SCREENS, SHOE-BOXES, AND WINDOW-SEATS
Among the many convenient pieces of furniture that a boy can make for the
home, there are, perhaps, none that are so handy and generally useful as
screens, shoe-boxes, and settles of various kinds.
Screens in particular are of so many and varied designs that it would be
quite impossible in this short chapter to give more than a few of the
simpler forms; but they will serve as hints for others.
A Light-screen
One of the easiest screens to make, and perhaps the most generally
useful, is that shown in Fig. 1. This is a light-screen, which may be
easily taken from one room to another.
Four rails of pine or white-wood are cut and tapered at one end for the
tops, and slightly cut away at the other for the bottom, as shown in the
illustration. The rails are four feet six inches long, two and a half
inches in width, and seven-eighths of an inch thick. Dowels five-eighths
of an inch in diameter are used for the cross-sticks. They can be
purchased at a hardware store or from a cabinet-maker, and should be
cut twenty-four inches long. Holes are to be bored in one edge of each
strip, into which the dowels are driven, and fastened with glue and small
nails. Four or five dowels will be sufficient for each wing, and they
should be spaced evenly, the first one four inches below the top of the
rails and the bottom one ten inches above the floor.
The wings are fastened together with two or three hinges, so that the
screen may be folded and stood in a closet or behind a door when not in
use.
Some pretty figured material, such as China silk, silkoline, cretonne, or
printed cotton goods may be used for the covering, which is to show on
both sides of each wing. It should be from three to five feet wide, so
as to allow for some fulness. One end of the goods is tacked to the top
dowel; then it is passed around the bottom dowel and brought up to the
top, where it is again tacked fast. Some narrow gimp and brass nails will
hide the edges of the goods at the top, and to hold the material in place
a few tacks may be driven along the bottom dowel.
The wood-work should be painted, or stained and varnished, before the
covering material is put on. If a dull finish is desired, some dark
paint may be thinned with turpentine and rubbed on with a soft cloth,
then partially wiped off and allowed to dry. It will not be necessary to
varnish or shellac the surface, but a little beeswax can be dissolved in
turpentine and rubbed on.
A Fire-screen
When an open fire is burning on the hearth a screen that will protect the
eyes from the glare, and yet allow the heat to reach the lower part of
the body and the feet, is a useful piece of furniture.
A simple screen of this description is shown in Fig. 2, and for a
living-room or bedroom it should measure thirty-six inches long,
forty-two inches high, the screen proper being eighteen or twenty inches
wide.
[Illustration: FIG. 1. FIG. 2. FIG. 3. FIG. 4. FIG. 5. FIG. 6. FIG. 7.
FIG. 8.]
The uprights are of wood two inches square, and the cross-rails are
seven-eighths of an inch thick and two inches wide. The joints are
mortised and tenoned, and held with screws and glue, while the apparent
fastenings are large, round, mock nail-heads. The feet are cut from
hard-wood seven-eighths of an inch in thickness, as shown in Fig. 3, and
attached to the bottom of the upright posts with glue and screws, the
vertical edges of the feet being let into a lap cut in the posts. Each
foot will then measure eighteen inches across at the bottom, and twelve
inches high from the floor to the top of the lap cut in the posts.
Leather, burlap, denim, tapestry-cloth, or any good covering fabric, may
be used for the screen. This material should be tacked on the top and
bottom rail with large upholsterers’ tacks painted black.
A design may be lightly drawn on the fabric with a pencil, and afterwards
painted in oil or water colors, or the ornament may be stencilled on with
aniline colors, as described in Chapter XIX.
A Shoe-screen
For a bedroom a convenient screen is shown in Fig. 4. This is properly
called a shoe-screen, since there is a ledge made fast to the lower part
of it to serve as a rest for the foot when lacing or buttoning shoes.
There are also two rows of pockets on the inside of the screen, into
which shoes, slippers, and sandals can be slipped.
