426 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
November, 1909 
Concrete Ornaments for the Garden and How to Make Them 
III—A CONCRETE PEDESTAL 
By Ralph C. Davison 
UN-DIALS, statuettes and vases mounted 
on ornamental pedestals add greatly to the 
picturesqueness of the modern garden. 
These pedestals are made in numerous de- 
signs and of various ma- 
terials, such as_ stone, 
marble and_ concrete. 
The accompanying half-tone illustration, 
Fig. 1, shows a pedestal made of white 
Portland cement. It is of simple design, 
and one which lends itself nicely to the 
material, inasmuch as the forms in which 
to cast it are easily made. Fig. 2 is an 
outline sketch of the pedestal, in which are 
given its general dimensions, and Figs. 3, 
4, 5, 6 and 7 show details of the molds in 
which it is cast. Fig. 8 shows the various 
parts of the mold before assembling. Fig. 
g shows the shaft-mold assembled in posi- 
tion ready to pour, and Fig. 10 shows the 
three finished pieces of the pedestal before 
setting them up. 
The molds should all be made of 1-inch 
lumber, and the dimensions given should 
be followed closely. The base-mold shown 
in Fig. 3 consists of nothing more or less 
than a square box with sides 5 inches high. 
In the center of the bottom of this box is auton 
placed a tapered core, so as to produce a 
hole, in the cast, to correspond in size to the outside dimen- 
sions of the plug on the bottom of the shaft of the pedestal, 
as shown in Fig. 10. The mold for the top or cap of the 
pedestal is shown in Fig. 4. This like the base-mold is 
merely a square box. It is 4 inches deep, and a ™%-inch 
tapered plug is placed in the center of its 
bottom as shown, in order to produce a 
14-inch hole in the bottom of the cap in 
which to insert the %-inch reinforcing rod, 
which passes through the entire length of 
the shaft, as shown in the assembled draw- 
ing, Fig. 7. Strips of 2-inch quarter-round 
stock molding mitered at the corners, as 
shown, are placed in the bottom of this 
mold in order to give the desired outline 
to the lower portion of the cap. The main 
shaft-mold is made in three pieces, as 
shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 5 shows the details 
of the sides of the main part of the shaft- 
mold. ‘The recessed panels shown in the 
sides of the pedestal in Fig. 1 can either 
be cast in or it can be tooled out, after the 
pedestal has been cast, by means of chip- 
ping with a hammer and chisel. If it is 
desired to cast it in, rather than to tool it 
Fig. |—Sun-dial made of white 
Portland cement and marble dust. 
Designed and executed by the 
when removing the forms. Details of parts B and C of 
the shaft-mold are shown in Fig. 6. Part B is a bottomless 
box 10 inches square on the inside, with sides 6 inches high, 
and in jt are secured, on all four sides, and mitered at the 
corners as shown, pieces of 2-irich quarter- 
round stock molding. ‘These are securely 
fastened to the sides 1 inch from the top. 
Part C of the mold is made of four pieces 
of t-inch board as shown, on which is built 
up the cone which forms the lug on the 
bottom of the shaft. Part d of the mold 
at its top should have secured to it, on all 
four sides, pieces of 2-inch by 1-inch 
tapered strips, as shown by the shaded por- 
tion at d in Fig. 7. The outside dimen- 
sions of these strips should be such so that 
the inner portion of part B fits over them 
snugly. 
The bottom of part d of the mold 
should have a 9/16 inch hole 4 inch deep 
bored in its center in wihch to place the 
4-inch steel reinforcing rod, as shown. 
After having completed the various parts 
of the mold as described above, sandpaper 
the inner surfaces of them and give them 
two coats of shellac; let this dry thor- 
oughly, and then oil the inside surface well 
with a fairly thin oil. Now assemble the 
shaft-mold, letting section 4 stand on end, 
as shown in Fig. 7. Place section B in position as shown, 
care being taken to let the quarter-round molding rest snugly 
down on the pieces d of section d. ‘Then place the steel rod 
in position, and commence to deposit the concrete mixture. 
If a white shaft is desired, use one part of white Portland 
cement and two parts of white marble 
screenings ranging in size from dust up 
3g inch. Mix these together dry, and 
then add enough water to make a fairly 
thick paste. Fill the mold flush with the 
top of part B, tapping the sides and jarring 
part 4 of the mold occasionally to settle 
the concrete mixture as it is being de- 
posited. When the concrete is flush with 
the top of section B, place section C in 
position and proceed to fill it flush with the 
top. Allow the concrete to set or harden 
in the molds for at least twenty-four hours 
before attempting to remove the molds. 
In securing the molds together use as few 
nails as possible, and in removing the mold 
from the cast, great care must be taken in 
loosening them, so as not to injure the 
casts. In removing the shaft-mold, take 
off part C first, then part B, and finally 
out, a panel or negative mold, as shown at 
C, Fig. 5, should be attached to the inner 
side of each side of the shaft-mold as 
shown. ‘The edges of this negative mold 
for the panel should be beveled off as indi- 
cated in the sectional drawing, so as to 
allow it to be released readily from the cast 
\ fb 
Fig. 2—Outline sketch of 
pedestal giving general 
dimensions 
section 4. The base and cap molds should 
be filled with the same mixture as above, 
and should also be allowed to set for at 
least twenty-four hours before removing 
the forms. It would be well to insert in 
the base, when casting, four pieces of %- 
inch round or square steel reinforcing bars 
