Handy man's workshop and laboratory

Front matter

H

OO 1

.0 o x* ^ N S % xV ^ '

Preface

EVERY practical mechanic, whether amateur or professional, has been confronted at one time or another with unexpected situations calling for the exercise of considerable ingenuity. The resourceful man who has met an issue of this sort successfully seldom if ever is averse to making public his method of procedure. After all, he has little to gain by keeping the matter to himself and, appreciating the advice of other practical men in the same line of work, he is only too glad to contribute his own suggestions to the general fund of information.

About a year ago, it was decided to open a department in the Scientific American devoted to the interests of the handy man. There was an almost immediate response. Hundreds of valuable suggestions poured in from every part of this country and from abroad as well. Not only amateur mechanics, but professional men also were eager to recount their experiences in emergencies and offer useful bits of information, ingenious ideas, wrinkles or " kinks" as they are called. Aside from these, many valuable contributions came from men in other walks of life — resourceful men, who showed their aptness at doing things about the house, in the garden, on the farm. The electrician and the man in the physics and chemical laboratory furnished another tributary to the flood of ideas. Automobiles,

IV PREFACE

motor cycles, motor boats and the like frequently call for a display of ingenuity among a class of men who otherwise would never touch a tool. These also contributed a large share of the suggestions that poured in upon us. It was apparent from the outset that the Handy Man's Workshop Department in the Scientific American would be utterly inadequate for so large a volume of material; but rather than reject any really useful ideas for lack of space, we have collected the worthier suggestions as far as we could judge of their merit, and present them in the following pages.

A. RUSSELL BOND New York, October, 1909

Chapter I. Page

Fitting up a Workshop 1-63

Building the Shop. The Workbench. A Solid Joint for the Workbench. A joint that Can be Tightened. Bench Hook. A Combination Planing and Shooting Board. A Corner Cabinet. A Shoulder Chest. Desk or Drawing Table. The Grindstone. Artificial Grindstone. A Simple Foot-Power Grinder. The Lathe. The Scroll-Saw. A Combined Scroll-Saw, Tool Grinder, Router, and Drill Press. Scroll-Saw Guide. The Home-made Drill Press. Miter Box. Two Handy Clamps. A Carpenter's Clamp. A Quick Clamp. The Saw Clamp. An Improved Saw Clamp. Home-made Saw Filing Vise. The Saw Buck. Trestles, Horses, or Stools. A Roller Jack. A Steam Box. Handy Planing Dog.

CHAPTER II. Shop Kinks 64-106

The Clothespin on the Handy Man's Workbench. A Simple Method of Constructing a Handle. Convenient Holder for Sandpaper. How to File Round Work. Vise for Polished Pipe. Thread Cutting Without a Die. How to Wind a Spaced Coil Spring. Another Method of Making a Coil Spring. Home-made Spring Winder. Substitute for Rod Threader. How to Make a Screw and Nut Without the Aid of a Screw-Cutting Lathe. Substitutes for a Pipe Wrench. An Improvised Pipe Vise. An Emergency Pipe Valve. A Boiler Maker's Tool Bag. A Strong Home-made Turnbuckle. A Universal Joint of Simple Design. A Self-Locking Dovetail Joint. To Replace a Broken Screw in Soft Metal. The Driving of a Nail. To Prevent the Nail from Splitting the Wood. Remedy for Loose Wood Screws. Weatherboard Gage. A Ladder Extension Leg. A Painter's Platform Bracket. Paper Hanger's Adjustable Templet. A Good Substitute for Leather Belting. Gage for

VI CONTENTS

Augers. Holder for Broken Shank Drills. Simple Drill Clearance. Simple Driver for Small Drills. A Guide for Drilling Horizontal Holes. Drilling Holes in Marbles. A Handy Tap Wrench. An Emergency Reamer. How to Drill Through Brick and Soft Stone. The Handy Man's Gage. Grinder and Hold for Small Tools. Device for Punching Holes in Saw Blades, Clock Springs, etc. Device for Sawing Holes in Metal. Device for Finding Centers of Round Work. Handy Method of Finding the Center of a Shaft. How to Support a Shaft When Babbitting. Old Glue Pot as a Metal Pot and Ladle. A Home-made Micrometer. An Improved Dowel Plate. The Turning of a Ball.

