Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Furniture and Cabinet-Making - With Instructions and Illustrations on Constructing Household Furniture, Including Various Cabinet Designs for Different Uses - The Handyman's Book of Woodworking
    Furniture and Cabinet-Making - With Instructions and Illustrations on Constructing Household Furniture, Including Various Cabinet Designs for Different Uses - The Handyman's Book of Woodworking
    Furniture and Cabinet-Making - With Instructions and Illustrations on Constructing Household Furniture, Including Various Cabinet Designs for Different Uses - The Handyman's Book of Woodworking
    Ebook859 pages19 hours

    Furniture and Cabinet-Making - With Instructions and Illustrations on Constructing Household Furniture, Including Various Cabinet Designs for Different Uses - The Handyman's Book of Woodworking

    By Paul N. Hasluck

    5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    This is a classic guide to woodworking that focuses on making a variety of cabinets and similar items of household furniture. Including instructions for designing and practical step-by-step directions, this timeless volume will be of utility to DIY enthusiasts and those with an interest in woodwork in general. Paul Nooncree Hasluck (1854 – 1916) was an Australian engineer and editor. He was a master of technical writing and father of the 'do-it-yourself' book, producing many books on subjects including engineering, handicrafts, woodwork, and more. Other notable works by this author include: “Treatise on the Tools Employed in the Art of Turning” (1881), “The Wrath-Jobber's Handy Book” (1887), and “Screw-Threads and Methods of Producing Them” (1887). Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOld Hand Books
    Release dateJul 14, 2020
    ISBN9781528766593
    Furniture and Cabinet-Making - With Instructions and Illustrations on Constructing Household Furniture, Including Various Cabinet Designs for Different Uses - The Handyman's Book of Woodworking
    Author

    Paul N. Hasluck

    Paul Hasluck (1854–1931) was an Australian-born writer and engineer, who moved to the United Kingdom before the 1880s. Hasluck was a leading writer of do-it-yourself guides and wrote technical handbooks. Alongside authoring 40 of his own works, Hasluck also edited many texts.

    Read more from Paul N. Hasluck

    Related to Furniture and Cabinet-Making - With Instructions and Illustrations on Constructing Household Furniture, Including Various Cabinet Designs for Different Uses - The Handyman's Book of Woodworking

    Related ebooks

    Crafts & Hobbies For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Multi-Function Shavehorse

      Jan 7, 2020

      Multi-Function Shavehorse
      8 min read

    • Article

      Walnut DIMPLED BOX

      Nov 17, 2020

      Walnut DIMPLED BOX
      5 min read

    • Article

      Hand Planes: A Plain-talk Overview

      Jul 7, 2020

      We know nothing of who first came up with the idea of a hand plane; all we do know is that it was a long, long time ago. The oldest woodworking plane on record is nearly 2000 years old. Found in Pompeii, it dates from around 79 A.D., but woodworkers

      9 min read

    • Article

      The Table Saw

      Dec 31, 2021

      The Table Saw
      8 min read

    • Article

      Butterfly Keys Made Easy

      Feb 17, 2020

      Butterfly Keys Made Easy
      4 min read

    • Article

      5 Handplanes You Need

      Nov 17, 2017

      5 Handplanes You Need
      5 min read

    • Article

      How Do I Make a Tack Cloth?

      Jul 2, 2022

      How Do I Make a Tack Cloth?
      2 min read

    • Article

      A Box-Maker’s SLED

      Jul 30, 2019

      A Box-Maker’s SLED
      2 min read

    • Article

      How a Woodworker Uses a Hatchet

      Nov 12, 2018

      How a Woodworker Uses a Hatchet
      3 min read

    • Article

      Wood Insert Joinery

      Jun 8, 2022

      Wood Insert Joinery
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Traveler’s Tool Case

      Nov 12, 2018

      A Traveler’s Tool Case
      2 min read

    • Article

      Miter Plane

      Sep 1, 2020

      Miter Plane
      8 min read

    • Article

      Casing A Window

      Aug 31, 2021

      Casing A Window
      1 min read

    • Article

      Roy Underhill’s Nail Cabinet

      Nov 6, 2019

      One of the enduring features of Roy Underhill’s “The Woodwright’s Shop” PBS television show is the familiar and rambling back-drop of former projects, parts, tools and wood that frames most episodes. My favorite item in his shop is his nail cabinet—a

