Rustic Carpentry :: CHAPTER XII. TOOL HOUSES, GARDEN SHELTERS, ETC. Fig. 137. End

CHAPTER XII. TOOL HOUSES, GARDEN SHELTERS, ETC. Fig. 137. End

CHAPTER XII. TOOL HOUSES, GARDEN SHELTERS, ETC. Fig. 137.--End Elevation of Rustic Tool House. Fig. 137.--End Elevation of Rustic Tool House.

Fig. 138.—Side Elevation of Rustic Tool House. Fig. 138.—Side Elevation of Rustic Tool House.

For the small rustic tool house shown by Figs. 137 and 138 the materials used are what are known as "slabs" or "rough planks." These are cheap, and have, when judiciously handled, a good picturesque effect. These slabs are the outside slices cut from logs of rough timber. These slabs generally retain their bark (except in the case of oak), and in most districts they will commonly be of elm. Their thickness and outlines are necessarily irregular: one end will frequently be narrower than the other; and this will account for the arrangement seen in the walls and door of the tool house. They are to be bought at saw-mills, and often sold at a fire-wood price. Where their cost is not sensibly increased by carriage, no other material comes so cheaply for building rough sheds. The ordinary country way of using them is as in the horizontal section, Fig. 139. This plan, however, is not suitable for the present , purpose. In so small a structure, rough planks on the inner side would take up too much space It is, therefore, proposed to straighten the edges, either by sawing or by chopping with the axe, according to circumstances, and lining their inner sides with thin board. If the cost be not objected to, ½ in. match-boarding will be neatest for this purpose; if economy is an object, the boards of packing-boxes, bought from the grocer, might suffice. There are, it will be seen, three sides only to be lined.

Among a lot of rough planks, it is likely that stuff may be found sufficient for the posts and other scantling. As to the six pilasters, which are added for appearance merely, it is possible that stuff might be found which would, when sawn to width, do for them; in the illustration they are supposed to be fir poles or elm saplings; four sticks only are needed to supply the six halves and four quarters used.

Fig. 139.—Common Method of Using Slabs. Fig. 139.—Common Method of Using Slabs.

At the corners are four main posts, 4 in. square (see a, Fig. 140). These enclose a space of 7 ft. by 5 ft. (outside measurement). They are let into the ground 2 ft., and rise 5 ft. 3 in. above the ground line.

On their tops, and coming flush with their outer edges, rest the wall-plates, which are 3 in. deep; these are needed at the back and sides only, and not at the front. On the same three sides will also be cross-rails, 2 in. to 3 in. thick, the ends of which will be let flush into the posts about a foot from the ground. To the wall-plates and these rails the slabs are nailed. In the side elevation, Fig. 138, the nails driven into the cross-rails appear, but not those driven into the wallplate, a piece of rough stuff being there shown as fixed over the latter to support the eaves of the thatch.

Fig. 140.—Ground Plan of Rustic Tool House. Fig. 140.—Ground Plan of Rustic Tool House.

To the front are to be seen the two door-posts, b, b, Fig. 140, which are 2 ft. 8 in. apart, and should be about 3 in. square. As their tops are nailed to the front pair of rafters, they rise to a height of 6 ft. 6 in. The space between door-post and corner-post is filled up by a single slab nailed to the two—5 ft. 6 in. long by 10 in. broad. Above these, instead of a wall-plate, comes the piece of strong slab, shown in Fig. 137 as having an opening cut in it for the head of the door. This is nailed against the door-posts, rafters, etc.

The pilasters are only a matter of ornament. As drawn, they are of halved stuff; the corner ones are so placed that their middles come opposite to the corners of the posts, on the other faces of which pieces of quartered stuff are nailed to meet them. The simple arrangement of the caps of these pilasters, with their decorations of fir cones, is shown on a larger scale in Fig. 141. The horizontal piece beneath the eaves, nailed over the slabs, has the effect of resting on the caps. Beneath the thatch at front and back corresponding pieces are fixed, those at the front being ornamented with fir cones nailed upon them.

