BILLY BOYS’ WORKSHOP

Taranaki Daily News, 13 October 1934, Page 21 (Supplement)

BILLY BOYS’ WORKSHOP

A STAND FOR YOUR BOOKS. This simple book stand can be made from four pieces of wood three-eighths of an inch thick. No nails or screws are required, as the parts are simply interlocked and glued together. Oak should be used for preference, but any kind of wood will do. Cut the two end pieces from a piece of wood eleven inches long by five and a half inches wide. Plane this on both sides and then, with a pair of compasses set to a radius of five inches, scribe a half-circle as shown in diagram A. Through the point from which the halfcircle was struck, mark the baseline B, and also the centre line C, then plane the bottom edge of the wood to the base line. Cut round the curved line with a pad-saw, smooth the edge with a chisel, and finish with glasspaper. On one half of the wood set out the positions of the slots D,D, and cut them out with a tenon saw and chiseL

Now saw through the centre line C and plane the two edges square. Lay the finished side on the other piece, mark the slots, and cut them out. While doing this part of the work it is a good plan to clamp the two pieces together, so that the slots will exactly register. The two rails for supporting the books are twelve inches long and three inches

wide, and these must be planed on both sides. When finished, they should be just thick enough to fit nicely in the slots, D,D. Both rails have a slot near each end, one-and-a-quarter inches long and three-eighths of an inch wide, as shown in diagram E. Make sure that the parts fit well, then apply a little hot glue inside all the slots before finally pressing the rails in place. If made to the sizes given, the stand will hold about a dozen small books. If oak has been used, the stand can be stained and polished. If made-of deal, it can either be coated with var-nish-stain, or painted with cellulose paint. The Hut Carpenter.