POPULAR MECHANICS HANDBOOKS
This book is one of the series of Handbooks on industrial subjects being published by the Popular Mechanics Company.
Like Popular Mechanics Magazine, and like the other books in this series, it is "written so you can understand it."
The purpose of Popular Mechanics Handbooks is to supply a growing demand for high-class, up-to-date and accurate text-books, suitable for home study as well as for class use, on all mechanical subjects.
The text and illustrations, in each instance, have been prepared expressly for this series by well known experts, and revised by the editor of Popular Mechanics.
HOME-MADE MISSION CHAIR
Suitable for Dining Room Use
Details of Chair Construction
A mission chair suitable for the dining room can be made from any one of the furniture woods to match the other articles of furniture. The materials can be secured from the planing mill dressed and sandpapered ready to cut the tenons and mortises. The material list can be made up from the dimensions given in the detail drawing. The front legs or posts, as well as the back ones, are made from 1-3/4-in. square stock, the back ones having a slope of 2 in. from the seat to the top. All the slats are made from 7/8-in. material and of such widths as are shown in the detail. The three upright slats in the back are 3/4-in. material. The detail drawing shows the side and back, the front being the same as the back from the seat down. All joints are mortised in the posts, as shown. The joints, however, can be made with dowels if desired. If making dowel joints they must be clamped very tight when glued and put together. The seat can be made from one piece of 7/8-in. material, fitted with notches around the posts. This is then upholstered with leather without using springs. Leather must be selected as to color to suit the kind of wood used in making the chair. The seat can also be made with an open center for a cane bottom by making a square of four pieces of 7/8-in. material about 4 in. wide. These pieces are fitted neatly to the proper size and dowelled firmly together. After the cane is put in the opening the cane is covered over and upholstered with leather in the same manner as with a solid bottom.
HOW TO MAKE A LAMP STAND AND SHADE
A library light stand of pleasing design and easy construction is made as follows: Square up a piece of white oak so that it shall have a width and thickness of 1-3/4 in. with a length of 13 in. Square up two pieces of the same kind of material to the same width and thickness, but with a length of 12 in. each. Square up two pieces to a width and length of 3 in. each with a thickness of 1-1/8 in.
If a planing mill is near, time and patience will be saved by ordering one piece 1-3/4 in. square and 40 in. long, two pieces 1-1/8 in. thick and 3 in. square, all planed and sandpapered on all surfaces. The long piece can then be cut at home to the lengths specified above.
The 13-in. piece is for the upright and should have a 1/2-in. hole bored the full length through the center. If the bit is not long enough to reach entirely through, bore from each end, then use a red-hot iron to finish. This hole is for the electric wire or gas pipe if gas is used.
The two pieces for the base are alike except the groove of one is cut from the top and of the other from the under side, as shown. Shape the under sides first. This can best be done by placing the two pieces in a vise, under sides together, and boring two holes with a 1-in. bit. The center of each hole will be 2-1/2 in. from either end and in the crack between the pieces. The pieces can then be taken out, lines gauged on each side of each, and the wood between the holes removed with turning saw and scraper steel.
The Completed Lamp
The width of the grooves must be determined by laying one piece upon the other; a try-square should be used to square the lines across the pieces; however, gauge for depth, gauging both pieces from their top surfaces. Chisel out the grooves and round off the corners as shown in the sketch, using a 3/4-in. radius.
These parts may be put together and fastened to the upright by means of two long screws from the under side, placed to either side of the 1/2-in. hole. This hole must be continued through the pieces forming the base.
The braces are easiest made by taking the two pieces which were planed to 1-1/8 in. thick and 3 in. square and drawing a diagonal on each. Find the middle of this diagonal by drawing the central portion of the other diagonal; at this point place the spur of the bit and bore a 1-in. hole in each block.
Saw the two blocks apart, sawing along a diagonal of each. Plane the surfaces on the saw cut smooth and sandpaper the curve made by the bit. Fasten the braces in place by means of roundhead blued screws.
To make a shade such as is shown in the illustration is rather difficult. The shade is made of wood glued up and has art glass fitted in rabbets cut on the inner edges. Such shades can be purchased ready to attach. The sketch shows one method of attaching. Four small pieces of strap iron are bent to the shape shown and fastened to the four sides of the upright. Electric globes—two, three or four may be attached as shown.