The roof is shown in the elevations as thatched. No other covering will look so well, or be so thoroughly in keeping with other parts. The non-professional builder finds it easy to prepare for thatch, any rough stuff serving as rafters and laths, and inequalities being of no account. The rafters for thatch should be arranged about 1 ft., the laths about 6 in. apart.

Should there, however, be reasons for not employing thatch, the building may be more quickly and easily, if not more cheaply, roofed with galvanised iron; only the gables will then best be made sharp instead of blunt, as at present.

Regarding the door, its outer slabs, which appear in Fig. 137, are simply nailed to three ledgers of the same. Being of such rough materials, it will open better if hung on hooks and thimbles than on butt hinges.

The dotted line at c, Fig. 140, marks the projection of a set of shelves, about five in number, which fill the whole of the left-hand side. Of these, the lower will be for flower-pots, the upper for lines, setting-pins, trowels, etc. At d is shown a strip of wood fixed across the floor to hold the wheel of the barrow from running back when that useful vehicle is tilted up against the end wall, which will be the place assigned for it. In the gable and upper part of this end will be hooks or pegs on which to hang the riddle, watering-cans, and such matters. At e is an upright let into the ground, which, at the height of 2 ft., supports rails running to side and back; these form a kind of stand for spades, forks, and tools of that description. Above, against the wall-plate, may be more hooks or pegs.

It is suggested that at f a seat might be fixed to fold down like the leaf of a table when not wanted. As this building would form a snug shelter in a shower, such a seat would be a convenience; but the more important use of this space is that slightly below the level of the eaves it will be fitted with a rack for hoes, rakes, and similar implements. Such a rack is best made by boring ½ in. holes in a strip of wood at intervals of 3 in., and driving pegs into them 5 in. or 6 in. long. This has to be nailed so that the pegs will slope upwards, at an angle of about 45°. Rakes, etc., hung in a rack so made cannot fall.

Figs. 137 and 138 are ¹/₃ in. to the foot; Fig. 140 is ½ in. to the foot; but Figs. 139 and 141 are not drawn to scale.

Fig. 142.—Garden Snuggery. Fig. 142.—Garden Snuggery.

The garden snuggery, of which a general view is shown at Fig. 142, and a ground plan at Fig. 143, is built chiefly of wood, and measures 10 ft. by 7 ft. 8 in. inside, not including the porch, which is 3 ft. wide; it may serve as a summer-house. A building as small as this needs but little foundation. If the ground is level, it is only necessary to lay four large flat stones on the surface, A A (Fig. 144), to carry the timbers, the floor being thus raised enough to keep it dry.

Fig. 143.—Plan of Ground Framework of Garden Snuggery. Fig. 143.—Plan of Ground Framework of Garden Snuggery.

Fig. 144.—Back Framework for Garden Snuggery. Fig. 144.—Back Framework for Garden Snuggery.

The two side sills B (Fig. 143) are each 10 ft. 8 in. long, 6 in. wide, and 4 in. thick, and rest on the stones; on them lie the end sills C C, which are 8 ft. 2 in. long. These sills are halved together at the ends, and a hole is bored through them where the middle of the collar-post will rest. This hole should be bored a couple of inches into the stone, and an iron pin or dowel 8 in. long driven in; the pin will thus stand a couple of inches above the face of the sill, and will fit into a hole in the collar post.

Fig. 145.—Front Elevation of Snuggery Porch. Fig. 145.—Front Elevation of Snuggery Porch.

The joists D (Fig. 143) for supporting the floor are five in number, each being 8 ft. long, 2½ in. wide, and 3 in. deep. They are halved for a distance of 2 in. at each end to fit into slots, 1½ in. deep, made for them in the sills, and are nailed in place. When fixed their upper surfaces are level with the sills.

