PLANING THE STRIPS 



75 



Correct, as needed, by additional planing and test- 

 ing, until the bevels and the groove they form are 

 fairly accurate; then, to make the groove absolutely 

 correct, use your tempered center-gauge as a scraper, 

 holding the tool vertically as you draw the point 

 lengthwise of the strips, which are paralleled but 

 kept slightly separated. Now nail the beveled strips 

 together and your mold is ready for use. 



It will be found an added convenience if you make 

 a double mold, by utilizing opposite surfaces of the 

 same strips, one groove running from about %-inch 

 deep at the large end to %e at the 

 small end, and the other being 

 slightly shallower. The grain of 

 the wood had better run vertically, 

 as sketched. 



Thus far the only planing of our 

 bamboo-strips consisted in cutting 

 off the pith from the inner, con- 

 cave side to a flat surface and the mere smoothing 

 of the split edges; and this preferably is done as ad- 

 vised, that is previous to heating and straightening 

 them. The first process in actual reduction to the 

 triangular form wanted and one that facilitates 

 matters when we come to make use 

 of the V-groove is to lay the 

 strips on their sides and plane away 



Beveling one side of i v r 



strip freehand some more from their split races. 

 As you do this, tilt the plane sideways, but only a 



Wood mold with two 

 grooves 



