Step Stool for my daughter

[LeeR]

My oldest daughter is 5'-2", and is always dragging a dining chair into her kitchen to reach something at the top of one of the cabinets. This step stool was just the perfect gift.

I finished this 2 days before Christmas, but wasn't sure I'd get it done. This was one of the more challenging projects I've taken on. There are 36 pieces of wood in this step stool -- alternating pieces of sassafras and walnut. I went to great lengths to make sure pieces were precisely cut to facilitate glue-up and to minimize the sanding required.

My littlest granddaughter (1 year old) sits on it with blanket and toy or food in hand, while her mom works in the kitchen... seems she thinks it is hers.

 

[Brian Davis]

That is beautiful

 

[Glen Schumann]

Nicely done!

 

[thewishman]

Functional AND beautiful! Easy to see why your granddaughter commandeered it.

 

[navycop]

Great job. Is that your own creation or from a plan?

 

[broitblat]

Looks like you've created a beautiful new heirloom.

-Barry

 

[LeeR]

Great job. Is that your own creation or from a plan?

Mike,

The plan in the October 2011 issue of Woodworker's Journal magazine. (I am not sure I would have designed something so complicated!)
The author wanted to use up a bunch of scraps of poplar. I decided to use fancier wood.

One thing that helped was to build a material list in a spreadsheet. I sorted columns by rip width, and also by length. I also listed the wood species for each part, so I would cut each piece from the correct wood. I did this since I wanted to cut all pieces of the same width at the same time, before moving my table saw fence. When all parts were ripped, then I used the next spreadsheet to cut all pieces to length (since I had stop blocks set up on my radial arm saw for this.)

Finally, thanks to all for the nice comments. In about a year, when the memory of the glue-up process has faded some, I think I may make one for my wife ...

 

[navycop]

Lee
Thanks for the info.

 

[phillywood]

Lee, this is beautiful. However, you made it for your daughter now get back in the shop and make one for your granddaughter and then sit back and enjoy all the gloating she would do for her own step stool or what ever she would name it.
We check back in two weeks for her stool pic.. I think all those scraps of woods in your shop keep calling you to put them to work.

 

[LeeR]

Lee, this is beautiful. However, you made it for your daughter now get back in the shop and make one for your granddaughter and then sit back and enjoy all the gloating she would do for her own step stool or what ever she would name it.
We check back in two weeks for her stool pic.. I think all those scraps of woods in your shop keep calling you to put them to work.

Two weeks! I think it took me two weeks just to figure out which pieces would come from a particular board! I realized some time ago that I could never make money selling wooden projects -- I am WAY too slow. I guess it might just take away most of the enjoyment, anyway, since I'd always be behind schedule. I'll post pictures of any more step stools I make, but it may be more like two years ...

 

[boxerman]

One awesome looking step stool.