A Ladder to the hay-loft. This is made out of two sticks twelve inches long, with strips of cigar-boxes two inches long glued to them half an inch apart, as shown in the drawing. Cut away a section of the hay-loft floor two inches square and stick the end of the ladder up through the opening, fastening the uprights to the edge of the floor (see Fig. 242).
A stick about three inches long, with a very small pulley attached near the end, should be fastened in the peak of the roof for a
Feed-hoist (see Fig. 238).
The first story has
A Drop-front, as shown in Figs. 238 and 239. This is made from the box-cover. Fasten the boards together with battens placed upon the inside, and hinge it to the bottom of the stable. Nail two cleats to the under side of the floor (see Fig. 238) to lift it off the ground just enough to allow the front to drop without springing its hinges.
When the front is down it forms an incline upon which to run the horses into the stable. For this reason it is not advisable to cut an opening in it, but merely
Represent a Stable Door on the outside (see Fig. 238). This is done with paint and a fine brush. First paint a green panel in the center of the front, and then mark off a couple of panels within this space with black paint, and stripe them diagonally to represent beaded-boards.
With strips of wood half an inch wide make
A Simple Trim around the door, the sides of the stable, and around the gable, as shown in the illustration.
When the carpenter work has been finished,
Paint the Inside of the stable white, and the outside the same colors as used for the doll-house (see description in Chapter XIII).
If you Prefer a Garage, use your ingenuity to fit up the interior of the building as you think it ought to be.
The doll apartment building in this chapter is a new idea in doll-houses. By the illustrations you will see that the apartment building is three stories high, and consists of three units—each one story high—and a roof. During playtime the units are arranged side by side upon the floor so as to form a six-room apartment (Fig. 244); and afterward they are piled up one upon another as shown in Fig. 243, and the roof placed on top, in a compact form that takes up but little floor space.
Building Material. The apartment building is built out of grocery boxes. The boxes used for the units must be of equal size, and the thing to do is to select those in which a standard brand of goods come packed. If one grocery store doesn't have what you want, go to another. If the sides and ends of the boxes are in one piece, it will greatly simplify the matter of cutting the door and window openings.
The Room Dimensions. The boxes used in the model illustrated were 28 inches long, 13 inches wide, and 8 inches deep. These provided space for a vestibule 3 inches by 8 inches, a reception-hall 8½ inches by 8 inches, a living-room 12 inches by 18½ inches, a dining-room 12 inches by 15 inches, a kitchen 12 inches by 8 inches, a pantry 7 inches by 3 inches, two bedrooms—one 12 inches square and the other 12 inches by 8 inches, and a bathroom 7½ inches by 6 inches (Fig. 245). You may have to vary the sizes of your rooms a trifle, if you get boxes of different proportions, but it is probable that you can keep to the same plan arrangement.
The First Story Unit is shown in Fig. 246, and diagrams of its two partitions A and B, are placed to the right of it; Fig. 247 shows
The Second Story Unit, with diagrams of its three partitions C, D, and E, placed to the left and right of it, and Fig. 248 shows
The Third Story Unit, with diagrams of its two partitions F and G placed to the left of it.
Fig. 244.—How the Three Stories are Arranged Side by Side to form a Six-room Apartment.
Fig. 246.—The First Story Unit and Diagram of Partitions.
Fig. 247.—The Second Story Unit and Diagram of Partitions.
Fig. 248.—The Third Story Unit and Diagram of Partitions.
Mark the Door and Window Openings carefully upon the sides of the box, making them as nearly as possible in the same proportion to the wall space as is shown in the illustrations. Then, in cutting the openings, bore a number of small holes a trifle inside of the lines, to make an opening large enough to insert a small keyhole-saw or bracket-saw, and the cutting will be easy to do.
Fig. 249.—In Cutting the Opening for the Bay Windows, leave a Narrow Strip over the Opening, as above, for a "Beam."
The Bay Windows on the second and third stories are built of cigar-box wood. Instead of cutting away the entire width of the box at the points of attaching these bays, it is a better plan to leave a narrow strip over the opening, as shown in Fig. 249. This will hold the walls together, and will form a "beam" across the ceiling. The side edges of the pieces that form the front of the bay must be slanted off so as to fit at the proper angles, and the window openings must be cut carefully, because the margin of wood around them is narrow and will split easily. Fasten together the members of the bays, also the inside partitions, with glue and brads.
