y. This will fill up the pores
in the end grain of the wood which will make a strong joint when
finally glued together. The dowel pins are made 3/8 in. square with a
slight taper at the ends. These can be easily forced into the holes,
when the ends of the side rails are coated with glue and ready to be put
together, by clamps pressing on the outside of the posts.

The bottom is held in position with narrow strips tacked on the lower
edge of the side rails. Square up the top pieces to 8 by 16 in. and
fasten one piece to the top with cleats and screws as shown in the
drawing. The other piece is hinged to the first one with two 2-in.
hinges.

The shoe rest can be made from a block of wood and covered with sheet
tin, copper or brass, or a cast-iron rest can be purchased. The rest is
fastened to the under side of the hinged top. Stain the wood any dark
color and apply a very thin coat of shellac. Put on wax and you will
have a finish that can be renewed at any time by wiping with a little
turpentine and rewaxing.

HOW TO MAKE A ROLL TOP DESK

[Illustration: The Desk Complete]

The materials for this roll top desk can be purchased from a mill
dressed and sandpapered so the hardest part of the work will be
finished. The wood must be selected to suit the builder and to match
other articles of furniture. The following list of materials will be
required:

68 lineal ft. of 1 by 3 in. hardwood.
65 lineal ft. of 1 by 2 in. hardwood.
3 lineal ft. of 1/4 by 24 in. hardwood.
45 lineal ft. of 1/4 by 10-1/2 in. hardwood.
36 lineal ft. of 1 by 12 in. hardwood.
35 lineal ft. of 3/8 by 9 in. soft wood.
100 sq. ft. of 1/2 by 12 in. soft wood.
1 piece 34 in. wide and 54 in. long hardwood.
30 pieces 1 by 1 in. 48 in. long.

[Illustration]

The upper and lower back panels are constructed very similar, the only
difference being in the height. The inside edge of the 3-in. pieces is
plowed with a 1/4-in. plow 3/8 in. deep exactly in the center and also
both edges of each 2-in. piece. The 16-in. pieces in the upper back
panel and the 24-in. pieces in the lower back panel must be cut 1/2 in.
longer and a 1/4-in. tongue made on each end to fit into the plowed
groove and form a mortise joint.

The upper back panel is filled in with four boards 9-1/2 in. wide and
16-1/2 in. long, while the four boards in the lower back panel are 9-1/2
in. wide and 24-1/2 in. long cut from the 1/4-in. hard wood. When th