Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-25
AMATEUR WORK.
WOODWORKING AT HOME AND HINTS
FOR AMATEURS.
curtain Rods and Rings-Tables, Brackets
and shelves-Fancy woods-soft
Woodworking with Glue

sseNS "no PoAiouAuS Woou surfaces, IN
one paragraph the types made us say, rela.
tive to pumicing lac varnishes on iacouered
articles, that it ia a work of dehcacy. and
cannot be done until the surface shines
like mirror" 1t should nave read "and
can be done until the surface shines like a
| mirror.
IL this article it is the purpose to point
| out some classes of
WORK THAT MAY BE DONE AT HOME
BY the amateur, and by which the long
winter evenings or leisure hours may be. in
part at least, utilized in preparing articles
for use and ornamentaton in the home.
Assuming the home worker to have fair
set of tools, and either a mounted or
hand. fret or jig saw, and various sizes of
brads, escutcheon pins, ETC., the next
thing that concerns us is the woods to be
employed. Herein the intention is to give
hints only, and suggest rather than to
elaborate. 1t Is, OF course, easier to work
| IN soft than In hard woods, but both are
to be employed. Soft.wood work should,
| however, be first mastered before the closer
grains are handled. The amateur can pro.
cure, at stores where they are made
speciality, great variety of fancy or
ornamental woods ready dressed and requir-
ing only the finishing polish. These inclrde
curled or bird's-eye maple, Western or red
cedar, poplar, white wood, English holly
1.-THE closest and fairest and richest of woods
tor amateurs, and which should never be
vanished or ti!ledl, walnut, mahogany,
| Spanish cedar, and some others. These
| come of one-eighth, one-quarter snd three
elghths-lnch thickness, while the holly can
be had OF one-sixteenth. For woods of
greater thickness he must apply TO regular
lumber dealers, and for hard woods, OF the
specialists IN those lines, such as dealers in
wagon materials, etc. All these fancy"
woods may be used for the manufacture of
LIGHT AND ORNAMENTAL ARTICLES
And applied in Inlaying, in panels on
heavier woods, etc. With the fret-saw all
these woods may be cut into designs for
brackets, shelves, music and book racks,
mantel easels, etc. And to work them no
special instruction is needed beyond these
simple rules
l. Keep your wood in an atmosphere of
medium temperature, and under pressure to
prevent warplng.
2, Never attempt to drive brads, es-
cutcheon pins, ornamental tacks, etc., into
them without carefully preparing the way
with brad.awl
B. Always work them upon solid table
or bench, as being very thin, there is great
liability to split If strain is put upon them.
1. Invariably secure them with glue, as
well as with pins and brads.
D. Always work your glue hot, and never
| put 1t upon cold surface (; let it DE about
the consistency of cream.
D. In glulng to the end of wood grain,
hof Il IL c. 1 Al
and wait for absorption to cease.
!. Ii crack occurs, and you desire still
to use the piece, it is best to fill with glue
and rasp on and work in the dust of the
same wood, dressing off when thoroughly
dry.
s. Be careful to let no glue fall upon the
surface of these fine, thin woods 1t is
| exceedingly difficult to etface the stain that
| results from hot glue.
y. Use the finest white or colorless glue
| always for these fine woods
IF A LARGE AREA
ls to be covered by ornamental wood that
is very thin, it is beet to haze base of
coarse, stout wood beneath to which glue
your fancy wood. This needs to be done
with care, but the amateur may accomplish
1t. We were shown recently beautiful
table top that held in relief four kinds of
ornamental wood thus secured to a pine
base. To do this work observe these
rules
L. Let there be no inequalities in the
surface of the base, and let the surface alb
sorbent quality of the base be exhausted
with thin coats of glue, and dressed down
smoothly.
=. Put your fancy wood upon the base
only with hot glue, laid on quickly and
evenly and thin, In warm atmosphere and
only after the base has been well warmed
indeed, heated, for under nc circumstances
must your glue chill.
3. Have ready stout, smooth boards, well
warmed, to place instantly upon your top
wood, and then bind together firmly with
hand-screws or clamps (made for amateurs
and procurable at hardware stores)
4. Before glueing tit on your finish wood,
ana see that each piece goes to place neatly.
D. Lay your glue upon the base and not
upon the finish wood, and let the latter
also be warm, but in warming it be careful
not to warp it.
OBSERVING THESE DIRECTIONS,
The amateur should be able to lay any of
the fancy thin woods in any desired form
upon pine, redwood, poplar or other bases.
he must In the outset resolve to be pa
tent, and be IN no haste. Glued work |
should remain in the clamps not less than
twelve hours.
Flat and balf-round files of various de. |
grees OF ineness are useful for finishing |
edges and dressing seams where the small |
plane or other tool would carry the risk of |
damaging the work. Never dress with |
any tool oUer corner from you, as the H. |
ability to split off is great but finish cor |
ners from the outside, drawing the tool in |
ward, toward the work.
Now as to some of the things that the
amateur may make at home.
TABLES.
Small card.tables, corner tables, vase.
tables, reading or lamp stands, etc.. are
Hastily made just now, because the prevail. |
ing style Is severe, and there are no longer
curves and difficult scrolls to accomplish,
-Four square sticks and two boards, one
for the top and one for the lower third sec.
ton Ito brace the legs) is all that is needed
for popular corner or card-table, If
finish is desired, holdings are to be had
cheaply in endless variety, and the wood
may be stained, ebonized or gilded, as al.
ready described. But good taste or the
whim of fancy and the suggestions of
originality will present many forms for the
construction of tables.
CHESS BOARDS, EASELs,
Brackets, shelves, racks, ETC., need only to
be named as within the range of amateur
work, while their finish and elaboration
is simply a question of will and applica-
tion Wood msntel.tOps, to be cloth.cov.
cred, can certainly be made at home of
cheap, soft woods by any one with ordinary
ingenuity. For Baskets, closed racks, |
shelved cases, and articles with doors, |
greater skill is required, but all these may |
be made by the amateur with greater |
or less success, and the trimmings |
can be had of any good hardware |
furnisher, or at furniture factories. For |
very light work, hinges, clasps, catches, |
etc, sufficiently light can only be had OF |
dealers in amateurs supplies, but of these