A convenient size to make this screen is three feet six inches high and
two feet six inches wide. The foot-ledge should not be more than fourteen
inches above the floor and six inches wide. The frame may be made
from any easily worked wood, since when it is painted, or stained and
varnished, nothing but the grain will show. The uprights should be three
inches wide, seven-eighths of an inch thick, and three feet three inches
long. Lap or dowelled joints should be made at the top corners, and at
the foot of both pieces notches are to be cut in with saw and chisel, as
shown at Fig. 5. The foot-pieces may then be driven up in place and made
fast with screws or slim nails driven through the projecting ends of the
side uprights and into the feet. The feet are of wood seven-eighths of
an inch thick, sixteen inches long, and six inches high. The pattern may
be drawn with lead-pencil on the wood; then, with a compass-saw, cut the
wood on the lines, having first clamped the piece in a vise to hold it
securely. The foot-shelf is made fast to the screen after the covering
material is in place, and at both ends it is supported with brackets, the
lower ends of which are made fast with screws.
A cross-rib should be made fast in the screen-frame midway between the
top-rail and the one to which the ledge is attached, and a line of tacks
is driven through the covering material and into the frame on both sides.
This is to give a better finish, and also to support the rows of pockets
when full of shoes.
The strip of denim for the pockets is seven inches wide and hemmed on
both edges. It is then caught to the covering material so that generous
pockets will be formed, each one being large enough to accommodate a pair
of shoes.
The front of the screen may be covered with a fancy-figured material
fastened on with small tacks; over this a gimp to match the material can
be laid and held down with large-headed tacks, such as may be purchased
at upholstery supply stores. The painting, staining, or varnishing
should, of course, be done before the fabric, or covering material, is
made fast to the frame.
A Bedroom-door Screen
At night it is often agreeable to have a bedroom door left open. Yet one
does not want to sleep in an actual draught, and a screen such as is
shown in Fig. 6 will be found most useful.
This screen is in one piece, six feet six inches high and eighteen inches
wide. The frame is made from pine, white-wood, or any other wood to match
the trim of the room. Two cross-rails are fixed so as to remain equal
distances apart, thus forming three panels to the screen. Hinges are
arranged at one edge, which in turn are made fast to the door-casing,
so that when the screen is not in use it can be thrown back against the
wall; or, if thought preferable, eyes may be driven in the casing and
hooks in the edge of the screen, so that it may swing as if on hinges,
and yet be lifted off at will and set away in a closet. An eye on the
door and a hook on the screen will serve as a fairly secure fastening
against intrusion. Any pretty material that matches the paper of the room
may be used to cover this screen, and the edges should be bound with gimp
and large-headed tacks to give it a good appearance.
A Heavy Fire-screen
For a dining-room, living-room, or library, an attractive design for a
heavy fire-screen is shown in Fig. 7. This is constructed of oak, ash, or
other hard-wood. It is thirty-six inches wide, forty-two inches high, and
the rails and feet are one and one-eighth inches thick. The uprights and
cross-rails are four inches wide, and the top and bottom of each upright
are cut as shown in Fig. 8.
The cross-rails should be mortised in the uprights, or they may be made
fast by butting one end against an edge and securing the joint with
dowels. The feet are fourteen inches across at the bottom and fifteen
inches high. They are glued and screwed in the laps cut at the lower
ends of the uprights, and the screw-heads are covered with imitation
wrought-iron nail-heads beaten from sheet-lead and attached with
steel-wire nails, the heads of which are invisible when driven into the
lead.
The side of the screen which faces the fire should be covered with
burlap, denim, or other stout cotton fabric. The outer side of the screen
should be faced with leather, on which the ornamental design is followed
out with stains and pyrography (see Chapter XII).
The leather should be caught to the frame with tacks placed two inches
apart, and also glue. Over the tacks imitation lead heads may be secured
with slim, steel nails.
A Window-seat with Under Ledge
In the drawing of the window-seat with under ledge (Fig. 9) an odd but
useful piece of furniture is shown. It is made from two boards fourteen
inches wide and forty inches long, two end-pieces fifteen inches wide and
twenty-two inches high, and four brackets eight inches on the right-angle
edges. These latter are necessary to brace the top and ends, as shown in
Fig. 10 A A.
The top shelf, or seat, is eighteen inches high from the floor, and the
under ledge is made fast eight inches below it. The fastening is made
with screws and liquid glue, and allowed to stand several hours before
the drapery is attached.