The Joints between the Units, when piled one upon another, are concealed by a band of wood ½ inch wide nailed around the front and two ends of the bottom of the second and third story units (Figs. 247 and 248). These bands should project about ¼ inch below the bottoms of these boxes, so as to set down over the boxes beneath. They must not extend around the back of the boxes, and cannot be fastened to the first story box, because they would interfere with placing the boxes close together as in Fig. 244.
The first story unit must be raised to the same floor level as the other stories, however, and a thin board of the same thickness as the projection of the strips on the second and third story units must be nailed to its bottom to bring it to the same level (Fig. 246).
Figs. 250 and 251.—How the Removable Roof is Constructed.
Fig. 252.—How the Chimney and Chimney Cap are Made.
The Roof Construction is shown in Fig. 250. Boards H (Figs. 250 and 251) should be cut of the right size to form a projection of 1½ inches over the front and ends of the building, and the piece I should be cut to the proper shape and size to form an equal projection over the bay windows. Strips J and K are 1 inch wide, and should be fastened to boards H so they will come exactly over the front and end walls when the roof is set in place. Block L should be cut of such a shape and size that when nailed to strip K its front edges will come directly over the walls of the bay windows. A narrow strip nailed to the under side of the roof boards, close against the walls, will conceal the joint between the roof and top story and make a good finish molding.
The Chimney is made of two blocks (M and N, Fig. 252). Notch the lower block to fit over strip J, and cut the cap block large enough to project 1/8 inch all around.
The Windows. Old photograph plates can be cut down to the proper sizes for the window openings, but it will not cost much to have the paint-shop man cut them out of new material, if you haven't any. The glass should be just a trifle smaller than the openings. Fasten it in place with narrow strips of cigar-box wood. Window sashes can be indicated by striping the glass with black paint.
Make the Front Door out of a piece of cigar-box wood, and set a piece of glass in an opening cut about the size shown in Fig. 243. This door may be hinged to open, but it is better to fasten it in the opening, because small pieces are easily broken off their hinges. Fasten a small block below the front door for a step (Fig. 243).
The Inside Doorways, in the ends of the first story unit and in the back of the second and third story units, may be fitted with pieces of board that can be set in when the units are piled up in the form of the building, but it is not necessary to make this provision.
The Interior Trim. The door and window casings, picture moldings, baseboards, and other trimming should be made out of strips of cigar-box wood. Tack the strips in place with short brads.
A Fireplace must be provided for the living-room, and one easily constructed out of four pieces of wood is shown in Figs. 253 and 254. Cut blocks O and P of the same thickness, and make the shelf piece Q of the proper size to project an equal distance over the front and ends. Fasten the pieces together, then glue red paper to the wood, and when this has dried mark off brick courses with a pencil. The joints may be accentuated by striping with white or black paint.
Lighting Fixtures, simple to make, are shown in two splendid forms in Figures 255 and 257. Small brass screw-hooks such as are shown in Figure 256 can be pur chased at any hardware store, and a couple of dozen of these, a lead pencil, and a number of large beads, will furnish you with enough material for making fixtures for every room in the apartment.
Figs. 255-258.—Two Lighting Fixtures and how to Make Them.
You will see by Fig. 256 that the lighting fixture shown in Fig. 255 consists of a screw-hook with its hooked end stuck through one of the little brass plates removed from another screw-hook, and then pushed into the hole in the end of a short piece of lead-pencil. Cut the pencil end about ½ inch long, push out the piece of lead, and if necessary enlarge the hole to accommodate the hook end. If the piece of pencil comes apart where glued, re-glue it. Glue the little brass cap to the top. Paint the pencil end white, to represent glass, and indicate metal division strips, or leading, with black paint or ink.
The lighting fixture shown in Fig. 257 is made in the same way as the other one, except that a bead instead of the pencil end is used for a globe (Fig. 258).
The fixture in Fig. 255 is better suited to the living-room and dining-room, and for fastening each side of the front door; the fixture in Fig. 257 is better for the other rooms.
Decorating. Suggestions for decorating a doll-house are given in Chapter XIV, but here are some additional ideas to suit the conditions of the apartment. It is the modern practice to tint walls of apartments, and the best plan is to cover the walls of each room with plain paper, using a paper of a different color for each room.
The dining-room should have a plate-rail on which to stand plates (pictures of plates cut from advertisements and pasted upon cardboard), and the walls below the plate-rail should be paneled with strips of cigar-box wood for division strips (Fig. 244).
