The carpenter's trade covers a wide field and is divided into many branches. We have the ship carpenter, bridge carpenter, house carpenter, and a number of others; some of them very well known, others seldom heard of.

The work of the jobbing shop, without being a separate branch, is a combination of all of them. It is not as much in evidence as was formerly the case, but there is still plenty of this sort of work to do in the line of alterations and repairs, which makes it advisable for the ambitious mechanic to have a working knowledge of it. It is with a view of affording him some suggestions concerning the manner in which work of the character indicated should be done, that the items gathered together under the title of this work are presented. The author worked for a number of years in a shop where little else but jobbing work was done, and some of the work which fell to his lot at that time, and the method of handling it, it will be his humble endeavor to describe. He does not claim that his methods are the only ones, nor even that they are the best; merely, that in the absence of anything better they describe some way of doing it, and he hopes to be able to make up for the lack of style and literary merit of his writings by the clearness and sufficiency of his explanations. There is at the present time, and always has been, a demand for technical information written in the simple language of the workshop, and the work is undertaken with that idea in view. The foregoing will perhaps explain what to some of the readers may seem a lot of unnecessary information on a series of very simple subjects.

CHAPTER IX - WINDOW FRAME CONSTRUCTION

In considering the matter of window frame construction - the subject of the present chapter - the writer has deemed it advisable to show a number of different methods so as to render the subject of more general interest to readers in different parts of the country. A design of window frame that would answer every purpose in the sunny valleys of California might be entirely out of place in other sections during the winter months, and as it is impossible to illustrate one design and declare that it is the best under all conditions a variety has been presented and the reader may make such selection as best suits his own ideas or locality.


Sections of Box Window Frames

Different sections of box window frames are illustrated in Figs. 88 to 92. This window is known by various names, such as English, Double Hung, Check Rail etc. Fig. 88 shows about the cheapest make of this style of frame it is possible to construct. It consists of pulley stile and outside casing nailed together to form the frame, the box being finished with the inside casing, as in Fig. 89, after the window is in position. This style of frame is also used for sliding windows without weights, in which case the wall studs are set to come close up to the pulley stiles.

The section of frame shown in Pig. 90 is of slightly different construction, having an extra strip fitted between the pulley stile and the outside casing. This strip is called a blind stop but is often used in windows that have no outside blinds. Where blinds are used they are hinged to the outside casing, the thick ness of which is increased to equal that of the blinds.

A still better class of frame and one more suited to cold climates is that illustrated in Fig. 91. Here the pulley stile is tongued into the outside lining as can be plainly seen in the illustration. This, of course, makes a more effective weather joint than that in which the lining or the casing and pulley stile are merely nailed together. The back lining is often omitted in this frame and the wall stud made to take its place, in which case the inside lining must be left loose to be fixed after the frame is in position. Where the frames are placed before the plastering is done the grounds for the plaster are omitted and the lining made of the correct thickness to answer for that purpose.


Frame for Brick Wall

Fig. 91 represents the style of frame generally used in brick walls, but in that case the back lining is often of thin stuff and nailed to the other lining as in Fig. 92, instead of being cut in between them. Brick walls are frequently much thicker than the window frames, so that most frames for this purpose have a plow groove on the inside to receive the jamb lining which is cut to the proper width and fitted to the frame after the latter is fixed in place. It is not usually considered a part of the frame. The writer has thought it best to keep the sketches as free as possible from reference letters. He feels that even the novice will understand what is meant by jamb lining after an inspection of Fig. 92.

Where openings are left in the wall and the frames fitted after-wards the molding shown on the outside of Pig. 92 should be removed and fastened to the frame after the latter is in place. To make a first-class job it is frequently necessary to scribe this molding to the brickwork. Wherever possible, however, the frames should be set and the brickwork built around them, this making by far the better job. In some localities the sills of windows for brick walls are made without any projection so that the molding runs down past and stops on the stone sub-sill, but the writer has never been able to see any advantage in the method.


Construction of Head and Sill

A vertical section of a double hung box window frame is shown in Fig. 93, which represents in detail methods of constructing the head, the sill and the weight pockets. The construction of the head does not vary much in any of these f ram^ being practically the same as the sides with the back lining omitted. Of different designs of sills, however, there are quite a number, three of which are illustrated in Pigs. 94, 95 and 96. Different combinations of the ideas presented in these three illustrations are often used. Note the bevel between the lower edge of the sash and the apron in Pig. 96. This bevel could be used with either of the other designs and is a good feature, for it makes a tight-fitting joint for the sash when down and preserves the upper edge of the apron or stop bead, which is 80 liable to get broken and slivered when left square as indicated in the other sketches. The drawings also show two different methods of grooving the underside of the sill for the siding. Where the method indicated in Pig, 95 is used the ends of the sill must be "retomed"; the return sill looks better for the other designs also, but is not an absolate necessity.


Pitch of Sill

The dotted line through the sill in Fig. 93 shows the depth of the housing and the full length of the pulley stile. The housing is sometimes made a little wider than the thickness of the stile, and the latter is made fast with wedges before being nailed. The sill has a pitch of 2 in. to the foot, or as it is more commonly expressed of 1 in 6. In exposed situations this pitch may be increased with advantage. It is the general practice to make the sills of parallel thickness and cant them as shown, to get the necessary pitch, this saving some material and answering for all cases except where the plan of the window is curved, in which case it becomes necessary to use the solid sills.


Cutting Pocket Holes

There are several different methods of cutting the pocket holes, that illustrated in Fig. 93 being the easiest and about as good as any. The piece cut out is utilized to make the pocket piece. The size of the pocket opening varies with the size of the window. It is placed from 6 to 8 in. above the sill and is about 3 in. shorter than the weights - 16 in. is average length.

The cut down the center of the pulley stile is best started with an automatic drill. After two or three holes have been bored close together with this instrument, the end of a compass saw can be inserted and the cut made. Two angle cuts through the edge will then remove the piece. In fitting it back again two 8d. finishing nails are driven into the upper end of the opening as shown by the dotted lines in the face of the pulley stile and by the full lines in the side elevation. The V-shaped slots to fit over the nails are cut in the upper end of the pocket piece, which is then put back in place and a wood screw is inserted at the lower end as shown. On account of the saw kerfs the pocket piece must be brought forward slightly to make a good joint, which causes it to project a little from the face of the pulley stile as shown in the elevation by the dotted line. This projection is dressed off after the pocket piece is in place. Where the pulley stile is tongued on its inner edge, as in Pig. 92, it is necessary to remove a portion of the tongue on the pocket piece, otherwise its removal or replacement is difficult.