evel to an angle of 70 degrees (or cut an angle out of a
card with the help of a protractor), and lay a leg against each mark in
turn, the end projecting an inch or so above the top. Move the leg about
till it makes the proper angle at the mark, and draw a pencil line down
each side of the leg as close up as possible. Since the legs may vary
slightly in size, use each once only for marking, and number it and the
place to which it belongs.
Lines must now be drawn along the upper and under sides of the top,
parallel to and 3/4-inch from the edge, to complete the marking out of the
notches.
Cut just inside the side marks with a fine tenon saw, and remove the wood
between the cuts back to the top and bottom marks with a broad, sharp
chisel, making the surface of the cut as true and flat as you can. Then
"offer" the leg that belongs to the cut, its end projecting an inch or so.
If it won't enter, bevel off the sides of the cut very slightly till it
will. A good driving fit is what one should aim at. While the leg is in
place, draw your pencil in the angles which it makes with the top above and
below, to obtain the lines AB, CD (Fig. 2, a).
Bevelling the Legs.-The marking out of the bevels will be much expedited if
a template is cut out of tin or card. It should be just as wide as the
legs, and at a point 4 inches from one end run off at an angle of 162
degrees from one edge. (See Fig. 2,b.)
[Illustration: FIG. 2.-Showing how to cut sloping joint for trestle leg.]
Draw with a square a line, EEl, across what is to be the inside of the leg.
The template is applied to the end side of the leg and moved up till its
sloping edge occupies a position in which a perpendicular dropped on to it
from C is 1/2 inch long. Mark the line EF (Fig. 2, b) and the perpendicular
CG. The bevel is marked on the other side of the leg, the, angle of the
template being at E1 (Fig. 2, a) to guide the saw, which is passed down
through the leg just outside the marks till in line with CD. The piece is
detached by a cross cut along CG, CD. This procedure, which sounds very
complicated, but is really very simple, and performed much more quickly
than it can be described, yields a leg properly bevelled and provided with
a shoulder to take the weight of the top.
[Illustration: Fig.3--End elevation of sawing trestle.]
The leg at the diagonally opposite corner is an exact replica of the one
first made; the other two are similar, but the direction of
|