[Transcriber's Note
Emphasis notation for italic is _Text_ and bold is =Text=.
Whole and fractional parts of numbers is displayed as 2-1/4.
Exponents are prefaced by a carat (^) as E^1.]
RUSTIC CARPENTRY
_WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS AND DIAGRAMS_
EDITED BY
PAUL N. HASLUCK
EDITOR OF "WORK" AND "BUILDING WORLD"
AUTHOR OF "HANDYBOOKS FOR HANDICRAFTS," ETC. ETC.
[Illustration]
CASSELL AND COMPANY, LIMITED
_LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK & MELBOURNE. MCMVII_
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PREFACE.
This Handbook contains, in a form convenient for everyday use, a number
of articles on Rustic Carpentry contributed by various authors to
WORK--one of the journals it is my fortune to edit.
Readers who may desire additional information respecting special details
of the matters dealt with in this Handbook, or instructions on kindred
subjects, should address a question to the Editor of WORK, La Belle
Sauvage, London, EC., so that it may be answered in the columns of that
journal.
P. N. HASLUCK.
_La Belle Sauvage, London._
_April, 1907._
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER PAGE
I.--Light Rustic Work 9
II.--Flower Stands, Vases, etc. 22
III.--Tables 36
IV.--Chairs and Seats 40
V.--Gates and Fences 52
VI.--Rosery Walk 66
VII.--Porches 71
VIII.--Canopy for Swing 77
IX.--Aviary 83
X.--Foot-bridges 92
XI.--Verandahs 98
XII.--Tool Houses, Garden Shelters, etc. 106
XIII.--Summer Houses 126
Index 159
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
FIG. PAGE
1.--Photograph Frame and Wall Bracket Combined 10
2.--Section of Bracket 11
3.--Small Easel 12
4.--Attaching Support to Easel 13
5.--Mitred Joint 13
6.--Mortise and Tenon Joint 14
7, 8.--Flower Holder 14, 15
9-11.--Rustic Hall Stand 17
12, 13.--Plant Stool 18
14-16.--Window Box 19, 20
17.--Flower-pot Stand 23
18.--Bending Saplings 24
19.--Fixing Rails, etc., to Posts 24
20.--Vase on Tripod Stand 25
21.--Joint of Hexagon Sides of Vase 25
22.--Securing Sides and Legs of Vase to Base 25
23.--Section of Twigs at Angles of Vase 25
24, 25.--Flower-pot Stand 26
26.--Joining Rails to Uprights 27
27.--Supporting End Shelves of Flower-pot Stand 27
28.--Fixing Centre Shelves of Stand 27
29.--Large Square Vase 28
30.--Large Hexagonal Vase 28
31.--Vase with Claw Foot 29
32.--Foot of Rustic Table 30
33.--Garden Plant Tub 31
34, 35.--Mouldings 32
36.--Plant Vase 32
37.--Rectangular Garden Plant Stand 33
38-40.--Rustic Pedestal 34
41.--Flower-pot Stand 35
42.--Square Table 36
43.--Hexagon Table 37
44, 45.--Top of Hexagon Table 38, 39
46.--Armchair 40
47.--Fixing Seat Rails to Leg of Armchair 41
48.--Plan of Armchair Seat Frame 41
49, 50.--Garden Seat 42, 43
51.--Joints of Rails and Posts 43
52.--Arm-rest for Garden Seat 44
53.--Part Plan of Seat 44
54, 55.--Garden Seat 44, 45
56.--Front Rail, Cross Rail, and Battens 45
57.--Part Plan of Seat 46
58-60.--Garden Seat with Canopy 47-49
61.--Plan of Canopy 50
62, 63.--Canopy Panels 50
64.--Plan of Seat 50
65-67.--Garden Gate 52, 53
68-70.--Joints in Gate Frame 54
71, 72.--Fixing Ends of Twigs 54
73.--Closing Stile 54
74-77.--Rustic Gates 55, 56
78-80.--Fences 57, 58
81, 82.--Rustic Trellis with Seats and Gate 59
83.--Vertical Section of Trellis 60
84.--End Post and Trellis 60
85.--Back of Seat for Trellis 60
86.--Alternative Design for Gate 61
87.--Hanging and Latching Gate 62
88.--Catch for Gate 63
89, 90.--Rustic Carriage Entrance 64, 65
91.--Rosery Walk 67
92.--Roof of Rosery Walk 68
93.--Entrance to Rosery Walk 69
94, 95.--Porch 72, 73
96.--Seat and Floor of Cottage Porch 74
97.--Porch at Gable 74
98.--Porch at Eaves 75
99.--Roof for Porch 75
100.--Gable for Porch 76
101, 102.--Rustic Canopy for Swing 77, 78
103.--Fixing Middle Post of Canopy to Sill 79
104.--Joints of Rails, Struts, and Posts for Canopy 79
