Home made ploughs are serviceable tools, and can be constructed from simple material, such as a chisel, some pieces of wood, and a few screws. Knock off the handle from an ordinary ½-in. chisel having a "shoulder" near the haft, and replace it with a cork; cut to the shape of Fig. 16 a piece of thin wood (say ¼ in. thick) 2 ½ in. in breadth, its length depending on the length of the chisel. Place the chisel on the wood so that the cutting end over­hangs about 1 5/8 in.; at the other end mark where the shoulder of the chisel touches the wood, and cut across just above the mark so that the shoulder falls over the edge and allows the chisel to lie flat on the wood. Out another piece of wood thicker than the last (of full ½ in. stuff) to the shape of Fig. 17. This will be, say, 2 ½ in. in breadth, 1 ¼ in. along its parallel sides, and 2 ½ in. in extreme length. Cut a groove down the middle as wide as the widest part of the chisel and as deep generally as the chisel is thick, but a little deeper than this towards the end B. Put the second piece of wood, groove down­wards, on the first one so that the square end B of Fig. 17 rests upon the portion marked A of Fig. 16, allowing the pointed end to overhang. Screw the two pieces together from underneath, taking care to countersink the screw-heads. In the tunnel thus formed insert the chisel with its beveled edge upwards, as it must always be when in use, and see that it has a rather loose fit. If it is all right, the cutting edge will project about 3/8 in. at one end and the shoulder will just fall over the edge at the other end. In a piece of wood c (Fig. 18),

measuring, say, 2 in. by ½ in. by ½ in., make a groove of the same width as before, but a trifle deeper than the groove is at B (Fig. 17). Screw this last piece to the foundation A (Fig. 18) so that the groove en­closes the chisel just below the shoulder when the chisel is lying in the position above described. Insert a little wedge above the chisel beneath G (Fig. 19) so that the blade is prevented from moving up and down; also put in wedges at D and E, and one above the chisel at F (see Fig. 20).

The whole will then be perfectly rigid, and the chisel will be firmly fixed in position, though, by taking out the wedges, it can be withdrawn readily for the purpose of sharpening it. Being thus easily removable, it is as useful as ever for other purposes than cutting book edges.

Lying Press and Plough