Making Wooden Squares - Paring

Another way for cutting with a chisel is to hold it in the left hand, and to drive it with blows from a mallet or hammer held in the right hand. When working thus, the eyes should be constantly fixed upon the cutting edge of the chisel in order to watch the progress of the work. It is quite unnecessary to look at the handle for the purpose of seeing where to strike; after a very little practice the mallet will learn to hit right, and not to miss. There is yet another way of working without using a mallet; the chisel is held in the left hand, and the end of the handle is struck with the right hand; there is a place about half-way between the palm and the wrist which will bear some hard blows; this is easily found after a few trials—the wrong places hurt when they are used. This plan of striking with the hand is only mentioned because it is sometimes, but not often, of use.

For paring off square the end of the blade: first, the blade is laid flat upon the paring board, and, commencing from one edge, small pieces are pared off, cutting downwards with otie corner of the chisel, which is advanced sideways about inch or inch for each cut, according to how hard the wood may be. The blade is thus pared across very near to the line ab, care being taken to slope the chisel slightly, so that, when the next paring across is taken, there may be a little more to cut from the under side than from the top where the line is drawn. A second series of cuts are now taken, similar to the first, except that the chisel is moved about inch or inch sideways between each cut; also the edge of the chisel is kept true along the line. The square (Fig. 7, page 29) is now used, and more cuts are taken with the chisel where necessary, so as to get the end square in every direction. The other end of the blade at will be left rough for the present.

The stock has now to be made. It will be seen from the sketch that it is composed of three pieces of wood, two side pieces, and a middle piece which is the same thickness as the blade. The sides are cleaned up with the plane, and one edge of each fg and eg is planed straight; the ends also are cut square, and a line ed is drawn across the two side pieces where the centre piece will end; these three pieces will have to be glued together.

The amateur has no glue-pot, so he must do without If some pieces of glue be put into an old jampot with a little water, and then the jam-pot is put into a saucepan with water in it, and is put upon the lire, the glue in the jampot will melt in due course of time, which time varies inversely with the temper of the cook. If the glue melts too quickly it will probably be useless, for the reason that the cook has taken the jam-pot out of the saucepan, and has put it—the jam-pot— upon the fire, in order to save herself trouble; if she has done this, probably the glue has been heated too much, and has been “burned,” after which it will not stick well. When the glue has been properly dissolved, and stirred with a slip of wood, more hot water should be added until it will pour almost like water. Cabinetmakers, and others doing rough work, use glue nearly as thick as treacle, but this will not do fx an amatcur. When the glue is right, it should be carried in the saucepan to the work-room, in order to keep it as hot as possible for use.

To glue two pieces of wood together, a little glue is put upon both surfaces with a brush, or a small stick with a piece of rag tied round the end will do very well; the two surfaces are rubbed together with pressure, so as to work out as much glue as possible, and left to dry for about twelve hours under pressure.