FILLING OF CAVITIES 105 



In clearing away the dead wood, the main re- 

 liance is placed upon carpenters' gouges of the 

 larger sizes, inch-and-a-half being perhaps the 

 most useful size, while the two-inch size makes fast 

 work if the wood is soft. Smaller sizes also have 

 their special uses. It is hardly necessary to say that 

 the gouges are outside-ground and socket-handled. 

 This last feature is important on account of the 

 frequency with which the handles break and have 

 to be replaced. The best handles are made of 

 sound ash or hickory, and are fairly large, with 

 an iron ring around the butt. For work in large 

 cavities long handles have to be fitted to the 

 gouges. Old wagon spokes are the best stuff to 

 use for this purpose. They can usually be got for 

 nothing at any blacksmith's. The butts will have 

 to be strengthened with an iron ring or the spokes 

 will soon split. If these rings cannot be bought 

 at the local hardware or department store sub- 

 stitutes can be made by sawing a gas-pipe into inch 

 lengths. 



Mallets, the invariable companions of the 

 gouges, also come in several sizes and styles. 

 Those, of lignum vita usually last longest, but 

 the. wear and tear on them is very great, and a 

 mallet which has a crack in it will not last long. 

 Tastes differ as to weight of head and length of 

 handle, but fast work cannot- be done with a light 

 mallet. The writer prefers the size known as 