The Outside Walls of the apartment building are supposedly brick; therefore paint them a good red, brown, or yellow brick color, and paint the roof cornice, and the horizontal bands between stories, white, as a contrast.
The metal furniture which you can buy is very pretty when it is new, but this new appearance does not last long after it has come into a youngster's possession, for the pieces are very slender and delicate, and thus easily broken.
Wooden furniture is the most durable kind, and plain and simple pieces will generally outlast the fancy ones. The designs illustrated in this chapter make very substantial pieces, as there are no spindle legs or fancy arms to break off. They follow the lines of the mission furniture, that simple style used in the early American mission schools, and which is to-day being extensively made in handsome pieces for the furnishings of modern homes. You will find the
Miniature Mission Furniture, illustrated and described in this chapter, simple to make and something which is easy to sell, for there is nothing like it at present upon the market.
Cigar-boxes furnish the nicest material for making this furniture, and the various parts can be cut to the right shape and size with
A Scroll-Saw. Procure small brads and glue with which to fasten the pieces together.
To Prepare the Cigar-boxes for use, place them in a tub of boiling water and let them remain there until the paper labels readily pull off. Do not use a knife in removing the paper, as it is likely to roughen the wood. The paper will come off by allowing it to soak long enough. When the boxes are clean, set them in the sun to dry, after binding the covers to the backs to prevent them from warping. Pull the boxes apart when they are thoroughly dry, and throw out such pieces as have printing upon them, for these would spoil the appearance of the furniture if used.
In order to simplify the matter of cutting the parts that make the furniture, the curved pieces have been drawn out carefully on page 177, so that they can be laid off upon the strips of cigar-boxes without any trouble, by the process of
Enlarging by Squares. These drawings are shown one-quarter of their full size (half their width and half their height). To enlarge them procure a piece of cardboard nine by thirteen inches, or a little larger than twice the size of the drawing each way, and divide it into squares just twice the size of those on page 177. That will make sixteen squares in the width of the cardboard and twenty-four in the length, each half an inch square. In order to get the squares spaced equally, it is best to lay off the points first with a ruler along the top, bottom, and two sides of the sheet of cardboard, and then connect the points with the ruler and a sharp lead-pencil. Then number the squares as in the illustration, using the figures along the sides and letters across the top and bottom of the sheet.
With the sheet of cardboard thus prepared it is a simple matter to
Reproduce the Drawings of Figs. 259 to 266 by locating the points of the curves and corners of the pieces, as shown in the illustrations, in corresponding positions in the squares on your cardboard sheet. The curves may be drawn in by eye, after locating them with reference to their surrounding squares, but the surest way of enlarging them accurately is by laying off the points where the curve strikes each horizontal and vertical line in the illustration, upon the enlarged drawing. These points can then be connected with a curved line.
Make all of the lines heavy so they can be distinguished from your guide lines, and after carefully going over the drawing, comparing it with that on page 177 to see that no mistake has been made in locating the points in enlarging, cut the various pieces apart. These will give you
The Patterns with which to mark out the pieces on the wood.
We will first note the construction of
The Chairs shown in Figs. 267 and 268. These are four and one-half inches high, two inches wide, and an inch and one-half deep. Cut the back for the chair in Fig. 267 four and three-eighths inches high and an inch and three-quarters wide, the sides by the pattern in Fig. 259 and the seat an inch and one-quarter by an inch and three-quarters. With the pieces cut out, fasten them together with brads and glue, placing the seat between the arms and back so that it is an inch and one-half above the base.
Cut the back for the other chair (Fig. 268) four and one-half inches high by two inches wide, the seat an inch and a quarter by an inch and three-quarters, and the sides an inch and three-eighths wide by two and one-half high. To get the curve in the bottom edge of the side pieces, use the pattern in Fig. 259.
The Settee (Fig. 269) should have its sides cut by the pattern of Fig. 260. Make the back piece three and three-quarters inches wide and three and one-quarter inches high, and the seat three and three-quarters inches by an inch and one-half. Fasten the seat against the back an inch and one-half above the base.
Tables for the living-room, dining-room, bedroom, ball-room, and nursery of a doll-house may be patterned after the designs of Figs. 270 and 271. These should be two and one-half inches high to be of proper proportion for the chairs.
The pieces necessary to make Fig. 270 are a top two inches square, two sides an inch and one-half wide by two and one-half inches high, and a shelf an inch and one-quarter square. Fasten the pieces together as in the illustration, placing the shelf between the side pieces an inch from the bottom.
