I HAVE often been asked to describe a “Cabinet for Specimens,” such as
I made for minerals. It would be equally good for shells, eggs, coins,
or even for a bookcase. The shelves hold the specimens protected from
dust with glass doors, and from meddling fingers with a lock and key.
The cupboard (or drawer if preferable) below holds duplicates useful
in making exchanges, and the needful tools for the specialty which
interests you.
The cabinet of course can be made of black walnut or any other hard
wood, but for lightness as well as cheapness I used pine (stained)
and put in a back of dark-brown cambric instead of wood, the cambric
costing fifteen or twenty cents, where the wood would cost nearly a
dollar and a half.
I can’t give you close estimates about lumber either as to price or
lengths, because at different mills boards vary greatly in dimensions,
and values at the West or in Maine are unlike those in cities. I will
therefore describe my own, feeling sure that by this time if you have
made all the other articles in the series you can alter the pattern I
give you, or follow it accurately, according to the purpose you have in
view.
My cabinet fits easily in an alcove six feet, six inches high, and
four feet, six inches wide; and is large enough to hold an interesting
collection. For convenience in cutting, the seven boards I used were
selected according to the following dimensions:
A—12 feet by 12 inches.
B—6 feet by 10 inches.
C—8½ feet by 12 inches.
D—12 feet by 12 inches.
H—4 feet by 13 inches,
and 2 boards for shelves 8 feet long by 1 foot wide.
If possible, get three-fourths-inch board, as it is both lighter and
cheaper, but inch-board is often easier to get and my measurements are
for that. Get it all as clear as possible.
Besides the boards you will need two pieces of two-inch moulding six
feet long, and two pieces of three-fourths-inch about eleven feet long,
to hold the glass in the doors, and three pair of hinges; also lock and
key if you desire all to be secure.
Take _A_, divide in two, plane edges and square ends for sides.
Take _C_, cut two boards, each four feet two inches long, and one foot
wide, for top and bottom.
[Illustration: THE CABINET.]
From _B_ cut two pieces that shall be six feet long, and four inches
(for sides of door casing), then from remainder cut strip three and one
half feet by one inch, to go behind lower moulding for hinges of _E_.
From board _H_ (which is four feet by thirteen inches) cut out block at
_each end of one edge_, three inches long by one wide.
Nail _CC_ on to top and bottom of _AA_, taking care to put top and
bottom (_CC_) _on_ and not between uprights _AA_.
At point nine inches from lower _C_, nail board _H_, with the
projection facing outward. On each side on front nail strips _BB_. You
will find they fit into cuts made in _H_.
Nail the three and one half feet strip close to bottom _C_ between _BB_.
From remainder of board _B_ cut piece three and one half feet long;
with splitting-saw divide this into two boards, one eight inches, one
four inches wide. Nail the four-inch piece directly under _C_, between
the _BB_. This finishes the front for the doors.
Now for the mouldings: from one of the two-inch strips cut piece four
feet, four inches long; cut ends at angle of forty-five degrees; cut
two pieces one foot three inches long: have right-hand end of one and
left-hand end of other cut at angles of forty-five degrees, i. e., one
half of a right angle. Cut a second similar set of mouldings, nailing
one set to top, the other to bottom of cabinet.
The piece three and one half feet by eight inches is a kind of door,
which is hinged to the strip behind the moulding at the bottom. In my
cabinet I have it for a cupboard, as I said before, but you can put in
a drawer in its place if you prefer.
For the doors, cut from _H_ four pieces four feet, ten inches long by
three inches wide, and four pieces one foot, nine inches long by three
inches wide.
The best way of putting this together is of course to mortise it. To do
this, draw lines at each end of one of the long pieces on the edge one
fourth inch from each side; then draw lines _across_ the edge at points
three fourths and two and one fourth inches from end.
This rectangle must now be cut out. Bore three one half inch holes one
and one half inches deep: then with chisel split out the remaining wood
and smooth as nicely as possible. Repeat this on all the long pieces.
To make the tenons or tongues which fit the mortises, measure one and
one fourth inches from ends of short sticks, and with try-square draw
line all round the stick. On sides of stick saw in one fourth inch
deep; on edges saw three fourths inch deep. Then, parallel to sides,
draw lines one fourth inch from sides of stick on the end, and two
more lines three fourths of inch from and parallel with edges of stick.
Place edge of chisel just outside of lines and chip off the little
blocks, gradually shaving the tenons down to the lines.
If this is nicely done, the tenons will fit into the mortises so that
the side edges and ends of the four long sticks will fit snugly on to
the short ones. Put a peg through long and short pieces at the tenons
to keep them from coming apart.
This can be done in another way that is also somewhat easier, by
cutting from the sides at the ends of the pieces squares three inches
by three inches by one half inch and screwing together.
If you have only one light of glass to each door, there will be no need
of a cross-piece, so you will simply have to put the moulding round on
the inside of the door frames. If you have smaller panes, you will need
the crossbars.
[Illustration: TENON AND MORTISE.]
For the four shelves you will require you must cut the two eight-foot
boards into four, and make cleats to support them. These are merely
narrow strips of wood nailed on inside of _HH_ (at the height desired)
on which the ends of the shelves rest. The staining is done by the rule
given in a former paper, and the hinges and lock are set as in the tool
cabinet.
About four yards of dark cambric tacked on the back will finish a neat,
simple, but serviceable cabinet like the illustration.