For the upholstery material the dry-goods stores offer quite a variety
of stuffs from which to choose. The least expensive are burlap, denim,
cretonne, and some of the heavy, cotton, printed goods. Other fabrics,
richer in appearance and more lasting, are velour, tapestry-cloth, rep,
and brocade. Goods of this class will cost from fifty cents to several
dollars a yard.
[Illustration: FIG. 9. FIG. 10. FIG. 11. FIG. 12.]
To upholster this seat, obtain some curled hair from an old mattress,
and spread it over the top board, having first tacked a piece of
unbleached muslin along one edge of the seat. When a sufficient quantity
of the hair is on the board, draw the muslin over it, and tack it down
along the other edge and at the ends. Over this the fabric can be drawn
and tacked.
The end boards are covered with plain goods of the same color as the seat
and flounce, and the edges are bound with gimp an inch wide, held down
with large, oval-headed upholsterers’ tacks painted black. Across the
back of the seat (the part that goes against the wall or window-base)
plain goods can be drawn and tacked, or it may be left open.
The front is provided with a flounce made by shirring the goods on a
stout cotton cord and tacking it along the front of the top board, then
covering the tacks with gimp and nails, as shown in the drawing. A coat
of paint or shellac at the inside will finish the wood-work, and it will
then be ready for use.
A Shoe-box Seat
A shoe-box seat is easily made and upholstered, and will be an acceptable
addition in any bedroom (see Fig. 11). The sides are eighteen inches
wide, thirty-six inches high at the back, and twenty-two inches at the
front. The seat and ledge under it are each eighteen inches square, and
the boards forming the back extend down to the floor. The parts are put
together with screws and glue; then the seat is upholstered with curled
hair, as described for the window-seat (Fig. 9).
The framework for this seat could be made from a box with the bottom and
one side removed. The arms should be cut from a separate piece of wood
and screwed fast, as shown in Fig. 12 by the line along the shaded side.
Plain or figured goods may be used for the covering material. It is drawn
and caught with tacks at the edges; then the joints may be hidden with
gimp and large-headed tacks. If it is possible to procure some English
bellows-nails they will add an artistic effect to the trimming. If they
cannot be had, very good imitation heads may be cut from sheet-lead
with a pair of old scissors or shears. After beating them about the
edge to flatten them and lend a hand-forged effect, these disks should
be attached to the wood with long, slim finishing-nails of steel wire,
which, when driven into the heads, become imbedded in the lead and are
not seen. They should be painted black with a solution of shellac in
which some dry lamp-black has been mixed to the consistency of cream.
Apply with a soft brush.
A Dressing-room Settle
In the illustration for a dressing-room settle (Fig. 13) a comfortable
piece of furniture is illustrated, and in Fig. 14 its construction is
clearly indicated.
The ends are three feet high and sixteen inches wide. The back-boards
extend from the top of the ends down to the floor, and are attached with
screws. The seat and under ledge should be from thirty to forty-eight
inches long, according to the space it will occupy against the wall or
under a window.
The upholstering is done as described for the other pieces of furniture,
save that a more elaborate ornamentation is suggested for the end-pieces.
The design is drawn in free-hand, and then embroidered on with heavy
linen thread. Mother or elder sister will have to help out with the
needle-work.
A Short Settle
[Illustration: FIG. 13. FIG. 14. FIG. 15. FIG. 16.]
A short settle with under ledge (Fig. 15) is another comfortable piece of
bedroom or sitting-room furniture. In Fig. 16 the constructional diagram
is shown for the arrangement of its sides, back, and under ledge.
The ends are sixteen inches wide and twenty-three inches high. The back
extends down to the floor, and above the ends it curves or rounds over,
extending up about five inches higher than the tops of the ends. Under
the seat a strip of wood two and a half inches in width is attached at
both ends, and the front edge of the seat is screwed fast to it. This
acts as a support, and obviates the necessity of a brace block.
A Foot-rest
When putting on shoes it is convenient to have a short bench on which to
rest the foot, and while a hassock will answer well enough, it is not so
good as a bench or so easily handled.
Fig. 17 shows a neat foot-bench that is easy to construct from four
pieces of wood. In Fig. 18 page 345 the plain bench is shown, while at B
a view of the inverted bench is given so that the cross-bar may be seen.