The four collar-posts E (Figs. 143 and 144) are each 6 ft. 9 in. long and 4 in. square, and, when set up, their outer sides come flush with the sills. The uprights F (Figs. 143 and 144) are 3 in. square, and need to be 2 in. longer than the collar-posts, as their lower ends are halved for this distance to fit slots in the outer sides of the sills. There are four of such uprights at each side, three at the back and two at the front, the latter serving also as door cheeks. They are nailed in place with their outer sides flush with those of the collar-posts and sills.

Fig. 146.—Side Elevation of Window-board. Fig. 146.—Side Elevation of Window-board.

For the rustic pillars of the portico G (Fig. 145) nothing will be more suitable than larch poles about 4½ in. in diameter at the base; failing larch, fairly straight pieces of any rough, round wood could be used. The pillars are shown in Figs. 142 and 145 standing upon and dowelled to pieces of stone. When in position, their tops will be level with the collar-posts and uprights, their centres being 2 ft. 4 in. in advance of the front sill.

On the collar-posts, uprights, and pillars are placed the wall plates H (Fig. 144), of which there are four belonging to the snuggery proper, each 5 in. wide and 3 in. thick. The side plates are 13 ft. 4 in. long, and are halved where they rest on the collar-posts and pillars, to receive the ends of the cross-plates, which are 8 ft. 2 in. long and halved to a distance of 5 in. from their ends. The wall-plates come flush with the collar-posts and uprights on which they rest, and to which they are nailed. There is also a fifth wall-plate which lies along the tops of the pillars in the front. The best material to use for this would be half of a pole like those used for the pillars, the flat side resting on the pillar tops. It will be observed that the front ends of the side wall-plates project about 4 in. beyond this piece.

Ten rafters, K (Fig. 144), will be required for the roof, each 5 ft. long and 3 in. square. The two outer pairs come flush with the outer sides of the sills and wall-plates. A sixth pair of rafters to stand over the pillars and their wall-plates are made from a round pole cut in half, with the sawn side laid uppermost. The tops of the rafters butt against a ridge-piece L (Fig. 144), made of 1-in. board 4 in. deep and 13 ft. 4 in. long. As shown in Fig. 144, continuations of the uprights are in the back carried from the wall-plate to the roof, the front being treated in a similar manner.

The lintel of the doorway is 6 ft. above the sill, the door opening being 5 ft. 11¼ in. by 2 ft. 6 in. after the floor has been laid. The window shown in Fig. 142 is 3 ft. above the sill, and is 3 ft. high; including the two mullions, it is 5 ft. 10 in. wide. The board shown nailed in front of the window sill is sloped a little downwards to throw off the rain, whilst above there is a board 9 in. wide, nailed at a steeper slope upon brackets, as seen in Fig. 146, to shelter the window. The ¾ in. flooring boards which are used for the floor should be bought ready planed on one side, and must be well seasoned, and cramped tightly together in laying, or there will be chinks between them. Similar boards may be used for the outside of the snuggery, being nailed to the uprights at the back and sides, as shown in Fig. 147. At the sides this weather-boarding will extend as far forward as the rustic pillars, thus enclosing the sides of the porch. For the inside of the snuggery use ½ in. matchboarding, as shown in Fig. 147. This may be carried up beneath the rafters to the ridge-piece. The porch may be also matchboarded throughout if desired, although this is not essential.

Fig. 147. Fig. 147.	Fig. 148. Fig. 148.
Figs. 147 and 148.—Sections of Snuggery Walls.

There are several methods of making the wooden walls non-conductors of heat, the most thorough being to pack the space between the inner and outer casings with sawdust. Shavings or similar materials could also be used, but less effectually. Another plan is to tack felt over the inner side of the weather-boarding before nailing up the interior casing. But even without any packing, two thicknesses of board with an air space between make a reasonably good non-conductor. Felt is fastened over the matchboard lining of the roof before the iron is put on.

Fig. 149.—Front View of Garden Retreat. Fig. 149.—Front View of Garden Retreat.