      7 min read

    • Article

      Doing More With Less

      Apr 10, 2019

      Doing More With Less
      2 min read

    • Article

      Making a Scraper Plane

      Feb 21, 2020

      Making a Scraper Plane
      6 min read

    • Article

      From Our Readers

      Dec 31, 2022

      Every year, as all of us here at Woodworker’s Journal consider what woodworking topics to cover next, there’s a good bit of discussion. As you likely know, we survey our readers regularly and ask (among other things) what you would like to learn more

      5 min read

    • Article

      Krenov’s Cabinet On Stand

      Nov 19, 2018

      Krenov’s Cabinet On Stand
      2 min read

    • Article

      Outdoor Finishing

      Feb 13, 2022

      Outdoor Finishing
      7 min read

    • Article

      Tambour Console Cabinet

      Jun 28, 2019

      Tambour Console Cabinet
      9 min read

    • Article

      Setting Up A Carving Space

      Jun 29, 2021

      Setting Up A Carving Space
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Furniture and Cabinet-Making - With Instructions and Illustrations on Constructing Household Furniture, Including Various Cabinet Designs for Different Uses - The Handyman's Book of Woodworking

    5/5

    2 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Furniture and Cabinet-Making - With Instructions and Illustrations on Constructing Household Furniture, Including Various Cabinet Designs for Different Uses - The Handyman's Book of Woodworking - Paul N. Hasluck

      OFFICE, LIBRARY, AND STUDY FURNITURE.

      HANGING NEWSPAPER RACK.

      NOT much skill is required to make the newspaper rack shown by Fig. 1684, as all the joints are plain butt joints, with the exception of the dovetailing of the brackets into the front, and even here butt joints can be used if wished. The shelf E (Fig. 1685) and brackets F, G, H (Fig. 1684) should be made of thicker stuff than the back and front pieces, as they have to receive screws in their edges. The attachment of the front I to the shelf F should be as strong as possible, and it is for this reason that the brackets are dovetailed into I, as shown in Fig. 1686. When the shelf and brackets are all fixed to the front, their edges, which butt against the back, may be planed up together. The cocked bead J is for the purpose of concealing the screws which fasten I to the shelf E. J is dowelled on after the screws are driven in, but the corresponding holes for the dowels are best bored by putting J into place and boring through I into J before the shelf is attached; care must, of course, be taken that the holes do not pierce J. In making this bead, the neatest result is obtained by shaping and glass-papering the two parts separately, and then gluing them together. The radius of the curved moulding K is 2 ft., and this may be made without a template by reducing it into the successive sections shown in Fig. 1687. This is done with chisel and gouge, finishing with a bull-nose plane. To mark out the centres of the dowels for fastening the curved moulding, lay on the curved edge of I ordinary pins with their heads situated where dowels are required. K being put in place, a smart knock on the top will impress the heads of the pins in both pieces. The straight mouldings may be made and attached in the same way as the curved one, and this will ensure soundness at the returns, which are worked out of the solid. In marking out the trefoils on the front, note that, on account of the radial slot running into the trefoil, the lower lobes have their centres a little higher than they would be if the three were equidistant. The trefoils are made entirely with the centre-bit.

      Fig. 1684.

      Fig. 1685.

      Figs. 1685 and 1684.—Front and Side Elevations of Hanging Newspaper Rack.

      Fig. 1686.—Dovetailing of Brackets.

      Fig. 1687.—Successive Sections of Moulding.

      Fig. 1688.—Newspaper Rack in Turned Wood.

      Fig. 1689.—Inner Rectangle of Rack.

      NEWSPAPER RACK IN TURNED WOOD.

