Things to make in your home workshop

“What shall I make next?” is a question often asked by the man or boy who is fortunate enough to have a home workshop. This book is an endeavor to answer that question. It contains plans for shop equipment ranging from a simple kitchen table workbench to a heavily built carpenter's bench, and designs for furniture of many varieties, some pieces so simple that they can be made by the beginner with relatively few tools and others so elaborately turned, inlaid, or otherwise decorated that they will stimulate the ingenuity and craftsmanship of those who have small woodworking machinery and many tools at their disposal.

There are instructions for making a toy fire engine that really pumps water, a doll's house, and other toys, all of which are especially satisfactory projects because they give so much pleasure to the children for whom they are built. Many suggestions, too, are offered for improving the house and garden: clothes closet conveniences, kitchen cupboards, valance boards, mantels, lily ponds, trellises, and benches.

The remarkable popularity of model making as a hobby led to the inclusion of a chapter describing in detail the construction of a model of the Santa Maria and one of a 42-in. racing yacht. Those who master the construction of these models will find little difficulty in building similar models from the various blueprints and plans available in large variety much less difficulty, in fact, than if merely a brief and sketchy description of a large number of models had been given in this book.

In addition to telling what to make, the editor has included in a condensed form as much information as possible on how to make it. The first three chapters are substantially a condensed manual on the choice, care, and use of tools, the making of joints, inlaying, and veneering.

Chapter V contains the essentials of operating small woodworking machinery, and Chapter VI is really a complete course in wood turning. Painting and decorating, too, have been allotted a chapter, although only the less familiar points have been taken up the special finishes and treatments upon which information is not readily obtainable elsewhere.

Lack of space for a workshop or even for a workbench is proving more and more to be a serious difficulty in the average small home. The modern fiat or apartment is planned without any thought of giving the handy man a chance to express himself in mechanical work.

The apartment dweller who wishes to use tools does not need to give up in despair, however, nor does anyone else who is deprived of access to a regular workshop or to a workbench. In almost every household there is a kitchen table or other sturdy small table available and if not, one can be bought at a very low price. And in a few minutes' time such a table can be converted into a satisfactory workbench for ordinary work, through the use of a simple, detachable bench top like one of those shown in Figs. 1-8. When the work is completed, the top may be removed quickly and the table returned to the housewife for its customary uses.


KITCHEN TABLE BENCH

Such a bench top consists chiefly of a piece of plank 2 by 12 in. and about 8 in. longer than the length of the table top. Southern pine, Douglas fir, cypress or any other soft wood that is not too expensive is satisfactory for this. It is advisable to get the best grade available and to insist that the piece be dry in order to prevent warpage. If it is ordered surfaced on four sides (S4S), its dimensions will be 1% by about 11 in., which is satisfactory. The exact size, however, is of no especial importance.

This plank is fastened to the table with two large C-clamps, one at each end, so placed as to be out of the way as much as possible. It is well to screw two cleats across the board on the underside, spaced so as to fit snugly against the ends of the table top. These take much of the strain from the C-clamps when planing or similar work is being done.

For the simplest arrangement, two hand screws will form an inexpensive and satisfactory substitute for a regular vise. This expedient which is illustrated in three views on this page, keeps the top piece clear of cumbersome permanent attachments and makes it easier to store in a small space when not in use. In addition, the hand screws are of frequent use in clamping together work that has been glued, especially furniture.

Figure 2 shows how the hand screws are applied to the top surface of the bench for planing the edges of boards that are not too wide to be supported in this way.

For wider boards, the screws are placed so that the inner jaw of the horizontal one comes even with the edge of the bench (Fig. 3). Used in this way, the hand screws serve much like the ordinary vise. If the boards to be planed are long, the free end must have some means for support; suggestions for providing this will be given later. When attached as illustrated in Fig. 4, the improvised vise serves well for ripping because the saw can be run down past the level of the bench.

A bench stop made of wood will prove quite satisfactory for this type of bench. Such a stop will also help to keep down the cost to a minimum. It can be made by the common method of sawing a V-shaped cut in one end of a piece of wood and nailing it on the bench at the left-hand end.

A little more time and effort will produce a more satisfactory stop as shown in Fig. 5. This stop is made from three pieces of hardwood % by 1% by 6 in.


One edge of each of the two wedge shaped pieces is beveled to prevent the clamping piece from rising when pressure is applied. If enough taper is put on the pieces, the stop will grip stock varying in thickness from Vl to IV2 in.

Many a home worker undoubtedly will wish to increase the possibilities of this outfit by using a metal stop and a small metal vise. Both of these usually may be obtained at the hardware store. If not, they can be had on special order.

There are several excellent types of stops available, but the kind that is adjusted with a screw driver is preferred by many because it stays "put." To fit in such a stop, first bore a hole large enough to allow the bar to move freely. Then place the stop in position and mark around the horizontal surface with a knife or awl. The cutting is completed with a chisel, until the top of the plate lies flush with the bench top. The stop is fastened with screws as illustrated in Fig. 6.

The rapid-acting type of vise probably is preferable for a small bench. It may be only 4 in. in length, but one into account so that it will come flush with the jaw of the vise. Such an apron can be nailed to the edge of the plank or under the edge, according to the construction decided upon; the former is the easier method,