¨Sorrento and Inlaid work¨, 1876 book by Arthur Hope, part 1

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	A MANUAL OF

	Sorrento and Inlaid Work

	FOR AMATEURS,

	WITH ORIGINAL DESIGNS.

	BY

	ARTHUR HOPE.

	CHICAGO:

	JOHN WILKINSON, PUBLISHER.

	1876.



	Copyright, 1876,

	By JOHN WILKINSON.
	KNIGHT & LEONARD, PRINTERS, CHICAGO.



	PREFACE.

	IT is now twenty years since the author of this book began his first rude attempts at scroll-sawing, with a roughly whittled saw-frame, fitted with a blade made from a watch-spring, its teeth, few and far between, unevenly and laboriously cut with a common file. Since then he has watched the growth of the art in this country, stimulated by the introduction of curious and beautiful articles of fret-cutting from Germany, and inlaid work from France and Italy, and the gradual improvement in handsaw frames, and blades of wondrous delicacy. Within the past four years, aided much by the invention of treadle machines of great simplicity and beauty, a scroll-sawing fever has swept over the country, absorbing the attention of the young and old. It would perhaps be impossible to name a village, however small, where the fever had not made its appearance. In many of our large cities scroll-sawing is taught by experienced instructors, either in classes or in private lessons. There are many difficulties that beset the beginner; he buys worthless tools,. and can do nothing with them; or imagines it is necessary to buy some expensive outfit that exceeds his means; he tries to polish and makes a botch of it; his wood warps, and obstinately refuses to be straight; his saws break, and he cannot account for it; his gluing doesn't hold together;



	4	PREFACE.

	and he imagines that inlaying can only be done by the experienced artisan. To help all such, to show them just how everything in the scroll-sawing line is done, to make everything clear so that children can teach themselves, to show ladies how they can beautify their homes, to tell those with scanty means how few tools are necessary; and, lastly, to give them some few simple, and it is hoped tasteful, designs, is the object of this book. How far he falls short of this his readers can judge for themselves.

	ARTHUR HOPE.

	New York, November, 1876.



	CONTENTS.

	Chapter 1. WoodS 7 II. Preparation of Wood 10 III. Applying the Design, 13 IV. Tools, 14 V. Making a Bracket, 19 VI. Making an Easel, 22 VII. Sandpaper, 24 VIII. Glue, Shellac, Oil and Polish, 26 IX. Glued Veneers, 31 X. Overlaying, 33 XI. Inlaying, 35 XII. Silhouettes, 41 XIII. Description of Designs, 44



	CHAPTER I.

	WOODS.

	SPANISH cedar, red cedar, white holly, black walnut, satin, tulip, ebony, bird's-eye maple, rosewood, mahogany, are the ordinary and most desirable woods for scroll-sawing. Spanish CedaR is an excellent wood for the amateur to begin sawing with, being soft and easily worked. Cigar boxes are generally made of this wood, and will furnish all the small pieces needed, at little or no expense. The old boxes should be carefully taken apart, and the pieces soaked in a basin of water. After several minutes' immersion the paper can be easily scraped off, when the wood should be placed on end to dry, which it will do without warping. When quite dry, the wood can be smoothed with sandpaper (see chapter on "Sandpaper"). Very pretty brackets, easels, frames or boxes can be made of this cedar. Red Cedar, on account of its fragrance, is a pleasant wood to saw, and should be about three-sixteenths or a quarter inch in thickness. It is, however, very liable to split or crack, and though not a hard wood, rather hard to saw. It does well for brackets and easels. White Holly is a fine, close-grained wood, very easy to saw, and a universal favorite. It is used in all thicknesses from a veneer (about one thirty-second of an inch) to a quarter inch, and can be 7



	8	SORRENTO AND INLAID WORK.

	very highly polished. For all small articles, such as card-baskets, small frames, etc., a thickness of about one-sixteenth inch or a trifle more is preferable. One-eighth inch holly does well for small easels, brackets, frames, paper-knives and small wall pockets; while for larger things, such as easels and brackets intended to support some weight, a thickness of three-sixteenths or one-quarter inch should be used. As holly shows dirt easily, it is best before beginning to saw it, when it is not to be polished, to give it a coat of bleached shellac. For the manner of using shellac the reader is referred to the chapter on " Glues, Shellac, etc." Black Walnut is more used than any other wood, is cheap and easy to saw. All kinds of useful and ornamental articles are made from this wood. In buying it, care should be taken to select that which is of a uniform shade and free from streaks, unless for some work, an inlaid panel for instance, a piece with light streaks should be wanted. It is seldom used thinner than one-eighth inch. Brackets and easels should be made of three-sixteenths or one-quarter when they are to support any weight. Mahogany is a hard, close-grained wood, easy to saw, and suitable for nearly all articles. One-eighth is the ordinary thickness, though it is frequently used one-sixteenth and three-sixteenths. Before making brackets, easels and other open-work things this wood should be polished. It should be remarked here that not a little of the wood commonly sold as mahogany is really a species of cedar. Rosewood has a close grain, takes a fine polish, and is difficult to saw. In working it the saw blade should occasionally be touched with a drop of oil (raw linseed or olive), as the saw frequently encounters hard, gummy places, in which, if not oiled, to allow it



