[Illustration: Detail of Book Trough]
A very cheap but attractive book trough is shown in the accompanying
photograph. This piece of mission furniture will be found useful in the
home or office and can be made by anyone who has a slight knowledge of
tools. The material should be either oak or chestnut, which can be
secured from the planing mill dressed and sandpapered ready to cut the
tenons and mortises. The stock needed will be as follows:
2 ends, 7/8 in. by 10 in. by 31 in., S-2-S.
1 shelf, 7/8 in. by 10 in. by 35 in., S-1-S.
2 trough pieces, 7/8 in. by 4 in. by 35 in., S-2-S.
8 keys, 5/8 in. by 5/8 in. by 3 in.
[Illustration: Book Trough Complete]
The two end pieces should be made first with the top corners rounded off
and the lower end, which is of simple design, can be cut out with a
bracket saw and smoothed with a wood rasp. The mortises should then be
laid out according to the sketch and cut, by first boring 3/4-in. holes
and finishing with a chisel, being careful to keep all edges clean and
free from slivers.
The shelf can now be made by cutting a double-key tenon at each end to
fit the end pieces. The space between the two tenons at each end can be
cut out with a bracket saw and finished with a rasp. The key holes
should be mortised as shown in the sketch. The trough pieces are made in
a similar manner, care being taken to have all tenons and mortises
perfectly square and a good fit, so the trough when assembled will have
a neat and workmanlike appearance. The trough can be finished in any one
of the many mission finishes which are supplied by the trade for this
purpose.