Home-made Toys for Girls and Boys Part 16

=The Patterns= with which to mark out the pieces on the wood.

We will first note the construction of

=The Chairs= shown in Figs. 267 and 268. These are four and one-half inches high, two inches wide, and an inch and one-half deep. Cut the back for the chair in Fig. 267 four and three-eighths inches high and an inch and three-quarters wide, the sides by the pattern in Fig. 259 and the seat an inch and one-quarter by an inch and three-quarters. With the pieces cut out, fasten them together with brads and glue, placing the seat between the arms and back so that it is an inch and one-half above the base.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIGS. 259-266.--Patterns for Furniture.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 267. Chairs FIG. 268.]

Cut the back for the other chair (Fig. 268) four and one-half inches high by two inches wide, the seat an inch and a quarter by an inch and three-quarters, and the sides an inch and three-eighths wide by two and one-half high. To get the curve in the bottom edge of the side pieces, use the pattern in Fig. 259.

=The Settee= (Fig. 269) should have its sides cut by the pattern of Fig.

260. Make the back piece three and three-quarters inches wide and three and one-quarter inches high, and the seat three and three-quarters inches by an inch and one-half. Fasten the seat against the back an inch and one-half above the base.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 269.--A Settee.]

=Tables= for the living-room, dining-room, bedroom, ball-room, and nursery of a doll-house may be patterned after the designs of Figs. 270 and 271. These should be two and one-half inches high to be of proper proportion for the chairs.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 270.--A Table.]

The pieces necessary to make Fig. 270 are a top two inches square, two sides an inch and one-half wide by two and one-half inches high, and a shelf an inch and one-quarter square. Fasten the pieces together as in the ill.u.s.tration, placing the shelf between the side pieces an inch from the bottom.

The other design (Fig. 271) will do nicely for

=A Dining-room Table=, or table for the center of the living-room. The top of this should be five inches long and three inches wide. Cut the side pieces by the pattern in Fig. 261 and, after fastening them to the under side of the table-top four inches apart, brace them with a strip three and three-quarters inches long by half an inch wide, as shown in Fig. 271.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 271.--Another Design.]

=A Side-board= similar to Fig. 272 should be made for the dining-room.

The pattern for the side pieces is shown in Fig. 262. After sawing these out, cut a piece seven inches long by three inches wide for the back and fasten the side pieces to the edges of it. The location of the shelves can be obtained best by referring to Fig. 272 and the pattern in Fig.

262. Cut the bottom shelf (_A_ in Fig. 272) three inches long by an inch and one-quarter wide and fasten it to the side pieces half an inch above the base (line 24 on pattern, Fig. 262). Make shelf _B_ three by one inches and place it at line 22. _C_ should be three and three-quarters inches long by an inch and one-half wide, with a small notch cut near each end with your knife, to make it fit over the side pieces (see ill.u.s.tration). Cut shelf _D_ three inches long by half an inch wide, fastening it in place at line No. 17, _E_ three inches long by seven-sixteenths of an inch wide, fastening it at line No. 15, and _F_ three inches long by three-eighths of an inch wide, fastening it at line No. 13. The top shelf (_G_) is three and three-quarters inches long and half an inch wide and is fastened to the tops of the side pieces as shown in the drawing.

The lower portion of the side-board is inclosed with two doors two inches high by an inch and one-half wide. Small pieces of cloth may be used for hinges, but it is better to use pins, running them through the shelf above and below (_A_ and _C_, Fig. 272) into the doors. Stick the pins near the edge of the doors and see that they are straight, so the doors will open easily. A small mirror attached to the back between shelves _C_ and _D_ will complete this piece of furniture.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 272.--A Side-board.]

=A Mirror= in a frame should be made for the living-room of the doll-house. A neat and suitable design for one of these will be seen in Fig. 273. For its construction cut two sides by means of the pattern in Fig. 263, a piece five inches long by three inches wide for the back, and a strip three inches long by three-eighths of an inch wide for a shelf. Fasten the sides to the edges of the back piece, and the shelf between the sides about three-quarters of an inch above the base. Now procure a mirror such as you can buy in a toy-shop for five or ten cents (or a piece of a broken mirror cut down to the right size will do very nicely), and attach it to the center of the back.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 273.--A Mirror.]

=The Grandfather's Clock= (Fig. 274) makes an effective piece of furniture for the hall or living-room, and is easily made. Figure 264 shows the pattern for the front of this clock. The back is made the same, with the omission of the square opening cut in the front frame for the clock-face. Cut a block of wood two by two by three-quarters inches to fit between the frames at the top. After nailing the pieces together, procure a face from a toy watch, and fasten it in the opening made for it in the front frame. A b.u.t.ton suspended by means of a piece of thread from a tack placed in the bottom of the block forms the pendulum.

