180 AMATEUR RODMAKING 



If this groove is for the strips of the butt 

 joint of your rod, make another one for the 

 middle joint, and a third for the tip, all start- 

 ing from the same end of your block, and each 

 one properly marked at each 6-inch station. 

 Just beside the groove bore a hole through the 

 butt of the block, and another one at right 

 angles to the first one. The holes should be 

 of a size to fit snugly over a short steel pin to 

 be driven in your work-bench. This will steady 

 the block while you are planing strips. 



Finally, varnish all faces of the block, but 

 not the grooves. This will preserve the pen- 

 cil marks, so that it will not be necessary to 

 renew them frequently, and will also prevent 

 the plane from coming into contact with the 

 hardwood block. After the varnish has dried, 

 clear out the grooves with the gauge, to be sure 

 that no varnish got into them. Any varnish 

 that happens to be at hand will do for the 

 block, and shellac w T ill answer, though it is not 

 very durable for the purpose. 



It is some trouble to make a perfect form 

 for the three joints of a rod, but after you 

 have finished your first block and find it well 

 made, you need not be ashamed to show it 

 to your best friend. But there is only one 

 way to go about the work: When you have 



