making tapered legs . a great deal of modern furniture has tapered legs , and in reproduction period pieces they are frequently used . the simpler varieties are extremely easy to work , the four sides being simply planed to give the required taper . in the more elaborate varieties , however , a toe is worked in the solid , and this certainly complicates the operation . it is not difficult , but calls for accurate workmanship . perhaps the awkward feature is that the plane can only be used to a limited extent because the projecting toe prevents its being taken right through . when a leg has a simple taper the procedure of making it is straightforward . the wood is first planed parallel to the largest section , and pencil lines marking the beginning of the taper squared round on to all four sides . at the bottom end the extent of the taper is gauged in , again on all four sides . it is a help , too , if the marks are nicked in to the extent of about 1/8 in ( no more ) on two opposite faces , though this is not essential . fig 2 ( A ) shows the idea . two opposite faces are now planed to the gauge lines , a panel or trying plane being used for legs of any length . for short ones a smoothing plane can be used . the gauge can now be used to nick in the tapers on the newly planed surfaces , and these treated as before . it is unnecessary to mark the taper with the straight-edge as one relies upon the truth of the plane sole to make the tapered surfaces straight . a glance at the gauge marks at the bottom end reveals when the required amount has been removed , and if care is taken to stop the plane short of the squared pencil line at the top , the work will be accurate . the straight-edge can be used to test the straightness of the sides . incidentally , it is better to complete any mortising that may be needed at the top before the tapering is begun . some plain tapered legs have the taper on the two inner faces only , the outer surfaces being vertical as at ( B ) , fig 1 . leg with toe . to make a leg such as that at ( D ) , fig 1 , the square is first marked out as at ( A ) , fig 3 . note that squared lines marking the top member of the toe are needed as well as the upper extent of the taper , and in this case it is necessary to mark in the line of the taper with pencil and straight-edge as at ( B ) , fig 3 . a saw cut is made at the upper toe line exactly down to the taper line , no farther . it is a help in guiding the saw if the line is squared round with the chisel , and a sloping groove chiselled on the waste side . with a keen , wide chisel the wood is now eased away above the toe as at ( B ) . a mallet used to the chisel is a great help providing care is taken not to cut in too deeply . finish off with hand pressure only , and make the final cut so that the notch is in alignment with the line of the taper . the rest of the taper can now be largely worked with the smoothing plane . it is necessary to work largely across the grain , holding the plane askew as otherwise it will not clear the toe . fig 4 shows the smoothing plane in use on the leg . to finish off it is often a help to use a wide flat file taken along the taper in the direction of the grain . the bullnose plane is also invaluable . this is followed by the scraper , and finally by glasspaper wrapped around a flat block used as at ( C ) . the remaining two sides follow . it is necessary to draw in pencil lines on the newly tapered surfaces , but the method of cutting is exactly the same , ( D ) , fig 3 . the toe . for convenience in handling it is convenient to work the hollow moulding before planing the taper of the toe . mark in with pencil the depth of the hollow , using the pencil and finger as a gauge , and cut a chamfer with a keen chisel on all four sides as at ( D ) . cut inwards with the chisel from each side so that the far corner does not splinter . the cut is taken down to the two pencil lines . to work the hollow a rat-tail file can be used in its entirety as at ( E ) , or the bulk of the waste can be removed with a small gouge , and the file used to finish off . in any case glasspaper wrapped around a shaped rubber is used to smooth the hollow finally . to complete the toe the smoothing plane can be used to form the taper . finish the two opposite sides first , and follow with the two remaining faces . machined legs . it will be realised that those who have a machine planer can work a plain tapered leg in its entirety on it , and also a fairly close approximation of the leg with toe . for instance , the design at ( F ) , fig 1 , is formed entirely on the planer . the process is shown in figs 5 and 7 . the rear table is set level with the tips of the cutters as in normal planing , but the front one is lowered by an amount equal to the full depth of the taper . two stops are fixed to the fence to limit the travel of the leg . the square of wood is held level with the near stop and is lowered on to the revolving cutters . the wood is pushed forward until it reaches the back stop . note the use of the pusher stick as in fig 7 . each side is dealt with in the same way . when the taper has to begin at the extreme top of the leg , either the leg must be cut about 1/4 in long , or the taper must be started about a similar amount below the top and finished afterwards by hand . the reason for this is that when the square is lowered on to the revolving cutters at