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Discovered! 505
Odd Enterprises

Hidden Dollars

How to Make
Money at Home

Small Business
of Your Own

You Can Own
a Business

A big man, with broad, strong shoulders, Adkins spent much of his life working in and about lumber camps.

Three years ago, while he was at work, a pile of heavy logs rolled unexpectedly. Before he could jump out of the way, one of his legs was pinned between two of the rolling logs. The result was a shattered shinbone.

As the broken bone healed Adkins had plenty of time to think. He well knew that his leg would never be the same again. This meant he would have to give up hard labor, and seek employment that required only the use of his strong hands. Of one thing he was certain. He could never remain idle, for he had always been a very active man. He had to find a job, regardless of his handicap, to keep him occupied and to pay the bills.

But, no sooner had he begun looking for work than he found there were two strikes against him. In the first place, jobs that required only the use of the hands were scarce in and about Haydenville. Second, employers more or less frowned upon his advanced age. What to do? He desperately needed a job.

AT THE time of Adkins' injury, his son, Arthur, was a student at the Smith Vocational School of Northampton, Massachusetts, studying carpentry. It was he who finally solved his father's employment problem.

"Why don't you take up carpentry, Dad?" he asked his father one night, as employment was being discussed again. "You could make small knickknacks out of wood and sell them. Who knows? You might make a good business out of it, and you wouldn't have to leave the house. You always liked working with wood."

"I know, son," Adkins replied, "but there are a lot of things to be considered before going into a business like that. In the first place, I'm sixty-nine years old—too old to learn a new trade. In the second place, I don't have the proper tools for such work, and no money with which to buy any."

"You're never too old to learn, dad," his son said. "And you don't need a lot of tools to get started. I have a few you can use. As you go along and sell what you make, you can buy others. What do you say?"

Adkins looked down at his big, strong hands. They were handy at sharpening and repairing tools, and at using the ax and saw. But were they still nimble enough to do the delicate work required on miniature wooden objects?

But, after months of convalescence, Adkins was desperate for something to do that would bring in a little extra money and occupy his time. He agreed to give it a try. Arthur brought home his tools the very next day, and they got started on what was to be a happy solution to Adkins' problem.

Arthur set about teaching his father all he had learned about carpentry at school. And Adkins, in turn, studied several different magazines on woodcraft for added information. Soon he was ready to begin.

To accustom his fingers to handling small objects, Adkins started work on small children's stools, rocking chairs, and lawn chairs. Then he graduated to still smaller things like recipe-card boxes, half-moon wall brackets, and clothes racks. He managed to sell most of the things he made because of their expert workmanship, and, with part of the money, bought more tools.

Word about his injury and or his brave attempt to continue to support his wife and son, spread over the countryside. Friends and neighbors brought in shears, knives and saws to be sharpened, and old furniture to be repaired and refinished. Adkins was thankful for the extra work. He kept a small box in his shop into which he dropped a portion of the money he took in each day. Soon he had enough money saved to add a band saw to his tool collection. Now he could really get down to business and build.

ONE HAPPY day, an old friend came to visit the Adkins. With her, she brought a pattern for a miniature rocking chair sewing kit. It had been in the family for thirty-five years, and now Adkins was welcome to it. He gladly accepted it, for he saw great possibilities in the beautiful chair. And, too, he knew it would be a pleasure to make.

The next morning he went into his workshop, and counted what money was left in the collection box. There was just enough for a sheet of three-eighths-inch plywood, and for a few other necessary supplies. He hurried to the lumberyard, bought what he needed, returned home, and started work on the chair with great enthusiasm.

He carefully cut out the pattern on his new band saw, sanded the parts by hand, assembled them, and gave the chair an over-all coat of wood sealer. After that dried, he applied a good coat of clear varnish. But here he ran into trouble. The seat part of the chair needed to be padded with cotton and material to serve as a pincushion. His wife, Nellie, who has the fingers of a fine seamstress, came to his rescue. She cut out squares of cardboard, padded them with cotton, then covered them with bright squares of print material from her sewing basket. She then tacked the finished cushions in place with colored tacks.

The finished chair was a thing of beauty that hardly any housewife could resist. And Adkins knew he had a product that would sell.

He planned to visit several novelty shops in and around Haydenville on the following day to see if he could pick up a few orders. But that night, while he was out, a friend came to visit Mrs. Adkins. When the woman saw the chair, she declared that she must have it and insisted that Mrs. Adkins sell it to her at once. Mrs. Adkins did, not knowing what her husband would say when he returned home. But it was a wise decision, for, the very next day the same woman called up and put in an order for six more. She was going to give them away as Christmas gifts. That was the first order Adkins received for the chair, but it wasn't the last, by any means.

IN THE weeks that followed, Adkins made many more such chairs. He gave a few away to friends as free advertising, and sold the others to various stores and novelty shops. Almost everyone who saw the rocking chair fell in love with it. Soon Adkins found himself knee-deep in orders.

One night he sat down to do some figuring. He had to decide upon a set price at which to sell his product. It would have to be a sum large enough to bring in a suitable profit. With quick figuring, he found that one chair cost him fifty-six cents to construct. If he sold each chair for $1, it would insure him a decent profit. He well knew that if he set his price too high it would hamper sales. He also decided to cut the price of a chair down to eighty-five cents if the customer put in an order for a dozen or more.

Everyone liked his price and soon Adkins was spending most of each day making miniature rocking chair sewing kits. During the first year alone, he made and sold over 900 chairs. And in the three years since he started making them, he has grossed a profit of over $1,500. People buy up the chairs wherever they are displayed. During December, they go as Christmas presents. During the months in between, tourists buy them up for wedding, shower and birthday gifts.