Construction of Shade
The kind of wood finish for the stand will depend upon the finish on the wooden shade, if shade is purchased. Brown Flemish is obtained by first staining the wood with Flemish water stain diluted by the addition of two parts water to one part stain. When this is dry, sandpaper the "whiskers" which were raised by the water and fill with a medium dark filler. Directions will be found on the filler cans. When filler has hardened, apply two coats of wax.
Details of Construction of Library Lamp Stand
The metal shade as shown in the sketch is a "layout" for a copper or brass shade of a size suitable for this particular lamp. Such shades are frequently made from one piece of sheet metal and designs are pierced in them as suggested in the "layout." This piercing is done by driving the point of a nail through the metal from the under side before the parts are soldered or riveted together. If the parts are to be riveted, enough additional metal must be left on the last panel to allow for a lap. No lap is needed when joints are soldered.
A better way, and one which will permit the use of heavier metal, is to cut each side of the shade separately and fasten them together by riveting a piece of metal over each joint. The shape of this piece can be made so as to accentuate the rivet heads and thus give a pleasing effect.
For art-glass the metal panels are cut out, the glass is inserted from the under side and held in place by small clips soldered to the frame of the shade.
Pleasing effects are obtained by using one kind of metal, as brass, and reinforcing and riveting with another metal, such as copper.
Details of Home-Made Porch Seat
HOW TO MAKE A PORCH CHAIR
The illustration shows a very comfortable and attractive porch chair that can be made with few tools and easily procured material. Most any kind of wood will answer, says the American Carpenter and Builder, but if open grained wood, such as oak or chestnut, is used, the parts should be filled with a paste filler. If the natural color of the wood is not desired, the wood may first be stained, the filler being colored somewhat darker than the stain.
Procure enough lumber to make all the pieces shown in the detail drawing and finish to the dimensions shown, being careful to make the corresponding pieces exactly alike in order to preserve the perfect symmetry which is necessary in work of this kind. In boring the holes care must be taken to keep both edges of the holes sharp and clean. The holes should each be bored until the spur shows; the bit should then be withdrawn and the rest of the boring be done from the other side. The semicircular notches are made by placing the two pieces edge to edge in the vise and placing the spur of the bit in the crack. The 1-in. bit is used. As it will be difficult to finish the boring of these blocks from the second side, the parts remaining may be cut out with the knife after the pieces have been separated.
Five 1/2-in. dowel rods are needed. It is possible to get these in one long piece if you happen to live near a mill and then all you will have to do is to saw off the desired lengths. However, if they cannot be got easily you can make your own. Two rods each 18-1/4 in. long; two rods each 20-1/4 in. and one rod 22-1/4 in. give the exact lengths. It is well to cut each piece a little longer than required so that the ends which are imperfectly formed may be cut off. These rods should fit tight and may be fastened in addition with a small screw or nail from the under or back side.
Porch Chair Finished
The hand rests should be nailed to the arms with small nails or brads before the arms are bolted. The illustration of the assembled chair shows the relative position.
The bolts should be 1/4 in. and of the following lengths: 4 bolts 2-1/4 in. long; 2 bolts 2 in. long; 2 bolts 3 in. long. Washers should be placed between adjacent pieces of wood fastened together with bolts and also at both ends of the bolts. This will require 26 washers in all. While the size of the chair may be varied, it will be necessary to keep the proportions if the parts are to fold properly.
HOW TO MAKE A TABOURET
Secure from the planing mill the following pieces and have them planed and sandpapered on two surfaces: For the top, one piece 7/8 in. thick and 17 in. square. For the legs, four pieces 7/8 in. thick, 4-3/4 in. wide and 18-1/2 in. long. For the lower stretchers, two pieces 7/8 in. thick, 2-3/4 in. wide and 15-3/4 in. long. For the top stretchers, two pieces 7/8 in. thick, 2-1/4 in. wide and 13-1/4 in. long. No stock need be ordered for the keys, as they can be made out of the waste pieces remaining after the legs are shaped.
Begin work on the four legs first. While both sides of each leg slope, it will be necessary to plane a joint edge on each leg from which to lay out the mortises, grooves and to test the ends. It will be necessary to have a bevel square to use in marking off the slopes and for testing them. To get the setting for the bevel square, make a full sized "lay out" or drawing of the necessary lines in their proper relation to one another and adjust the bevel to those lines.