Chapter III

The Soldering of Metals and the Preparation of Solders and Soldering Agents 107-155

Soldering Apparatus. A Heater for Soldering Irons. Flints on Soldering. Home-made Gas Soldering Iron Made of Pipe Fittings. Home-made Blowpipe. Formulas for Solders. Classification of Solders. Soft Solders. Hard Solders. Silver Solders. Gold Solders. Aluminium Solders. How to Solder Aluminium.

CHAPTER IV. The Handy Man in the Factory 156-177

Milling Attachment for the Lathe. Cutting a Groove of 42-inch Pitch on a i>^-inch Shaft. Cutting a Cam Groove with a Lathe. Improved Lathe Chuck. Correct Shape for Lathe Dog. Accurately Setting the Slide Rest for Turning Parallel Work. A Portable Polishing Lathe. Holder for Grinders. Cutting Keyways on a Die Sinker. Screw Slotting Attachment for Lathes. Micrometer Attachment for the Milling Machine. Crankpin Turning Device. Boring Cylinder Bushings for Locomotives. Fans on Machine Tools. A Muffler for Gas Engines. Automatic Lubricating Cup. A Hydraulic Test for the Boiler. Method of Patching a Boiler. Straightening Buckled Castings. Repairing Railroad Picks.

CONTENTS vil

Chapter V. Page

The Handy Man's Experimental Laboratory 178-229

Chemical Flasks from Electric Light Globes. Stopcock of Glass Tubing. Starting Device for Siphons. How to Obtain Fresh Water from Sea Water. An Electrically Controlled Gas Regulator. A Home-made Barometer. Scale for Barometers. A Home-made Air Thermometer. How to Make an Electrical Anemometer. Gyroscope Made from a Bicycle. The Elastic Pendulum. Cutting Wood with Paper. Chemical Puzzles. Some Experiments with Carbon Disulphide. Blue Roses. Home-made Chemical Perfume. Artificial Zincite. Novel Heat Motor. An Ornamental Heat Motor. Rotagons. A Home-made Seismograph.

CHAPTER VI. The Handy Man's Electrical Laboratory 230-313

An Unbreakable Leyden Jar. A Substitute for Tinfoil in Leyden Jars. A Home-made Wimshurst Machine. How to Make an Oscillating Static Electric Motor. Electrostatic Illuminations : Interesting Experiments for the Induction Machine. Stratification in Vacuo : Its Production with the Influence Machine. A Simple Experiment in Static Electricity. How to Make a Simple Electric Engine. A Simple Medical Coil. An Easily Made Magneto Machine for Physiological Effects. Machine for Winding Coils. Storage Battery Without Chemicals. Handy Form of Voltaic Battery. How to Make a Simple Dry Battery. Restoring a Dry Battery. A Home-built Alternating-current Motor. Small Transformer for Bell Circuits. An Electrolytic Rectifier for Charging Ignition Batteries. Home-made Adjustable Socket for Tungsten Lamps. A Cheap Lamp Rheostat. Open-circuit Telegraph System. A Test for Telephones. Ways to Brace Poles for Private Telephone Lines. A Simple Wireless Telegraph Detector. An Electrolytic Detector. The Construction of a Magnetic Detector. Experiments with Alternating Current, Using a Small Direct-current Motor. An Electrical Paradox. Construction of a Selenium Cell.

Vlll CONTENTS

Chapter VII. Pagb

The Handy Man About the House 314-368

A Novel Music Stand or Book Rest. A Tabouret Made from an Onion Crate. Home-made Metal Lamp Shade. Another Method of Making Metal Lamp Shades. Decorations from Paper Pulp. Hero's Fountain as a Table Ornament. Convenient Hanger for the Clothes Closet. An Improved Carpet Stretcher. Rag Carpet Needle. A Cheaply Constructed Fireless Cooker. An Electrical Fireless Cooker. A Home-made Heat-retaining Bottle. Iceless Refrigeration. Electric Coffee Pot. An Improvement for the Broiling Pan. Patch for Kitchen Boilers. How to Mend a Cast-iron Boiler. Mending Cast-iron Boilers, Radiators, and the Like. Gas Fire-lighting Apparatus. Replacing a Fire 1 Pot. Let the Clock Open the Furnace Drafts. Milk Testing* Without Apparatus. Simple Method of Pulling a Cork. Waterproof Matches. Unscrewing a Jar Top. An Improvised Shoe Stretcher. How to Mend a Hammock. Mending a Cracked Bottle. A Tin Can^ Leader. Ejector Made Out of Pipe Fittings. Home-made Vacuum Cleaner. Anti-freezing Outside Faucet. The Hose Reel on a Hydrant. A Home-made Lawn Sprinkler. How to Mend Garden Hose. How to Repair a Leak in the Garden Hose. To Make Paper Flower Pots.

