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The stool is all done and passed on to my nephew. I used Rustins danish oil to finish, just two coats. I didn’t touch the first coat after application but buffed the second after about an hour. I’m going to make a second one for my niece.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.Nearly done, brackets fabricated out of one of those metal bars you screw to a door frame for reinforcement. Punched, drilled to 2mm, then 4mm, then 5mm, then countersunk. When I was shaping the legs I came across some splits (it’s not the best quality timber as I’ve said before). I took the unusual (for me) step of going with it and just removing wood around the splits rather than trying to bond them back together. I quite like the result.
If you are going to make this stool, I’d recommend cutting the tenon with two equal shoulders rather than the single shoulder I copied from the original. With a single shoulder, driving the peg in pulls the stretcher and leg out of alignment. I think this will be solved when the legs are screwed to the top, but it does introduce some stress to the design.
Thanks for the positive comments. I’m glad it’s not just me that finds this stool charming. The seat top is a single slab. I’ve wondered about making one with laminated stock but that introduces a lot more work and planing laminated components can be tricky if the grain of the different laminations are opposing. I’d try it if it was the only option though.
I’ve now cut the little square mortises in either end of the stretcher. If I was doing them again I’d use a brace and bit to remove the bulk, just a Paul does in the current rocking chair project. I think this would have given me a cleaner finish inside the mortise. Just need to make the pegs and metal brackets, then final shaping and finishing. I’ll post a few more pictures as I progress.
Thanks, it’s been very enjoyable to build. It’s the first thing I’ve made entirely by hand, so I’ve appreciated the simple joinery and the chance to try some shaping. I used a slab of oak I bought locally many years ago, which I’ve found to be of variable quality depending on where I’ve taken the components from. It seems dry and brittle, but still very useable. I tried to stick to heartwood but you can just see the colour change on the stretcher that indicates some sapwood. I’ll probably break from the original design and screw four short lengths of flat bar to the top of the legs with a 3/4 inch overhang towards the front and back edges of the seat, then rout recesses in the underside of the seat to sit over the bar. I can then screw up through the bar into the underside of the seat so the brackets won’t be seen.
I have attached a photo of the very rough plan I worked from. I had to slim down the thickness of the legs as I didn’t have the necessary thickness in my stock. The original is oak, and I used oak, but I think any timber would work. It’s a utilitarian piece, probably thrown together from what they had lying around in the workshop when it was made 🙂
Let me know if you have any questions.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.This is an old thread, but I wanted to to update it. I finally got round to making a replica of this stool. I followed the advice given and it worked well. Although not pictured, I used stop cuts on the bench seat, then chiselled out the waste and refined with the spokeshave and scraper. I’ve no idea what the black staining is on the seat. There were a few other imperfections on the wood, it wasn’t the best quality but I wanted to use it. Filled a few splits with epoxy. The scraper was invaluable for the shaping. I still need to do some final shaping and cut the mortises for the pegs. Will probably use danish oil to finish.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.I did think about using a gouge and I’ve watched that series. The gouge makes sense for an ‘enclosed’ area with complex contours. The bench seat I’ve pictured is simpler and allows for stop cuts, which I think will be quicker. I’d like to tackle Paul’s bench stool at some point, I love the way the legs are carved to create the illusion of a curve. Simple and elegant.
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