From the joint edge lay out the mortises, grooves and the slopes of sides and ends of the legs. Cut the mortises and grooves first, then shape up the sides. Saw the sides accurately and quite close to the lines, finishing
with
the steel cabinet scraper.
Details of Tabouret
Next make the bottom stretchers. In laying out the cross lap joint, the working faces are both to be up when the joint is completed, therefore lay off one groove on the face of one piece and on the side opposite the face on the other. In gauging for depth, however, be careful to keep the gauge block against the working face of each piece.
In laying out the mortises for the keys, the opening on the top surface is to be made 1/8 in. longer than on the under surface. The slope of the key will therefore be 1/8 in. of slope to each 7/8 in. of length. The drawing shows the mortise as 7/8 in. from the shoulders of the tenon. This distance is the same as the thickness of the leg and to insure the key's pulling the shoulder up against the leg firmly, should any of the legs happen to be a little less than 7/8 in., it is well to make the mortise slightly nearer the shoulder than 7/8 in.
It is a good plan to lay out the mortise in the tenon at the same time the shoulders of the tenons are laid out. Otherwise the joint edge being cut off in making the tenon there is no convenient way to locate this mortise accurately.
Lay off the top stretchers according to the dimensions shown in the drawing. Observe the same precautions about the cross lap joint as were given for the lower stretchers, except that the joint edges are to be placed up in this latter case. Make sure the grooves are laid out in the middle before cutting. As a test, place the pieces side by side, examine the markings, then turn one of them end for end and again examine.
The grooves into which the legs pass are 1/8 in. deep and must be very carefully cut. Their purpose is to give rigidity to the tabouret frame. Bore two holes in each stretcher for the screws that are to fasten the top in place.
Make the keys, scrape all the parts and sandpaper those that were not so treated at the mill. Use glue to fasten the tops of the legs to the top stretchers and assemble these parts.
The top is octagonal or eight-sided. To make it, square up a piece to 16-1/2 by 16-1/2 in. Measure the diagonal, take one-half of it and measure from each corner of the board each way along the edges to locate the places at which to cut off the corners. Connect these points, saw and plane the remaining four sides. There is to be a 5/8-in. bevel on the under side of the top. Scrape and sandpaper these edges and secure the top to the stretchers with screws.
Tabouret as Completed
Much time can be saved and a better result obtained if the wood finishing is done before the parts are put together. Especially is this true if stain and filler are used.
A very pretty finish and one easily put on even after the parts are put together is obtained as follows: Take a barrel and stuff up the cracks or paste paper over them so as to make it as near airtight as possible. In some out-of-the-way place put a dish with about 2 oz. of strong ammonia. Set the tabouret over this dish and quickly invert the barrel over the tabouret. Allow the fumes to act on the wood for at least 15 hours. Remove the barrel and allow the fumes to escape. Polish with several coats of wax such as is used upon floors. Directions for waxing will be found on the cans that contain the wax.. This produces the rich nut-brown finish so popular in Arts and Crafts furniture and is known as fumed oak.
HOW TO MAKE A MORRIS CHAIR
The stock necessary to make a morris chair of craftsman design as shown in the engraving can be purchased mill-planed and sandpapered on four sides as given in the following list:
4 posts 1-3/4 by 3 by 26 in.
2 front and back rails 7/8 by 5-1/2 by 24 in.
2 side rails 7/8 by 5-1/2 by 28 in.
2 arm pieces 7/8 by 5-1/2 by 37 in.
7 slats 3/8 by 2 by 24 in.
2 cleats 1 by 1 by 22-1/2 in.
2 back stiles 1 by 2-1/2 by 24-1/2 in.
2 back rails 1 by 2 by 17 in.
3 back slats 3/8 by 1-1/2 by 19 in.
1 back support 3/4 by 3/4 by 24 in.
2 support rests 1 by 1-1/2 by 8-1/2 in.
2 dowels 1/2 in. diameter, 6 in. long.
Complete Morris Chair Without Cushion
First make and put together the sides of the chair. While the glue is setting on these parts make and assemble the back. The front and back rails may next be made and placed and the cleats and bottom slats fastened. With the adjustment of the back the chair is ready for the finish.
