The Boy Craftsman

or if he has an attractive room, with books to read, games to play, and puzzles to solve, the boys of the neighborhood will soon fi

furniture which will stand perhaps a little rougher usage than that in other roo

agazines, a cabinet for various collections, boxes for miscellaneous articles, and a desk at which he can study and keep his accounts, are a few

ts, games, and handicraft, and while everything is simple and inexpensive in t

ars more att

e couch, box, or seat of some sort should be constructed to set in the corner, a shelf fastened to one

trip is stretched across the corner at the ceiling, and the other two attached to its ends and allowed to hang to the floor. It

ade out of cheese-cloth, and a string of these hung acro

he room may be

and small pictures mounted upon colored mats and fastened behi

t of a B

ulding, the corners of which have been mitr

as is usually the case in making frames, but are fastened together with what is known as a "butt-joint"; that is, the ends of each piece are set against the en

appearance, it has not, and when thoroughly sand-pape

-A Writi

onstructed out of a box, and makes a p

not more than two pieces, as it forms the drop-front of the desk, and it would be difficult to fasten more together. The boards mus

g.

flush with each other when the pegs have been put in place. To get the holes correctly bored, place the boards together in the vise with two edges flush and uppermost, and square lines six inches apart across the edges, aft

riving in the dowels, clamp the pieces together and lay them aside until the glue has thoroughly dried. In order to

e as necessary as pockets are in his clothes. Split-up cigar-boxes may be used for these divisions, and, by making the upper ones of the right size, cigar-boxes may b

ing around the two end edges and one side edge, mitring

aced on the inside, as shown in Fig. 53, and brass chains att

ger than that used around the edges of the drop-front an

es and cracks with putty. A couple of coats of white enamel applied to the outside will produce a very pretty

rackets (enamelled to match the desk), scr

55 will

ough not as simple to make, may

nother Sty

d twelve by thirty inches for the bottom and another eight by thirty for the top, and nail them to the end pieces, after which saw the boards for the back and dr

llustration, and nail a moulding around the top. Finis

nk-stand a

s shown in Fig. 56. Slope the edges with your jack-knife and cut several notches in

n be made out of two boxes about three feet

57.-A

h strips nailed across them at A, B, and C (Fig. 57). An incline about eighteen inches long should be fastened to one end,

.-A Win

r spreading the padding over the couch, cut a piece of cretonne large enough to cover it and tack it to the edge of the boxes, using the upholstering-tacks for the purpose. Make a valance

o large for your

rming the box-cover on the under side. Then tack cretonne on to the cover, arms, and outside of the box, placing padding underneath the cretonne to make

acks along the edges of the arms and seat, about two inches apart. The

-A Curio

ing collections of stamps,

possible to keep all specimens arranged in order

al. If you make your cabinet five feet high, two feet wide (inside measurement), and twelve inches deep, purchase twelve-inch boards, as these make it poss

ir edges as in the drawing. Then cut nine boards two feet lo

elf six inches below, and so on down to the bottom. Cut along these lines to a depth of three-eighths of an inch with a saw, and remove the wood between with a chisel. When all the groov

on. Make a frame out of two-inch strips to fit the opening, and stretch some green denim over it, tacking it to the inside of the frame. The ends of the strips forming the f

ls with a nail-set, and putty up all holes, after which stain t

tained, they will be much nicer for

hese, together with the names and any data you have concerning them. The catalogu

Spool Boo

tty s

of rope about four feet long and small enough to fit in the holes of the spools. By saving the empty spools from your mother's work-basket, and having your friends

shelf, and up through the holes on the opposite side. String six spools on each rope and put the ropes through the holes in the next shelf; then string six more spools on each rope

m a rag rubbed over the shoe produces a finer polish than a brush when polishing paste is used, the box is pr

-A Black

idth of the box, and pivot them at the ends with wire nails driven through the sides of the box, as shown in the illustration. Gimlet holes should be made in the sides of the box so the nails will fit loosely in th

of the box and hinged as at B and C in the illustration. Place a button-catch just above it to keep it shut. Fasten together the boards form

ch passes over the foot-rest. Two fingers of each hand should then be placed in the

.-A Tow

After cutting out the arms the shape shown in Fig. 63, bore a hole large enough for a broom-handle to fit in each. Bevel the edges of the eighteen-inch board, and then nail it to the arms, dri

g.

. Attach screw-eyes to the top of the back board an