      A general perspective view of a newspaper rack in turned woodwork is shown in Fig. 1688; the rectangles are filled in as in Fig. 1689, the filling being omitted from Fig. 1688 for the sake of clearness. It consists of a baseboard A, on which are fastened three rectangles B, C, D. The centre one of these is taller than the rest, and has a handle. The baseboard has a turned foot at each corner, secured by a screw passing through its centre. The baseboard is about 1 in. thick, and its edge is moulded all round. It may be made of polished wood, or of deal covered with plush; if of the latter, the holes are bored for the reception of the uprights before covering. The rectangles may be made of any pattern, Fig. 1688 being a suggestion. Of the middle one (Fig. 1689), A is the turned wood handle, fastened on by two short pieces C; D is the horizontal; E, two side pieces; F, a rosette fastened on centrally to four pieces G. The exact length and diameter of each piece must be determined upon before any rectangle can be made. All the pieces are connected together by means of tenons, 1/4 in. in diameter, at the ends. The distance between the axes of the side pieces is, say, exactly 1 ft., the rosette is 2 in. in diameter, and the uprights E are 1 in. in diameter where the horizontals G meet them; then the length of the horizontal pieces G, exclusive of the tenons, will be 4 1/2 in. In the same manner, if the length of each of the pieces E from the point where they meet D to the baseboard is 8 in., the length of each of the vertical pieces G will be 3 in. When the exact length of each piece has been settled, they may all be turned, and should be neatly finished and highly polished. The lower ends of the vertical pieces should have tenons, so that they can be fastened to the baseboard. The two outer rectangles are constructed in the same manner, and are glued into the baseboard, as little glue as possible being used; otherwise the excess will ooze out, and spoil the appearance of the work. Fig. 1690 shows another design for the rectangles, or it may be taken as the design for the outer rectangles, whilst Fig. 1689 serves for the middle one.

      Fig. 1690.—Outer Rectangle of Rack.

      Fig. 1691.

      Fig. 1692.

      Fig. 1693.

      Figs. 1691 to 1693.—Front Elevation, Side Elevation, and Vertical Section of Three-Division Rack.

      HANGING THREE-DIVISION MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER RACK.

      The magazine rack illustrated by Fig. 1691 is designed to hold nine ordinary sized magazines with the title pages in front, thus enabling a person to see at a glance the magazine required. Fig. 1691 shows a front view, Fig. 1692 a side view, and Fig. 1693 a vertical section of the rack, which can be made in oak, walnut, or mahogany, and polished, or in one of the pines (pitchpine would look well) varnished. The sizes of the material required when planed up are: One piece for the back, 1 ft. 4 1/2 in. by 5 1/4 in. by 3/4 in.; two pieces for the sides, 2 ft. 3/4 in. by 3 1/8 in. by 1 in.; three pieces for the shelves, 1 ft. 4 1/2 in. by 3 1/8 in. by 1 in.; three pieces for the back rails, 1 ft. 3 1/2 in. by 1/2 in. by 1 in.; three pieces for the front rails, 1 ft. 5 in. by 1/2 in. by 1 in. Each length is 1 in. more than the finished size. Set out the piece for the back as shown in Fig. 1694; cut the curved parts with a bow saw, and finish with a spokeshave, afterwards working a chamfer 1/4 in. wide round a part, as shown in Fig. 1694. Next on the lower edge work the stop-chamfer mould, an enlarged detail of which is given by Fig. 1695. It is worked for 3/8 in. on both the face and lower edge. The back is connected to the sides by means of a dovetail on each end, as shown in Fig. 1696.

      Fig. 1694.—Setting out Back of Rack

      MAKING THE RACK.

      Next prepare the three shelves—the full length is 1 ft. 3 1/2 in.—dovetailing both ends of each for 3/4 in. Work the ovolo mould on the edges of the six rails, as shown in the sections (Figs. 1693 and 1694); return the mould across the ends of the three long rails, the full length of which will be 1 ft. 4 in., while the other three will be 1 ft. 2 1/2 in. long. Next set out the two sides as shown in Figs. 1698 and 1699, the latter showing the back edge. Cut the curved parts with a bow saw, and finish with a spokeshave and wood file. Then place the dovetailed ends of the shelves in position on the back edge of the sides; mark the outline of the dovetails, sloping the shelves 1/4 in., as shown in Fig. 1693. Cut the slots with a saw and chisel, and fix the shelves temporarily, one side at a time. Apply the ends of the short rails to the sides, the backs of the rails fitting close to the front edge of the shelves. Mark round the ends of the rails on the sides, and, taking out the shelves, cut the housings as marked 1/4 in. deep, as shown in Fig. 1700. Next cut out the notch A (Fig. 1700) on the front edge of the sides for the front rails, the depth being equal to the width of the square left on the top edge of the rail after the mould is stuck. Place the back on the edge of the sides, mark, and cut out for the dovetail. After cleaning up the pieces, put them together, first placing the short rails into the housings on the sides; then fix the shelves into the sides, and secure the rail to the front edge of the shelf by screwing from the back edge with 1 1/4-in. screws. Secure the back to the sides with 1 1/4-in. screws, as shown in Fig. 1696, and the front rails to the sides with 1 1/4 in. round-headed brass screws. The buttons (as shown in section by Fig. 1701) for ornamenting the sides can be turned in the lathe. Holes to receive the dowels should be bored with a centre-bit, and the buttons glued in. The rack can be hung with small brass hangers, as shown by Fig. 1702; or the shape shown by Fig. 822, p. 250, can be employed. It should be understood that Fig. 1693 is a vertical section taken on the line A B (Fig. 1691).