The other design (Fig. 271) will do nicely for
A Dining-room Table, or table for the center of the living-room. The top of this should be five inches long and three inches wide. Cut the side pieces by the pattern in Fig. 261 and, after fastening them to the under side of the table-top four inches apart, brace them with a strip three and three-quarters inches long by half an inch wide, as shown in Fig. 271.
A Side-board similar to Fig. 272 should be made for the dining-room. The pattern for the side pieces is shown in Fig. 262. After sawing these out, cut a piece seven inches long by three inches wide for the back and fasten the side pieces to the edges of it. The location of the shelves can be obtained best by referring to Fig. 272 and the pattern in Fig. 262. Cut the bottom shelf (A in Fig. 272) three inches long by an inch and one-quarter wide and fasten it to the side pieces half an inch above the base (line 24 on pattern, Fig. 262). Make shelf B three by one inches and place it at line 22. C should be three and three-quarters inches long by an inch and one-half wide, with a small notch cut near each end with your knife, to make it fit over the side pieces (see illustration). Cut shelf D three inches long by half an inch wide, fastening it in place at line No. 17, E three inches long by seven-sixteenths of an inch wide, fastening it at line No. 15, and F three inches long by three-eighths of an inch wide, fastening it at line No. 13. The top shelf (G) is three and three-quarters inches long and half an inch wide and is fastened to the tops of the side pieces as shown in the drawing.
The lower portion of the side-board is inclosed with two doors two inches high by an inch and one-half wide. Small pieces of cloth may be used for hinges, but it is better to use pins, running them through the shelf above and below (A and C, Fig. 272) into the doors. Stick the pins near the edge of the doors and see that they are straight, so the doors will open easily. A small mirror attached to the back between shelves C and D will complete this piece of furniture.
A Mirror in a frame should be made for the living-room of the doll-house. A neat and suitable design for one of these will be seen in Fig. 273. For its construction cut two sides by means of the pattern in Fig. 263, a piece five inches long by three inches wide for the back, and a strip three inches long by three-eighths of an inch wide for a shelf. Fasten the sides to the edges of the back piece, and the shelf between the sides about three-quarters of an inch above the base. Now procure a mirror such as you can buy in a toy-shop for five or ten cents (or a piece of a broken mirror cut down to the right size will do very nicely), and attach it to the center of the back.
The Grandfather's Clock (Fig. 274) makes an effective piece of furniture for the hall or living-room, and is easily made. Figure 264 shows the pattern for the front of this clock. The back is made the same, with the omission of the square opening cut in the front frame for the clock-face. Cut a block of wood two by two by three-quarters inches to fit between the frames at the top. After nailing the pieces together, procure a face from a toy watch, and fasten it in the opening made for it in the front frame. A button suspended by means of a piece of thread from a tack placed in the bottom of the block forms the pendulum.
It will be unnecessary to give any suggestions for
Kitchen Furniture, such as chairs and tables, for these can also be made out of cigar-box wood similar to the designs illustrated in this chapter, with perhaps a few modifications which will make them simpler.
Now for the making of some pieces of bedroom furniture. You will find in Figs. 275 and 276 two designs that are easily carried out, one or both of which may be used for
The Beds of a doll-house. To make Fig. 275, cut the head and foot by means of the pattern in Fig. 265, and cut the two sides by means of the pattern in Fig. 266. After preparing these pieces and fastening them together as shown in the illustration (Fig. 275), cut a few strips a quarter of an inch wide for slats and fasten them between the sides of the bed. It is advisable to fasten these in place to prevent them from being lost.
The side pieces for the other bed (Fig. 276) are cut out with the same pattern (Fig. 266).
Make the head and foot pieces three by four and one-half inches, cutting a piece two by an inch and one-quarter out of the top of each as shown in the drawing (Fig. 2766), and using the pattern of the other bed for cutting the curve in the bottom edge. Nail the pieces together in their proper places, after which cut some slats and fasten them in the bottom.
The Dresser (Fig. 277) is made somewhat similar to the side-board. Cut the sides by the same pattern (Fig. 262) and fasten them to the edges of the back piece, which should be six and one-half inches high by three inches wide. Cut shelf A three by one and one-quarter inches, B and C three by one and one-eighth, D three by one and three-sixteenths, and E and F one-half by one and one-quarter inches. Fasten shelf A between the sides at line No. 24 (see Fig. 262), B at line No. 23, C at line No. 22, D at line No. 21, and notch the ends of E and F to fit over the side pieces at line No. 20.
