Mission Furniture Volume III Part 5

Next, smooth off the mill marks from the broad surfaces of the shelves and square them to size on one edge and the two ends.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Detail of the Dictionary and Magazine Stand]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Stand Made in Oak]

Return to the side pieces and lay out the outline, but do not cut to these lines until the gains and mortises which are to receive the ends of the shelves and their tenons have been laid out and cut. Laying out these outlines at this time is done so as to give the exact width the shelves are to have. These dimensions can be determined by measuring across the sides between the outlines at the points where the shelves are to be placed.

The shelves which have no tenons are to be let into the sides 1/4 in.

They should be shouldered 1/2 in. back from the edge so that the groove will not show on the face.

The lip on the front of the top shelf may be fastened by means of very small brads, the heads of which should be covered with putty, colored to match the finish.

A suitable finish may be obtained as follows:

First see that all the mill marks are removed, using a smooth plane and steel sc.r.a.per and sandpaper, then apply a coat of cathedral-oak water stain. When dry, sandpaper lightly, using No. 00 paper. Apply a second coat of stain, diluting it by the addition of an equal volume of water.

This is to produce a stronger contrast. Sand this lightly and put on a very thin coat of sh.e.l.lac to bind the filler and to prevent the stain in the filler which follows from discoloring the high lights. Sand this lightly and put on a coat of paste filler according to the directions that will be found on the can. This filler should be colored in the following proportions: Light paste filler, 20 lb.; Van d.y.k.e brown, 1 lb.

After the filler has hardened, sand it lightly and put on a coat of orange sh.e.l.lac. Follow this with several coats of some good rubbing varnish. The first coats should be rubbed with haircloth or curled hair, and the last with powdered pumice stone and raw linseed or crude oil.

A LEATHER BACK ARM CHAIR

[Ill.u.s.tration: Arm Chair Complete]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Detail of the Arm Chair]

A mission arm chair of simple design and construction is shown in the accompanying ill.u.s.tration. This chair is suitable for any room of the house and can be made of wood to match other furniture. Quarter-sawed oak is the wood most generally used, and it is also very easy to obtain.

The stock can be ordered from the mill, cut to length, squared and sanded. Following is a list of the material that will be needed:

2 front legs, 2 by 2 by 26-3/4 in.

2 back legs, 2 by 4 by 43 in.

2 arm rests, 1 by 4 by 26 in.

5 rails, 3/4 by 4 by 21-1/2 in.

5 rails, 3/4 by 2 by 2-1/2 in. .

2 back pieces, 3/4 by 2 by 16-1/2 in.

1 piece leather, 31 in, square.

1 piece burlap, 28 in, square.

2 pieces leather, 13 by 18 in.

2 pieces burlap, 13 by 18 in.

1 box 8 oz. tacks.

5-1/2 doz. ornamental nails.

Start with the front legs. Cut a tenon 1-1/4 in. square and 3/4 in, long on one end to fit the arm rests. The mortises for the side rails are cut 1/2 in. wide and 7/8 in, deep. The tenons on the rails are cut to fit these mortises, care being taken to get them all the same length between shoulders. The back legs are cut with an offset of 2 in. as shown in the detail drawing and also have mortises cut in them for the back crosspieces. The upright pieces in the back are fastened into the crosspieces by means of tenons and mortises, and should be in place when the crosspieces are fastened to the legs.

The arms are cut from the 1 by 4 by 26-in. pieces. Be careful to get them so they will pair. The outside edge can be either curved or straight as desired. The front ends of the arms are held in place by mortises which fit over the tenons on the ends of the front legs, while the back ends are held in place by round-headed screws as shown.

The chair is now ready to be glued. Be sure to get the parts together perfectly square, and when dry sc.r.a.pe off all surplus glue around the joints, for stain will not adhere to glue and a white spot will be the result of failing to remove it. Go over the parts carefully with fine sandpaper and remove all rough marks. Then apply the stain you wish to use. To make the seat, first fit boards in the bottom and nail them to the side rails as shown. Fill the s.p.a.ce with hair or elastic cotton felt to about 3 in. above the edge of the rails. Bind this down tightly with a piece of burlap and tack the edges to the rails. Cut out the corners of the burlap so that it will fit about the posts. Put the leather on over this and tack the edges to the bottoms of the rails. Then finish with the ornamental nails as shown.

