pass a loop of thread 14 inches in circumference round
these, and run the point of a pencil round the pins in the path which it
has to take when confined by the slack of the loop (Fig. 180). Fret-saw
along the line.

The wood strip for the side is 4-1/2 inches deep, and 1-1/2 inches longer
than the circumference of the bottom. The ends are thinned off somewhat, as
shown in Fig. 181, to prevent the lap having a clumsy appearance, and the
surface is smoothed all over with sandpaper. Bore a number of small nail
holes 3/16 inch from one edge, and then steam the wood over a big saucepan
or other suitable vessel until it is quite lissom.

When attaching the side piece to the bottom, begin at the middle, and work
first towards what will be the inside end of the lap, and then towards the
outside end. Nails are driven in through the holes already drilled. When
nailing is finished, clip the top of the overlap with a hand-vice or screw
spanner, to prevent the tops of the ends sliding over one another, and bore
a line of holes l/4 inch apart, and at the same distance from the outer
end. Fine copper wire drawn to and fro through alternate holes from one end
of the row to the other and back again, will secure the joint.

The lid overlaps the side 1/4 inch in all directions and has a square notch
cut in it at one end to pass under the piece A, and at the other a deeper,
circular-ended nick to enable it to pass over the key B when that is turned
into the position shown in the illustration. A is cut out of 1/4-inch wood;
B, in one piece, out of 1/2-inch. Their length under the heads exceeds the
inside depth of the box by the thickness of the lid.

A is affixed rigidly to the side by small screws or wire, while B must be
attached in a manner, which will allow the head to rotate. Cut two nicks
round the shank, and two horizontal slots at the same height through the
end of the box. A couple of brass rings must then be procured of such a
size that, when flattened into a somewhat oval shape, they will project
beyond the slots sufficiently to allow a piece of wire to pass through them
and prevent their being drawn back again.

Quarter-inch wood will do for the lid. A handle is made out of a couple of
inches of small cane bent into a semicircle, let through the lid at each
end, glued, and cut off flush.

The exterior may be decorated by a design in poker-work, or be stained and
varnished. This is left to the maker's discretion.

XXXI