Step Stool

[Gofor]

This is a step stool I made for a SIL who wanted it as a present for her grandson. He needs a little height adjustment for when he brushes his teeth, and she wanted his name on it so he could start learning how to spell it.

Made it from wood of one of the first trees I cut and slabbed out with my Alaska mill (almost two years ago). Finish is 2 coats clear shellac sealer, followed by 3 coats satin poly.



Thanks for lookin'

Go

 

[erasmussen]

Beautiful wood, what is it.
Thats a great stool, Sil is going to be very happy with it.

 

[LeftyTom]

Spiffy work, Mark. Did you use loose tenons?

 

[scsmith42]

Mark, that turned out really nice! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Joe Scharle]

Nice job :thumbs_up

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Beautiful job, Mark. Having his name on it will not only help him learn to spell it, but makes it something he will treasure the rest of his life. :icon_thum

Bill

 

[Charlie]

Mark, Looks great:icon_thum

 

[CrealBilly]

Really nice Mark - I'm still trying to guess the wood is that spalted beech? Did it smell a little like beer when you cut it?

 

[toolferone]

Very nice. What is the beautiful wood?

 

[bobby g]

That looks great Mark.

bobby g

 

[Gofor]

Thanks for all the generous comments.

The cross piece joinery was done using biscuits (first time I have used that technology). The other first was the carving, which I had never done before (which shows upon close inspection).

The wood is common ol' sweet gum. I strapped it and stickered about every 12" to minimize the warping. Although I guess its supposed to be one of the softer hard woods, the tight cross-linked grains sure to put up some resistance to a wide hand plane (#6 or 7), and dulled the irons more quickly than walnut or red oak. (Having no power jointer, I used hand planes for the initial flattening and squaring). Hand tools needed to be really sharp and cuts shallow to prevent tearout. That said, the surface came out silky smooth, and finished well. I used the double sealer coat (shellac) because it had a tendency to blotch on some test pieces. The only stain used was for the name background to highlight it some. The rest is the natural wood color.

All in all, I am happy with the outcome, and the wife really likes the grain and color, so I'm glad I have another dozen or so slabs in the drying shed for more projects.

Thanks again

Go

PS: Jeff: the only thing that smelled like beer was me after I got this finished!

 

[Ralrick]

Mark - stool looks great. I did see in your original comment that it is for a grandson and wanted to make sure you check the balance of the stool. I built a very similar stool based on the plans from a woodworking magazine and with the legs going straight down from the top step, there is the potential for the stool to fall forward when standing to the front of the top step. (I know it is not a high stool, but falling foward near the edge of a bathroom sink is not something to mess with for a little one.)

Anyway, on my stool I am planning to use biscuits to add a tapered base to the front part of the leg to ensure the center of gravity can't get in front of the balance point.

(Just something to check - yours may be fine but I know it surprised me the first time it started to fall forward.)

 

[Gofor]

Thanks for the heads up, Rick. Not really visible in the photos is the fact that the legs spread out at the bottom so the edge of the feet are directly below the front and back step edges. In essence, I inclined the front and back of the sides so they were 1" inset at the top, but square under the edge at the bottom. Standing on it, I detected no instability, but I will check it again before SIL gives it to her grandson.

Thanks again.

Go

 

[MrAudio815]

Mark That looks AWESOME~!

I am so impressed by the awesome grain and color. Love the look of the stool to.

Great work as always. And I still don't know how you do it all without some power tools, all I can say is WOW~!

Matthew

 

[MagGeorge]

Great job! not just for kids but can also be useful for adults in reaching higher cabinets and closets.
An alternative for step ladder and much more great looking. Keep it coming!