A folding table frame, designed as a support for a circular split-bamboo tray, is shown in the photographs reproduced and detailed in the working drawing. It is a serviceable and inexpensive piece of furniture, and can be constructed readily by the home mechanic. As the trays vary in size, the frame must be made to correspond, those from 24 to 28 in. in diameter being satisfactory. The tray may be made by the ambitious craftsman or purchased at stores dealing in Oriental goods. A wooden top may, of course, be substituted. The frame is made preferably of soft wood. The following finished pieces are required for a 24-in. tray: 4 legs, ⁷⁄₈ by 3 by 30 in.; 4 crosspieces, 1 by 2 by 25 in. Mortise the legs to the ends of the crosspieces, one set of mortises being ⁷⁄₈ in. below the other. Assemble the parts and fasten the joints with glue and 2-in. flat-head screws, countersunk.
This Tray Table Is Readily Portable, and Useful in the House and on the Porch or Lawn
Adjust the crosspieces of each set so that their centers match, and fasten them in this position with screws, from the under side. The two parts of the frame revolve on them when the table is “knocked down.” On the ends of the lower crosspieces of each set, fasten blocks to level the support for the tray. Finish the frame to harmonize with the furniture of the room. Conceal the screw heads under bands of hammered or oxidized copper, fastened with copper or brass pins. A second tray may be placed on the lower crosspieces.—F. E. Tuck, Nevada City, Calif.
Small Desk Lamp Supported by Paper Weight
Those who wish a small desk light that may be pushed back out of the way in the daytime, will find the accompanying sketch of interest. When in use on a roll-top desk, the lamp is placed on top near the edge, so that the bulb overhangs. A 25-watt lamp will light the bed of the desk, and the small metal shade is so placed that no part of the bulb is visible to the eye of the worker. By providing a suitable base, the lamp may be adapted to other uses. A stock paper weight, about 2 in. in diameter and covered with green felt, was used as a base. An ordinary drop-cord socket is provided, and to one side of the top cap a strip of brass, ¹⁄₁₆ by ¹⁄₂ in., is soldered. A hole is drilled near the end of this strip so that the screw which holds the knob will also hold the socket. Connect the flexible cord in the usual manner.
The shade is made of sheet metal, bent in the form of a cone, having the front shorter than the opposite edge. Make a sketch of the bulb, and determine the lengths of the two sides A and B, and then draw two concentric circles of corresponding radii on paper, as indicated in the small diagram. The proper curve for the shade will then lie between these two circles. Cut a paper pattern, and form it into a cone. After the proper shape is determined, mark it on the metal, cut it to shape, and solder it. A small spring clip, C, engages the tip of the bulb; the back of the shade is held by a piece of spring wire, D. It is easy to spring the shade off in replacing the bulb. The outside of the shade should be enameled an olive-green.—John D. Adams, Phoenix, Arizona.
Device Frightens Flies at Screen Door
