The lady's stationery chest will be a simple article to make; it is unusual in design and I feel certain you will find it very desirable to possess. Getting away from the common box type for storing writing paper, I am presenting a miniature old fashioned chest of drawers for holding your choice stationery.

Old discarded cigar boxes or any soft wood of about three-sixteenths inch thickness will do very well, especially the 3 ply laminated basswood, more commonly known as plywood. No doubt your local lumber dealer carries this in stock, or you can purchase it by mail from supply houses.

Method Of Procedure

Step No. 1: Determine the size of the drawers from the paper you intend keeping in this little chest. The top drawer you will want to use for the envelopes, so it should have a center division strip.

Step No. 2: Lay off the sizes of all pieces and cut them with a fine toothed saw.

Step No. 3: Glue and nail the sides to the division pieces and then fasten the back and top in place. Any prepared glue will do for this work. The base pieces should be shaped by cutting with a sharp knife, then glued and nailed to the cabinet part.

Step No. 4: Make the drawers out of cardboard glued to a wood front and fastened together at all corners.

Step No. 5: Finish in natural wood or stain in a bright color of paint or lacquer. A very attractive way to finish this model is to paste a small figured wallpaper to all outside surfaces; then when dry, apply a thin coat of white shellac, so as to protect the paper from hard wear and to give it a sort of antique effect. Before pasting the paper to the wood, apply a thin coat of white shellac to all parts. Thin the shellac with alcohol.

Step No. 6: Fasten drawer knobs or drawer pulls in place. A small piece of dowel (round wood strip) rounded at the top and glued in place will do for the knob. If you prefer, you can fasten a small brass ring in place, by putting a small hole through the drawer front and running a hair pin through the ring and holes of the front piece; then a few twists on the wire will do the job of forming a drawer pull.