CHAPTER VIII. The Handy Sportsman - 369-433

A Portable Automobile House. How to Convert a Horse-drawn Buggy into a Motor Buggy for Less than $300. Getting Home with a Weak Battery. The Handy Man's Spark Plug. Scraping Carbon from the Piston Heads. Cleaning the Spark Plug. Straightening an Automobile Axle. Taking Up the Engine Bearings. Temporary Repairs to Broken Springs. Putting on a New Clutch Leather. Relining the Brake Shoes. The Motorist's Accident Preventer. When a Lost Nut Cannot be Replaced. How to Construct and Operate a One-man Airship. How to Build a Chanute-type Glider. An Inexpensive Ice Yacht. How to Build a Scooter. A Simple Method of

CONTENTS IX

PAGE

Taking Spilings. Forging a Mast-head or Boom Ring. To Install a Motor in a Small Boat. Simple Support for Bicycle. Handy Method for Repairing a Punctured Tire. Bicycle Coasting Sled. Coasting Skates. Two Ways of Improving a Sled. Reducing the Range of a Rifle. Another Method of Reducing the Range of a Springfield Rifle.

CHAPTER IX. Model Toy Flying Machines 434-455

A Simple Monoplane. Divided Monoplane. "Wright'' Biplane. The Aeroplane Kite. A Novel Monoplane Model. "Diabolo" Flying Machine.

Authors' Index 466-467

Chapter I. Fitting Up A Workshop

BUILDING THE SHOP

The interest taken by a man or boy in a shop that he himself has built will amply repay the small outlay of the first cost.

Fig. i shows the inside view of a workshop good enough for any amateur, no matter what his station in life may be. The framework was put up by a first-class mechanic, but the furnishings are all home-made, such as even a boy will be able to construct. Such a shop as this is hardly necessary for the average young mechanic, the object of the sketch being more to show how a shop can be fitted up inside. The lathe, and also a jig saw, not shown, will be described later, as will also the bench, drawing table, and other accessories.

A shop about 9 feet by 12, inside dimensions, will be ample enough, and if it is made as an addition to the house, but three extra sides will be necessary, or if built in a corner, as is sometimes convenient, then but two extra sides will be needed.

The ground must be leveled, and prepared for the six piers, which can be of concrete, brickwork, or timber. If of timber, let them be 6 to 9 inches square by 2 feet long, buried in the ground about 18 inches. Holes should be dug of suitable depth and the stumps dropped in, care being taken to get them the proper distance apart, 9 feet by 12, out to out, so that the sides of the building, when erected, will be flush, and not have to be cut around the piers, or offset in an unworkmanlike manner. The first pier can be permanently set by ramming broken bricks and earth into the hole with a piece of heavy timber brought down on end. The remaining piers are leveled up from this one, by means of a builder's level.

Since it is a very important matter that these piers should be

Fig. i — A model workshop for the amateur

true and level with each other, it will be well to make a suitable straight-edge, or leveling board, for this purpose. This can be 12 or 1 6 feet in length, cut from a i-inch board, and shaped as shown in Fig. 2. A hand-hole is formed in the center, at the

Fig. 2— A builder's level

top, and a small shelf, upon which is placed the spirit level, is nailed to one side, immediately below. The leveling edge must be planed very true, while the small shelf on the side must be made exactly parallel with it. Place the level upon the shelf, and, holding the leveling board on the tops of each pair of piers successively, commencing with the permanent one, level them all by raising or lowering them in their respective holes, when they should be permanently set, as was the first.

The wall plates or bottom framing are made from 4x6 timber, half jointed at each corner, and secured to each pier with tenpenny nails driven in from either side. The four corner piers being 9x12 feet out to out, one pair of the 4x6 timbers will be 12 feet in length, and the other 9 feet. The framework must form a perfect right angle at each pier, which can be tested by means of the carpenter's square or laid out in the following manner :

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Fig. 3 — Laying out a square corner

Fig. 4— Temporary bracing for corner posts

Along the inside edge of the framework lay off a line 3 feet in length on one timber and 4 feet on the other, when the two timbers must be closed, or opened, until the distance between these two points measures exactly 5 feet, as shown in Fig. 3.