To finish the back, first tack a piece of burlap over the opening, then place a layer of hair or cotton felt on this about 1 in. thick. Stretch the leather over this and fasten with ornamental nails. The back side is finished in the same manner, except that the hair is omitted.

A WALL SHELF

Coa.r.s.e-grained woods make up into furniture and take a more satisfactory finish than close-grained woods. For this reason chestnut or oak is suggested for this shelf. Chestnut has a beautiful grain and is soft and easily worked.

There will be needed the following pieces:

Sides, 2 pieces, 3/4 by 7-1/4 by 16-1/2 in., S-2-S.

Lower shelf, 1 piece, 3/4 by 6-1/4 by 30-1/2 in., S-2-S.

Upper shelf, 1 piece, 3/4 by 4-3/4 by 30-1/2 in., S-2-S.

Lower back, 1 piece, 3/8 by 3-1/2 by 30-1/2 in., S-2-S.

Upper back, 1 piece, 3/8 by 3 by 30-1/2 in., S-2-S.

In making out this stock bill the pieces have been specified 1/4 in.

wider and 1/2 in, longer than the finished piece is to be to allow for squaring up. The thicknesses are specified mill-planed exact so that all that is necessary is to merely plane off the mill-marks from the two broad surfaces.

It is quite possible that one may have a particular s.p.a.ce or a particular set of books to place in the shelf. In such a case the length of the horizontals should be lengthened or shortened to meet the particular demands when ordering the lumber.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Complete Wall Shelf]

Begin work by squaring the horizontals to size. They are to be all of the same length. Next shape up the end pieces. The amount of slope for the front edges is indicated on the drawing. After all these pieces have been squared up and the mill-marks removed, the dadoes or grooves and gains may be laid out and cut.

Beginners are p.r.o.ne to underestimate the importance of getting all the mill-marks off before putting on any finish. When boards are planed at the mill the planing is done by means of two or four knives revolving above or below the board--sometimes both above and below at the same time. These knives leave the surfaces filled with little ridges and hollows across the grain. These hollows, though they are hardly visible to the eye on the unfinished surface, show up as ugly streaks upon the surface after it has had a finish of stain and filler applied.

The joints here used are typical and the beginner can readily find how they are to be made from any good book on wood-working.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Wall Shelf Detail]

There are several ways of fastening the parts. They may be fastened by means of round-head blued screws. They may be fastened with carriage screws. The one in the ill.u.s.tration was put together with ordinary wire nails and the heads of these covered with ornamental heads to represent old-fashioned hand-wrought nails.

It will be found easier to apply the finish of stain and filler before the parts are a.s.sembled. A suitable finish is obtained as follows: After the parts are thoroughly sanded, put on a coat of Filipino water stain, wiping it off with an old cloth before it has had time to soak into the wood very much. Allow this to dry. Then sand lightly, using No. 00 paper, after which fill the pores of the wood with a black paste filler--directions will be found on the can. Follow this, when hardened, with several coats of floor wax.

A PEDESTAL

The pedestal shown in the accompanying ill.u.s.tration is another piece of furniture that can be made in the mission style. It is very simple in design and construction, and can be made by anyone who has a few simple tools and a slight knowledge of their use. It is best to make it of quarter-sawed oak as this is the most easily procured wood and also looks the best when finished. If you order the material from the mill ready cut to length, squared and sanded, much hard labor will be saved.

Following is a list of the material needed:

1 top, 3/4 by 12 by 12 in., S-1-S.

1 bottom, 3/4 by 12 by 12 in., S-1-S 8 pieces, 3/4 by 2 by 11 in.

2 sides, 3/4 by 5 by 26 in., S-1-S.