The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1855-02-01
HoAL-MADE PU2NITUaE.


wife finds an unusual necessity for prae-
ticing the strictest economy in household
matters. Perhaps the house keeping is
Just to be commenced, and the great prob
lem is, how much furniture and how rany
conveniences can we afford to procure.
A little money must go as far as possible.
Such would perhaps like to be Initiated in
70 the art Of making cheap articles of fur
niture, both useful and ornamental. Many
a neat and comfortable sofa or lounge, chair,
stand, bed, book:shelves, &C., have we
seen, that cost its owners almost nothing.
A few boards, little stafing, and few
yards of shilling calico, put together with
ingenuity, will give tasteful and even
elegant air to an otherwise bare and com
fortress room. Most Of the work we shall
describe can be done by the females Of the
household, and we are sure will afford
them more pleasure and comfort than the
so-called Ornamental worsted work, bed
quilt piecing, DC. And in almost every
family there is enough mechanical inge-
nuity among the boys, if not among the
girls, to do the saving and mailing.
The Barrel Chair is very easy and
comfortable, as we'll as cheap and pretty
seat. 1t can be made by taking stout
oak barrel with one end out, saving half
through the barrel at the proper height lor
seat, and leaving the other half full height,
rounding of the top, for the back Of the
chair. Stretch stout bagging across and
nail it firmly on for the seat, make a cush-
ion to rest upon this, and if the barrel is
large enough to allow it, cushion the back
also, by tackingon sheets. of cotton batting,
which cost but trifle at apy of the stores,
or s;uhing with any other cheap material.
Now cover the entire chair with worsted
stuff, glazed furniture calico, or any thing
else convenient, and cover the edges with
cord, gimp, braid, or even narrow band
Of the same.
A simple Lounge can be made by taking
broad, thick plank, strengthening il by
nailingou cross pieces underneath, and in
serting four short legs; add cushion filed
with any material you wish, and add bal
ance of the same to conceal the legs. A back
and either one or two ends may be added,
if desired, by mailing on boards and cush-
ioning them like the seat.
A Cot Bedstead many of you know how
to make. Take four sticks about four feet
long and three inches square, bore an inch
hole through the middle of each, and put a
round stick, six feet long. through, aud
pin through the ends; arrange these Ike
the four legs ola saw horse, then to form
the sides, connect the head and foot posts
by mailing a rod or strip of board on to
their tops; take a piece of bagglng 6 feet
by four, stretch it across and nail it firmly
on to the side pieces. To strengthen this.
make a narrow head board, nail on a small
rod at each end, and bore holes in the side
pieces at the head to receive them. By
lifting this head board out, the bedstead
can at any time be folded together and laid
aside if not wanted.
A convenient Seat for children, or for
the garden, is made like cot bedstead,
with the head beard omitted. The sticks
for the seat should be one foot long; those
for the legs, one foot six inches long
Bind bit ofcarpeting forthe seat. These
are so light, and SO easily folded and car
ried about. with one hand, as to be very
convenient.
Hanging Book Stclues are another arti-
Gle of furniture easily made, and very con
venient. For small size, take three planed
boards one-fourth of an inch thick, let
the largest shelf be about 3oinches long
by 8 wide, the others each one inch mar
rover and two inches shorter than the one
below it. Ifconvenient, paint, or oil and
varnish them. Bore gimlet hole in each
of the four corners, take a stout cord and
pass it down through the remaining holes
in the same end, making knot in the cord
under each shelf for it to rest upon. Pass
cord through the other end in the same
manner, and tie the four ends of the cord
together foot and half above the upper
shelf, and hang it up.
To make a Workstand, both light and
ornamental, procure from carpenter an
exact octagou, (eight sides, } l6 inches a
cross, made from two inch plank for the
base, and another the same size, of one inch
plank, for the top. Bore an inch and a
half hole in the centre of each, into which
insert post for standard long enough to
make the whole the height of a common
table and cover the whole with furniture
calico. For this purpose, sew together
like bag two breadths of the calico, each
about three inches longer than the height
ofthe stand; now slip this over the stand,
and tack the upper end ofthe cloth, smooth
ly round on the edge of the upper plank
pass a ribbon or heavy cord round little
above or below the middle ofthe standard
tying the cloth back tightly, then drawing
the lower edge over the base plank, nail il
on to the bottom, making the whole resem
BILE an hour glass. Put little cotton bat
ting on the top of the upper plank, ant
cover that also. About 9 or yards il
sufficient for the whole, unless, which il
quite desirable, pockets are added. If so
these should be semi circular, plain bacl
and full front, drawn with cord. Tacl
one of these on each side Of the top, ant
conceal the tacks with row Of braid
Ohio CNltivdtor.