105.--Securing Cross Rails to Plates and Posts of Canopy 80
106, 107.--Hook and Thimble for Canopy 80
108, 109.--Fenced Seat for Canopy 81
110.--Fixing Rope to Eyelet 81
111, 112.--Aviary 84, 85
113, 114.--Joint of Rails and Uprights for Aviary 85
115.--Sectional Plan of Aviary 86
116.--Cross Section of Aviary 87
117.--Half Under View of Bottom of Aviary 88
118.--Door Wires for Aviary 88
119.--Part Longitudinal Section of Aviary 89
120.--Half Plan of Aviary Roof 90
121, 122.--Rustic Foot-bridge 92, 93
123.--Girders for Foot-bridge 93
124, 125.--Joint of Post and Girder 93
126.--Middle Rail and Post of Foot-bridge 94
127, 128.--Joint of Strut to Post of Foot-bridge 94
129.--Twig Hollowed to Fit Rail 94
130.--Elevated Bridge 95
131.--Girder and Post bolted to Sleeper 96
132.--Elevated Foot-bridge at Lower Step (Fig. 130) 96
133, 134.--Verandah 99, 101
135.--Bottom of Post for Glazed Verandah 103
136.--Top of Post for Glazed Verandah 103
137, 138.--Rustic Tool House 106, 107
139.--Common Method of Using Slabs 108
140.--Ground Plan of Rustic Tool House 109
141.--Cap of Tool House Pilaster 111
142.--Garden Snuggery 112
143.--Ground Framework of Garden Snuggery 113
144.--Back Framework for Garden Snuggery 113
145.--Snuggery Porch 114
146.--Window-board 115
147, 148.--Sections of Snuggery Walls 117
149-151.--Garden Retreat 118-121
152.--Seat of Garden Retreat 122
153.--Joint of Garden Retreat at C (Fig. 151) 123
154.--Detail of Front Joints (see C, Fig. 151) 124
155.--Alternative Method of Joining Rails to Posts 124
156.--Section of Middle Rail at A (Fig. 152) 125
157.--Detail of Middle Rail at B (Fig. 152) 125
158-161.--Lean-to Summer House 126-131
162-164.--Shelter for Tennis Lawn 133, 134
165.--Connecting Plates to Corner Post 135
166.--Fixing Sleeper to Posts 135
167.--Section of Flooring 135
168.--Finial 135
169.--Garden Shelter at Front Eaves 135
170.--Section of Seat 135
171.--Strapping Cushion to Seat 137
172-174.--Octagonal Summer House 137, 139
175.--Collar Posts and Ends of Wall Plates 141
176.--Timbers over Entrance of Octagonal Summer House 141
177.--Window Side of Octagonal Summer House 143
178, 179.--Table for Octagonal Summer House 145
180.--Seat Side of Octagonal Summer House 147
181.--Mosaic Seats 149
182-184.--Octagonal Summer House with Three Gables 151-153
185, 186.--Roof for Octagonal Summer House 153
187.--Securing Glass to Rustic Casement 154
188, 189.--Door for Octagonal Summer House 155
190.--Part Plan of Octagonal Summer House 156
191.--Horizontal Section through Door Posts 156
192.--Part Section of Side Panel 157
193.--Fixing Plate to Posts 157
194.--Finial 157
RUSTIC CARPENTRY.
CHAPTER I.
LIGHT RUSTIC WORK.
Rustic carpentry does not demand great skill in woodworking, but it does
require a large amount of artistic perception. The tools needed are but
few, and the materials employed are comparatively cheap, although in
many districts they are becoming dearer every year.
It may be said that any articles made from the now popular bamboo may be
made quite as effectively in light rustic work.
For light rustic work, sticks of hazel, cherry, yew, blackthorn, birch,
larch, fir, and the prunings of many varieties of shrubs may be used;
but it is necessary that the material should be cut at the proper
season, and thoroughly dried before being worked up. The sticks should
be cut in mid-winter, as at that time the sap is at rest; if cut in the
summer time the bark will peel off. If peeled sticks are required, they
should be cut in the spring, when the sap is rising, as at that time the
rind will come off easily. In some districts the copses are cleared of
undergrowth periodically, and the sticks (generally hazel) sold to
hurdle and spar makers. A selection of these sticks would be very
suitable for the purpose here described.