	WOODS.	9

	to slip easily, the saw is apt to break. One eighth, three-sixteenths and one-quarter inch are the ordinary thicknesses. Satinwood is hard and close grained, yellowish color, somewhat oily and is very easily polished. It does well for all kinds of open and inlaid work. The dust is quite fragrant, and where worked in large quantities is said to be injurious to health; but there is no danger in using it for ordinary amateur work. Wreaths and scroll work for overlaying on picture frames are very beautiful, and when so used the thickness should not be over one-sixteenth inch. For easels, brackets, etc., it should be one-eighth or three-sixteenths. Tulip is a finer and closer grained wood, reddish color and usually streaked. It is excellent for paper-knives and easels, and takes a fine polish. It is rather expensive, and is commonly used either in veneers or one-eighth inch. Bird's-eye Maple is another close-grained wood, somewhat gritty in sawing, and very beautiful when polished. It is, however, more difficult to polish than many other woods, as it requires so much filling. It answers excellently for backgrounds for silhouettes. Ebony is a very hard and heavy, close-grained wood, nearly black in color. It is one of the most expensive woods used in scroll-sawing. To saw it easily, the saw-blade should be oiled occasionally, especially where the wood is one-eighth inch or more in thickness. This is an excellent wood for paper-knives and silhouettes, and for inlaying. It is susceptible of a very high polish. A very beautiful effect can be produced by inlaying ivory in ebony, and the reverse.



	CHAPTER II.

	PREPARATION OF WOODS.

	BEFORE attempting to saw anything, care should be taken to select a good piece of wood. If the work to be done is delicate, avoid using any wood with knots, lest they should cause a break in some fragile point. The wood must also be smoothed before sawing, as it is difficult to smooth or polish open work nicely, on account of the danger of breaking. Most of the woods commonly used can be procured with a smooth finish, though they are rather expensive. In many of the large cities there are dealers who keep fine woods for sale, either sawed or planed. When the sawed woods are used, they need to be first scraped with a small rectangular piece of steel called a scraper, and afterward rubbed smooth with sandpaper. The use of glass for scraping is not advised, as it is very apt to scratch and spoil the wood. If a quantity of wood needs this scraping it will save the amateur a good deal of hard work if he lets some careful carpenter do this for him. Soft woods, such as cedar, poplar, etc., can be planed smooth enough by hand,— but all hard woods must be scraped, or rubbed down with sandpaper. The planed woods that are kept for sale usually require sandpapering to make them fit for nice articles, though they will do well enough as they are for common work. If any open- 10



	PREPARATION OF WOODS.	11

	work pieces are to be polished, the polishing must be done before the sawing. Where several things are to be made at once, the pieces of wood can be fastened together outside of the pattern with brads. Do not use tacks, as they are apt to split the wood. The writer's way of fastening woods together is as follows. He cuts the pieces all of uniform size, and about one-fourth of an inch larger than the pattern on each side; between these he places several pieces of stiff paper cut the same size as the wood, clamps them together or lays a weight upon them, and applies some glue to the edges. In a few hours the weight can be removed, and they will be found to adhere firmly. By this process smaller pieces of wood can be used than where they are nailed together. The paper placed between the woods preserves duplicates of the patterns. For the hand-saw, not more than two thicknesses of one-eighth inch should be sawed at once, as it is quite difficult to keep the saw perpendicular, and unless the saw is held true the under piece is likely to be spoiled. With a good treadle saw, six or eight pieces of one-eighth inch can be sawed at once with ease. The writer, with his machine, a " Fleetwood,"* frequently saws. more than this at once; and of thinner woods, such as veneers, thirty can be done at a time. The amateur will frequently find in buying thin woods that they are warped, and he may find it difficult to straighten them. His difficulty will vanish if he treats the wood as follows. Hold the concave side for a few minutes over the steam from a boiling

	* He also uses two other machines for different kinds of work.