It will be unnecessary to give any suggestions for

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 274. A Grandfather's Clock.]

=Kitchen Furniture=, such as chairs and tables, for these can also be made out of cigar-box wood similar to the designs ill.u.s.trated in this chapter, with perhaps a few modifications which will make them simpler.

Now for the making of some pieces of bedroom furniture. You will find in Figs. 275 and 276 two designs that are easily carried out, one or both of which may be used for

=The Beds= of a doll-house. To make Fig. 275, cut the head and foot by means of the pattern in Fig. 265, and cut the two sides by means of the pattern in Fig. 266. After preparing these pieces and fastening them together as shown in the ill.u.s.tration (Fig. 275), cut a few strips a quarter of an inch wide for slats and fasten them between the sides of the bed. It is advisable to fasten these in place to prevent them from being lost.

The side pieces for the other bed (Fig. 276) are cut out with the same pattern (Fig. 266).

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 275.--A Bed.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 276.--Another Design.]

Make the head and foot pieces three by four and one-half inches, cutting a piece two by an inch and one-quarter out of the top of each as shown in the drawing (Fig. 276), and using the pattern of the other bed for cutting the curve in the bottom edge. Nail the pieces together in their proper places, after which cut some slats and fasten them in the bottom.

=The Dresser= (Fig. 277) is made somewhat similar to the side-board. Cut the sides by the same pattern (Fig. 262) and fasten them to the edges of the back piece, which should be six and one-half inches high by three inches wide. Cut shelf _A_ three by one and one-quarter inches, _B_ and _C_ three by one and one-eighth, _D_ three by one and three-sixteenths, and _E_ and _F_ one-half by one and one-quarter inches. Fasten shelf _A_ between the sides at line No. 24 (see Fig. 262), _B_ at line No. 23, _C_ at line No. 22, _D_ at line No. 21, and notch the ends of _E_ and _F_ to fit over the side pieces at line No. 20.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 277.--A Dresser.]

Drawers to fit the lower shelves of the dresser may be made out of small strips of cigar-boxes or pieces of cardboard, glued together. A small mirror fastened in the position shown in the drawing will complete the work upon this piece of furniture.

=A Wash-stand= can be made for the bathroom and each of the bedrooms similar to Fig. 278. The sides for this should be five inches high by an inch and one-quarter wide, and the shelves one by three inches. Fasten the lower shelf three-quarters of an inch above the base, and the top shelf at a height of two and one-half inches. When the stand has been put together, fit a round stick, about an eighth of an inch in diameter, in holes made in the sides with a gimlet (see ill.u.s.tration). This forms the towel-rack. Hang a small drapery over the lower portion of the stand.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 278.--A Wash-stand.]

=Finishing.= When the pieces of furniture have been completed, they should be rubbed down with emery-paper to remove the rough edges, and also any rough places that may have been caused by soaking the boxes in water. Then give the wood several coats of linseed-oil. This makes a beautiful finish for this kind of wood, which may be improved by adding a coat of wax. The little hearts may be painted upon the pieces as shown in the ill.u.s.tration, with a small brush and red paint, or may be cut out of red paper and glued to the wood.

If desired, the bedroom furniture may be painted with white enamel.

OTHER CIGAR-BOX FURNITURE

In Figs. 279 and 282 will be found some pieces of furniture that are simpler to make than those just described, and although they may not be so pretty, they present a very good appearance when neatly made.

The author constructed many pieces of this furniture when a boy, and found them suitable as presents, and something that was always easy to sell.

The cost of making a set amounts to but a few cents, cigar-boxes being the princ.i.p.al material. They are also very quickly made, as the boxes require but little cutting.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 279.--A Doll's Folding-bed.]

For the construction of

=A Folding-bed=, such as is shown in Figs. 279 and 280, select two cigar-boxes, one of which will fit inside the other. The smaller box should be a little shorter than the inside opening of the larger box.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 280.--Folding-bed (open).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 281.--Foot.]

After removing the paper from each, place the smaller box inside the larger one, as shown in Fig. 279, so that the bottom of the inner box is flush with the edge of the outer box. Then drive a brad through both boxes on each side, about three-quarters of an inch from the end as shown at _A_ (Fig. 279). These brads should run through the outer box into the bottom of the inner box, and should be driven in carefully so as not to split the wood. The inner box should now fold down as shown in Fig. 280, moving upon the brad pivots. Purchase a five or ten cent mirror and fasten it to the front of the bed, after which cut two wooden feet similar to Fig. 281 and glue the pegs on the ends of these in gimlet holes made above the mirror. Finish the wood the same as described for the other cigar-box furniture.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 282.--Dresser Completed.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 283.--A Doll's Dresser.]