The sticks should be stacked in an open shed in an upright position if
possible, and in such a manner that the air can freely circulate around
them. When they are required for fishing rods or walking sticks they are
hung up to season--this keeps them straighter; but the hanging of them
up is not necessary for the work about to be dealt with. When the sticks
have been put away for from six to twelve months, according to size,
they will be ready for use, after being rubbed with a cloth or brushed
to clean off the dust and bring up the colour of the bark. Fir cones may
often be worked into a design, and bits of rough bark and the warts and
burrs found on old elm trees may be collected by the rustic worker and
put by for future use.
[Illustration: Fig. 1.--Photograph Frame and Wall Bracket Combined.]
One method of treatment for designs in light rustic work is to split the
sticks and use them to overlay the work with a Swiss pattern, as shown
by Fig. 1; another method is to work the sticks up after the manner that
canes are used in bamboo furniture (see Figs. 3 and 42, pp. 12 and 36).
[Illustration: Fig. 2.--Section of Bracket, showing Fixing of Glass.]
Fig. 1 represents a wall bracket with a photograph or mirror in the
frame. To make this, the piece forming the back is first cut out of
3/8-in. deal. The shelf, of 3/4-in. deal, is then nailed to the bottom
edge. Some straight hazel, fir, or other sticks are next selected and
split; these are nailed round the edges of the back, and round the
opening at the centre. The pieces round the opening overlap the edges
about 1/4 in., to form a rebate for the glass. The bare spaces at the
sides and top may be covered in the following manner: Take a piece of
brown elm bark and run a saw into it. Catch the sawdust, and, after
warming the wood, cover it with thin glue.
[Illustration: Fig. 3.--Small Easel in Rustic Work.]
Sprinkle the brown sawdust on the glued surface, and sufficient will
adhere to cover the deal and give the frame a rustic appearance.
Cork-dust or filings may be used instead of sawdust. Bunches of fir or
larch cones are nailed to the corners, as illustrated; these should be
pared at the back with knife or chisel to a flat surface. The outer edge
of the shelf is finished with an edging of short lengths of split stick
nailed on. The general construction of the bracket, and the method of
fixing the glass, will be clear from Fig. 2, which is a section through
the centre.
[Illustration: Fig. 4.--Method of Attaching Support to Easel.]
A small easel for photographs, or, if constructed larger, for a
fire-screen, is shown by Fig. 3. It is made entirely of round sticks.
Fig. 4 illustrates the method of attaching the back support--namely, by
means of a couple of staples, which may be made out of a hairpin. In
jointing round sticks together, the joints may be mitred by notching a
=V=-shaped piece out of one stick and cutting the other to fit (Fig. 5);
or a mortise and tenon, as represented by Fig. 6, may be used.
[Illustration: Fig. 5--Mitred Joint.]
In making the easel (Fig. 3), the top and bottom bars are mitred to the
sides, and the central upright to the top and bottom bars. The joints
are secured by either brads or panel pins. Care must be taken to bore
for the nails with a bradawl, as nothing looks worse than splits in the
work. The upright piece in the centre of the top bar may be secured by
driving a long panel pin into the lower upright through the top bar,
filing the head to a point to form a dowel, and driving the top piece on
with a hammer.
[Illustration: Fig. 6.--Mortise and Tenon Joint.]
[Illustration: Fig. 7.--Rustic Flower Holder for Table Decoration.]
Where a small stick is joined to a larger one, as in the case of the
filling-in pieces, a flat may be made with a knife or chisel on the
larger stick, and the smaller one cut to fit and nailed on. In making a
small easel, only a single stick attached to the centre upright will be
required to form a back support, but for a larger one it will be
preferable to frame it as shown by Fig. 3.
[Illustration: Fig. 8.--Rustic Flower Holder Complete, with Cocoanut
Vase in Position.]
The finished articles may be either stained and varnished or left plain.
Cherry sticks look well if the bark is left the natural colour, and the
ends, where exposed, cleaned off and varnished without being stained.
Some sticks improve in colour if rubbed over with a rag moistened with
linseed oil.
If a stain is required, one that is sold in bottles would be suitable,
but a little vandyke brown, ground in water, and applied with a sponge,
answers the purpose. Sometimes, as in the case of the table top (see
Fig. 42, p. 36), it is a good plan to stain the wood before nailing on
the pattern work, or there will be danger, if the sticks are dark in
colour, of the lighter wood showing through.
If the rustic work is intended to be placed out of doors, it should be
given two or three coats of hard outside varnish.
