We’re about to make an easy step stool from one piece of timber! This is one of my first-ever woodworking projects and it’s as easy as it sounds.
Materials:
- one piece of timber 1800mm x 140mm x 9 mm (I used a $5 piece of reclaimed timber from a scrap yard, but pine works just as well).
- wood glue
- nails
Tools:
- Mitre Saw
- Jigsaw
- Circular Saw
- Nail gun or Hammer and nails
- Sander or sanding block with grits 80, 120, 240
- Clamps
- Protective Equipment (glasses, ear protection, dust mask and gloves)
Note: If you don’t own a mitre saw or jigsaw you can use a hand saw.
Step Stool Process
Use the template below as a guide to how we will divide up the piece of timber.
Step One: Create the top pieces. Using your mitre saw cut two pieces that measure 400mm (black lines on diagram).
Step Two: Make the top railing supports. Trim the edge off one side of each top piece using a circular saw. (See green lines on diagram). Be sure to use lots of clamps to keep your piece steady while cutting. Once cut, use your mitre saw to cut the railings you just made down to 320mm in length.
Step Three: Make the legs. On your original piece of timber cut two pieces 190mm each using your Mitre Saw.
Step Four: Turn your side pieces so they are 190mm wide and 140mm high. Draw a ‘V’ shape into the bottom of one piece (my V is 90mm wide and 70mm high). Then use a Jigsaw to cut it out. Trace this shape onto the second leg and repeat.
Step Five: Assemble! Using wood glue and a nail gun or hammer and nails, it’s time to assemble. I started by adding the support railings to the upside-down top pieces ( use your leg pieces as a guide to figure out where they should go and mark with a pen first.) I used wood glue to attach the two top pieces to each other, and clamped in place. I then attached the legs by nailing through the sides into the railings. Lastly, I flipped it all over and nailed through the top down into the legs and railings.
Step Six: The very last step was to give the whole thing a good sand. Check for any wobbles and use this opportunity to even them out by sanding down the high parts.
Step Seven: I left my timber natural but you could finish it off by staining or using a wax to protect your stool further. Have fun!
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