To reduce the cost, the snuggery can be cased with wood obtained from packing cases. Boards thus obtained will, of course, be in short lengths, and will involve more labour; but the design is so arranged that it will be quite practicable to carry it out with them.

Fig. 150.—Plan of Garden Retreat. Fig. 150.—Plan of Garden Retreat.

The short lengths can be made to fit between the uprights instead of lying upon them, and the house will thus look as shown in Fig. 142, the section of the wall being as shown in Fig. 148, instead of as in Fig. 147. A strip of lath—that sold for tiling—1 in. wide and ⁵/8 in. thick, is nailed to the sides of the uprights, as shown, and to this the weather-boarding and internal casing are fastened; the effect being that the walls both inside and out appear to be divided into long panels. The effect may be heightened by painting the framework a darker colour than the boarding. In boarding the roof with this material, the easiest plan will be to nail the pieces on the upper sides of the rafters, to cover them with felt, and upon that to screw the iron. The space between the two casings of the walls, although much narrower than before, can be packed with sawdust, etc.

On reference to Fig. 145 it will be seen that the caps to the rustic pillars of the porch are formed by nailing round each pillar four short pieces of rough wood quartered, the two sawn sides being placed upwards and inwards. Four rough sticks crossing each other fill the space between wall-plate and the rafters. The bargeboards M M are sawn from ¾-in. board, 9 in. wide, and are nailed to the ends of the side wall-plates and ridge-piece. They thus project some inches beyond the line of the pillars. They are shown ornamented with fir cones bradded on them; virgin cork might be used instead. The porch may also have its interior decorated with virgin cork or with rustic mosaic work. At each side of the doorway there is a seat 16 in. high and 14 in. wide. The door is made by merely nailing the boards to four cross-ledgers.

The window lights in Fig. 142 are shown filled with fancy lead work, which is the most suitable way of treating them for a building of this kind. A strip of lath is nailed around the window opening, as in Fig. 148, and the leaded light fastened in the rebate thus formed with small wire nails, a little putty being used to make the joints waterproof. It will, of course, be much cheaper to glaze each light with a single sheet of glass puttied in the rebate, but the effect will not be so good. For the roof, fourteen 6-ft. sheets of corrugated galvanised iron and a 14-ft. run of ridge capping will be needed.

Fig. 151.—Side Elevation of Garden Retreat. Fig. 151.—Side Elevation of Garden Retreat.

The iron should be screwed, not nailed, to the rafters, and should not cost more than 40s., including 1½ gross of galvanised screws and washers. The dotted lines at N N (Fig. 143) indicate the area covered. Its low cost, the ease with which it is fixed, and the few timbers required to carry it, make an iron roof very suitable for a building erected by an amateur workman. It, however, has drawbacks, the chief of which are that it conducts heat too freely, and has not a very artistic appearance. Some precautions against the first defect have already been suggested, and if the snuggery is erected where it will be shaded by trees during the hotter part of the day, this disadvantage will be somewhat overcome. Its inartistic appearance is greatly due to its colour, and some improvement may be made by painting. If surrounded by trees, an iron roof looks very well when painted a reddish-brown colour, while in other situations a buff, or a dull sage green, might be suitable. The paint needs renewing often. Another method is to cover the roof with trellis work raised a few inches above the iron, and upon this to train ivy or other climbing plants.

Fig. 152.—Detail of Seat of Garden Retreat. Fig. 152.—Detail of Seat of Garden Retreat.

It will be better to paint the inside of the snuggery than to paper it, as paper would crack on the boards. Should the second and cheaper plan of boarding be adopted, the rafters, which are left exposed, might be coloured dark brown, and the intermediate spaces of the ceiling painted a buff colour, whilst on the walls a dark sage green might be used for the framework and a lighter sage green for the panels. If the whole interior is lined with matchboarding, according to the first method, the simplest and perhaps best finish would be to use a varnish that had raw or burnt umber ground into it. No fireplace has been provided, but in ordinary winter weather an oil stove would suffice to warm so small a room; if more warmth is wanted, a coal stove might easily be provided, a hole for its pipe being cut through the roof. In either case a ventilator, which can be opened or closed at pleasure, should be arranged near the ridge at each end of the building.

