NOW that you have a fair assortment of tools to work with, the next
thing is to have a work-bench; for even an accomplished carpenter can’t
do much without a good, strong, firm bench. And of course you must have
a sawhorse before you _can_ have a bench; but a sawhorse is a simple
affair to make, and I will tell you how to set about it right away, for
you ought not to buy anything that with a little trouble you can make.
Besides it will be good, plain practise with try-square, saw and plane.
[Illustration: Fig. 1]
The sawhorse for the average boy ought to stand about twenty or
twenty-two inches high, so that you can kneel with one knee on it
easily.
You must get two pine boards:
_A_, 6 feet long, 6 inches wide, 1½ inches thick.
_B_, 12 " " 6 " " 1 " "
Take A, cut off two and one half feet: if not already planed, plane
nicely on all sides. (Unplaned boards are cheaper than planed boards.)
Take this two and one half foot board and measure four inches from the
end. Lay on try-square and draw a line across the board at dotted line.
(_See right end of fig. 1._)
Then measure five and one half inches more from this line: with
try-square extend second line across the board. Measure one inch on all
these lines from the outer edge of board, and connect by lines _b b_
and _c c_. With cross-cut saw cut carefully through the one inch from
_a_ to _b_; then with chisel cut out on line _b b_. Don’t cut quite
as deep on the lower edge, for these openings are for the legs, and
should slope out a trifle, that the legs may be farther apart on the
floor than at the top when nailed on—one eighth of an inch will make
difference enough for a good slant. All four leg sockets must be done
alike, else your horse will be bow-legged and unsteady.
Now plane the twelve-foot board _B_ (unless it is already planed).
Square one end nicely; measure off twenty-two inches. Lay try-square
and draw a line across the board. Take the cross-cut saw and saw neatly
on the line. Smooth the end with a block-plane, bevelling it slightly,
so it will fit firmly on the floor. This is for one leg. Do three more
legs in the same way, always trimming the ends with block-plane, to
make them stand upon the floor true and even.
[Illustration: Fig 2]
One thing, boys, you _must_ remember: In planing _across_ the grain
never plane to the end at first, for you will chip the corners and
spoil the end. Keep reversing the block; _i. e._ first plane from _A_
to _B_, then from _B_ towards _A_. (_See fig. 2._)
Before fitting the legs into their sockets, plane the legs to fit the
five and one half inch spaces made in the first board. The inner upper
edge of the legs must come exactly level with the top line of the
board. The outer edge will of course be higher on account of the slope
of the slot, and must be planed smooth with block-plane after the legs
have been firmly nailed into place with three or four eight-penny nails.
To keep the legs from spreading apart at the ends, you must make a sort
of brace.
[Illustration: Fig 3]
Take a piece of the board left after cutting off the legs, and fit it
across the legs under the top board in this way: Hold it close to the
board and against the legs, then draw a pencil line, following the
outside slant of the legs. (_See fig. 3._) Now with cross-cut saw cut
across on this line; trim with block-plane before nailing; put one
piece on each end, nailing through to the legs.
One thing more and then your horse is done; ready to stand if not to go.
Find the middle of one end of top board, draw a line three inches long
down the board, with try-square. Then _on the end_ measure one inch
each side of this centre line. (_See fig. 4._) Draw line from _a_ to
_b_, and cut on lines with splitting-saw; this will leave a triangular
space which you will find very useful by and by in cutting small pieces
of wood.
From board _A_ there ought to be left a piece about three and one half
feet long, and from board _B_ a piece about two feet long. These you
will put aside for further use.
Now for the Bench (with a capital B, because it is the principal
partner in the firm of Carpenter and Co.).
Buy three good two-inch pine planks. Say two planks ten feet long, one
foot wide, and one eight feet long, six inches wide. Ready planed, at
the sawmills around here, these cost about eight cents a foot; a little
less unplaned. Besides these, you want one ten-foot inch board, one
foot wide; this should cost about four cents a foot. Before you really
start on your Bench, look around your workshop and decide where you
will have it stand. There must be a space ten feet long against the
wall, with plenty of light. A window at the left is the best.
One thing you must have which I didn’t reckon with the tools; but it
is easy to prepare. I mean a _chalk line_. There are fancy ones, but
the sort I’m going to describe does just as well.
[Illustration: Fig 4]
Get a piece of curtain-cord twelve or fifteen feet long, and make a
loop on one end; then provide yourself with a good piece of common
chalk; when you want to use it, chalk the line well by passing the line
over the chalk as you would wax thread; to use it put the loop over a
nail at one end of the line you wish to chalk, hold the other taut, and
snap the line smartly in the middle; it will leave a straight chalk
line for a guide in cutting.
Now take the shorter of the two-inch planks, the one eight feet long,
make a mark in the middle of each end, drive a small nail in the
left-hand end exactly in the middle; having chalked your line well,
slip the loop over the nail, draw the line taut down the middle of the
board to the other or right-hand end, holding the line close to the
board; pluck the string sharply in the middle and you will find an even
chalk line the whole length of the board.
Put one end of the board over sawhorse, take the splitting-saw and cut
carefully down the line, holding the saw a little more vertical than
you would a cross-cut saw.
Having divided your board thus, lengthwise, you will have two strips
eight feet long, three inches wide, two inches thick.
With large plane smooth the rough sides of these strips as well as you
can, resting the boards on the sawhorse. One end of each strip must be
good and square: if not so already, take small block-plane and square
it as best you can.
From the squared end measure thirty inches; draw a line across the
board. Then by aid of try-square make another line one eighth inch
beyond. This makes it easy to saw straight across the wood with a
cross-cut saw. Take block-plane and square the end nicely.
[Illustration: Fig 5]
You have now prepared one leg of your bench Cut another thirty-inch
length in the same way from the piece left. Repeat this with the other
strip. You now have four legs for your bench just alike with nicely
squared ends.
For cross-pieces cut from the pieces that remain two lengths of
nineteen inches each; cut and trim as before.
Take one pair of legs (_i. e._ two of the thirty-inch strips), lay them
on the floor on the _two-inch_ side, just _nineteen inches_ apart. At
one end, between the legs, lay one of the nineteen-inch pieces _also
on the two-inch side_, so it will be flush with the squared ends of
the legs; hammer the legs on to the ends of the cross pieces with two
or three twenty-penny nails. This job ought to be done very neatly and
accurately, so that the shape will be exactly like fig. 5. If you are
careless and let the legs spread while nailing, your Bench will be
hopelessly rickety.