Page:St. Nicholas (serial) (IA stnicholasserial321dodg).pdf/83

with large flat-headed tacks or upholstery nails. Shellac, varnish, or paint may be used to give the woodwork a good appearance, and when completed this chair will surely be the pride of the boy who made it.

This is not so difficult as it might seem. When constructing a table, bear in mind that every joint should be made to fit accurately, or in a short time it will rack and become useless, just as a poorly made chair is soon consigned to the attic, the cellar, or the woodpile. The proportion and shape for a good strong table are shown in the illustration, and if well-seasoned wood, free from knots or sappy places, is employed, a good result can be counted on, if care is taken in the workmanship. For the legs obtain four sticks thirty-three inches long and two inches and a half square, From two sides, at the top end of each stick, cut the wood away for five inches to a depth of seven eighths of an inch; then cut two boards five inches wide and forty-two inches long and four more thirty inches long for the frame. Six inches from the uncut lower ends and chisel out laps from the inside of the legs, so that two of the thirty-inch lengths will fit into them, and with two long and two short boards unite the legs so that a frame thirty inches wide, forty-two inches long, and thirty-three inches high will be had. An under shelf can be made, as shown in the cut. The table-top extends over the framework for three inches all around, and it is made of narrow tongue-and-grooved boards driven together and screwed down to the band around the top formed by the thirty and forty-two inch boards,