5: Referring to the diagram, mark out the positions of the top and middle shelf housing and the rebate to accommodate the bottom shelf. Carefully check the exact thickness of the shelves before doing this, since all dimensions quoted when buying wood may be nominal only. Make the housing fractionally less than the shelf thickness to ensure a tight fit later on.
6: Cut the housings and rebate .25 in. (6 mm) deep and to the full width of the shelf.
7: Check each shelf for fit. If necessary, shave wood from the underside of the shelves.
8: Drill a .25 in. (6 mm) hole, at the top of each side piece for the hanging cords. Before drilling, place a piece of scrap wood under the exit point of the bit to prevent the wood from splintering.
9: Assemble the shelves, without using glue, to make sure that everything fits together properly. Disassemble.
10: Glue and assemble the shelves. If necessary, hold them together with clamps and check that all the angles are square. Wipe off any excess glue.
11: The bottom of the rebate joint should be further secured by careful nailing. Take care not to split the wood. If the other joints fit tightly and are also nailed for security, clamping may not be necessary.
Pegboard Method
1: Pegs would normally be turned on a lathe (dimensions are given). Simple shapes can be whittled by hand and finished off by filing and sanding. Alternatively, you can purchase ready-made pegs.
2: If turning the pegs on a lathe, place each piece of wood in turn between the centers, or fix each to a chuck and turn to the shape shown—or any other of your choice. Make sure that the tenon joint is true to size and is not too small.
3: If you are shaping the pegs by hand, make preliminary saw cuts all around as shown, and then cut or chisel into these to establish the rough shape of each peg before using files or rasps, followed by abrasives, to refine the shape.
4: Measure the size of the tenons needed in a test hole of the correct diameter, made in a piece of scrap wood.
5: If using ready-made pegs, buy these first and check the diameter of the tenon joints before proceeding to the next stage.
6: Mark the positions of the pegs and drill 1 in. (25 mm) holes (or holes of other sizes to suit) through the board. Drill into a piece of scrap wood underneath to prevent the underside of the board from splintering.
7: Try the pegs for size, without using glue.
8: Plane or sand the board smooth. It can be left plain, or you can bead its edges using a simple beading tool.
9: As the diagram shows, a beading tool is easy to make out of a screw and a piece of scrap wood. When finished, round off the outer edge with a small plane.
10: Paint the board in your choice of color; however, keep the paint out of the holes, as this will inhibit glue adhesion.
11: Treat the pegs with a clear finish, avoiding the joint area.
12: When all finishes are dry, glue in the pegs. When the glue is dry, saw off any protruding tenon joint at the back.
13: You can surface-mount the pegboard by screwing it to an existing wall. Countersink the screw heads for a neat finish and then fill in and paint over them. In new walls, pegboards can be recessed into the plasterwork.
Candle Box
Small boxes of all types were once a common feature in country households. They were used to hold all manner of things, from salt and spices to knives, spoons, and, of course, candles, or whatever else needed to be put away safely where it could readily be found. The earliest examples were wall boxes. These were made to hang from either a peg or nail on the wall or designed to sit up against a wall, supported on a table or ledge. In their simplest form, these boxes were lidless. However, others did have lids and, as the design developed, further elaboration in the form of the inclusion of drawers took place; in some instances, the formerly simple box became a miniature set of drawers.
Collectors have given names to boxes according to their main use, and in addition to the uses mentioned, there are, among others, bobbin boxes (for storing lacemaking bobbins), dice and domino boxes, and pipe and tobacco boxes.
Some boxes had no specific use but were merely for keeping safe important documents, letters, personal treasures, or valuable books. These were known as “keeping” boxes. Quite often, they were intricately decorated with paintings or carvings to attest to the value that was placed on them and their contents.
While it may be difficult for us today, with our built-in cupboards, to appreciate just how invaluable these boxes were in the past, they still can serve a useful purpose over and above a decorative one. A candle box makes an ideal letter rack or place to keep the household bills, while other boxes can be modified to suit all types of modern application.
ABILITY LEVEL
Novice/Intermediate
SIZE
18 x 9 x 6 .5 in. (457 x 228 x 165 mm)
MATERIALS
Pine, Cherry, Oak
CUTTING LIST
1 back
18 x 8 x .5 in. (457 x 203 x 12 mm)
1 front
8 x 8 x .5 in. (203 x 203 x 12 mm)
2 sides
10 x 5 x .5 in. (254 x 127 x 12 mm)
1 bottom
9 x 6.5 x .5 in. (228 x 165 x12 mm)
1: Mark out and cut the separate pieces to size. They can be cut economically from two pieces of wood, as shown. Mark each piece for its intended use.
2: Enlarge and trace the template patterns to the appropriate pieces of wood.
3: Cut the pieces to shape.
4:
