_Material_--Basswood: two pieces, 3×3×1/4 inches. One piece of heavy felt 3×3×1/4 inches. Glue. Water-color paints. Stain.
Find the center of each square of wood by drawing the diagonals. With the compass at the radius of one and one-half inches, describe a circle on each piece of wood (on one side only). Remove spaces A, B, C, and D with the knife, and you have a circular block. Remember to cut with the grain. Bevel the edges. Make an original design and apply it to your wood. With the knife groove the outline of this design. There should be a space three-eighths of an inch wide between the edge of the wood and the outer edge of the design. When the design is grooved in, color it. Red, green and yellow are the best colors. Their identity is not lost in staining. Lastly, stain and polish the face of the blocks. Cut the felt the size of the blocks, cover the back of each block with glue, place the felt between the two, and keep the whole in press for several hours. The model here suggests two designs. These are given simply as illustrations. Use the same design for both backs of the cushion.
[Illustration: THERMOMETER BACK--(For description see page 61.)]
_Material_--Basswood, sweet gum, walnut or oak. One piece, 8×6×1/4 inches, for frame; one piece, 5-1/4×4×1/4 inches, for back; one piece, 4-1/2×3×1/4 inches, for supports; two pieces, 3-1/4×3/8×1/4 inches, and one piece, 5-1/4×3/8×1/4 inches for cleats. Glue. Half-inch brads.
Should basswood be used it must be stained. Sweet gum, walnut, or oak may be left in its natural state, and oiled to bring out the grain and finish.
On the 8×6×1/4-inch board mark off with a pencil a center space 2-3/4×3-3/4 inches in size. With a gimlet bore holes at points A, B, C, and D. Connect these holes with a pencil line as a guide for cutting. Along the line make a groove which may be broadened and deepened until the board is cut through. By working around the square in this way, the center will soon be opened. Trim the wood as smoothly as possible with a knife; then use sandpaper to level and finish off. Bevel the edge of the opening if you wish.
Cut in half the 4-1/2×3×1/4-inch piece of wood, and make two supports, as in Figure 2. With a pencil draw the shape of these supports on the wood; in whittling work very carefully, as they are small and will easily split. As far as possible, hold the pieces so that the knife will shave with the grain of the wood. In crosscut work from the opposite side. In straight cut, keep notches at opposite ends, so that if the knife should slip and the wood split no serious damage will be done.