The oak used in England is either obtained in the country or is imported from Germany, or America, or Italy ; and it either comes to market in the shape of baulk, log, or plank stuff, whilst in France short ends, known as merrains, are much used for flooring purposes. The baulk oak is used for making door- and window-cills for the best description of houses ; and as those articles of joinery aro exposed to alternations of moisture and dryness, it would be desirable to use for them nothing but English oak, which resists those destructive actions better than either the German or Italian oak,.and infinitely better than the American oak. For the more ornamental descriptions of joiners' work wainscot logs are used, after having been sawn into plank stuff and properly seasoned. The best of these logs are obtained from the woods of the• interior of Germany, and they are exported from Riga under the name of Dutch wainscot. This material, when properly seasoned, is not liable to warp or to shrink; it blackens with age, but is always susceptible of receiving either a varnish or a polish ; its texture is by no means unfavourable for working mouldings, either with or against the grain; it is very durable, strong, and hard, hut by reason of the Latter property the labour upon it becomes considerably greater than the labour upon deal or pine. Wainscot has one great advantage over ordinary deal or pine—namely, that it does not require to be painted ; and though the Vancouver's Island timber, or tho pitch pine, may dispense with that mode of decoration or protection, their colours and flower (as workmen call the variations of tint or pattern in the different parts of the wood) are certainly not so pleasing as those the wainscot. For delicate wood-carving, the yellow pine is unques tionably superior to any other wood, because it is both softer and more uniform in its texture ; but wainscot is very well fitted for such purposes, and the elaborate carving of the mediaeval pulpits, stalls, confessionals, &c., may be cited as affording illustrations of the success with which this wood may be applied to the higher branches of the arts. The very remarkable pulpits and confessionals of Belgium and of Northern Germany may bo especially referred to on this score.
The best mahogany which is introduced into this country for joiner's work is the produce of the southern part of the island of Hayti; the mahogany from the northern part of that island is of an inferior quality, and approaches very nearly the character of the worst descrip tions of Honduras wood. The logs exported from Cuba are often very beautiful, indeed almost equal to the best Hayti (or, as it is technically called, the Spanish mahogany); but it, is not of such large dimensions as the Honduras 'wood, nor is it so uniform in the beauty of its flower as the Spanish. The best Honduras mahogany is very well adapted for ordinary works and for ship-building; but it is usually of a straight grain, without any varieties of tint, and is not therefore fitted for such works as hand-rails, doors, counter-tops, &c., whore variety of colour is required. The commoner descriptions of Honduras wood aro only used for carriage-builders' purposes, for interiors of drawers, or even for ship building; and for all these purposes their low price, their great strength and durability, and their singular freedom from any tendency to warp or crack, make them very desirable. Mahogany of any descriptiou is worked evenly, but with difficulty, and on those accounts the labour upon it is expensive; for ornamental carving it is admirably adapted, hat ea it terse elemet black with age, the original effect of the carving may be last This send Is suscoptible of both ell and spirit varnish or rash moles of rattans work together must of course depend upon she pirtanala object it may be iloarel to accomplish; and pertain the oporil anti mind monk of dearrildng them would be to take illuetra teem hone some of the more generally known articles of joiner's work.
is been it is usual, mpecially In countries where fir or any of its varietiwe is eemmonly employed. to execute them with Louth cut as nzZa. possible to an seen thickness. The upper surface of the i is then rinsed, the edges shot, atel a narrow border is worked on the under aide, exactly parallel with the upper surface, leaving an inmemeehate apace to be wised off when the boards are to be fixed. In the test boom narrow hards only should fir used, of between 4; and ef LOChall, in finished width • or to fact, they thould be formed out of dank with a cut down the middle, or nut of battens ; the johns should tse sersigke, grapnel and feafAer•tungned (or with • groove worked in each board, and filled in with a thin slip of wood, or of Iron, as in sketch j s ), and the lieading-jointa should be *played thus, ; :sometime*, instea4 of grooving and tongucing the heels, they are merely olgraeiled. Where the boards come near hearths. a glued and mitred border should be introduced, even when the flan( bun'. are not Intended to be habitually exposed. In the &ors of beetroot's, or of apartments wherein ca to or matting ere klely to le lermanently used, the boards may, without inconri nience, Le le inches in width ; soul in warehouse floors they nosy be made 12 Inches wide. Upon the continent, and in wine cases in our own country however, where wainacot floors are used, the narrow boards are laid in ' what is call Arrriao-lsosie fasition, as in sketch ; but in well came the floors are always left uncovered, and they are waxed, or dull polished. The thickness of floor beards would naturally depeud on the wear they are "Ably to be exposed to, and upwi the distance apart of their point.
of support • m a general rule it varies between I and 1 inch.
le staire:sans of wad, the usual practie.e is to frame the treads, or the horizontal parts of the steps, and the risers, or the vertical parte, into mail and masa. arriegs ; the former of which is a golt piece of woad nailed against the walls of the seell.Aole of the stairs, end the letter, an equally stout pine of wood starting from a curtail step at the Lotion of the mains, and either framing into a solid post, or nerd, in what are called slog-ligsed staircases. or esrrimil round by means of curved ramps to the trimmer of the upper landing in geometrical stair ears. The risen are usually grooved into the under aide of the treacle, and the latter project so as to form a rasing, whilst the joint is hidden by • small hollow, nailed to the underside of the tread ; small blocks are glued to the Inside of the joint, awl, if the width of the staircase be considerable, the (rune-work ie strengthened by mune of 'racket.; let into the wall, end by blocks. in mons eta/roues the outside string le out, and the noeinge ars returned at the rode of the steps ; In others, the string projects above the ends of the step& The haflusesers in the former MAC are let into the steps ; in the latter, they are let Into the striog-lsoard; but under all eimumstances the liallsseters are fixed at top to • hand rail, usually worked out of eau" mahogany, the various parts of which ire known by the names of etriogit, ramp, true, serfenA, cattail, nerd, scroll, kc.