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1905.]
The Practical Boy
337

nailed to the corners, as shown in Fig. 9, and a lid is made from three boards and attached to the rear edge of the box with iron hinges, as shown also m the figure below.

Fig 9. Details of the Shoe-box.

On the top of the lid spread a few thicknesses of cotton batting, and over this lay a piece of denim or cretonne, either plain or with a figure, and tack it down around the edge of the lid with large, oval-headed upholsterers’ tacks, as shown in Fig. 8 on the preceding page. The boy’s sister or mother can help him with this.


A Butler’s Tray.

{{sc|For} the house that is not built with a butler’s pantry, or for the mother who does her own housework, a very convenient accessory in the dining-room, and one that a boy can make, will be a drop-ledge and butter’s tray.

Fig 10. Detail of Butler’s Tray.

Dishes can be removed from the table and laid temporarily on the tray, which can be located conveniently in the dining-room and partly hidden by a screen,

Two brackets on hinges will support the shelf when it is up, but when it is dropped the brackets fold in against the wall, as shown in Fig. 10.

The ledge and brackets are of pine or other suitable wood, ¾ of an inch thick, and planed on all sides and edges. The tray is of white-wood, ⅝ of an inch thick, and put together securely with glue and screws.

The ends and handle-grips are cut with a compass-saw and finished with sandpaper; then the tray is stained and varnished to match the shelf and brackets.

Fig 11. A Butler’s Tray.

Back of the drop-shelf a horizontal strip two inches wide is fastened to the wall by means of a wall-plate securely screwed fast to the wall; and down from it, the length of the brackets, two more strips an inch thick are attached to the wall.

The shelf is hung to the two-inch strip with hinges, and to the vertical strips the brackets are attached with hinges also. These strips ate securely fastened to the wall with long screws, for on them depends the support of the shelf and the tray with its load of dishes. In cases of this kind, drive the nails or screws into the studding and not into the lath.

Vol. XXXII.—43.