The rustic flower-holder for table decoration, shown by Fig. 7, consists
simply of a gipsy tripod formed with six rustic sticks, put together in
the form shown, and tied with a length of bass. There is no attempt made
at finish, but the sticks must be firmly tied together at the joints,
and the ends of the bass can be left, either hanging loose or tied in a
bow. The holder for the flowers is a cocoanut shell, which has been sawn
in two, so as to leave one part a sort of cup or egg shape; three holes
are bored with a bradawl at equal distances round the edge, and it is
suspended from the tripod with three more pieces of the bass, which
completes the arrangement. Of course, any small receptacle can be used
in place of the cocoanut shell, but that, perhaps, carries out the
rustic appearance the best, and is very easily obtained. Fig. 8 is an
attempt to show the tripod when decorated.
The rustic hall-stand shown by Figs. 9 to 11 was made actually from
branches and twigs of an old apple tree. The uprights and principal
cross-pieces are 7/8 in. thick, and the criss-cross pieces are 1/2 in.
thick. The bottom is made of four pieces 1-1/2 in. thick. The longer
ones measure 1 ft. 8 in., and the shorter ones 1 ft. 2 in.; they are
nailed together in such a manner that the ends at the two front corners
each cross and project 2-1/2 in. The front uprights are 2 ft. high, the
back ones 2 ft. 2 in.; the longer cross-pieces are 1 ft. 8 in., the
shorter 11 in. The ends intersect and project 3 in. at each of the front
corners; only the longest piece projects 3 in. at the back corners, the
shorter pieces being cut off flush with the frame to allow of the stand
fitting close to a wall.
[Illustration: Figs. 9 and 10.--Front and Side Elevations of Rustic Hall
Stand.]
[Illustration: Fig. 11.--Plan of Rustic Hall Stand, showing Umbrella
Pan.]
These cross-pieces are nailed to the uprights to allow the top ends of
the latter to project 2 in. above them, this bringing the measurement of
the oblong inner framework to 1 ft. 10 in. by 1 ft. 2 in. The thin
pieces are nailed on as shown in Fig. 9, being interlaced as much as
possible. The back of the stand is treated in a similar manner. The
whole of the wood is used as rough as possible, the bark being retained,
with the knots, etc.; the ends are, however, pared off smooth with a
chisel. Two coats of varnish finish the stand, save for the addition of
a receptacle to catch the drainings from umbrellas, and for this the
stand illustrated has a painted baking-tin A (Fig. 11).
[Illustration: Figs. 12 and 13.--Elevation and Plan of Plant Stool.]
The rustic stool (Figs. 12 and 13) is intended to be made in pairs, and
placed one on each side of the umbrella-stand above described, each
supporting a plant, such as a fern or palm. The top of each stool is cut
from 9 in. square 1-in. wood (wood from an old box answers well), and is
sawn into an octagonal shape. A double row of pieces of apple, maple, or
some other wood with good bark, is nailed around the edges, thicker
pieces being used at the bottom than at the top to give a graduated
appearance. The entire top is then covered with straight pieces of
stick, selected for the beauty of their bark. All pieces are nailed on
with cut brads. The four legs are formed of 1-in. apple-wood 9 in. long.
They are bevelled at the top to fit a square block of wood, 2 in. thick
and 3 in. long, which is firmly secured to the top by two screws. This
piece of wood should be fastened to the top before the rustic rods are
placed in position. Two 2-1/2-in. wire nails through each of the legs
hold them quite securely to the central block. Portions of rustic wood,
from 1/4 in. to 3/8 in. in diameter, are then nailed across the legs, as
shown in Fig. 12, the ends being allowed to cross each other and project
about 1 in. all ways. The whole stool, when finished, stands 10-1/2 in.
high, and is so strong that it will support a heavy man with safety. The
block of wood to which the legs are attached should be stained to match
the rustic wood; permanganate of potash solution will effect this.
Finally, two coats of clear varnish give a good finish to the work.
[Illustration: Fig. 14.--Window Box.]
Window boxes are illustrated by Figs. 14 to 16. That shown by Fig. 14 is
made from a raisin box obtained from a grocer. Such boxes are not
costly, and to buy and knock these up for rough uses is often more
economical than buying new material.
[Illustration: Fig. 15.--More Elaborate Window Box.]
[Illustration: Fig. 16.--Cross Section of Window Box in Position.]
Take care that the boards are stout enough to hold the brads firmly. The
box measures about 21 in. by 7 in. by 7 in., and is wholly covered with
mosaic of dark and light strips in panels. Strips are also nailed on the
upper edges.
The more elaborate window box (Figs. 15 and 16) can be made of a size to
fit the window for which it is intended. A few holes should be bored in
the bottom for drainage, and the front board is cut to the shape shown
and the rustic ornament is nailed to the box and forms no part of the
construction. In Fig. 16 wedge pieces are shown fitted to the stone sill
to bring the box level; it is kept in position by two metal angle-pieces
screwed both to the wood sill and to the back of the box.