The posts, or studding as they are sometimes called, are made from 3 x 4-inch timbers. Two are cut 10 feet 6 inches in length, and three are made 7 feet 6 inches long. The ends are cut true and square,, to get a good bearing, when the posts are set up. The rear posts can be secured to the side of the house, after being trued with a plumb bob, or level, and can be secured to the bottom plate or framing by toe-nailing; but the two front corner posts, after being erected plumb, and secured to the framing, must be held temporarily, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4. The top plates and rails are next put up. Make a half joint at the front, and nail the other ends to the rear posts with nails driven through either side. The other door-post is erected, then the intermediate rails and the door lintel. Rails and door lintel are 2x3 inches.

The rafters are made of 2 x 4-inch timber, notched where they rest upon the plates, which are 2 inches by 3. One rafter can be cut to the proper length and notched, using it for a templet, or as

Fig. 5 — Setting up the frame of the shop a guide for cutting the others. The two end rafters should be secured to the plates first, by driving in tenpenny nails through the sides, as in the case of the floor joists, then the others may be evenly spaced from end to end, about 2 feet apart.

The framework of the building is now complete, as shown in Fig. 5. A detail of construction is shown at the right. Rough boards, with a space between them of about one inch, are laid across the joists for the roof, and secured with eightpermy nails. The sides can either be made of tongue-and-groove boards, or ordinary boards like the roof, only built close, with narrow strips of wood nailed over the joints as in Fig. 6.

Space must be left in the sides for the windows and doorway ; the latter should measure 2 feet 6 inches by 6 feet 6 inches. The

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Fig. 6 — Cracl s in the siding covered by narrow strips

windows had better be double sliding, on three sides of the building, to get a good light. If 10x8 glass is used, the framework or sash will be about 2 feet 4^. inches by 1 foot nfyi inches high. The window openings in the sides of the building, therefore, should be 1 foot 11 inches high by 4 feet 8 inches long for a mmmmrrrm

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Fig. 7-A window opening, showing grooves for sash

double sash. They should be centrally located in the sides and front, the boards being cut flush with the top of the middle rails, to which they are nailed. The boards at the top of the opening are nailed to an inside strip, 2y' 2 by 1% inches, detailed in Fig. 7, which sketch also shows the grooves in which the sash moves. A tongue-and-groove connection should be made where the two sashes meet, or a strip of wood should be nailed on either, to overlap the other, and keep out the wind and rain.

The flooring, . which can be made of ordinary boards or a cheaper grade of tongue-and-groove boards, planed on one side only, are cut to fit close up to the sides, and around the studding or posts, and nailed to the joists with eightpenny nails. The joists are 2x4, notched 1 inch, as shown.

It will be noticed that the first board of the sides, nearest the house, is notched all the way down, to fit up snugly against the weather boards. This is done by means of a pencil and a small stick, held as in Fig. 8. The stick is traced along the outline of the weather boarding, while the pencil, being held against the upright board of the shop, makes an exact copy of the outline, as a guide for the saw. Narrow boards, sometimes called plates,

Fig. 8 — Tracing a profile of the weather boards

Fig. 9— Sills for the door and windows are nailed all around the top of the sides, under the eaves of the roof, notching them out where the joists of the roof come through. The door can be made of the same stuff as the sides, strengthened with battens as shown in Fig. 1. A diagonal batten can be put on also, letting it bear top and bottom against the horizontal battens, and taking care to let it slope in the right direction, the lower end being near the hinges. Hinges and a latch, also a draw-bolt, are all the furnishings necessary for the inside, and a padlock for the outside. A plain narrow frame can be put around the outside of the windows, and a sill made (Fig. 9) from 1 -inch stuff, for the door and windows, will improve the appearance. A door-step can be made from the same stuff as the sides, or from i-inch boards, nailed to the front of the shop, before the tread is put on. The ground should be made level, and a large stone, or bricks, put under the bearing edge.

