The motor-driven saw is the greatest aid a woodworker has. Skillfully handled, it will perform wonders in cutting up stock quickly and accurately, in making joints of many different varieties, and in doing with ease and speed the preliminary operations which are most common in building furniture and most tedious to do by hand.

As an object lesson for demonstrating in greater detail than heretofore the use of the circular saw, the Chippendale mirror illustrated in Figs. 20 and 21 is excellent. Aside from the handwork needed in assembling and finishing, the frame of this graceful piece can be made almost entirely with the saw and its attachments. The operations are simple and the finished product is useful; so, in making the mirror, not only will a good-looking piece of work result, but excellent practice will be given in machine sawing.

As to stock, mahogany and maple are two appropriate woods to use. Extreme care should be taken in selecting the pieces for the top and bottom to see that the grain forms an attractive figure.

Step No. 1 - Making the Patterns. From the working drawing (Fig. 21) lay out full size squares on heavy paper, such as wrapping paper or cardboard; then plot the curves. Cut these patterns out in template form. It will be necessary to make only half patterns of the top and bottom, as the half can be used for both sides. For the top and bottom it is advisable to use five-ply laminated stock to avoid possible splitting.

Step No. 2 - The Frame. Although the design as it is given for the molding is a good one to follow, you can substitute any suitable stock picture molding of about the same size.

Circular saws are made in three different types - rip, crosscut, and combination or miter. The rip saw is used to cut with the grain. The teeth are rather large and, as with a hand saw, are filed at right angles to the blade. The cut is like that made with a chisel. The crosscut saw has much smaller teeth and, as with a hand saw, the teeth are filed at an angle. This saw is used on all general work except ripping. Both of these saws are set to give clearance. The combination or miter saw, as the name implies, is made up of both crosscut and rip teeth and is usually hollow ground, requiring no setting. The cut made with a good sharp blade of this type will be very smooth, oftentimes good enough for a joint without the slightest necessity of planing.

Fig. 20. - Pencil drawing of a Chippendale mirror showing dimensions and scale. Details of construction are given in Fig. 21.

Fig. 21. - Half-patterns of the curved outlines can be made by plotting them on heavy wrapping paper ruled with 1-in. squares.

If you purchase only one blade, the best advice is to buy a combination saw. There is one disadvantage, however, in using this type of blade; it often binds and will need frequent pointing up with a file.

For this work we shall use the combination or miter saw (Fig. 22). Set the cutting-off fence so as to make a 45° cut (Fig. 23). To do this, make a trial cut on two scrap pieces of wood and place them together; if they test square, the cut is at exactly forty-five degrees. With a slow stroke make all the miter cuts. Next, cut the grooves for the splines by lowering the blade to about ½ in high and holding the miter flat on the table. As a guide for this operation, use the ripping fence. The upper sketch of Fig. 25 should be consulted for the form and application of the spline.

Step No. 3 - Assembly of Frame. Glue temporary ears (triangular blocks of wood) on all the corners, so as to have something on which to get a grip when clamping up the frame. By temporary ears, in cabinetwork, we mean pieces of soft wood that are cut so that the grain in them runs the long way and are glued in place. The ears should have two angles of 45° each and one of 90° as shown in the sketch.

Allow the glue at least four or five hours to set. Next, assemble the entire frame, using plenty of the best glue. Test the corners to be sure that they are square and that there is no twist to the frame. Be certain that the grain in the splines runs the short way, as shown; this adds much to the strength of the frame. Make the splines a little wide at first and cut them to shape after the glue has hardened.

Step No. 4 - Cleaning Up the Frame. By means of the sanding disk, clean up the corners, especially where the ears were fastened and where the splines projected. Having thus obtained the best result, you are now ready to turn to the next step.

Fig. 22. - The saw blade is mounted so that the top teeth point toward the operator.

Fig. 23. - The common method of cutting miters with the cut-off fence at 45 degrees and the table level.

Step No. 5 - Cutting the Grooves. Cut the groove on the top and bottom edges and part way on both sides, to receive the head and bottom pieces (Fig. 26).

Fig. 24. - Cutting miters by tilting the table at 45 degrees and placing the molding on its edge.

Step No. 6 - Cutting Out the Curved Designs. With the template, transfer your curved design to the wood. Next, cut just outside the lines with a jig or band saw. If you are working with a small machine, it will be necessary to place the design on both sides of the wood, to be able to work from each side.

Step No. 7 - Truing Up the Edges. Use a drum sander on all of the curved edges possible; the inaccessible curves will have to be cleaned up with a file and sandpaper. If you have done the sawing carefully, there will be very little sanding to do.

Fig. 25. - The spline joint, the "ears" used to facilitate clamping, and a cross section of the frame.

Step No. 8 - Assembly of Scrolls. First, put plenty of glue in the groove and on the edges to be glued; then, force the various parts together. Be careful to wipe away all of the excess glue after the parts are assembled.

Step No. 9 - Chatting Up the Work. If there is any excess glue on the work, remove it with a sharp chisel. Sandpaper all of the parts thoroughly first with No. 0, then with No. 00 sandpaper. Round off all of the edges slightly.

Fig. 26. - The grooves for the head and bottom pieces are cut after the frame is assembled and cleaned.

Step No. 10 - Finishing. For mahogany: Apply either a mahogany water stain powder or a prepared dye or wood stain of first-class quality. Brush on a very thin coat of white shellac. When it is dry, sand with No. 00 sandpaper. In order to fill the grain in the wood, a paste wood filler must be applied. Shellacking is the next process. Apply then three thin coats of shellac. After the first and second are dry, rub each with No. 00 sandpaper, but for the last coat use a mixture of powdered pumice stone and crude or machine oil. If you have a spraying outfit available, spray on a clear lacquer instead of the application of shellac.

For an antique finish on maple: There are two good methods. One is quite similar to the method stated above for mahogany except that an amber stain is used. Since maple is a close-grained wood, no filler need be applied; the shellac will fill any small pores that may be present. The other method is to use an oil walnut stain, and after it dries rub the high-lights almost through to the bare wood with No. 00 sandpaper in order to give the effect of a worn surface. The finish then is applied as in the other cases.