Folding garden seat

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GaryMGg

GaryMGg

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Joined
Nov 23, 2006
Messages
5,786
Location
McIntosh, Florida, USA.
My wife is actively involved with the Garden Club.
Last year, at her request, I made one of these seats for her to include in the
Florida Garden Club's annual convention gift basket raffle.
It turned out to be very popular and generated more than half the money raised via their raffle.
When I made the first one, I had little turning experience and bought a dowel.
This year, I turned the dowels used in the legs and for the handle.

The magnolia tree is the Florida Garden Club's logo.

Starting with rough lumber, I jointed, planed and milled black cherry, black walnut, sapelle and quartersawn magnolia to make the seat shown below. It has one coat of oil
on it so far. When that cures, I'll add a three coats of Waterlox. I still need to turn the plugs that'll be used to cover the screws:

open.jpg


closed.jpg


All comments welcome.
 
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cowchaser

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Sep 14, 2007
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927
Location
Bartlesville, Oklahoma, USA.
That is great Gary. I actually have one just like it that I built in high school shop class. It is made of pine though. It has some how or another made itself a plant stand. My mother finally gave it back to me a few weeks ago. Water stains and all. 20 years and still strong as ever.
 
GaryMGg

GaryMGg

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Joined
Nov 23, 2006
Messages
5,786
Location
McIntosh, Florida, USA.
Thanks,

I'm not finding the exact location I got the plans from but these are extremely similar:

http://www.greenvillewoodworkers.com/pdfs/ProjectPlans/FoldingStool.pdf

And, if I can offer a couple of tips or thoughts on making these, having done several:

1. IF you have long enough stock for the legs and seat braces, don't cut to length until after step 2 is complete.

Remember: Keep your hands away from spinning metal bits and blades!
2. Make a template for the round portion of each leg using hardboard or hard maple and then use a router bit with a bearing to follow the pattern by marking the center of the hole and screwing the template in position thru the center mark. Clamp the other end of the leg in position on the template so nothings shifts while cutting.
This way each leg will look the same. Using a router in a router table, place the template down and bring the left edge into the bearing from the right of the bit. Swing the template from left to right, keeping it very tight against the bearing.

3. Drill thru the center mark for the dowel after you've rounded the legs.

4. slip a dowel thru all four legs and cut the miter to length on all four at once. ;)

5. Use a similar process on the two seat braces.

6. To expedite drilling the dowel holes, clamp a fence in position on the drill press table so that the 1/2" forstner bit is centered in the leg's marked hole. Make sure you can slide the entire leg up and/or down this length without having to move the fence. The fence should be a hair taller than the piece you're drilling.
When you mark the line for drilling the dowel, carry it all the way across the 1-1/2" width of the leg. Continue that line up the side and over the top of the fence you put in position. Having done this, you don't have to stop to check that the piece is in the correct position. Simply slide the leg until each mark for the hole to be drilled lines up with the mark on the fence and drill with confidence. :D [8D]

Hope that's useful.
 
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HawksFeather

Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2005
Messages
217
Location
Defiance, OH
I have a shooting stool that is similar, but not nearly as nice. They sure do fold up nice and don't take the space that a "usual" stool does.

Jerry
 
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