The coat hanger is a convenient thing in every household, and also a
good example of spokeshave work.
A soft wood, like pine, or white wood, is suitable, and after squaring
up two faces and one edge, the design may be drawn on one or both of
the faces with a sharp pencil. Cut close to the lines with a turning
saw, and finish to lines with spokeshave.
[Illustration: Fig. 161. The coat hanger]
The upper edge is next rounded with the spokeshave (Fig. 161), and
finished with sand-paper to the cross section shown in the drawing.
Bore a hole for the hook with a gimlet bit, and make the hook from
strong brass wire, shaped by bending with a pair of pliers. For
finishing, two coats of shellac can be used. The first coat after
hardening is sand-papered flat with No. 00 sand-paper; the second may
be treated in the same way, or rubbed down with ground pumice stone and
linseed oil. (See polishing chapter.)
For the kitchen, the towel roller is still used to some extent,
especially in the country and suburbs. It consists of four pieces, a
back, two brackets, and the roller. These essential parts are shown
in Fig. 162 and the back and brackets may be modified and improved as
shown at _b_ and _c_.
Carving can be used in a simple form on the ends, as shown at _c_. The
back and ends are cut out with the usual tools, but it is wise, in
cutting the outline of the ends, to glue them together with a piece
of paper between, cutting both at the same time. This insures their
being exactly alike, and when finished they may be easily separated by
inserting the blade of a knife between them. The paper will split, half
coming off on each piece.
After the paper and glue have been planed off, a hole is bored half way
through each end from the inside. On one end it is necessary to cut a
groove of the same width and depth as the hole, clear up to the top,
so that the roller can be inserted after assembling, and a towel be
put over it. The ends are fastened with two flat-head screws each, by
boring through the back, and countersinking.
Two holes should also be bored through the back for fastening it to the
wall.
The roller may be turned on a lathe or made at the bench by the
following method:
1. Square up the stock to the diameter of the roller called for in the
drawing.
2. Find the exact centre of each end by drawing the diagonals with a
pencil.