The roof is covered' with tar paper, which can be made of sheets of brown paper covered with pitch and sanded, or it can be purchased already prepared. Commence at the eaves, allowing enough to tuck under the eaves on both sides and in front. The next layers are allowed to lap over by about 2 inches, and the last one is tucked under the weather boarding, on the side of

Fig. 10— Exterior view of the finished building the house. Large-headed galvanized nails are used to hold the tar paper or felt covering to the roof ; or barbed wire-nails with tin caps will do. Space them not less than 2 or 3 inches apart, all along the edges of the laps, and under the eaves of the roof. (See Fig. 10.)

The shop should be given two coats of paint on the outside to match the house or surrounding buildings. A small stove, either oil, gas, or coal, will nicely heat the shop in cold weather, a chimney connection being made in the roof or one of the sides if a coal stove is used. — 3*

THE WORKBENCH

The workbench shown in Fig. 1 is attached to the wall, thus saving time and labor in making it ; but a stationary workbench is not always desirable, especially if there is no permanent shop for it. The standard size of a joiner's bench is 12 feet in length and 2 feet 9 inches in height and width. This size is altogether unnecessary for home purposes. From 8 to 9 feet in length, and

Fig. 11— The skeleton framework of the bench

about 32 inches high is a convenient size. Mechanics sometimes test the height by sitting on the front edge of the bench sideways, with one foot dangling over the side, which should just touch the floor.

If the planking and supports are made of yellow pine, a sound solid bench will be the result. In any case, the top front plank should be of this material, the rest can be of white pine or hemlock. The vise should be of oak, the screw being purchased at any hardware store for about fifty cents.

Referring to Fig. 11, three of the supports are made of 3 by

* Figures refer to authors' names. See Index of Authors at end of book.

4-inch timber, 30 inches high. The one at the vise is 3 inches by 6, of the same length. Care should be taken that the bearing surfaces are true, and the posts are set up level. The slotted hole, or mortise, at the bottom of the vise post, should be cut before the post is set up, but the round hole for the screw can be made when the bench is complete. The mortise is made by boring two %-inch holes 2 inches apart, vertically, and cutting out the wood between with a flat chisel. The ends, top, and bottom can be left round, or may be squared up with the chisel, as illustrated.

Cut three short lengths of 1 by 10-inch boards, 23 inches long, and nail two of them across the tops of the posts or supports as shown. Set them up on end, and nail the front board, or apron, which is 9 feet in length, to the forward posts, spacing the latter 1 foot from each end. The top edges of the front board and the three cross pieces are brought up exactly level with each other, but the back board, which is 12 inches deep, is nailed to the posts, with the top edge 2 inches above. The top of the bench consists of two planks, 12 inches wide by 9 feet in length. The front plank is 2 inches in thickness, and should bear evenly along the top edge of the front board, or apron, which supports it. The board at the back is only 1 inch thick, and like the rest of the bench, can be made of cheaper and lighter timber. With the exception of the tool rack, the bench can be put together with eightpenny or 2^/2 -inch wire nails. The 2-inch thick plank should be nailed down with ten-penny flooring nails, or nails having finished heads, which must be driven in below the surface with a nail set or punch.

The tool rack can be made from y 2 -inch stuff, about 2 inches wide, running the full length of the bench, or cut off within a foot or so of each end. Partitions can be made of the same wood, spaced from 1 to 3 inches apart, to suit various sized tools. A strip of wood nailed across the top edge of the back, and furnished with a number of different-sized, bored holes, will answer the purpose just as well.

While there are many different kinds of vises on the market, it is safe to say the old style, as shown in Fig. 12, is very generally used, and it has the advantage of being easily rigged up and inexpensive. Procure a piece of oak, iy 2 inches thick, y l / 2 inches wide, and about 30 inches in length, for the movable jaw

Fig. 12 — The bench complete with vise and tool rack

of the vise. A hole for the screw is bored in the middle, 9 inches from the top, and a mortise for the guide is made in the lower end, after being marked off from the one in the 3 by 6-inch post of the bench. Corresponding holes for the vise screw are to be

OOOO OOO a

Fig. 13 — Details of the heel of the vise

bored through the apron and the post, a trifle larger than the screw. The guide is made from hard wood, 18 inches in length, cut to fit easily the hole in the bench post, but having a driving fit in the vise jaw, to which it is secured by toe-nailing. Sometimes the jaw of the vise is tapered at the lower end, as shown in the detail view, Fig. 13, when the guide can be secured by driving nails through the ( sides. The guide is furnished with holes evenly spaced, as shown, and a peg is provided, similar to the one shown in Fig. 11, for the~ apron or front board of the bench.

