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Carpentry for Boys.

by J. S. Zerbe.

INTRODUCTORY

Carpentry is the oldest of the arts, and it has been said that the knowledge necessary to make a good carpenter fits one for almost any trade or occupation requiring the use of tools. The hatchet, the saw, and the plane are the three primal implements of the carpenter. The value is in knowing how to use them.

The inst.i.tution of Manual Training Schools everywhere is but a tardy recognition of the value of systematic training in the use of tools.

There is no branch of industry which needs such diversification, in order to become efficient.

The skill of the blacksmith is centered in his ability to forge, to weld, and to temper; that of the machinist depends upon the callipered dimensions of his product; the painter in his taste for harmony; the mason on his ability to cut the stone accurately; and the plasterer to produce a uniform surface. But the carpenter must, in order to be an expert, combine all these qualifications, in a greater or less degree, and his vocation may justly be called the King of Trades. Rightly, therefore, it should be cultivated in order to learn the essentials of manual training work.

But there is another feature of the utmost importance and value, which is generally overlooked, and on which there is placed too little stress, even in many of the manual training schools. The training of the mind has been systematized so as to bring into operation the energies of all the brain cells. Manual training to be efficient should, at the same time, be directed into such channels as will most widely stimulate the muscular development of the child, while at the same time cultivating his mind.

There is no trade which offers such a useful field as carpentry. It may be said that the various manual operations bring into play every muscle of the body.

The saw, the plane, the hammer, the chisel, each requires its special muscular energy. The carpenter, unlike the blacksmith, does not put all his brawn into his shoulders, nor develop his torso at the expense of his other muscles, like the mason. It may also be said that, unlike most other occupations, the carpenter has both out-of-door and indoor exercise, so that he is at all times able to follow his occupation, summer or winter, rain or shine; and this also further ill.u.s.trates the value of this branch of endeavor as a healthful recreation.

It is the aim of this book to teach boys the primary requirements--not to generalize--but to show how to prepare and how to do the work; what tools and materials to use; and in what manner the tools used may be made most serviceable, and used most advantageously.

It would be of no value to describe and ill.u.s.trate how a bracket is made; or how the framework of a structure is provided with mortises and tenons in order to hold it together. The boy must have something as a base which will enable him to design his own creations, and not be an imitator; his mind must develop with his body. It is the princ.i.p.al aim of this book to give the boy something to think about while he is learning how to bring each individual part to perfection.

If the boy understands that there is a principle underlying each structural device; that there is a reason for making certain things a definite way, he is imbued with an incentive which will sooner or later develop into an initiative of his own.

It is this phase in the artisan's life which determines whether he will be merely a machine or an intelligent organism.

This work puts together in a simple, concise form, not only the fundamentals which every mechanic should learn to know, but it defines every structural form used in this art, and ill.u.s.trates all terms it is necessary to use in the employment of carpentry. A full chapter is devoted to drawings practically applied. All terms are diagrammed and defined, so that the mind may readily grasp the ideas involved.

Finally, it will be observed that every ill.u.s.tration has been specially drawn for this book. We have not adopted the plan usually followed in books of this cla.s.s, of taking stock ill.u.s.trations of manufacturers'

tools and devices, nor have we thought it advisable to take a picture of a tool or a machine and then write a description around it. We have ill.u.s.trated the book to explain "_how to do the work_"; also, to teach the boy what the trade requires, and to give him the means whereby he may readily find the form of every device, tool, and structure used in the art.

CHAPTER I

TOOLS AND THEIR USES

KNOWLEDGE OF TOOLS.--A knowledge of tools and their uses is the first and most important requirement. The saw, the plane, the hatchet and the hammer are well known to all boys; but how to use them, and where to use the different varieties of each kind of tool, must be learned, because each tool grew out of some particular requirement in the art. These uses will now be explained.

A FULL KIT OF TOOLS.--A kit of tools necessary for doing any plain work should embrace the following:

1. A Hatchet.

2. A Claw Hammer--two sizes preferred.

3. Cross-cut Saw, 20 inches long.

4. Rip Saw, 24 inches long.

5. Wooden Mallet.

6. Jack Plane.

7. Smoothing Plane.

8. Compa.s.s Saw.

9. Brace.

10. Bits for Brace, ranging from 1/4 inch to 1 inch diameter.

11. Several small Gimlets.

12. Square.

13. Compa.s.s.

14. Draw-knife.

15. Rule.

16. Two Gages.

17. Set of Firmer Chisels.

18. Two Mortising Chisels.

19. Small Back Saw.

20. Saw Clamps.

21. Miter Box.

22. Bevel Square.

23. Small Hand Square.

24. Pliers.

25. Pair of Awls.

26. Hand Clamps.

27. Set Files.

28. Glue Pot.

29. Oil Stone.

30. Grindstone.

31. Trusses.

32. Work Bench.

33. Plumb Bob.

34. Spirit Level.

THE HATCHET.--The hatchet should be ground with a bevel on each side, and not on one side only, as is customary with a plasterer's lathing hatchet, because the blade of the hatchet is used for tr.i.m.m.i.n.g off the edges of boards. Unless ground off with a bevel on both sides it cannot be controlled to cut accurately. A light hatchet is preferable to a heavy one. It should never be used for nailing purposes, except in emergencies. The pole of the hammer--that part which is generally used to strike the nail with--is required in order to properly balance the hatchet when used for tr.i.m.m.i.n.g material.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 2._]

THE CLAW HAMMER.--This is the proper tool for driving nails and for drawing them out. Habits should be formed with the beginner, which will be of great service as the education proceeds.

One of these habits is to persist in using the tool for the purpose for which it was made. The expert workman (and he becomes expert because of it) makes the hammer do its proper work; and so with every other tool.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 3._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 4._]

ABOUT SAWS.--There are four well-defined kinds. First, a long, flat saw, for cross-cutting. Second, a slightly larger saw for ripping purposes.

Third, a back saw, with a rib on the rear edge to hold the blade rigid, used for making tenons; and, fourth, a compa.s.s or keyhole saw.

CROSS-CUTS.--The difference between a cross-cut and a rip saw is, that in the latter the teeth have less pitch and are usually larger than in the cross-cut saw. The ill.u.s.trations (Figs. 13 and 14) will distinctly show the difference in the teeth. When a cross-cut saw is used for ripping along the grain of the wood, the teeth, if disposed at an angle, will ride over the grain or fiber of the wood, and refuse to take hold or bite into the wood. On the other hand, if the rip saw is used for cross-cutting purposes, the saw kerf will be rough and jagged.