The St. Johns herald., 1886-07-08
SOMETHING ABOUT rRET-woRK.
Money Can be Made with . Little Screlk
 SaW.-The Material Used.

6AWs-T Th3 Materlo1 Ue60s
 "There Is 8 great deal people don't know about the art of fret-sawing," said 3 well-known artist in fret-wOrk in re- spOnse to the inquiries of repor CT, 'sand people would wonder, too, If they knew how simple 1t Is and how it Is be- coming the fashion.
 "Take for instance the latest design of 6 cabinet of fret-work. Nothing like it has ever been produced in the art of fret-sawing. Indeed it Is hard to con- ce!ve of the effectiveness of the ap- pearance of such an article when con- S:ructed out of differently colored and properly selected woods. and when you think that it Is possible for boy to construct such an article from the pattern. you begin to realize the real value of the fret machine.
 "Such 6 cabinet stands from the base 79 inches; |. is 45 inches across and I5 inches deep. The front of the first section is ornamented with panels; in the centre of the second section are four drawers, and at the ends folding doors. back of which are receptscieS for knick-knacks; the third section. when open. forms lady's writing-desk, and the fourth, two doors open upon AhhAOII AnSuCS AA oASSg and on either side eight small doors which open into receptacles for lady's toilet articles. The whole Is sur mounted by a castellated top.
 "The pattern for this costs but g, and yet this cabinet, when made up. will make as valuable an article of furniture as any that can be bought at 6 furniture store for from f200 to $500. Besides the beautiful results ob- tained by this work, there is money In 1t.
 "I can tell you of 6 case In point. A young man who found 1t impossible to obtain employment became possessed of a foot-power scroll-saw and by its aid made brackets, card-baskets, match boxes, frames and other articles, which gave him when sold a clear profit of s a day.
 Hundreds of others here earned $50 to $75 each by the sale of work done at leisure time. More than 30. 900 foot-power scroll-saws have been made and sold to parties who are now usi~g them for pleasure or profit, and besides there are probably three times as many more who use the ordinary hand-saw.
 From & square foot of black walnut I have known to be made in a few hours a handsome clock-case worth at least S5 and the material costing but ten cents. A piece of ebony, worth about 8 penny. furnished enough material for a cross for which a person would gladly have given a couple of dollars.
 A square foot of good black walnut will be sufficient to mako four or five pretty brackets which will readily sell for 50 cents each.
 "What about the wood that is used in fret-work?"
 "There are moro kinds than you Imagine. First comes white pine, use- ful particularly for lining the bottoms of boxes, etc. Then there is Spanish cedar. easily obtained from cigar boxes. but really only suited for coarse work. Butternut, also known as white walnut, cuts clean. but is soft and not adapted for delicate designs. Red cedar and white juniper are both handsomely marked, though difficult to cut success fully, because they are picky. White poplar Is very useful to the fret-sawyer. as also is basswood, furnished by the lime tree.
 '"BuL the highly ornamental goods are black walnut, white holly, ebony, ma. hogsny. rosewood and satinwood. Besides these there are the tulipwood, olive. birds-eye maple and Hungarian ash.
 "You cut other material than wood in fret-work?"
 "Yes. there are ivory and tortoise shell. for instance. There are two varieties of elephant ivory, the Asiatic and African. The latter is more opaque and dead white than the other.
 But the hippopotsmus supplies ivory which Is much harder and fsF more valuable than that of the elephant. being of purer white and almost free from gain.
 ."An interesting fact about ivory In connection with. this work Is that 1t requires seasoning the same ss wood and Is very liable to crack and warp when eubjected to changes of tempsra- turs, It costs S6 to s . pound in the rough.
 "TortOise-shsll can Do applied to the same purpose ss ivory.
 Aother-of-pesrl Is another of these cnCice materials that can be used by