European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 16, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                St. Daryl Cole left and pie. Todd Burnett me fall Lulea at base aria and crafts Center to make Cabinet smitten with the curse of the woodworker by Jack Warner United press International the practicality of making your own furniture depends on Many things but main Lyon what you  is a world of difference Between Athree foot Bookcase and a governor Winthrop drop front Secretary. The Bookcase is a simple thing that anyone with a Little patience and a Tew decent tools can create quite satisfactorily period furniture on the other hand requires a High degree of skill and in All probability a / shop filled with thousands of dollars Worth of tools. If you have the urge to make your own furniture ask yourself some hard questions first. What is your motivation do you want to build a piece because you can t afford to buy it or because you can t find exactly -. What you want or do you want to build it simply of because it is something you be always wanted to do what Are the alternatives if you can t find what you want you can almost certainly find someone who will. Make it for you and make it very Well. But it won t be cheap. If you can t afford to buy it and it in t something. Extremely simple and would t look right in Pine or fir then you probably can t afford to make it either. The last reason fulfilling an emotional or creative need rather than a practical one is the Best reason of All for building your own furniture. The first step should be a visit to the Public Library or the Bookstore. Browse through the books on building your own furniture. You la notice most of them preach the use of plywood and show you projects you can theoretically construct on a leisurely weekend with a circular saw a measuring tape a Hammer and some nails. In terms of style these easy pieces would qualify As Early Cave Dweller. Good furniture is held together by accurate joints and glue nails have no place in Fine woodworking. If the books detailing the creation of More stylish and More sturdy furniture catch your Eye then you Are in a Heap of trouble. You have been smitten with the curse of the woodworker and if you cannot turn your Back and walk away it is going to Cost you dearly. The Best time to become a woodworker is when you have just purchased a Large House with a huge basement and you have virtually no furniture. After you be lived in a House for 20 years and filled it up with furniture you la have a lot More trouble justifying on a practical basis the outlay of at least $5,000 for a Wood shop in the basement. That is probably the Bare minimum outlay for the Basic Power and hand tools you will need to construct a Broad Range of household pieces ranging from Beds to China cabinets to Coffee tables. And once you get the bit in your Teeth and work up to full Speed you won t have any problem doubling that figure. What will you get for this massive outlay potentially an immense amount of satisfaction and relaxation and furniture that is exactly what you want and As Fine As anything you could buy. But Many a would be woodworker has dumped his Hobby in disgust because he set his sights too Low. It is always a mistake to try to build something you Don t really like simply because the piece you want seems too difficult or would require too Many expensive tools. No Good tool is cheap some Good tools Are better than others. Most woodworkers Start out with Sears craftsman tools which used to be very Good but Are held in Low repute now. However the very Best woodworker i know has Only one really Fine piece of machinery a huge imported Bandsaw. The rest came right out of the Sears Catalon and he produces work that would make a jeweler proud. Easing the trauma of wallpapering by Kate Callen United press International wallpapering the Godzilla of inc do it yourself world will never to easy but it can be Only mildly traumatic if you follow a few rules says a Veteran Handyman author Rulo no 1 is Don t wallpaper Wilh your spouse in practical skills Rodale press. $24 95. Gene Logsdon offers do it yourself advice on a Range of topics some esoteric like How to make soap out of fat and tallow and some of general interest like How to plug a roof leak the Book s most valuable Section has to be applying Wall coverings which offers a humorous and ultimately sensible approach to this most intimidating project Logsdon begins by warning that the family hat hangs wallpaper together May not stay together no matter How fervently they Pray together nevertheless it is difficult to hang wallpaper alone so he first step for Success is to get a  the Ideal Helper should be one of your calmest and most patient friends says Logsdon people who like to do things in a hurry need not  before making a final selection have the prospective applicant wrap a gift. Good gift wrappers do not necessarily make Good wallpaper hangers but bad ones Are a disaster " whether you buy your wallpaper from a dealer or a retail outlet you will get directions that acquaint you with the features of your particular covering these should be read carefully Logsdon says but keep in mind that As with painting some of the Fine Points of technique Are glossed  the first thing to remember is most Wall coverings stretch when  he says. A strip 2 feet wide will gain approximately an Inch after glue has been applied to it or the pre glued surface  an important fact to remember when measuring Over from the Corner. To determine How Long the wet paper should Resl or relax before application Logsdon recommends experimenting first with Small pieces for easier handling Cut the paper into proper strip lengths then Roll them up again so that the exposed end is the top of the strip and Lay them Oneat a time in the water  to apply glue to regular paper you need a table about 5 feet Long and a regular wallpaper glue Brush. Because directions usually Call for a Short wailing period Between gluing and application glue two or three strips at a time. When applying glue it is very important o cover every bit of the strip especially he edges Logsdon says. If you overlap the edges of the strip you re working on and the next strip you get no glue on the table. Which gels on the pattern Side of the next strip. You will inadvertently get enough glue on the pattern Side anyway so this precaution will shorten the task of sponging glue off after you re finished. The pattern on the last strip will almost never match the pattern on the first strip so begin papering at a Corner where there is a door adjacent on the opposite Wall that Way the open door will hide the seam. Since Walls Are Seldom if Ever perfectly straight a homemade plumb line any weight on a string will do can be a big help. Drop the plumb line and Mark the Wall at several places along the line. Wilh a ruler draw a line through the Marks and use that As a guide in applying the first strip. The crucial and Only skill in applying wallpaper according to Logsdon " is to get that first encounter on the Wall in perfect alignment. Often you must pull the paper Back off and try again. This is the critical time for marriages when new four letter expletives Are invented because the old ones Are not vile  most people paper from left to right so Logsdon advises using your left thumb and Finger to Anchor the left Corner of the strip while your right hand sweeps upward pressing and smoothing the strip. Finally Don t try to paper around a Corner of a door or a window Frame says Logsdon just paper Over the Frame then trim it to within about an Inch of the Frame and do a final trim with scissors and razor. The stars and stripes Page 15