If second-hand material is not used it is advisable to purchase these
staple articles from a mill where they are made in standard sizes.
When ordered for certain size spaces they come a little too large. This
allowance is for material to be removed in fitting. Inside doors are
usually the last things to be hung. The windows should be hung as soon
as the construction will allow it, in order to keep out rain.
Secure the pulleys for upper and lower sash into the window frame on
both sides of parting strip about four inches from top of window frame.
Attach the sash cord and find its proper length by experiment. Tie
securely to sash weights. See that the two sashes make a good, tight
joint where they meet, and tack the window stop to frame with brads.
The stop is to be ordered with the trim, and mitred at the top. The
construction at the sill is shown at _a_ (Fig. 230).
The arrangement of door frames is shown at _b_. After mitring the door
stop, nail to door frame at a distance from its edge equal to thickness
of door. Fit the door by planing to the space inside frame. The hinges
are put on as shown, being sunk flush with edge of both door and door
frame. When hanging the door, it is a good plan to place small wedges
under it, to allow for the sag which will result as soon as its weight
is thrown on the hinges.
Saddles are usually placed under doors to allow them to swing clear of
carpet and rugs. To allow for the thickness of these saddles, 3/4 inch
should be allowed between floor and bottom of door. The saddles are to
be fitted around edges of door frame, making a neat finish.
For plastered walls a six-inch base board is necessary. This may be put
on with butt joints and nailed to studding with small head finishing
nails, as for all trim.
The base is usually topped by a base moulding mitred in the corners.
This style of construction is for a permanent house. For rough or
temporary buildings, many modifications may be adopted. Batten doors,
as described for the poultry house, may be cheaply and readily made.
Batten blinds made by the same method are very desirable for buildings
like summer camps, which are to be vacant for long periods. This
does away with the temptation some people find to break windows in
unoccupied houses.
The siding for a small building may be of tongue and groove boards put
on vertically, and now that lumber is so expensive these items are all
important.
The lumber from packing cases may be used for making very many of
the pieces of furniture in a camp, such as stools, benches, tables,
shelves, cupboards, bookcases, etc. Many of these useful articles can
be made without tearing the boxes apart.
A very useful chest and seat combined may be made by fitting a box with
a strong cover, strengthened by cleats on its under side and hinged
with strap hinges to the back.
A cushion of burlap filled with shavings, straw, seaweed, or sweet
grass will make this a very satisfactory settee, and the storage space
inside will always be available. The outside of the box should be
smoothed, all nail holes filled with putty, and the whole thing stained.
Very interesting panelling effects may be obtained by tacking on strips
of the same thickness as the outside cleats.
Where the supply of wood is limited, many similar articles will suggest
themselves to the young carpenter. The chair shown at Fig. 231_a_ can
all be made of wood from packing boxes, except the square legs. These
may be obtained by sawing 2 × 4 inch spruce in half and planing smooth.
The rails can be put on with mortise and tenon, or they may be gained
into the legs and fastened with nails or screws. The seat is built up
of several pieces fastened to cleats on under side, with front edges
rounded. To make this hard bottomed chair more comfortable, have a thin
cushion of canvas or burlap fastened by a canvas cover and tacked to
edges. The wide strip across the back may be treated in the same way.
One coat of stain, or two of Japalac or some similarly prepared varnish
will make a very serviceable finish for camp purposes.
[Illustration: Fig. 231. Chest made from packing case]
The proportions of a porch settee of the same general character are
given at Fig. 231_b_. The legs may be cut out of pieces of spruce
studding, and all but the long rails obtained from box material. These
long pieces may be cut from 7/8-inch siding left over when putting up
the cabin. Floor boards with tongue and groove planed off will answer
very well.
[Illustration: Fig. 231_a_. Chair]
The long back strip will be more rigid if mortised into the ends, and
the upright strips will be needed to give it the necessary strength.
[Illustration: Fig. 231_b_. Settee made from box material]
One of the most comfortable articles for a camp in the woods is the
couch hammock. The materials required are:
A cot.
Four yards of strong canvas a yard wide.
Forty feet of clothesline.
Two chains or strong pieces of rope about 4 or 5 feet long.
A grommet set and some grommets.
Remove the legs from the cot. They are usually attached by bolts or
rivets. If the latter, cut with a cold chisel.
Lay the canvas in one piece on the floor and place the cot at its
centre. Make pencil marks at the ends to indicate where the fold begins
as at B B (Fig. 232). Lap the canvas as shown and sew securely, leaving
a space at the fold for the clothesline to pass through.
The square ends are to be hemmed and folded over pieces of broomstick.
With the grommet punch make holes through the canvas just below the
broomstick and secure with the grommets. Make these holes about 5
inches apart. They are to hold the line which is to pass from iron
fitting C through first grommet hole and back until it has passed once
through each grommet.
[Illustration: Fig. 232. Couch hammock made from a cot]
The fitting is found on all hammocks and can be taken from an old one,
or an iron ring may be substituted. Before beginning to weave the rope
through the grommets, pass its end down to B and make fast to a stout
screw eye fastened to under side of frame of cot. This brings the
weight on the rope instead of on the canvas, an important item when
five or six people sit on the couch at one time. Treat both ends alike.
The canvas will be wide enough to fold up and entirely cover the edges
of cot. When everything has been adjusted, fasten the chains or heavy
rope to the iron rings, and secure to the trees or veranda columns by
heavy hooks. A light mattress covered with blankets, or a specially
made cushion to cover the whole cot, and several sofa pillows will add
the finishing touches to a very serviceable and satisfactory article.
The cost will be about one third of those on sale, and this may be
reduced 50 per cent. if a grommet set can be borrowed, as this is the
chief item of expense, assuming that an old cot is used.
This hammock should not be left out in the rain, as its steel springs
will rust.