The making of household furniture is a fascinating employment, and
as there are varying styles and fashions in nearly all things which
pertain to our homes, it will always be an interesting study. The
savage knows nothing of furniture, for the ground is his chair, bed,
and table. As we go up in the scale of civilization, we find the
characteristics of a people reflected in the details of their home life.
In Japan, the house and its equipment are characterized by directness,
simplicity, and subtle beauty.
In America, we find a bewildering display of ever-changing devices,
styles, forms, and schemes of decoration, in keeping with our rapidly
changing and, we believe, rapidly improving taste in the intimate
things of life.
This condition is reflected in our furniture as much as in our clothes
and in the pictures we buy. The black walnut furniture, with its hard
horsehair upholstering, has been followed by antique oak, fumed oak,
golden oak, forest green oak, mahogany, bird's-eye maple, French
walnut, etc., and in a very few years we shall probably be using some
of the beautiful but almost unknown woods of the Philippines, because
fashions in woods are very materially affected by the lumber supply.
Gilt chairs--not made to sit on--have been followed by the more
sensible mission style, bringing a much needed simplicity, directness,
and strength, together with an unfortunate addition of weight for the
housewife to move around when cleaning. There seems to be no great gain
without some loss. Modern office furniture, with its simple and strong
chairs, tables, and desks, can hardly be improved upon, and it is
almost a pity that some of these excellencies cannot be introduced into
the home, which is often overloaded, overdecorated, and encumbered with
unnecessary articles.
Miss Louise Brigham gives us a fragrant breath of fresh air along this
line in her interesting book on furniture made from boxes. What is
needed is clear thinking. Never design nor make a piece of furniture
without asking, "What is this to be used for? What will be required of
it?" etc.
This is the gist of what Ralph said to Harry one day when they were
about to launch out into the making of footstools, tabourettes and
other small pieces of furniture. Harry would have liked very much to
start with a dining-room table, but Ralph suggested diplomatically that
it might be a good scheme to try several smaller pieces first.
They decided on a footstool, and this is the catechism Ralph put Harry
through as they worked out their drawing:
"What is a footstool for?"
"To rest your feet on."
"Is that all?"
"What else could it be used for?"
"Never answer a question by asking another! I should say that a
footstool might have to stand hard usage. For instance, suppose you
wanted to reach a shelf high up in a closet. If the stool was handy,
you would probably stand on it. Others would do the same, and it is
easily possible that somebody weighing over two hundred pounds might
some day stand on it. So I should say, that the first requisite of a
footstool was strength, and the second that it should not be easily
upset.
"When designing furniture, just ask yourself such questions, and you
will find that your designs will be affected by them. Now I believe
that most footstools are too high and too easily upset."
[Illustration: Fig. 173. First foot stool]
The first design tried is shown in Fig. 173. The material used was
1/2-inch chestnut. After squaring up the top, the two grooves were cut
to receive the upper ends of the legs. For grooves of this character,
after cutting the lines as deep as possible with the knife, followed by
the chisel, the router may be used. The cutter can be adjusted by means
of the set screw, and a more uniform depth secured than with the chisel.
There was considerable work on the legs because of the mortise for the
shelf, and the two openings above. These were cut out close to the line
with the turning saw after a hole had been bored in each space, as in
scroll saw work.
The outline of the legs was obtained with the same tool, and finished
with the gouge, spokeshave, and sand-paper. Where hard wood, such as
oak, is used, the wood file may be applied to curved edges.
To overcome the tendency to spread, the legs were made rigid by cutting
the tenons shown on the drawing of the shelf. In each tenon was cut the
square hole for the wedges. This shelf, when securely wedged, bound
the whole structure rigidly. When the question of securing the legs to
the top came up, the boys were inclined to use round-head blue screws
from the top, but after considering that they would be in end grain, it
looked as if this would be the weakest part of the stool. The solution
was an heroic one. Four angle irons were made out of strap iron taken
from a packing case, and cut with a cold chisel into pieces 2-1/2
inches long. Each had two holes drilled in it to receive the screws,
and was then bent into shape in an iron vise. A monkey wrench can be
used as a vise for work as light as this. The screws used were 3/8 inch
long, one fastened in the top, the other in the leg, for each of the
four angle irons.
[Illustration: Fig. 174. Second design for footstool]
Chestnut has a very open grain, and takes a stain very well. Our boys
bought a small can of paste filler, coloured it with burnt umber,
thinned it with turpentine to the consistency of cream, and put it on
with a brush. The surfaces were rubbed down with cotton waste, and
then it was left over night, to be ready for polishing in the morning.
[Illustration: Fig. 175. Third footstool design]
After this stool was finished, the boys looked it over critically, and
decided that it could be improved on, that it was too high and not
heavy enough.
Footstool number two is shown in Fig. 174. In this design, the shelf is
dispensed with, and two stretchers or side pieces substituted; stock
7/8 and 3/4 inch thick took the place of 1/2 inch. The two ends were
glued together with paper between, cut out as one piece, afterward
separated, and the paper and glue planed off. The curved outline was
drawn on paper, traced on the wood, sawed out with turning saw, and
finished to line as in previous work.
[Illustration: Fig. 176. Fourth footstool design]
The joint for fastening the side piece to the legs is shown in the
drawing. It makes a strong and rigid combination, calling for a good
fit. In putting on the top piece, angle irons can be used, but the
boys tried a new method. After gluing the joint, they bored holes and
countersunk them through the sides, forcing flat-head screws 2-1/4
inches long up into the top.
Being below the level of the eye, these were invisible, and they saved
the time and labour of making angle irons. Two screws on each side are
enough to make a solid piece of work. The material was quartered oak
with antique finish. To produce this effect, lampblack dissolved in
turpentine was added to the filler, and after drying was polished to a
dead flat finish. (See polishing chapter.)
Design number three is shown in Fig. 175. The legs run the long way
of the stool; joints the same as number two; top fastened by screws
through cross piece. The height, being much less than in the first
designs, gives it a very massive and substantial appearance. All eight
edges of the top have been slightly rounded with plane and sand-paper.
This stool is non-upsetable in the direction of its length. Stand on
the extreme end of the top and lean backward; the stool will not tilt
up in the slightest degree. Harry tried this several times, but it
remained on the floor with all four feet. This does not apply to the
width, so the boys designed number four (Fig. 176), which would not
upset from the side, where the feet are usually placed. It is even
lower than number three, and as the other dimensions are practically
the same, it appears even more massive.
The construction is similar to number three, but the legs are again at
the ends, and the whole being made of oak, or ash, it is practically
indestructible.
A very beautiful golden-brown finish may be given these stools by first
coating them with bichromate of potash.
This chemical comes in crystals, which readily dissolve in water. Put
it on with a one-inch varnish brush and, when dry, sand-paper down flat
with No. 0 sand-paper. Two or three coats of shellac, each allowed to
harden and dry thoroughly before being rubbed down with sand-paper,
will give a satisfactory polish. Finish by a rub down with raw linseed
oil, and wipe dry.