2 pieces, 1 by 3 by 16 in., oak, for base.
1 piece, 1 by 6 by 6 in., oak, for cap.
1 piece, 1 by 4 by 4 in., oak, for column base.
1 piece, 1 by 2 by 3 in., oak, for braces.
Copper or brass strip, 1 in. wide and ³⁄₃₂ in. thick, for shade frame. Wire braces for shade.
Make all the pieces, smoothing and finishing their surfaces with a scraper, before assembling the parts. The cap A may be made first. Square the piece to 6 in. and cut a ¹⁄₄-in. chamfer around the upper edge. Cut the 2 by 3-in. block on one of its diagonals and smooth it to form the braces B. Square the ends of the post C to a length of 40 in., and smooth up the sides. Square the column base D to 4 in. and cut a ³⁄₁₆-in. chamfer around its upper side.
Square up and smooth the cross arms E and F, for the base, to a width of 3 in. and a length of 16 in. Bevel the upper corners 1 in., at an angle of 45°. Bore holes with a ¹⁄₂-in. bit to form the rounded ends of the portions cut out from the lower sides of the cross braces. Chisel the wood away between the holes and smooth the resulting surfaces. The half-lap joint, by which the cross braces are joined, may then be made. It should not be made until the lower portions are cut out of the cross braces, and the remaining portions are made of exactly the same width, 2¹⁄₂ in., according to the drawing. The joint must be fitted tightly in what is termed a driving fit, or it will not be strong enough.
The construction may be assembled as follows, although several methods may be adopted that will prove satisfactory: Fix the cap A to the top of the post with glue and ¹⁄₂-in. dowels, bored not quite through the cap. Screws may be used for this purpose, but they mar the finish of the upper surface of the cap. Glue the braces B into the corners to support the cap. They should be warmed before applying the glue and rubbed slightly to bring them into place tightly and to distribute the glue evenly. Small brads may be used to nail them in place, but care must be taken not to mar the finish.
The column base D may be fixed to the bottom of the post in the same way that the cap was fixed at the upper end. The cross braces E and F, forming the base, should be glued in the half-lap joint and fixed to the column base with glue and dowels, or screws sunk into sockets from the lower side of the braces.
When the glue has dried, the pedestal should be scraped and cleaned preparatory to a final sandpapering before applying the stain and varnish.