FURNITURE-MAKING.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18073, 15 May 1924, Page 5

FURNITURE-MAKING.

QUEEN ANNE STYLE

ZSTot all factories that use Queen Anne legs in their furniture have a cabrioleleg lathe for turning them. Somo concerns buy them from specialised turning shops, others manufacture them with ordinary" machines that are in common use in any furniturq factory. In fact, it is the custom among a number of furniture factories to get out these peculiarly-shaped pieces with the scroll baud-saw, the shaper and belt sander. The work can be dono very effectively in this manner, and the experience of several manufacturers shows that the method is not so expensive as one might think. When blocks have been glued around the straight pieces to form the enlarged ends, tho squared legs are marked and band-sawed their full length around four, sides. Band-sawing is followed by three simple shaper operations, ono to round off to net size and shape the front of tho enlarged portion of tho legs, another to round the front of tho foot, and a third to round the face corners which extend in curved contour from top to foot of leg. Tho first two shaper set-ups involve the use of forms for holding the legs in vertical position. The bases of both forms run against guide collars below the cutting knife, and serve to guide the cut around the log. The first shaper cut is the heaviest one; it is made while, the leg is held in vertical position. , Tho form for this operation is about 2£in thick, 14in in length. It contains a rectangular hole or mortise' into which fits the tenon on the upper end of the leg. As a matter of fact, the thickness of the form is determined by the length of ■ the tenon on the end of the leg. The tenon of the leg is temporarily fastened in the mortise with a wedge, and the leg (in form) is advanced to a pair of undercutting knives on a vertical-spindle shaper. The longest swing of the knives is above the. form, but under and against the top portion of the leg. The shaping of the foot is performed while the leg is positioned right side up. on a form that has an outline pattern base, and supporting braces hack of the foot and at the mid-length of the leg. The leg can be held ,in. place in this

form by' l a clamp or by hand,, as it passes the knives. Bounding the face corners from top to foot of each leg calls for free-hand shaping. with the leg advancing horizontally, but cornerwise, directly against a pair of mitre-face collars between which are. clamped the rounding cutters. Skilful belt' sanding completes the shaping and polishes the entire outer.surface to a fine degree of smoothness,