Woodworker's Journal 1980-4-5, страница 29

Pine Schoolhouse Desk

This small pine desk-bench unit was inspired by the old-fashioned schoolhouse desks now commanding high prices at antique shops. Built of easily obtained 5/4 inch pine (1V»" actual thickness) along with a few pieces of V* mch stock, it's proportioned for children of about 8-11 years and provides a convenient surface for both schoolwork and play. It's also an attractive piece of furniture for a child's room.

Start by jointing and edge-gluing three lengths of 5/4 x 8 inch stock for the desk top. Clamp until dry and then trim to finish dimensions of 20 x 26V* inches. Plane and sand the slab flat and round off the front and end top edges.

The shaped uprights supporting the desk and seat are cut from 5/4 x 10 inch and 5/4 x 8 inch stock respectively. Lay out a 1 inch grid pattern on cardboard of approximate size and enlarge one half of the profiles. Cut along your penciled profile and use this half-template to trace the shape on the workpieces.

Before cutting the curves, lay out and cut the rabbet at the top ends of the large upright. Also lay out and cut the dadoes to hold the book shelf and foot rest. These cuts can be easily done with a tablesaw and dado head or by making repeated passes over an ordinary blade.

The feet, which are also of 5/4 inch stock are next shaped as shown in Fig. 1, and dadoed to receive the seat and desk uprights. The book shelf and foot rest are next cut from V* inch stock. These are both cut to 9V* x 22Vi inches; however the foot rest is partially cut away along the front edge for a more decorative appearance.

Sand all parts well and glue and clamp feet, shelves and uprights together, maintaining squareness while counter-

boring for Vi inch dia. plugs and drilling pilot holes for the screws fastening feet to uprights as shown in Fig. 3.

Cut top brackets from V* inch pine and glue and screw them to the upright rabbets. These screws are also counter-bored for Vi inch dia. plugs. Also, locate and drill holes for Vi inch blind dowels which are glued into the top edges of brackets and corresponding sockets in the underside of desk top which is added later.

Cut a back board slightly long from V* inch stock for the rear of the book shelf. Trim so it fits snugly between the uprights, flush with back and top edge of uprights. Secure with glue and finishing nails driven up through the book shelf.

Turn the assembly upside down centered on the underside of the top and locate holes for the bracket dowels. Bore these holes about V* inch deep into the underside of the top and after coating dowels with glue, fasten the top.

The top backboard is shaped from V* inch stock and fastened as shown in Fig. 3. The bench top is then cut to finish size, sanded and screwed to uprights. Finally, rout or gouge a 12 inch long by V* inch deep pencil groove near the back edge of top.

Use a plug cutter to cut Vi" long plugs from the face grain of pine scraps or use birch dowel stock cut to length. The plugs may be trimmed and sanded flush or left protruding slightly and rounded off.

Go over the piece carefully, rounding off all corners to give it an antique appearance and to discourage splintering. After finish sanding, apply the stain and sealer of your choice.