Select a piece of stock of poor quality (sap or small knots) 7/8 of an inch thick, 4 inches wide, and 12 inches long. Dress it with the plane on all four sides, planing it out of wind, the edges square, and

Fig. 24. A Plain Bench-Hook.

the ends of equal width and thickness.

Select two more pieces of the same length and thickness, and each 2 inches wide. Make these also smooth, straight, out of wind, and their sides and edges parallel. Follow the same method in working these three pieces as in dressing up the first piece.

Nail the pieces together as shown in Fig. 24, using six-penny box wire nails. Lay one of the narrow pieces on the bench and start a nail as shown in Fig. 25. After the nail has been driven into the piece a very short distance, examine it from two directions to see if it is perpendicular to the surface of the piece. If not, move it with the hand until it is. After placing it in correct position, hit it a light blow with the hammer and examine it again. Continue to drive it a little at a time, examining it after each blow until you are certain it is entering the wood properly. Be careful to hold the hammer as

Fig. 25. Starting a Nail. Examine the nail from two positions as in boring (Figs. 35 and 36).

shown in Fig. 25, and drive this nail until it just pricks through the piece. See if the nail is properly located to enter the center of the edge of the wide piece, and not so near the end as to split the piece. Start three more nails in the same manner, being careful to locate them correctly (Fig. 24). After the four nails are properly started, place the piece containing them on the edge of the wide piece and adjust it so that the edge of the narrow piece will be even with the surface of the wide piece (Fig. 26).

The points of the nails will help to keep the piece in place while you take the hammer and drive the first nail into the wide piece. If the nails were driven through too far in starting, turn the piece over and drive them back until they will just scratch the edge of the wide piece.

If the piece now appears to be all right, drive the nails in their full length and, with the nailset,

Fig. 27. Using a Nailset.

Fig. 26. Driving a Nail.

set the heads about 1/32 of an inch below the surface, as shown in Fig. 27. If no nailset is at hand, the head of a nail may be used as a nailset, as shown in Fig. 28.

In case you wish to withdraw a nail after it is partly driven, use a claw-hammer and block, as shown in Fig. 29.

After the two pieces are nailed to the edges of the wide piece examine them to see if their edges are smooth, or flush, as it is termed, with the surface of the wide piece. If the joints are not flush, plane them down as shown in Fig. 30.

As the bench-hook is to be used as a cutting

board and for sawing, etc., it is not necessary to smooth the ends. When it is all completed, look it over carefully to see how well the

Fig. 28, Using a Nail for a Nailset.

Fig. 29. Withdrawing a Long Nail.

Fig. 3O. Planing a Joint Flush.

pieces fit each other, and whether they appear to have been well planed. Supplementary Lesson No. 29 is a bench-hook of a more difficult design, which may be made in place of this one.