So far all of Adkins' business has been derived from personal contacts, and through friends. But a great deal of business may be had from advertising in several local papers and in women's magazines. A photograph of the finished product does wonders when placed with the advertisement.

To sell such an article as the sewing kit you might also take a sample of your work to various stores in your locality. A sewing shop, five and dime, department and novelty stores are excellent places to do business. During the summer, you might contact some of the road-side stands along the main highway. Many tourists stop at these places to buy food. Some of the women may like and buy your chair. If the owner is dubious as to their selling possibilities, leave a few chairs with him. If they sell, he will surely order more. If they don't move, you can take them back at the end of the season.

Give a few chairs away to friends scattered throughout the country, as Adkins did. He proved that it pays to be generous. You might also carry a sample of your work in the car to drum up extra business. Show it around whenever possible. And don't overlook showing it to children. Many of them like to buy gifts for their mother and are usually fascinated by the chair's beauty.

ACCORDING TO Adkins in order to make the most profit possible on each chair, one should be careful not to waste either time or material. As the orders begin to come in, set yourself up for mass production. And trace all patterns so that little lumber is wasted. When cutting out the chair sides (piece C of pattern) cut a strip of three-eighths-inch plywood 3⁷/8 inches wide and twenty inches long. By reversing the pattern as you trace, you can get exactly eight sides with hardly any lumber lost. When tracing the seat panels (piece A of pattern) trace them on strips of plywood 3³/8 inches wide, and as long as desired. In this case, only the trimmed corners are wasted material. It is suggested that you trace and cut out parts of four chairs at one time. This helps the work to go much faster.

One word of caution about working with plywood. If you have only a handsaw with which to work, take pains to prevent the wood from splintering and thus ruining a good piece of pattern. Use a fine tooth saw if possible, and saw very lightly. You might lay the plywood upon a waste piece of old lumber, if you desire, and saw through both thicknesses. This usually prevents any splintering on the under side. Or, if you prefer, trace, then prescore on both sides of the piece to be cut. A sharp chisel or jackknife is good for this work. Scoring should be deep enough to separate top layer and bottom layer of veneer. Another thing, always keep all edges square for better cutting and less waste. To make your work easier, first cut out pieces to be used as the pattern. These, then, can be used over and over again to trace other chair parts quickly and accurately.

To make scissor pocket, cut a block of wood 1⁷/8 inches long and 1¼ inches wide out of a ¾-inch pine board. Lay block down lengthwise and draw two lines the entire length of the piece, each ¼ inch in from the outer edge. With saw cut down into wood along each line to a depth of ³/8 inch. With sharp chisel split out the section between the two cuts. Now you have a scissor pocket running the entire length of the block of wood. Sand interior until smooth. When finished, place upright on back of chair and center it. Attach to chair with small nails nailed from inside of back of chair. (Note: Be sure to work with the grain of the wood, otherwise you will not be able to split out the pocket.)

After the desired amount of parts have been cut out and sanded smooth, place them on a bench before you. Put all parts necessary for one chair upon one pile. Have handy a small-headed hammer and plenty of small nails. The nails should be at least one-half inch long, with heads.

Begin with the seat panel (piece A of pattern). If the holes for the pegs have not been drilled as yet, do so now. They should be one-quarter inch round, and one-quarter inch deep. Never drill all the way through the panel. If possible, find a drill that is slightly under one-quarter inch round. This will make the holes a fraction smaller, and all you will need to do is hammer the spool pegs (piece B) into the holes. They will hold strong enough without the aid of glue. But, if you are unable to find such a drill, be sure to apply a strong wood glue to the bottom of each peg before hammering it into place.

AFTER ALL twelve pegs have been put in place, pick up the two chair sides (piece C) and slip them into the grooves of piece A. Hold them in place while you tack on the back panel (piece D). This will require six nails evenly distributed. Now locate the scissors pocket (piece E) in its proper square and nail in place, nailing four nails from the inside of the back panel. The cushion will cover the nail heads later. Next, to hold the chair sides more securely, nail the crossbar (piece F) in place three-fourths inch under the seat. Nail one nail from the outside of either side into the cross piece. This is sufficient to hold it in place firmly.

Last of all put on the rockers (piece G). They are to be nailed in place, from the inside, with three nails. Center them well on each side panel so that they stick out the same distance in front and back. And each rocker should be placed one-fourth inch below the side panel to allow for good rocking.

Before attaching the padded pincushions, give the entire chair a good coat of wood seal. Allow to dry twenty-four hours, then apply a finish coat of clear varnish after a light over-all sanding.

Or, if you prefer, you may stain the chair to your liking, or apply dark varnish or lacquer. The chair may also be covered with impregnated paper, and finished in enamel or other paint. There is no limit to the variations one might use to finish the chair. But Adkins has found that customers like the clear varnish finish the best. It goes with any color scheme in a home.

After the varnish has dried twenty-four hours, tack on the finished chair cushions. These may be made up ahead of time, both cushions of a chair being covered with the same material and print. These are made by cutting out squares of cardboard (pieces H and I). H is the seat pattern. I is for the back. Cut squares of cotton the same size. Cotton used for medical purposes is best for this work. It comes in a roll and may be purchased at any drugstore. Its thickness can run from one-half inch to an inch. Cut squares of the same kind of material at least an inch larger than the pattern. Place material squares over cotton squares that have been placed on the cardboard squares, and tack underneath. This is best done with needle and thread. Criss-cross the thread from corner to corner to hold the material securely in place. If you prefer, a dab of strong wood glue may also be placed under each corner. When finished, the cushion should be smooth with a pleasant puffed pillow look. Tack each cushion in its place with four thumbtacks. If possible use colored tacks to match the material.