HE art of inlaying in veneers is one very little known to amateurs. Many, doubtless, have seen beautiful inlaid tables and work-boxes, and vaguely wondered

how they were made, putting the very idea of being themselves able to make them, aside, as absurdly impossible. In this article I hope to unravel the deep mystery of the work, and turn it into mere cutting and planing; and show you how to turn out tables as beautiful, if not more so, than many who read this article have ever seen.

I must begin by asking everybody, once for all, to drive out of their heads the idea that the work is difficult.

The tables

which I in

tend to

describe I

made when I was fifteen, and there were many in

our shops

by

FIG. 5.-AMERICAN PLANE

made boys of twelve and thirteen, and many who couldn't plane up a common board, were able to turn out most beautiful work in veneers. So I hope, reassured by this assertion, which is strictly true, no one will funk the work. It is essentially work for amateurs, and those who cannot do the carpenter's work for themselves, can easily get it done for them. In writing, I shall always suppose that the carpenter's work can re done, as it would be absurd to think that we could inlay, or rather onlay, without something to work upon. The work I am going to treat of is totally different from what is called "marquetry," or inlaying scroll designs: that we may leave more or less to the trade-you will get no pleasure, and a very small profit, out of it. The style is clearly illustrated by the accompanying designs

for a tea-table and a chessboard, Figs. 1 and 2. The drawings to scale which are given in Figs. I and 2, are exact representations of the pattern, and are drawn to an accurate scale of three inches to a foot, so that every line represented is quarter full size; and the easiest way for a beginner to increase each line, is to take the distance on the drawing in his compass, and to step it four times along any straight line, and then take up the whole distance. Half of each drawing has been tinted in lines to give the general effect, and to aid in distinguishing the pattern from the construction. I do not for a moment pretend to say that the tints represent the woods that will be

WITH ADJUSTABLE IRON.

in their places; nothing but the general effect

is

aimed at.

The small

pattern in Fig. 3 is drawn on

the same scale, and

is given as tables are

a suggestion for practice, before the tried; the design is similar to the one in the teatable; but there is a difference, as I shall point out directly, and the reason for the difference. I strongly recommend you to practise on the little one, and not spoil the big ones by not having got into the way of the work. I must leave my remarks on the "stringing," patterns of which are given in Fig. 4, for my next paper.

The first thing necessary to be done is to provide yourself with the requisite tools, most of which all carpenters have already. The prices given below are for tools of the best quality, which I have picked myself from Messrs. Booth Bros.', Dublin, catalogue and stock, and anyone who can afford to buy the set, as given here, will have tools that will do good work,

A