	13	SORRENTO AND INLAID WORK.

	tea-kettle, and then the other side over a stove; as soon as it is straight, remove from the heat, hold firmly with the hands till cold, lay it upon a smooth surface, place a weight upon it, and it will dry flat.



	CHAPTER III.

	APPLYING THE DESIGN.

	THERE are several methods of applying the design to the wood, each of which has its advocates. The simplest way is to paste the pattern directly on the wood. This can be done in all cases, except on polished wood or fine white wood, which might be soiled in subsequently removing the paper. After the sawing is done the paper easily comes off by moistening it. Another way is to fasten the pattern to the wood by means of a number of small tacks driven into the parts that are to be cut away. In this case it is advisable first to paste the pattern to a thick card, the edges of which are less likely to be torn by the saw passing through. By doing this the pattern will be preserved for future use, and it will be easy to follow its edges with a sharp-pointed pencil and copy the design repeatedly. Still another way is to place a sheet of carbon or impression paper (usually for sale at stationers') upon the wood, and over this lay the design. Then, with either a sharp-pointed stick or hard pencil, follow carefully the lines of the design, which the carbon paper will transfer to the wood. This is slow work, however, and requires nearly as much care as the sawing itself. Where printed designs are used, always choose those printed in light colors. Black designs are objectionable, because it is difficult keeping on the line, especially when using artificial light. 13



	CHAPTER IV.

	TOOLS.

	THE tools required for hand-sawing are simple and inexpensive. A saw-frame, saw-blades, a rest, a clamp-screw, an awl, or drill-stock, a file and sandpaper. Of saw-frames, the cheapest is the ordinary birch frame, twelve, fourteen or sixteen inches in length, costing about one dollar. The following cut will show the style of this frame:



	Then there are rosewood frames of the same shape, costing about one dollar and twenty-five cents. These have the advantage of being stiffer than the birch frames, and have usually a better style of clamp-screw. 14



	TOOLS.	15

	Another kind is the steel saw-frame.



	These are preferred by many because the clamp-screws are adjustable and allow the use of either a long or short saw-blade. Those who break their blades — and there are none who do not — will find great economy in using these frames, as they can save their pieces for service a second time. The steel frames cost about one dollar and a half. Lastly, we must mention the beautiful saw-frame made by the Sorrento Wood Carving Company. This is made of rosewood, is strong and stiff, and costs three dollars. Saw-blades are of German, Swiss or French manufacture, and are from four and a half to five inches long. The sizes in ordinary use are —



	16	SORRENTO AND INLAID WORK.

	In buying saw-blades, choose only those with sharp and regularly cut teeth. For hand-sawing, Nos. 0 and 1 are the best sizes, unless for very delicate work, when finer ones should be used. The larger blades have coarse teeth, which are liable to catch in the work and tear it. Blades of either of above sizes can be used in treadle machines, the size varying with the kind of work to be done. The best quality of saw-blades cost from fifteen to twenty cents per dozen; poor blades, for half the money. The rest is a plain piece of inch pine about twenty inches long by six wide, with a Y-shaped opening at one end.



	In using the rest, the saw should always be kept near the bottom of the V, where the work will be firmly supported on both sides. This rest, if bought, should not cost over ten or fifteen cents. It is to be placed upon the table or bench with the V part projecting, and should be held in position by means of a clamp-screw.



	TOOLS.	17

	The above represents a cabinet-maker's clamp-screw, of malleable iron, and adjustable. This is decidedly better than the common cast-iron screws, which break easily, and is usually for sale at hardware stores. One opening three inches costs about thirty-five cents. These clamp-screws will be found especially useful in gluing veneers or thicker woods together. For all open work it is necessary to have something to punch holes to let the saw-blade inside, and for single thicknesses of wood a common brad-awl, costing about ten cents, is sufficient. But where several pieces are to be sawed at once, or for delicate work or brittle wood, a drill stock is essential. The most serviceable article of this kind is a small drill stock of German manufacture, like the cut below, which is generally sold, with six drill points,



	for about one dollar and twenty-five cents. It is easier to drill true with these than with those that are worked by a cog-wheel. Next, one or more files are necessary, to finish the edges after the saw has done its work. A round file four inches long, a half-round file from two to four inches, and a flat file the same length, will answer for all fine work, and will cost from fifteen to twenty-five cents each. Finally, an assortment of sandpaper is needed, which will be more fully described in the chapter on that subject. 2



	18	SORRENTO AND INLAID WORK.

	TREADLE SAWS.