The posts are to be tenoned on the upper ends. These tenons are to project 3/16 in. above the arm and should be slightly beveled. The lower ends of the posts, likewise, all other projecting ends, should be beveled to avoid their splintering. All sharp corners, as on the arms, should be sandpapered just enough to take their sharpness off, so as not to injure the hand.
Details of a Morris Chair
That the chair may be properly inclined, the rear posts are cut 1 in. shorter than the forward ones. To get the correct slant on the bottoms of these posts, lay a straightedge so that its edge touches the bottom of the front post at its front surface, but keep it 1 in. above the bottom of the rear post. Mark with pencil along the straightedge across both posts.
At the rear ends of the arms are the notched pieces that allow the back to be adjusted to different angles. These pieces may be fastened in place either by means of roundhead screws from above or flatheads from underneath the arms. The notches are to be cut 3/4 in. deep. If more than three adjustments are wanted, the arms must be made correspondingly longer.
The dimensions for the tenons on all the larger pieces will be found on the drawing. For the back, the tenons of the cross pieces, the rails, should be 3/8 by 1-1/4-in. For the slats, the easiest way is to not tenon them but to "let in" the whole end, making the mortises in the rails 3/8 by 1-1/2 in. This will necessitate cutting the sides of the mortises very accurately, but this extra care will be more than compensated by not having to bother with the cutting of tenons on each end of the three back slats.
To finish the chair, put on a coat of water stain, first removing all surplus glue and thoroughly scraping and sandpapering all the parts that were not so treated at the mill. The color of the stain will depend upon the finish desired, whether golden, mission, etc. Water stains cause the grain of the wood to roughen, so it will be necessary to resandpaper the surfaces after the stain has dried, using fine paper. Next apply a coat of filler colored to match the stain. Directions for its application will be found upon the cans in which the filler comes. After the filler has hardened put on a very thin coat of shellac.
What step is taken next will depend upon what kind of a surface is desired. Several coats of polishing wax may be put on. This is easily done—directions will be found on the cans—and makes the most satisfactory finish for mission and craftsman furniture. It is the easiest to apply. Several coats of shellac or of varnish might be put on instead of wax. Each coat of the shellac should be rubbed when thoroughly dried with curled hair or fine steel wool or fine oiled sandpaper. Rub the first coats of varnish with hair-cloth or curled hair and the last coats with pulverized pumice stone and crude oil or raw linseed oil.
Cushions for the chair can be made at home. They may be made of art leather such as Spanish roan skin and the top and bottom parts fastened together by lacing leather thongs through holes previously punched along the edges of the parts. A very pretty effect is obtained by using thongs of a different but harmonious color. The manner of lacing may be any one of the various laces such as are used in lacing belts or as shoestrings. These cushions may be filled with hair or cotton felt. Denim or burlap may also be used as a covering and are much less expensive than the leather. Lace one side and the two ends, then place filling and finish lacing.
Art leather cushions retail at from $16 to $20 a pair and the denim and burlap at $6 to $9.
The bottom cushion should be made the full size of the chair. The front and back rails extend a little above the slats and thus hold it in place. The back cushion will settle down a little and therefore may be made nearly the full length from the slats to the top of the back.
HOME-MADE MISSION BOOK RACK
Light but Strong
When making the book rack as shown in the accompanying photograph use quarter-sawed oak if possible, as this wood is the most suitable for finishing in the different mission stains. This piece of furniture is very attractive and simple to construct. The upper shelf can be used for vases or a plant of some kind, while the lower shelves afford ample room for books and magazines.
The slats and legs are fastened to the shelves with 2-in. round-headed brass screws. These can be purchased from any hardware store. One screw is used at each joint of a slat and shelf which calls for 32 screws in all. Holes should be bored into the slats and legs in which to insert the screws. This will keep the wood from splitting. The dimensions are given in the diagram sketch, although these may be changed to suit the requirement of the builder. If no glue is used on the joints when setting up, the rack can easily be taken apart and put in a small bundle for moving.
Details of Stand
HOW TO MAKE A MISSION LIBRARY TABLE
The mission library table, the drawings for which are here given, has been found well proportioned and of pleasing appearance. It can be made of any of the several furniture woods in common use, such as selected, quarter-sawed white oak which will be found exceptionally pleasing in the effect produced.
