How To Make Cabin Furniture

Simple stools are useful, and can be made by anyone who has a saw, hatchet, and auger. One form of stool consists of a slice about 4 in. thick cut from a 10- to 14-in. log. The flat surface forming the stool top is sanded smooth. In the other surface 3 holes are bored to receive the 3 legs that are cut from poles about 1 ½ in. in diameter. The legs can be anchored in the holes with glue, nails or ½ -in. wood dowels driven through holes in the sides. Almost any kind of wood can be used. Beech tree limb sections, with the bark left on, make attractive legs. The stool top should be shellacked or varnished to make it smoother, unless it is finished with a padded cushion of leather, sheep­skin, or fabric tacked in place. A simple back can be added to make a chair.

You can build your own furniture from rough stock, as shown, and keep it in harmony with the rest of the cabin.

Long, rustic benches will prove popular before the fireplace, at the dining table, on the porch, and in fact almost everywhere else in and about a cabin. Simple benches are constructed like the stool just described, with the exception that the top is a long, wide slab or hewn board. The legs extend all the way through the top, their ends being made flush with the surface. In a similar way, rustic tables can be constructed of slabs or timbers and pole legs. It may be desirable to brace the legs with crosspieces.

Housekeeping in the cabin will be simplified if plenty of cupboards are provided. Everyone knows how to make a simple cupboard. The doors can be constructed in a variety of ways. Knotty pine or cedar lend themselves to the making of attractive doors. Another excellent material is knotty-pine plywood. With it, one-piece cupboard fronts can be made. First cut a piece of plywood to cover the entire cupboard, including the doors and frame or frames about them. Then, with a slender scroll saw, carefully cut out the doors. Hinge them to the surrounding frame, and you have a complete and attractive cupboard front. The plywood is rigid enough not to require auxiliary fram­ing or bracing.

By combining the kitchen table with the cupboard in which dishes and other dining necessities are kept, considerable saving of space is effected. The cupboard itself is conventional, but its door is hinged at the bot­tom so that, when it is swung downward, it becomes a table. A hinged leg unfolds to support the outer end. This leg can be made non-collapsing by a hinged brace having a hole in the free end through which a pin can be inserted to engage a. similar hole in the side of the leg. The leg should be of such length, and the cup­board mounted with its bottom at such height that the distance from floor to table top will be about 30 in.

Another cabin convenience that might be classed as a necessity is a wardrobe. This is essentially a compact clothes closet built of 3/8 in. plywood, ¾ - or 1-in. knotty pine or other lumber, and placed near the
bunks. It is preferable to a built-in closet because it is cheaper and requires less space. The wardrobe is gen­erally divided into upper and lower parts, closed by separate doors. In the lower part, suits and dresses are suspended on hangers. The shorter upper compartment is for hats and similar articles. A drawer or two for

This table, tipped to show its construction, is made of logs that have been hewn flat.

linen is desirable. A depth of 24 in. is sufficient for a wardrobe. Women users of the cabin will appreciate a simple dressing table, with drawers and mirror, built either as part of the wardrobe or placed near it.

You can make a rugged lawn table from logs and slabs. Short sections of small logs or poles are arranged to form X-shaped supports. Across these are horizontal pieces to support the seats. Braces run from the ends of these horizontal pieces to the lower ends of the crossed legs. The top and seats are constructed of logs or slabs hewn flat on top.

There is no end to the things that an ingenious craftsman can find to build for a vacation cabin, once the cabin itself is completed. Chairs, small tables, smoking stands, swings are among the things you may build. Then there are such luxuries as an ice box (when ice is available for it).

However, you may lack the time or inclination to construct your own furniture. You can, then, purchase inexpensive garden and beach furniture almost as cheaply as you could make similar equipment, A few folding deck chairs, a picnic table made of hickory with the bark left on—and much of your furnishing problem is solved, at a cost of less than $10. If the cabin is to be closed for parts of the year, it is not a good idea to fill it with costly equipment, for in­truders are always to be expected.

Continue to Modern Conveniences

How To Build A Log Cabin