the start of the cut it must rest on the lip of the back table as in fig 6 . unless it does so it will be grabbed by the cutters and chewed down to the extent of the full depth . apart from spoiling the leg it may easily cause an accident and may stall the machine . what does it cost to start woodwork ? only those who have done woodwork for any length of time can realise the fascination it has . many a man has started to make something in wood , possibly out of economic necessity , and has then continued to do woodwork from the sheer joy of doing it . something begun in compulsion has become a thing of lasting satisfaction . but why woodwork in particular ? well , there are many reasons . wood is in good and common supply ; it lends itself to making innumerable useful household items - furniture , fitments , garden items , toys , etc ; it enables results to be obtained fairly quickly ; it is less expensive than most other materials ; it is a pleasant material to work with ; and , although it does create a certain amount of mess , it is all clean and easily cleared away . of course a certain amount of equipment is necessary , and this brings us straightway to the question of what it costs to start woodwork . most households have a few basic tools - probably a hammer , pincers , screwdriver , etc , but one does not get far with these . we have , therefore , considered the matter partly from what is essential or desirable to start woodwork , but taking into account the long-term likelihood of ( a ) better class work being done , and ( b ) the possibility of power being used to supplement hand tools . this last point is certainly important because almost everyone has come to recognise that machines are not only an economic necessity , but that a great deal of drudgery can be avoided by the installation of a power tool . as an elementary example , surely no one can pretend to enjoy ripping out parts from hardwood . most men would unhesitatingly use a machine if it were available . choice of tools . coming now to the actual tools and their cost , we begin with what we have called a bare minimum kit . probably most men have some of the tools already . it will enable a man to make simple , straight-forward things , and in any case may be regarded as a good beginning to which other tools can be added as the need arises . the nature of the work will probably dictate the additions to be made , but as a guide we have given a fuller kit which increases the range of things that can be made enormously . as a still further development , we follow with a good basic kit , which includes the fuller kit ( which in its turn , of course , includes the bare minimum kit ) . with this the vast majority of jobs can be done , though for advanced cabinet work the necessity for certain special tools will become obvious . lastly , we suggest certain power tools and machines , the choice of which will depend partly upon the space available in the workshop , the amount one is prepared to pay , and the type of work a man normally does . first , however , a word of advice generally . do not buy so-called cheap tools or machines . they never are cheap in the long run . they may be inaccurate , the steel may be soft ( or possibly too hard ) so that the edge either crumbles or is brittle , or they may not be robust enough for the work they have to do . most tools have to lead an intensive life , and faults in design or quality soon become apparent . it is far better to pay the fair price for a tool of good quality , and not handicap yourself from the start . to put it in a slightly different way , do not allow yourself to blame the tools when the job does not turn out quite right ! if this advice is true of hand tools , it is still more true of machines . the whole nature of a machine is that , properly set-up and used , it will do accurate work . if it fails to do this it is worse than useless , and may be dangerous . this is not meant to imply that only the best precision machines are of any use . some of the less expensive types intended for home use are reliable , especially taking into account the limited use to which they are put . it is to be admitted , however , that a few drill attachments have been put on the market which are unsound in design and poor in quality , and should be avoided . a point that may occur to the reader is that the possible later purchase of a machine may render some of his hand tools redundant . this may be the case in one or two instances , but for the greater part it does not apply . for instance , rebating can be done on the circular saw , but it leaves a sawn finish , and to make the surface smooth it is necessary to follow with the rebate plane . the latter is thus still needed , although the bulk of the work is done on the saw . tool cabinet . many men with only limited accommodation have to do their woodwork on the kitchen table . providing this is sound , some perfectly good work can be done on it , but the usual problems are those of the vice , the bench stop , and storage place for tools . the combined bench top and tool cupboard shown here has been specially designed and made for woodworker readers who have this difficulty . when folded up flat as in fig 2 it can be stored away in a cupboard or outhouse , but when opened out on the table there is a roomy bench top of 4 ft by 17 in , and good accommodation for the tools . 