seen butternut used to good advantage for patterns, particularly where the pattern has much hand work with the gouge to be done. It cuts easily and smoothly and is stronger than white pine. Mahogany makes a very nice small pattern, but is unnecessarily expensive for any other patterns.

In selecting lumber for patterns care should be taken to get that which has been properly cut from the log, that is, lumber in which the edge of the grain shows on the side of the board. Otherwise it will be very liable to warp, no matter how much care has been taken to dry it, or to keep it well protected. This will be better understood by referring to the engravings. Fig. 201 shows a cross-section of a board cut from the log in a proper manner. Fig. 202 shows the result of cutting the board from near the surface of the log,

making what is technically known as a "siding." The dotted lines show how it will warp. This is due to the fact that the sap, or outer portion of the log, which is of newer growth, is less dense, and will contract more in the process of seasoning.

It is usual to cut up logs in the manner shown in Fig. 203. The boards taken off near the surface of the log are trimmed with an edging saw and should be sold as sidings, for inferior work, but never used as good pattern lumber, unless in a place where they are held and confined so firmly that they cannot warp or distort the pattern. For use as pattern lumber, or for any really good work, the log should be cut up as shown in Fig. 204, which pre

serves the grain in a proper direction as nearly as possible, but is not as economical as to the value of the lumber, as it makes a number of quite narrow boards. The furniture manufacturers' term of "quartered oak" refers to a log cut up as shown in Fig. 205, which is the most nearly correct so far as getting all the good lumber possible out of the log.

Pattern lumber is nearly always expensive, no matter where it may be purchased, and much more care should be used in cutting it up in the shop than is usually the case. If this matter is properly considered and thoroughly understood, very little need be wasted. It is well to have a series of shelves, placed conveniently to the circular saws, upon which such scraps as are likely to be useful may be arranged according to their size or shape, so as to be convenient to find when small pieces are wanted.

When a board or plank is cut and a considerable portion of it is left it is customary to stand it up against the wall, or in some convenient corner. This is repeated until a quantity accumulates, the lower ends of the pieces projecting further and further out from the wall, occupying more and more of the floor space, continually "kicked and cussed" until the nuisance becomes unbearable and a cleaning-up process usually results in throwing a good many pieces into the scrap pile.

This might easily be avoided by making a rack, consisting of a piece of 3 x 4 inch scantling, in which are fixed hard wood pins one inch in diameter, placed about six inches apart, and projecting about a foot. This scantling is spiked to the wall in a horizontal position, three to four feet from the floor, with the pins projecting outwardly from it. Pieces of lumber four to eight feet long may be conveniently set up on end between the pins, and any piece wanted may be readily removed without disturbing any of the other pieces. The length of this rack will, of course, depend upon the available space that can be spared for it. One near the circular saws, in addition to the scrap shelves described above, will be found very useful.

One of the best methods of working up the accumulation of small scraps is to have an apprentice make them up into core prints and bosses of all the various sizes in common use, keeping the different sizes in suitable boxes or bins built against the wall. This will not only use up the scraps but will save a good deal of the time of the pattern makers, whose time is too valuable to be spent at this common work.

Another point needs attention in most shops, and that is the too frequent disposition to use first-class lumber for such parts of a pattern as cleats, stop-off pieces, core box backs, the inside framing of a boxed-in pattern, etc., when lumber at half the price would be just as good and cost no more to work up. A considerable saving in lumber bills may be made by attention to these matters, and the standard of good work not lowered for any practical purpose.

Fillets and dowel pins can be much cheaper purchased than made in the shop. A good deal of discussion as to the relative merits of wood and leather fillets has been indulged in. The pattern maker's time will no doubt be saved, and good pattern work be the result of using wood fillets for straight work and leather fillets for curves.

The patented brass dowel pins should be put into all patterns that are to be in continuous use, and the malleable iron rapping and lifting plates, let into the pattern, should be used on all patterns large enough to need them. A stock of these convenient and very necessary articles should always be kept on hand and ready for use.

The system of marking and listing patterns is usually arranged in the drafting room, and the lists furnished to the pattern shop for use and guidance. The plan recommended is to designate each machine built, by a letter of the alphabet, or a combination of two of them, and to indicate the individual patterns of each machine by numbers.