Fig. 153.—Joint of Garden Retreat at C (Fig. 151). Fig. 153.—Joint of Garden Retreat at C (Fig. 151).

The garden retreat shown in front view by Fig. 149, and in plan and side elevation by Figs. 150 and 151, is constructed from straight unbarked fir saplings, the small twigs of which should be carefully trimmed off. As the bark is to be left on, it should not be cut or bruised; then no artificial finish will be necessary, the bark in itself being sufficient protection against climatic conditions, and presenting the desired rustic appearance. A new feature in the design is the introduction of a roof or canopy, which may be covered with a sun blind as shown in Fig. 151; or a creeping plant may be trained over it.

The two front posts are 3 in. in diameter at the base by 6 ft. high, and the back posts 3 in. in diameter by 5 ft. 6 in. high; the middle back post is 3 ft. 2 in. high, and the front leg 1 ft. 4 in. The seat rails are 2½ in. in diameter. The front rail is 6 ft. long; the back is in two parts, dowelled to the middle post, which comes between. The side rails are 1 ft. 9 in. long; it is advisable to allow a fair margin for hollowing the ends to fit the posts—3 in. on the length would probably be sufficient. After the ends of the rails have been shaped roughly to fit the posts, they are bored for the reception of 1¹/8-in. oak or elm dowels; these are driven into the rails, and should also be a good fit in the posts. The dowel joint is shown in the top corner of Fig. 152.

Fig. 154.—Detail of Front Joints (See C. Fig. 151). Fig. 154.—Detail of Front Joints (See C. Fig. 151).

Fig. 155.—Alternative Method of Joining Rails to Posts. Fig. 155.—Alternative Method of Joining Rails to Posts.

The lower rungs, arm-rests, and back rails are jointed to the posts by tapering their ends slightly, and then tapering the dowel holes to suit with a gouge, so that the rails will just drive up nicely; this joint is shown in the bottom corner of Fig. 1522. The rails, etc., are finally driven home, and secured with nails or screws inserted at suitable angles. The back and the side panels are filled with twigs about 1¼ in. in diameter, the ends of the twigs being trimmed to fit the rails, and afterwards nailed in position.

The seat battens are half-round in section, and are cut from 3-in. saplings, the flat part being placed downwards. The method of fixing them is shown in Figs. 152, 156, and 157. The seat having been fitted, the struts under the seat rails are next cut and fixed in position.

Fig. 157.—Detail of Middle Rail at B (Fig. 152). Fig. 157.—Detail of Middle Rail at B (Fig. 152).

Fig. 156.—Section of Middle Rail at A (Fig. 152). Fig. 156.—Section of Middle Rail at A (Fig. 152).

The canopy must now be put together. The tops of the posts are first hollowed to form a seating for 2¼-in. saplings, 4 ft. 6 in. long; these act as principal rafters. Before nailing or screwing them to the posts, it is advisable to sight across them to see if they are in the same plane; any alteration that may be required to bring them to lie in the same angle can be effected at the seating on the top of the posts. The halved joint at each end of the principals should also be cut (before fixing up) for receiving the purlins; the principals are further steadied with struts, screwed or nailed to the posts. The purlins are about 2 in. in diameter by 8 ft. 6 in. long, and are fixed to the halved joint previously made on the principal rafters. Smaller twigs, which act as common rafters, are in turn fixed to the purlins. Fig. 153 shows the method of jointing at the back of the canopy at C (Fig. 151), and Fig. 154 is the detail of the front joints. Fig. 129 (p. 94) is the top of the post hollowed to receive the principal rafter, Fig. 155 is an alternative method of joining the rails to the posts, Fig. 156 is a section near the middle rail at A (Fig. 152), while Fig. 157 is a detail of middle rail at B (Fig. 152).

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