Harper's indoor book for boys

This practical handbook teaches boys basic workshop skills and domestic crafts through clear instruction and illustrated projects. It begins with carpentry fundamentals, tools, joints, and benchwork, then covers wood-carving, fretwork, turning, and picture framing; proceeds to metal-working techniques including Venetian and Florentine ornament, hardware, wire work, and lampshades; and presents household arts such as clay modelling, plaster casting, pyrography, bookbinding, and lantern projection. Emphasis rests on safe tool use, economical materials, step-by-step project plans for useful and decorative objects, and cultivating manual dexterity, resourcefulness, and respect for orderly workspaces.