      Fig. 1695.—Stop-chamfer Mould.

      Fig. 1696.—Joint of Back to Side of Rack.

      Fig. 1697. Section of Rail.

      Fig. 1699.

      Fig. 1698.

      Figs. 1698 and 1699.—Setting out Side of Rack.

      Fig. 1700.—Part of Side ready for Shelf and Rail.

      Fig. 1701. Section of Button.

      Fig. 1702. Brass Hanger.

      Fig. 1703.

      Fig. 1704.

      Figs. 1703 and 1704.—Sections and Back Elevation of Combination Rack.

      COMBINATION RACK FOR NEWSPAPERS, LETTERS, AND KEYS.

      A vertical section of a rack to receive letters, newspapers, and keys is shown by Fig. 1703; Fig. 1704 shows the back portion, and is a section taken on M M (Fig. 1703). The back consists of a frame fitted with vertical bars. The side pieces A and B and the horizontal bar C are each about 1 1/4 in. wide by 5/8 in. thick, and C is connected by a stopped dovetail halving or mortise-and-tenon joint. The lower ends of A and B are cut to the ornamental shape shown. The top rail D (Fig. 1704), with curved top, is made thinner and connected to the other parts by a joint shown in Fig. 1705, which is a view from the back. Fig. 1703 is a section on L L (Fig. 1704). A solid strip of wood E is attached as shown in Figs. 1705 and 1706, the latter being a horizontal section taken through the centre of this strip; A and B are cut back and have dovetail pins at their top ends, which are let into the piece E. Fig. 1706 also shows the section of D where it passes through E. The lowest member of E is cut away at each end to fit the side pieces, and the intermediate part is formed into dentils with saw and chisel. The four vertical slats or bars which fill in this frame are about 1/4 in. thick, and are attached easily by means of dovetail joints (see Figs. 1705 and 1706). Their lower ends are fastened to a cross-piece F (Fig. 1704), which is screwed to A and B from the back; A and B are notched as shown in Fig. 1706. Below F is a cavetto moulding, extending between the two brackets, which are housed into F. Below this moulding is a strip, which carries a number of hooks for hanging keys upon, and this may be secured by screws passing through C (Fig. 1703). The inclined front (half shown by Fig. 1708) consists of a nearly vertical part G let into a horizontal part H (as shown in Fig. 1703), the two forming a T-shaped piece. Three pieces, as shown in Fig. 1709, and carried by G, form the letter rack. A sort of oblique bridle joint is shown in Figs. 1703, 1708, and 1709, as the means of uniting the letter-rack fronts to G; and in Fig. 1703 are seen little fillets glued in the angles in order to strengthen the joints. Six shaped slats J (Fig. 1708) are dovetailed into H and pass through F. A little beaded strip is glued to the bottom edge of H, and a small moulding is attached to the top.

      Fig. 1705.—Joints at Top Corner.

      Fig. 1706.—Horizontal Section of Top of Rack.

      Fig. 1707.—Joints in Lower Part of Rack.

      Fig. 1708.—Front of Rack.

      Fig. 1709.—Design Letter Rack.

      Fig. 1710.—Nest or Plain Pigeonholes.

      NEST OF PIGEONHOLES.