The apron is provided with holes and a peg, to rest the free end of a long plank upon, when being worked in the vise. A suitable bench stop is put in the planing board of the workbench. Various designs are on the market, which can be easily attached, but a very good one can be made by using a 2 by 2-inch piece of oak, a foot in length. A hole is cut about 9 inches from the end of the bench, and the stop must have a driving fit, being raised or lowered by hitting it with a hammer. This is much better than the metal stops, since there is no possible chance of injuring the tools. The nut of the vise screw is secured to the inside face of the 3-inch by 6-inch post, to prevent its revolving when adjusting the vise.

When the vise is set up, the top can be planed true and level with the working face of the bench, slightly rounding off the corners. The 2-inch plank should be planed up true, and no work done upon it which will break up the surface. Any rough work should be done on a board placed on top of the bench.

The workbench is now complete. It is a convenient size, and can be easily taken out through an ordinary door, and when it comes to moving, there will be no necessity of leaving it behind, or knocking it to pieces to get it out of the shop. — 3

A SOLID JOINT FOR THE WORKBENCH

When constructing the bench for the Handy Man's Workshop, and it is desired to use the old but efficient screw-and-heel pattern woodworker's vise, the question of a suitable joint for the upper end of the front leg must be considered. The pressure applied to narrow work, reaching not farther below the bench top than its own thickness, tends to draw the front leg from position, and one soon finds he has a loose and "rickety" joint.

None of the usual mortise or dovetail joints are satisfactory, but the one shown below is very powerful and cannot be drawn from place. The detail drawing, Fig. 14, shows its construction and proper proportions. rVfter the glue has set, two ^-inch wooden pins should be driven into the holes. — 72

A JOINT THAT CAN BE TIGHTENED

The joints of a workbench are quite sure to work loose in time, and it is important that they be constructed in such a way

Fig. 14— Solid joint for handy man's workbench

that they may be tightened from time to time. The construction shown in Fig. 15 is one that the writer has used with perfect satisfaction for years. The frame of the bench is made of 2 by 3-inch sticks. Sockets are cut in two adjoining faces of the post to receive the tongues formed on the horizontal sticks of the frame. The sockets are made deeper than the tongues, so as to permit of adjustment. A hole is bored through the post and

endwise into one of the horizontal

sticks through the tongue. A bolt is

fitted into this bore and is screwed

into a nut which is introduced into the

stick through a transverse hole. In

the same way the other stick is secured

to the post, care being taken to have

the second bolt hole at a different level

so that it will clear the first one. The

bolts can be drawn up very tightly, so

as to make a firm joint. When the

joint works loose it can be tightened up with a wrench in a

moment's time. — 51

BENCH HOOK

A bench hook can be made from a piece of beech wood 3 by 2 by 9 inches in length. Cut out the hook as shown in dotted

Fig. 15— A joint that can be tightened v

Q

Fig. 16— The bench hook fines, in Fig. 16, and round the ends. The saw cut should be vertical and at right angles to the cross piece. When one side of the hook is worn, it can be turned over, and the other side be used. — 3

A COMBINATION PLANING AND SHOOTING BOARD

It is sometimes necessary to put a long straight or bevel edge upon a board ; and while this can be done by the aid of the try square or bevel square, the board being held in the vise, the accuracy of the work depends largely upon the skill of the mechanic, and requires much practice. For the amateur, and even the professional, a board such as illustrated in Fig. ly is desirable.

All that is necessary for planing square edges only is a board about 9 inches wide, secured to one underneath, 15 inches in width, each ]4 of an inch thick, and as long as the bench. The

Fig. 17— Combination planing and shooting board

boards must be planed perfectly true, the working edge in particular, and a stop of some kind should be furnished at one end.

Sometimes it is necessary to plane a long miter edge on a board, in which case an ordinary shooting board, such as described, will not do.

One arrangement of shooting board for long miter joints is shown in the cross-sectional view A, in which a is a length of 3 by 4-inch timber, to which is secured a board b, at an angle of 45 degrees, by means of triangular blocks c, spaced about 2 feet apart, commencing near the ends. One end of the shooting board is held in the vise d, the other end resting upon pegs in the apron of the bench. The board e, whose edge is to be planed, is clamped to the board b, and the plane / shot along the 3 by 4-inch piece a.