Drawers to fit the lower shelves of the dresser may be made out of small strips of cigar-boxes or pieces of cardboard, glued together. A small mirror fastened in the position shown in the drawing will complete the work upon this piece of furniture.
A Wash-Stand can be made for the bathroom and each of the bedrooms similar to Fig. 278. The sides for this should be five inches high by an inch and one-quarter wide, and the shelves one by three inches. Fasten the lower shelf three-quarters of an inch above the base, and the top shelf at a height of two and one-half inches. When the stand has been put together, fit a round stick, about an eighth of an inch in diameter, in holes made in the sides with a gimlet (see illustration). This forms the towel-rack. Hang a small drapery over the lower portion of the s tand.
Finishing. When the pieces of furniture have been completed, they should be rubbed down with emery-paper to remove the rough edges, and also any rough places that may have been caused by soaking the boxes in water. Then give the wood several coats of linseed-oil. This makes a beautiful finish for this kind of wood, which may be improved by adding a coat of wax. The little hearts may be painted upon the pieces as shown in the illustration, with a small brush and red paint, or may be cut out of red paper and glued to the wood.
If desired, the bedroom furniture may be painted with white enamel.
Other Cigar-box Furniture
In Figs. 279 and Fig. 282 will be found some pieces of furniture that are simpler to make than those just described, and although they may not be so pretty, they present a very good appearance when neatly made.
The author constructed many pieces of this furniture when a boy, and found them suitable as presents, and something that was always easy to sell.
The cost of making a set amounts to but a few cents, cigar-boxes being the principal material. They are also very quickly made, as the boxes require but little cutting.
For the construction of
A Folding-bed, such as is shown in Figs. 279 and 280, select two cigar-boxes, one of which will fit inside the other. The smaller box should be a little shorter than the inside opening of the larger box.
After removing the paper from each, place the smaller box inside the larger one, as shown in Fig. 279, so that the bottom of the inner box is flush with the edge of the outer box. Then drive a brad through both boxes on each side, about three-quarters of an inch from the end as shown at A (Fig. 279). These brads should run through the outer box into the bottom of the inner box, and should be driven in carefully so as not to split the wood. The inner box should now fold down as shown in Fig. 280, moving upon the brad pivots. Purchase a five or ten cent mirror and fasten it to the front of the bed, after which cut two wooden feet similar to Fig. 281 and glue the pegs on the ends of these in gimlet holes made above the mirror. Finish the wood the same as described for the other cigar-box furniture.
The Dresser shown in Fig. 282 is made out of a box the same size as the larger one used for the folding-bed. Saw the sides of the box in half, crosswise, and remove the upper half and the end piece. Then nail the end across the tops of the remaining halves of the sides. When this has been done, divide up the lower portion of the box into compartments as shown in the drawing (Fig. 283). This should have a small drapery hung over it. The upper portion of the dresser should have a mirror attached to it, and some lace draped over the top and sides will add greatly to its appearance.
All you will have to do in making
A Wardrobe will be to fasten some small hooks inside of a cigar-box, attach the cover with a strip of linen—the same way it was attached before you soaked it off—and hang a mirror on the front.
These pieces of furniture were designed for separate sets, and would not do for doll-houses the size of those in the preceding chapters, unless the boxes were cut down to smaller proportions.
Cigar-boxes are splendid material for a variety of home-made toys. In this chapter are shown some easily constructed wagons, a Jack-in-the-box, a cradle, and several tables and chairs of a different pattern from the doll furniture for which working drawings were given in the preceding chapter.
Get an assortment of shapes and sizes of boxes at a cigar store, and prepare them for use as directed on page 175. Use 3/8 inch and ½ inch brads, and glue, for fastening the pieces together.
A scroll-saw, bracket-saw, coping-saw, or a very sharp jack-knife should be used where
Cutting is necessary. Do not attempt to split the wood, as the grain is seldom straight, but lay it down upon a board and score it with a knife in the way in which you would score a piece of cardboard; then break it along the scored line, or continue cutting until the piece is cut in two. If you use a saw, cut a little away from the outlines of the work and then trim up with a knife and sandpaper.
The wagons, Jack-in-the-box, and doll furniture shown in this chapter were designed with the idea of saving as much cutting as possible, and you will see by the illustrations that in many cases the boxes are not altered.