General Instructions for Mission Style Bedroom Furniture

• These pieces of furniture were designed so that the width of the pieces can be cut from readily available dimensional basswood. Some pieces will need to be trimmed down to size. For example, one drawer side measures 5/8 inch high by 1 inch long by 1/8 inch thick. The drawer side is cut from a piece of 3/4 x 1/8 inch lumber, and is trimed from 3/4 down to 5/8 inch tall.
• Many of the pieces are cut from 3 x 1/8 inch lumber. Plan ahead for how you want the pieces to be cut from the wood so that fewer cuts need to be made. I sketched a cutting diagram before cut the wood. (see below) For the narrow pieces, I was able to make cross cuts across the width of the lumber, then was able to cut the pieces to the correct width. (Notice the Chest sides and Chest shelves on the cutting diagram.)

• This cutting diagram is just a guide. Each piece of wood is different. Some pieces have a pronounced grain line, others are rather plain. Cut out the pieces to take advantage of the more interesting wood grains.
• Sand the surfaces of all of the pieces of lumber before cutting any pieces. It is easier to handle a piece of wood that is 24 inches long, rather than one that is 1/2 inch long.
• After cutting out the pieces, I prefer to stain all of the pieces before gluing them together. The items can be glued first, then stained, but if any glue gets on the surface of the wood, the stain will not absorb into the wood.
• Stain all sides of the piece of wood, even if some surfaces will not show. Staining all sides at the same time will keep the piece from warping while the stain dries.
• Some parts will need to be sanded during assembly to make them fit. An example is a drawer front. The dimensions given for the pieces are for the piece before sanding. If the drawer front is not sanded, there will be no gap between the edges of the drawer front and the piece of furniuture. The amount of sanding the parts will require will depend on the type of finish that is applied to the finished piece of furniture. A coat or two of varnish or paint will make the piece bigger.

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From Alice's Dollhouse pages