This Picture is from a Photograph of the Mission Table Described in This Article
If a planing mill is at hand the stock can be ordered in such a way as to avoid the hard work of planing and sandpapering. Of course if mill-planed stock cannot be had, the following dimensions must be enlarged slightly to allow for "squaring up the rough."
Showing Dimensions of Table
For the top, order 1 piece 1-1/8 in. thick, 34 in. wide and 46 in. long. Have it S-4-S (surface on four sides) and "squared" to length. Also specify that it be sandpapered on the top surface, the edges and ends.
For the shelf, order 1 piece 7/8 in. thick, 22 in. wide and 42 in. long, with the four sides surfaced, squared and sandpapered the same as for the top.
For the side rails, order 2 pieces 7/8 in. thick, 6 in. wide and 37 in. long, S-4-S and sanded on one side. For the end rails, 2 pieces 7/8 in. thick, 6 in. wide and 25 in. long. Other specifications as for the side rails.
For the stretchers, into which the shelf tenons enter, 2 pieces 1-1/8 in. thick, 3-3/4 in. wide and 25 in. long, surfaced and sanded on four sides. For the slats, 10 pieces 5/8 in. thick, 1-1/2 in. wide and 17 in. long, surfaced and sanded on four sides. For the keys, 4 pieces 3/4 in. thick, 1-1/4 in. wide and 2-7/8 in. long, S-4-S. This width is a little wide; it will allow the key to be shaped as desired.
The drawings obviate any necessity for going into detail in the description. Fig. 1 gives an assembly drawing showing the relation of the parts. Fig. 2 gives the detail of an end. The tenons for the side rails are laid off and the mortises placed in the post as are those on the end. Care must be taken, however, not to cut any mortises on the post below, as was done in cutting the stretcher mortises on the ends of the table. A good plan is to set the posts upright in the positions they are to occupy relative to one another and mark with pencil the approximate positions of the mortises. The legs can then be laid flat and the mortises accurately marked out with a fair degree of assurance that they will not be cut where they are not wanted and that the legs shall "pair" properly when effort is made to assemble the parts of the table.
Details of Table Construction
The table ends should be glued up first and the glue allowed to harden, after which the tenons of the shelf may be inserted and the side rails placed.
There is a reason for the shape, size and location of each tenon or mortise. For illustration, the shape of the tenon on the top rails permits the surface of the rail to extend almost flush with the surface of the post at the same time permitting the mortise in the post to be kept away from that surface. Again, the shape of the ends of the slats is such that, though they may vary slightly in length, the fitting of the joints will not be affected. Care must be taken in cutting the mortises to keep their sides clean and sharp and to size.
In making the mortises for the keyed tenons, the length of mortise must be slightly in excess of the width of the tenon—about 1/8 in. of play to each side of each tenon. With a shelf of the width specified for this table, if such allowance is not made so that the tenons may move sideways, the shrinkage would split the shelf.
In cutting across the ends of the shelf, between the tenons, leave a hole in the waste so that the turning saw or compass saw can be inserted. Saw within one-sixteenth of the line, after which this margin may be removed with chisel and mallet.
In Fig. 3 is shown two views of the keyed tenon and the key. The mortise for the key is to be placed in the middle of the tenon. It will be noted that this mortise is laid out 1-1/16 in. from the shoulder of the tenon while the stretcher is 1-1/8 in. thick. This is to insure the key's pulling the shelf tightly against the side of the stretcher.
Keys may be made in a variety of shapes. The one shown is simple and structurally good. Whatever shape is used, the important thing to keep in mind is that the size of the key and the slant of its forward surface where it passes through the tenon must be kept the same as the mortise made for it in the tenon.
The top is to be fastened to the rails by means either of wooden buttons, Fig. 4, or small angle irons.
There are a bewildering number of mission finishes upon the market. A very satisfactory one is obtained by applying a coat of brown Flemish water stain, diluted by the addition of water in the proportion of two parts water to 1 part stain. When this has dried, sand with No. 00 paper, being careful not to "cut through." Next, apply a coat of dark brown filler; the directions for doing this will be found upon the can in which the filler is bought. One coat usually suffices. However, if an especially smooth surface is desired, a second coat may be applied in a similar manner.