	By all means, where the amateur can afford the expense, a treadle saw should be procured. The better class will do the most delicate work, can be run with great ease, and will cut from eight to twenty or thirty pieces at a time,— the number varying of course with the thickness of the wood,— and leave the edges of the work perfectly smooth, so that a file is seldom required. There are many treadle machines in market, differing in quality as well as price. It would obviously be improper in a work of this kind to advocate any particular machine. There are few that have not some good points about them. Advertisements of various machines will doubtless appear at the end of this book, and to them the reader's attention is directed. In using treadle machines the saw-blades should be inserted with the teeth pointing downward and toward the operator. The wood should be guided by the fingers, while the wrists rest firmly on the edges of the table. Always keep the running parts of the machine clean and well oiled, for, with proper care, one should last a lifetime.



	CHAPTER V.

	MAKING A BRACKET.

	A S a first lesson, the amateur should take a piece of cigar-box wood, or any other thin wood that may be at hand, and mark thereon a series of straight and curved lines. Then lay the wood on the rest, holding it down with the left hand, fasten a No. 1 blade in the frame, and begin sawing, being careful to keep on the line. Work the frame firmly and always in one direction, keeping the blade perpendicular, and turn the wood that the saw may follow the pattern. After the motion of the saw is learned, and the beginner can saw straight or follow a curve, let him mark on his wood several Vs and squares. To saw the V, begin at the upper end and saw down to the point; then back the saw out and saw from the other end down to the point. If the line is carefully followed, this will leave a sharp, clean cut angle at the point. To cut out a square hole, saw down to the angle, then work the blade rapidly up and down to make a place large enough for the saw to turn in, and then turn the wood at right angles and saw along the line to the other corner, when the same operation is to be repeated. When the beginner can make straight lines and curved lines well, and cut out an angle nicely, he will be ready to commence a bracket. Now take a piece of wood, say one-eighth thick, smooth it with 19



	20	SORRENTO AND INLAID WORK.

	sandpaper, and apply the design as before described. The acorn bracket, Plate I, at the end of this book, will serve for an example. Note this precaution,— before tracing a pattern on the wood, always study the design to see which way the grain of the wood should run; in this case it should run up and down, for if it ran across the bracket, the stems of the acorns might easily break. Mark a point on each part to be cut out, and drill holes, smoothing off the under side that the work may turn easily. As it is better to cut out the inside first, pass the blade through one of the holes and saw in the direction shown by the dotted lines. Cut the angles as sharply as possible, to save the labor of afterward finishing them with a file. In commencing at A, it will be best to saw first along the line to D, then back the saw out to A and saw along the other side of the point around to D again, when the piece will drop out. And, again, in sawing around the acorn, begin at X and saw up to C, and around the stem to I, thence along the point to C, when the piece of wood will fall out, and the sawing can then proceed from the end of the pointed piece in the direction of T. In finishing the acorn, it would not do to start afterward at S and saw along toward V, as in that case, after the saw had reached V. there would be left nothing but the slender stern to support the wood, and in sawing toward X the acorn would probably break off. On the contrary, the acorn should be finished by sawing from X toward V. When the main part of the bracket has been cut out, a semicircular piece of wood should be cut out for the shelf. Then lay the bracket upon the wood, and with a sharp pencil trace thereon either the right or left half. * This is then to be sawed out in the same way as the bracket, and is for a support to the shelf. Now take a small half-round file and file all the corners true, and



	MAKING A BRACKET.	21

	straighten all the edges where the saw has wandered from the line. Next, take the sandpaper block (see chapter on " Sandpaper," and with it rub the bracket carefully till all the pencil marks have disappeared. The edges on the under side will be found to be ragged, but the sandpaper will make them smooth. Nothing now remains but to fasten the work together. There are several methods of doing this. Either small brads or screws can be used, or if the design is small, glue alone will answer. Brads are objectionable in all small brackets or thin woods, as the work is liable to break while driving them in. Where the bracket is intended for use and to carry some weight, the shelf and support should be fastened with screws. To do this, mark the points where screws are to go and drill holes in the back of bracket large enough for the screws to pass through easily. Then apply the support and mark points exactly corresponding to the holes in the bracket. A small hole should be made in the support at these points to start the screw. Then put in the screws and fasten the work together. Before making these holes in the bracket the design should be examined to see that the screws will enter the support at a place where the wood is thick enough. In the design before us the points marked Z would be the proper places for the screws. For small brackets, glue alone will be sufficient, and instructions for using glue will be found in the chapter on that subject. In making a large bracket, small brass hinges can be used to advantage in fastening the support and shelf, so that they can be shut up for transportation.



	CHAPTER VI.

	MAKING AN EASEL.