkets and souvenirs to be sent home, and the sailors’ sweetheart picture frame shown in the sketch is a favorite. Speaking from experience, I know that many “landlubbers” will be interested in this novelty, although coming from a man-of-war makes it more interesting. I have been there and, therefore, I know. The place of honor in the center is of course reserved for the lady. The smaller picture openings may be filled with penny pictures of father and mother, or other relatives.—Contributed by Charles Rorer, Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Woven Reed Furniture
By CHARLES M. MILLER
Taborets and Small Tables for the
Summer Veranda
[The various materials referred to in this article by number or size were described in detail in an article on “A Reed Basket,” in the Boy Mechanic, Book 2, page 257.]
Utility and ready portability are well recognized features of woven-reed furniture, but the qualities which make it especially attractive for summer use in the open air, or on the veranda, are its inviting comfort and graceful lines. While furniture of this type arranged in suites makes a particularly harmonious showing, individual pieces may be used in combination with other furniture, lending a touch of variety. Small tables or taborets, of light weight and simple design, may be made by the novice, and may be adapted to a variety of uses. Footstools, jardinière stands, sewing tables, yard tables, and smoking stands are some of the possibilities. Three representative types are shown in [Figs. 1 to 3], and the general method of construction as well as the details of the weaving are also [illustrated].
A serviceable taboret or stand is illustrated in [Fig. 1]. It is 18 in. high, and 17 in. in diameter on the top. The sides are 9 in. wide at the top and 14 in. at the bottom.
The framework for the top of the stand consists of a disk of wood, 16 in. in diameter, with a similar one, 14 in. in diameter, directly underneath, the edge being set under 1 in. all around. Four legs of 1-in. doweling support it, and two cross braces of doweling are placed between diagonally opposite corner posts, behind the woven portions of the side. The grain of the wood in the upper disk should run at right angles to that of the lower, to prevent warping, and the disks should be fastened together with nails or screws. Avoid putting them into the lower disk, where the legs are to be fixed.
To locate the position for the legs, draw a diameter on the under side of the top, as at A, [Fig. 4], and 4 in. on either side of it draw parallel lines B and C. Draw another diameter, D, at right angles to A, and draw the parallel lines E and F 4 in. from the diameter D. Where the four outside lines intersect will be the centers of the holes for the legs. These holes are not bored perpendicularly, but are slanted to conform to the slant of the leg. A template should be used in guiding the bit, as shown at G, Fig. 4. It may be constructed of wood, 3 in. wide and 5 in. long, [Fig. 5]. Place the gauge just outside the edge of the hole to be bored. Nail it to the board lightly on the diagonal, as shown, and guide the bit against it.
Before the legs are fixed into place finally, the holes for the spokes of the side should be bored. The parallel lines of [Fig. 4] now serve another purpose, that of giving the location of the spokes. Place one spoke ¹⁄₂ in. from each leg, and the others 1 in. apart. The legs are utilized as spokes in the weaving. The spokes should be double, and the extra spokes may be inserted beside the original ones, after the weaving has progressed a few rounds. Number 5 reed should be used for the spokes and No. 4 reed for the weavers, which are woven back and forth around the spokes.
Drive the legs into their sockets, applying glue, and pin them with nails, as at H, [Fig. 4]. Tack strips on the bottoms of two pairs of legs and then fasten two strips to brace them, as shown in [Fig. 6]. The strips should be put on and the distance between the legs spaced before the glue sets.