After the filler has hardened, a very thin coat of shellac is to be put on. When this has dried, it should be sanded lightly and then one or two coats of wax should be properly applied and polished. Directions for waxing are upon the cans in which the wax is bought. A beautiful dull gloss so much sought by finishers of modern furniture will be the result of carefully following these directions.
HOME-MADE MISSION CANDLESTICK
There are many kinds of mission candlesticks, but few of them carry out the mission design throughout. Herewith is illustrated a candlestick which may be made from the various woods that will have the style and lines of mission craft work. The base is made from 1-in. material, 4-1/2 in. square. Two holes are bored and countersunk for screws to hold the post and handle. The post is 2-1/4 in. high, bored in one end to fit the size of a candle. The post is covered with a 3/8-in. thick cap, 2 in. square. This, also, is bored to fit the candle. The handle is 3/8 in. thick and 3 in. long with a 3/8-in. square mortise and is notched to fit the base. The wood may be selected to match any other piece of furniture and finished in any of the mission stains.
Candlestick
Details of Candlestick
ANOTHER STYLE OF MISSION CHAIR
The material necessary to make a mission chair as shown in the accompanying illustration may be secured from a planing mill with all four surfaces squared and sandpapered. The mill can do this work quickly and the expense will be nothing compared with the time it takes to do the work by hand.
The following is the stock list:
4 legs, 2-1/2 by 2-1/2 by 32-1/2 in.
2 bottom end rails 7/8 by 5-3/4 by 23-1/2 in.
2 bottom side rails 7/8 by 5-3/4 by 28-1/2 in.
2 top end rails 7/8 by 4-1/2 by 23-1/2 in.
1 top back rail 7/8 by 4-1/2 by 28-1/2 in.
2 cleats 7/8 by 2-1/2 by 26-1/2 in.
7 slats 1/2 by 2 by 24 in.
This design was purposely made simple. If it is considered too severe and the worker has had some experience in woodwork, it can easily be modified by adding vertical slats in back and sides. These should be made of 1/2-in. stock and their ends should be "let into" the rails by means of mortises.
Either plain red oak or quarter-sawed white oak will do. Begin by squaring up one end of each leg, marking and cutting them to length and planing up the second ends so that they shall be square. Both the top and bottom of each leg should be beveled or rounded off about 1/4 in. so that they may not splinter or cause injury to the hand.
When all of the legs have been made of the same length, set them on end in the positions they are to have relative to one another and mark with pencil the approximate locations of the mortises. Next, place them on the bench, side by side, even the ends and square sharp lines across to indicate the ends of the mortises. The drawing shows the dimensions to use. A sharp pencil should be used for this marking and the lines should be carried entirely across the two faces of each piece.
Mission Chair Complete
Set the gauge for the side of the mortise nearest the face edge. With this setting, mark all the mortises, then set for the second side of the mortise and complete the gauging.
There are two ways of cutting small mortises in common use. One is by using a chisel of a width just equal to that of the mortise. The other is by using a smaller chisel after the mortise has first been bored with the brace and bit. In the first method the cutting is begun at the middle of the mortise where a V-shaped opening is made the full depth of the mortise that is to be. Continuing from the middle, vertical cuts are taken first toward one end and then toward the other. The chips are pried out as the cutting proceeds. In making the last cut this prying must be omitted, otherwise the edge of the mortise would be ruined. It will be necessary to stand so as to look along the opening in order to get the sides plumb.
This method of cutting, when once the "knack" has been attained, will be found much easier, quicker and more accurate for small openings, such as these, than the usual method. The second method, which is the usual one, needs no description.
Details of Mission Chair Construction
The rails should next have the tenons cut on their ends. It may not be out of place to remind the amateur that the lengths of the various like pieces can best be laid off by placing them on the bench, measuring off the proper distances on one of them and then with try-square marking across the edges of all of them at once. This not only saves time in that but one set of measurements need be made, but it insures all the pieces being similarly laid off. In measuring off for the shoulders of the tenons, begin at the middle of the length of the rail and measure half of the distance each way. By doing so, if there are any slight differences in the lengths of the pieces this difference will be divided between the two tenons and no harm will be done.