A Few Furniture Ideas

DO NOT make the mistake of building a cabin and then filling it with cast-off furniture from home. So many cabin owners do this, and then wonder why they do not enjoy their vacations, or why guests fail to exhibit enthusiasm about their woodland retreat. The cabin should be furnished in a manner that is entirely in harmony with the vacation spirit. This does not mean that costly furniture must be purchased. On the contrary, the simplest bunks, chairs, tables, cup­boards, and wardrobes will do. In fact simplicity is a necessity: A Louis XIV chair would be as out of place in the average cabin as an elevator.

The most fortunate aspect of furnishing a cabin is that most or all of the furniture can be homemade. Excellence of workmanship is not of vital importance, although it will help. Inexpensive materials can be con­verted into all sorts of useful pieces of equipment by the average craftsman. Much of the furniture can be of the built-in variety, thus conserving valuable space.

There are two general ideas that can be carried out when furnishing a cabin. One is to design and build furniture that is truly rustic, and possesses nothing of a gaudy or showy nature. Such equipment will be pleasing because it harmonizes with the cabin itself. The other viewpoint is based on the theory that a cabin is essentially lacking in color and other gay features, and that the furniture therefore can be used to liven up the scene—without, of course, showing bad taste. A good plan is to compromise by using rustic pioneer-type furniture and giving the drapes and rugs and cushions the task of introducing color relief.

If you do nothing else during the happy days at your cabin, you will sleep and eat. Therefore bunks and

A pine knotty finish gives the interior of this cabin an attractive appearance.

tables and kitchen equipment should be considered from the very beginning. When you plan the cabin, pro­vide ample space for bunks and meal-preparing facili­ties.

A bunk is a semi-civilized bed. If you are wise, you will insist that it be comfortable, and contain such up-to-date features as a good mattress and springs. Medical experts claim that a good night’s sleep is of vital importance to good health. In some cabins, the bunks or beds are made so that they can be folded into or against the wall, to provide more space. However, the value of such an arrangement is doubtful, for there is nothing more convenient than a bed for cat-napping, reading, and otherwise taking it easy during the day. It is difficult to imagine how the space that a bed occupies at night can be used during the day to better advantage than as a general lounging place. So make your bunks solid and permanent.

Bunks can be built-in or separate, movable units. It is largely a matter of personal taste. In either case, it is a good plan to procure the springs first, and then construct the bunk about them. This may not be a scientific way, but for the person who is not familiar with bed construction, it is a satisfactory method. For a built-in bunk, you can construct a simple framework of almost any kind of wood, just so it is strong enough, and make it an integral part of the wall. The frame can be nothing more than a box made of 1-in. lumber, large enough inside to accommodate the springs, and high enough to let you get into or out of it con­veniently. Across the boxlike frame place several wooden strips or slats, on which to lay the springs. See that these are level and well fastened.

For a movable bunk, four corner posts measuring 3 or 4 in. square, and side- and end-pieces cut out of 1-in, lumber will serve. Cross slats support the springs and add rigidity. The side- and end-pieces can be attached to the corner posts in several ways. Mortise and tenon joints produce solid corners.

Double-deck bunks are popular in cabins because they save space. The person who is used to sleeping in an upper berth occupies the top bunk, which he reaches by means of a portable ladder or one permanently attached to the bunk. The double decker can be either built-in or movable.
An ingenious two-deck bunk that can be moved or taken apart and stored can be built by the average craftsman. It requires 4 sturdy corner posts of oak,

This rustic washstand is made of slabs with beech poles for legs.

maple, or other durable wood; 4 side-pieces measuring about 1 by 10 in., and 4 end-pieces measuring about 4 by 4 in., the side- and end-pieces being of the proper length to accommodate the springs that will be used. In addition, several slats measuring about 1 by 4 in. will be required, their lengths being determined by the width of the springs.

The corner posts measure about 4 by 4 by 84 in., and should be straight-grained and sound. Oak is an excellent wood to use. With a sharp hatchet go over the pieces until you have produced a hewn surface on them, and rounded all sharp corners. Do the same with the other parts of the bed, and finally remove splinters and rough spots with sandpaper. This tex­turing can be omitted if desired, but it will add to the appearance of the bunk.

Interlocking mortise and tenon joints, held by wedges, are used at the corners. The construction of such a joint is shown in the sketch. You will notice that the tenon of the crosspiece passes through a hole in the tenon of the sidepiece, and that the crosspiece has a hole in the projecting end of its tenon, through which a hardwood wedge is driven. Although such a joint may look complicated, it is not difficult to form with nothing more than a chisel and mallet. When such joints are used, the bunk is held together firmly, yet can be taken apart in a few minutes simply by knocking out the wedges and pulling the joints apart. The slats rest on strips screwed to the inside surfaces of the crosspieces, near the bottom. Spacers keep the slats in position. Ends of slats are not fastened.

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How To Build A Log Cabin