      A nest of pigeonholes for ordinary office use should contain at least twenty-six holes, one for each letter of the alphabet, though as that number is an inconvenient one to deal with, it is usual to have twenty-seven (as in Fig. 1710), or only twenty-four. The material may be pine, clean and free from knots; the thickness may be 3/8 in., though the case may be 1/2 in. thick if thought advisable. The depth from back to front is not important; it may be just the width of the board from which the job is to be made. As the wood will probably have an irregular edge, it must be set out from the narrowest part, and this should not be much less than 9 in. After the wood is planed smooth, with the aid of the square cut off two pieces 2 ft. 3 in. long, and two 1 ft. long. These form the top, bottom, and ends of the case, and are nailed or otherwise jointed together. The shelves are now cut to fit tightly within the ends. They are the same width as the top and bottom, and should be cut with perfectly square corners. Do not fasten them in until the partitions are ready and the grooves are cut for their reception. The joint of the shelves and the partitions is shown nearly full size by Fig. 1711; the edge of the partition is sunk in a groove cut for it in the shelf. This is quite strong enough for the purpose. The width of the grooves is just enough to allow of the partitions fitting tightly into them. To mark and cut these grooves, at equal distances from each other, mark out, either with compasses or by other convenient means, the positions of the divisions, remembering that at the ends of the shelves the spaces must be shorter by half the thickness of the partitions than the others. The reason for this is that there are no partitions at the ends, but just the actual casing. Square lines across, representing the width of the grooves, and cut these lines down to a uniform depth with a wide chisel, or, guided by a straight-edge, draw the chisel along so that it cuts into the wood. Remove the waste wood with a 3/8-in. chisel. The cuts at the sides of the grooves allow the wood between them to be removed without disturbing the surfaces of the shelves. The shelves now may be fitted in their places and the upright partitions forced in. The grooves will hold those between the shelves, while those above the top and below the bottom shelf will be held partly by the grooves and partly by a few nails through the top and bottom. It only remains to fasten thin wood on the back, and the nest of pigeonholes is complete, as far as actual construction is concerned. It is a good plan to mark each hole with a letter of the alphabet, according to the documents it is intended to hold.

      Fig. 1711.—Joint of Partition and Shelf.

      Fig. 1712.

      Fig. 1713.

      Figs. 1712 and 1713.—Pigeonholes with Ornamental Brackets.

      Fig. 1714.—Nest of Ornamental Pigeonholes.

      FINISHING NEST OF PIGEONHOLES.

      An excellent finish, relieving the stiff, straight lines, may be easily formed by putting thin pieces of wood at the top of each hole. They are cut with a fret-saw, and fastened by small blocks of wood glued in behind them. Figs. 1712 and 1713 will give suggestions. Fig. 1714 shows a nest of pigeonholes, virtually the same as that described above, but ornamented with the bracket pieces and with top and bottom mouldings. The ends are thicker, and their front edges are ornamented by scratching with a cutting gauge or scratch beading router (described later). The top moulding is of pine. The bottom is thickened up, and the appearance of moulding given to it by three pieces of stuff, 1 in. thick and, say, 2 in. wide, being fastened on to the bottom board by means of screws driven through from below. The front piece should be the whole length of the job and the end pieces shouldered up behind it, so that they need not be mitred at the corners. If these end pieces are cut off across the grain of the wood, instead of with it, they will look better. The edges can easily be rounded off, as shown, with the plane, and finished with glasspaper. The job, when made, may be stained and polished or painted, according to fancy.

      Fig. 1715.—Nest of Pigeonholes with Two Doors.

      Fig. 1716.—Nest of Pigeonholes with Writing Flap.

      PIGEONHOLES WITH DOORS.

      Doors may be added to the nest of holes made as previously described. The hinges could be fastened on the front edges; but this would not be so neat as hingeing the doors within the ends (see pp. 300 to 302), the fronts of the doors then being flush with, or a trifle back from, the edges of the ends, top, and bottom. It is necessary to have the partitions and shelves less by the thickness of the door—say 3/4 in.—than the depth of the casing. On the left-hand door a bolt is fitted to shoot into either the top or bottom of the case, or, if preferred, two bolts, one at top and one at bottom. On the right-hand door a cupboard lock (see p. 297) with bolt shooting to the left will be fixed. The nest of pigeonholes so made will resemble Fig. 1715. Ornamentation in the way of mouldings, headings, etc., can be added as desired. For a small nest, possibly one door may be preferable to two. In a long, low nest, if one door is preferred, it should be hinged at the top or bottom rather than at the end. If hinged at the top, a stay of some kind will be advisable to keep it open when the contents are being got at, but this arrangement will be more awkward generally than if the door is hinged at the bottom. In the latter case the door remains open by its own weight. and, if not allowed to hang down, forms a convenient table on which to sort or look over any of the contents of the holes.

      Fig. 1717.—Nest of Pigeonholes with Revolving Shutter.

      PIGEONHOLES WITH WRITING FLAP.