Similar parts of machines of the same type take the same numbers. Thus, if the letter of a machine is B, the patterns will be marked B1, B2, B3 and so on. When a change is made in a pattern, a letter X is added, making the pattern B3 read B3X. If changed a second time it will become B3XX. Further changes would be indicated by one X followed by a number to indicate the number of changes that had been made. For instance, if it had been changed the fourth time it would be marked B3X4. If the swing of a lathe is to be increased or a planer to be widened, by a special order, the new patterns made necessary by this change would be marked with both of the letters indicating the machines, as for instance, the letter K, indicating a 30-inch planer to be widened to 36 inches, the letter being L, the new patterns necessary would be marked K-L, the hyphen being used to indicate that two machines are meant.

Where a machine designation necessitates two letters of the alphabet in consequence of the fact that the letters are exhausted by the variety of machines built, the hyphen is omitted. The letters I O X are omitted as designating letters, as the first two so nearly resemble figures, and the letter X is used to indicate alterations of the patterns.

Pattern letters and figures should be formed with two sharp points on the back, which may be forced into the wood of the pattern and thus hold them securely. The addition of a little thick shellac varnish will hold them more firmly.

These letters and figures may be purchased, or they may be cast in the pattern shop, and as a large number of them are used this will be the more economical way to obtain them. A brass mold in two parts, hinged together, may be made, one part having the letters formed in it, and the other with tapering holes for forming the points on the back of the letters. The metal used is lead, to which is added a small quantity of antimony. A still better alloy is composed of lead 70 parts, antimony and bismuth each 15 parts. The mold is heated over a gas flame, while the metal is melted over a Bunsen burner. Care should be taken not to overheat

either of these alloys. They should be just hot enough to burn a pine stick to a rich brown.

These letters and figures should be of the style known as sharp faced gothic, size three-eighths, or half inch, and are used only for indicating the letter of the machine, the number of pattern and the changes that have been made in it. The letters for the name of the firm, or company, which appear in prominent places on the machine, should be also of the sharp faced gothic style and of a size suitable for the available space. They should be purchased and kept in stock in proper boxes or cases.

Usually three or four sizes of pattern letters and figures will be sufficient. These pattern letters having flat, smooth backs are often fastened to the pattern with small wire brads, which hold them very securely, but are likely to show roughly on the casting unless the job is very carefully done.

A much neater and quicker job may be done by first putting a coat of light shellac on the backs of the letters, then a rather thick coat on the pattern and placing the letters on this before it is dry. In either case a line should be drawn on the pattern for the tops of the letters, and they should all be laid on and the position of each marked before fastening them to the pattern.

The reason for using the sharp gothic style of letters in preference to roman or fancy styles is that there is such a large amount of draft to the sides of the letters that they draw very easily from the sand, and also, that for nearly all classes of castings the plainest letters have a much better appearance than the more ornamental or complicated ones.

Pattern letters and figures should be kept in convenient cases or boxes so as to be securely protected and readily found when wanted. The most convenient form of case is that shown in Fig. 206. This case is 20 inches wide and 28 inches long. The strips around the ends and back are fiveeighths inch thick and one and a quarter inches wide; the front is the same thickness and one and three quarter inches wide; the bottom being half an inch thick. The partitions are a quarter of an inch thick, and are “notched together" as in a type case. The letter boxes are 3 x 41 inch, except for the letter X, which is 4 x 6 inch, as many of these are used in marking changes of pattern. The figure boxes are 2 x 3 inch, except that of the figure 6, which also answers for the 9, the box being 3 x 4 inch. Each case is furnished with two drawer pulls, and the front should be plainly marked with the size of the letters and figures contained in it.

The care of wood fillets, so as not to injure the feather edges, is important, and a safe receptacle should be provided for them. In order to have these articles, as well as leather fillets, brass dowels, wood dowels, rapping plates, etc., properly cared for and arranged in an orderly manner where they can be readily found, the case or cabinet shown in Figs. 207 and 208 is designed

to meet these requirements. The lower part of this case is 59 inches wide, 20 inches deep and 26 inches high, and contains six of the cases for pattern letters and figures, as shown in Fig. 206, twelve bins for malleable iron rapping

FIG. 206. Case or Drawer for Pattern Letters and Figures.

plates, and three drawers properly divided for holding brass dowels. The upper part of the case is 8 inches deep and contains at the top six spaces

Cabinet for Pattern Letters, Fillets, Dowels, Rapping Plates, etc.

for wood dowels, and beneath these six spaces for wood and leather fillets, both kinds being placed in the same space. The wood fillets being made in four-foot lengths there is ample space for them. This case should be made