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Step Stool from reclaimed pine - Part I |
After being so impressed with the miller dowel, I decided to build
one of these step stools. It's a great simple project and can easily
be completed in a day or two.
The idea of this, was to construct it entirely with the miller dowel,
I have used no screws, nails or other woodworking joints.
The miller dowel, as reviewed here
can be brought in the UK or USA from woodworking stores, details are
on the review.
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As the title shows, this project is going to be made from reclaimed
pine. I choose this material mainly because of its mellow colour
and character. Also, these boards are more than wide enough,
and stable.
You will notice, one of my boards has a large defect running
down the side. This I cannot get round, its a price you pay
when working with reclaimed wood, however some would argue that
is adds character to the piece.
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The first step is to mark out the
3 key parts. The top and then the 2 legs either end of the stool.
All of this will come from my wide boards, if you are working
with new wood you may need to glue up 2 or 3 boards to match this
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Now its time for me to cut the 2 ends to length...
I could use my sliding mitre saw here or even the table saw
to crosscut, but to prove it can be done I am using a humble
jigsaw. Dare I say it, you could EVEN use a hand saw..!
This project is so basic, you do not need expensive or fancy
tools to come up with attractive results.
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The 2 leg ends need to be thinner than the top, this
is part of the design, I am using the tablesaw to rip these down
for speed - again I stress you can use a more basic tool to do
this with. |
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During the process I also removed
some defected wood, which may not look so good on one of the ends... |
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I marked out this "gothic arch" shape with a pair
of compasses.
I then cut it with my jigsaw.
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I used a sharp fine blade in my jigsaw, for curves especially
these are good, they will allow greater control and cut more
accurately.
The teeth are much smaller and closely spaced than a regular
jigsaw blade, thus producing a finer cut.
Internal curves such as these can prove awkward to sand by
hand, so the less cleanup needed - the better.
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I have clamped the 2 parts together,
and I am using the leg I have just cut as a template, drawing
around it will ensure the 2 ends are the same. |
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The top has been dimensioned, and
I am now using the 1/4" router with a rounding over bit to
take off the sharp corners. This I feel will also make the top
a lot more visually pleasing. |
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Now I have the 3 key components shaped to size. There is one
more part I need to cut before we can assemble the stool.
Between the 2 legs I am going to add a stretcher to link them
up, and also support the top.
>>> Click here to see
the next page (PART II) >>>
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