      The door hinged at the bottom may be used easily as a writing flap, in which case, of course, the panel and framing must be flush on the inside, and will be pleasanter if lined with cloth or leather. To prevent the flap falling further than required, a pivoted brass stay may be used, or instead a simple chain or cord fastened to the insides of the flap and ends. If the flap is to be used for writing purposes, part of the space occupied by the pigeonholes may be devoted to stationery—such as notepaper, envelopes, ink, pens, etc., and Fig. 1716 is suggestive in this connection. This illustration gives an idea as to how the article may easily have a more ornamental appearance given to it. The pigeonholes are now a sightly piece of furniture, which, if carefully made, would not be out of place in any library. It is worthy of being made in better wood than pine, which, however, will do very well for the shelves and partitions.

      PIGEONHOLES WITH SHUTTER OR REVOLVING FRONT.

      The construction of a nest of pigeonholes with shutter or revolving front may now be described. The doors or shutters slide, and, in order to turn corners, are flexible. They are formed of narrow strips of wood, fastened close together on a canvas or other suitable backing, and slide in grooves prepared for them. A nest of pigeonholes, smaller than has yet been described, is illustrated by Fig. 1717. It is rather taller than it is wide, and is divided into sixteen holes, four in each row. The extra height allows of the shape of each hole being rectangular, and is caused by the fact of there being two tops to the case—the outer one, and the other immediately above the pigeonholes. Between the two is a 3-in. space to hold the shutter when it is raised, as it is shown to be partly in Fig. 1717. A suitable size for the nest is 1 ft. 8 in. high, 1 ft. 4 in. wide, and 10 in. deep, outside measurements. These may be varied to suit particular purposes; but note that as the pigeonholes must be set back to allow of the shutter working in front of them, there is a risk of their not being deep enough to hold papers, which must be cleared by the shutter. The shutter slides in grooves in the sides or ends of the case, so that, in setting out these, both the thickness of the wood forming the sliding front and the width of the groove will have to be considered with regard to each other. For a small nest, ordinary 1/4-in. stuff will be thick enough for the front, although, as even the veriest tyro will know, its thickness will be considerably less than 1/4 in. when smoothed and worked down. It will hardly be too thin if 1/8 in. thick. The groove should be a trifle wider, so that the shutter moves easily and freely in it, though not loosely. From lack of tools or other reasons, it may not be convenient to make the grooves just the right width, so the shutters themselves may be adapted, as shown later, to fit in slightly narrower grooves. At present it is assumed that these are made exactly of the required width. Fig. 1718 represents the inside of the right-hand end of the case. These ends should be of 3/4-in. stuff. Along the front edge cut a rebate the width of the thickness of the shutter, and about half the thickness of the end in depth. The rebate merges into a groove between the two tops, and in order that the shutter may work freely, follows a circular line. The length of the groove may be determined by actual measurement, but it will be as well in the first place to make it excessive, and to stop up the excess after fitting the shutter. The groove should be cut as cleanly as possible, to assist the free action of the shutter, which should run as smoothly as a well-made drawer. The two ends of the casing, of course, are made to correspond.

      Fig. 1718.—Side of Nest, showing Provision for Shutter.

      Fig. 1719.—Shutter Strip with Rounded Edge.

      Fig. 1720.—Shutter Strip with Bevelled Edge.

      FLEXIBLE ROLL SHUTTER FOR PIGEONHOLES.