The top board is eighteen inches long, ten inches wide, and an inch
thick. The ends, or legs, are seven inches high and eight inches wide,
with a V notch cut in from the bottom of each. These feet are set
fourteen inches apart, so that there will be two inches of overhang at
each end of the bench; that is, the top will extend two inches over the
legs at each end. The brace shown at Fig. 18 B is two inches wide, twelve
and a half inches long, and an inch in thickness.
The four parts are put together with glue and screws; then the top is
padded with curled hair and upholstered as already described.
A Combination Shoe-box and Seat
From two canned-goods boxes the combination shoe-box and seat may be
made, as shown in Fig. 19, Fig. 20 being the structural plan.
The left-hand box in Fig. 20 has the lid removed, and a shelf is inserted
so as to divide it into two compartments. The other box is provided with
a hinged lid. Instead of making the hinges fast to the edge of the box,
a strip an inch or two wide should be attached to the rear of the box,
and to this the lid is hinged, as shown in Fig. 20. The two boxes are
screwed together, and a back is provided for the one on the right. The
board forming this back should extend the entire length of the two boxes,
and should be secured to them with stout screws. The tops of the boxes
are padded with hair, and the sides are covered with upholstery material
of any desirable color and quality, the edges being bound with gimp and
nails.
The inside of the low box and the under side of the lid should be
provided with denim pockets, as shown at Fig. 21. These pockets are
formed by tacking a strip of denim to the wood and allowing fulness
enough to accommodate a pair of shoes or slippers.
It furnishes the inside of such boxes nicely to line them with unbleached
muslin tacked at the corners and edges. Where wood is exposed in the
ledge and shelf seats a coat of paint or shellac is desirable.
A Double Shoe-box and Seat
Three well-made boxes, two of a size and one longer, will make the
foundation for a double shoe-box and seat, such as is shown in Fig. 22.
[Illustration: FIG. 17. FIG. 19. FIG. 22. FIG. 24. FIG. 26.]
In Fig. 23 the structural arrangement is indicated. The end boxes are
provided with two shelves each, and the middle one is fitted with a
back-board, which is rounded over at the top and projects about six
inches above the top of the end boxes.
The middle box is provided with a lid and hinges which are made fast to
a back strip, so that when the lid is raised it will not fall again, but
will stand out an inch or two from the back-boards.
A Curved-back Window-seat
Fig. 24 illustrates a useful piece of furniture. The box part, or frame,
is thirty-eight inches long, sixteen inches wide, and fifteen inches
high, and the top of the back is fourteen inches above the seat. The
structural plan is shown in Fig. 25.
Four inches from the bottom a ledge is arranged, and at the middle a
division-brace is placed. The unions may be made with nails, but screws
are preferable.
[Illustration: FIG. 18. FIG. 20. FIG. 21. FIG. 23. FIG. 25. FIG. 27.]
The back is made from two boards shaped into a curve with a draw-knife
and plane and held together with battens, as shown by the dotted lines
in Fig. 25. The battens extend down behind the back of the box, and
the ends are made fast with screws to support the back. The back and
seat are padded with curled hair and covered with unbleached muslin,
over which the upholstery material is drawn and tacked to the edges. A
valance of some pretty figured goods to match the seat and back is made,
and tacked around the upper edge of the box. Wide gimp and large-headed
upholsterers’ tacks will finish the edge of the seat and back, and it
would be well to give the wood-work a coat or two of paint or stain.
A Window-seat and Shoe-box
In the illustration of the window-seat and shoe-box (Fig. 26) a
substantial and useful piece of furniture is illustrated.
It is made of three boxes screwed together, as shown in Fig. 27. The
lid of the middle box is hinged, and the end boxes are stood on end.
One end box is shorter than the other, and in both of them shelves are
arranged for shoes, slippers, or sandals. A back is made of two boards
and attached at the rear of the boxes. The top of each box and the face
of the back are padded with curled hair or moss filling that may be had
from an upholsterer, and covered with some upholstery material. Buttons
and string are caught down into the top of the padded surface to give
the tufted effect shown in the illustration, and the sides and fronts of
the boxes are hidden with valances. Gimp and large-headed nails finish
the edges as shown, and when the wood-work is given a coat of paint this
window-seat and shoe-box is ready for use.