slots will result for fingertip selection of counters or chips. The edges of these slots are filed and sanded round, as are the outer edges °f the disks, after they are glued together. [04 . A in. plywood disk with a 7in. diameter is glued to the bottom in order to raise it slightly. Felt is cemented to the disk to prevent the table tops from being marred. A round drawer knob can be screwed into the center of the top if a ringtype, rigid brass handle is not available. chairs Successful chair construction is a minor engineering feat. Not only must the finished product present an attractive appearance, but it must also be sturdy and, above all, comfortable. In the process of standardization, chair construction has progressed a long way from the Gothic seats of England and the Brewster chairs of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, whose uncompromising rigidity served to mortify the flesh of their longsuffering users. Whether the comfortable slant which has been progressively built into chair backs stems etymologically from the easeloving villain of Hogarth's "Rake's Progress" is open to conjecture. Suffice to say that comfort has become a primary concern in modern chair design. Construction Features. Because chairs are subjected to more and varied stresses and strains than any other article of furniture, it is well for the amateur cabinetmaker to study the accepted meth Top Slat Banister Back. Post Arm Arm Stump ods of constructing and bracing them. The nomenclature of the various parts of an average armchair are indicated in Figure 2.45. The alternative methods of chair jointing are shown in Figure 2.46. For the sake of clarity the figure illustrates dowel joints; the stronger mortise and tenon joints are shown at the sides. Resting on the front, side, and back rails proper are the seat rails (h) and (h'), rabbeted to receive a detachable seat pad. Good chair construction makes use of fitted corner blocks, glued and screwed into place as shown in the detail of Figure 2.47. Comfortable Measurements. The comfortable chair gives support to the sitter's body at all essential parts of the seat and back, which are sloped to prevent sliding. Because men and women vary in their physical proportions it has been necessary for cabinetmakers to agree upon a set of measurements that will fit a mythical Average Person 5 ft. 8 in. tall. A diningroom chair, for example, will be comfortable if the height of the seat from the floor is equal to the height of the human leg from knee to heel, permitting Pad Seat Frame Side Rail Front Rail BacKStretcher front Leg Side Stretcher Cross Stretcher Fig. 2.45. Nomenclature of a chair. INDOOR FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION 3 Fig. 2.46. This diagram shows alternate methods of chairjoint construction. The central illustration shows a chair in which dowel joints, reinforced with glue, have been used throughout.