      The shutter itself is composed of narrow strips of wood. The case should be fitted together, if only temporarily, before the shutter is made, so as to get the exact length of the strips. Each piece must be narrow enough to pass the rounded corners without jamming; and to avoid any risk of this defect, the groove at the corners may be slightly widened. The shutter strips should not be more than 3/4 in. wide, but they may be as much narrower as desired; but the narrower they are the more work there will be—1/2 in. may be assumed as the medium. Each strip may be perfectly plain and flat, with square edges, but it is better to break the joints by rounding off each edge to the section shown in Fig. 1719. Two of these being placed close together, the actual line of the joint is hidden; a shutter formed of several pieces shaped thus presenting the appearance of a series of wide beads. The edges may be simply bevelled, as in Fig. 1720; or the pieces may be of any section desired. Thus the shutter may be made to resemble a series of small half-round beads, as in Fig. 1721; it might be made up of a number of pieces, each the size of the beadings shown, but the only advantage of this would be a slight saving in the waste space between the outer and the inner top, caused by the rounded corners having a sharper curve. Alternative designs for the strips are given by Fig. 1722. The case being together, begin to make the shutter by cutting a board of the required thickness, of any convenient width, and of such a length that it just fits within the rebates in the two ends. Square the edges, and proceed to work beads across from one edge to the other. A handy tool for this purpose is the scratch or beading router. Fig. 1723 shows this tool; the stock is formed of two pieces of hard wood, 8 in. to 1 ft. long, and 1/2 in. thick. The narrow part may be 1 in. wide, and the wider part—the shoulder or fence—is from 1 1/2 in. to 2 in. The fence must not be thicker than the board to be worked. Three or four screws hold the two parts together, and clamp in place the steel scraper, which is as thick as an ordinary scraper (p. 114), and 1/2 in. or so wide. The position of the scraper longitudinally of the tool is altered easily. The right hand grasps the fence, the left the other end of the stock, and the fence is pressed against the edge of the board and the scraper worked with pressure backwards and forwards until the beading is formed. The scraper should not project from the stock more than is absolutely necessary; it is shaped by filing. After the beads have all been worked, widths can be cut off easily with a fine saw without injury to the beads between which it cuts. If a fine saw is not available, leave a slight space when setting the iron between each two or three beads, so that the saw kerf, by removing this excess, will allow each piece to be fitted closely together. If preferred, the pieces may be cut before the beadings are formed, but this will probably be found more troublesome and tedious than the way suggested. Another way is to have a piece much longer, and only 3 in. or 4 in. wide; run the beads upon this for its entire length, and then cut pieces from it to just fit within the rebates.

      Fig. 1721.—Three Beaded Strips of Shutter.

      Fig. 1722.—Alternative Designs for Shutter Strips.

      GLUING AND FITTING FLEXIBLE SHUTTER.

      Were the shutter strips to be fastened together by gluing the edges to each other, the shutter would be rigid, and for the present purpose useless. They must, therefore, be glued on to a flexible backing of canvas, calico, or some similar suitable material. Hessian canvas used by upholsterers is admirable. Glue alone, or a mixture of glue and good strong flour paste, is a suitable adhesive. The canvas may cover the whole of the back of the shutter, though it will be better to leave the portion which fits in the groove bare, or it may be in strips from top to bottom. All that is needed is that the pieces shall be hinged to each other. If, as is very possible, some glue gets between the pieces, be careful to remove it before it has set; to do this, bend the shutter backwards at each joint. To allow of a lock being fastened to the shutter, have for its bottom strip a wider and thicker one, which need only work up and down in the rebate or straight part of the groove, and will not have to be worked round the corners; it should be plain instead of beaded. Reduce the thickness of the ends of the bottom piece sufficiently for them to fit within the grooves. It is better to have the extra thickness at the back of the door, so that the front of the piece is flush with the remainder. This, of course, is managed by removing whatever wood may be necessary from the back only. The size of the bottom piece will be determined by the kind and dimensions of the lock. After the glue is dry, try the shutter to see if it fits and runs well. The top strip should be high enough to enter the rounded groove while the bottom one is in its normal position, so that when all is finished the front will be quite closed. When it has been opened till the bottom of the lowest slip is on a level with, or a little below, the inner top, the remainder of the groove, if any, may be filled up by gluing a piece of wood in it, to act as a stop; for, of course, the shutter will never have to be pushed further than the position named. Now, should the wood of the shutter be too thick to fit easily within the grooves, just bevel it off until it is sufficiently thin. If much has to be removed, take it from the back; but if only a little, it may be taken from either back or front. Possibly a little rubbing down with glasspaper may be sufficient. Up till now the shutter hangs in the front rebates curtainwise, so that it can be lifted forwards, instead of merely sliding up and down. To make grooves of the rebates so as to enclose the sides of the shutter, glue thin slips of wood on the front edges. The shutter, being in its place before these pieces are glued on, is now securely fastened, so that it can only move up or down. To bring up the edge of the bottom flush with the ends, a similar piece must now be glued on to it. The same must be done at the top, but the piece there must be of a suitable width; and a piece of moulding may be planted on it and carried round the ends. In order to raise and lower the shutter, a couple of knobs should be fastened to the bottom piece.

      Fig. 1723.—Scratch or Beading Router.

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1