A stool is one of the simplest types of furniture products. No matter what changes our life undergoes, it remains unchanged. Only the materials from which it is made change. IN Soviet time making a stool with your own hands was one of the first tasks in labor lessons. Not only boys knew carpentry. Sometimes representatives of the fair sex had to comprehend the basics of adult life and learn how to make a stool with their own hands. Modern furniture bears little resemblance to its counterparts 50 years ago. Wooden stools of that time were rough, but durable. They fit perfectly into the interior of the kitchen, as well as other rooms. Nowadays there is a wide assortment in stores various types furniture, but there are also amateurs who want to learn how to make a stool with their own hands. And in our time of abundance building materials, it won't be difficult at all.
The main parts of a stool are the seat and legs. The legs are tied at the top with drawers, and at the bottom with leggings. Having become familiar with the terms, you can start drawing. First, you need to decide on the sizes. When making a stool, it is better to start from old, but reliable models that can be found in every home. Having measured the height and other parameters, you can begin to develop a diagram. If you don’t have a sample, then for an adult stool the seat side size will be 300-450mm, for a children’s stool - 250-280mm. Homemade stools should be even more comfortable than store-bought ones. If only because you can choose the height for yourself. Usually the size for adults is 420-480mm, for children - 260-280mm. You must have drawings of stools with you, whether it is a diagram from the Internet or drawn up by you. After all, eliminating defects on paper is much easier than redoing the whole job.
Materials and tools
Making a stool will require quality materials that have stood the test of time. In the first place, of course, is wood. Wooden stools rank first in terms of convenience and second after forged ones in terms of durability. The wood must be dried in room conditions at 20-30 degrees, chamber-drying wood should not be taken, since the possibility of cracking cannot be ruled out. After air drying, the material must be dried at home at room temperature about a month. It is best to take wood hard rocks: maple, birch, beech, wenge, hemlock, mahogany. Or make legs from them, which carry the main load, and the seat from pine, spruce, MDF, chipboard or plywood.
Chipboard is one of the cheapest, but unreliable materials. It has advantages, such as moisture resistance. But when making a stool, strength is much more important, and chipboard has insufficient strength, and it is also too fragile for furniture, although there are a couple of options in which the pressure on chipboard can be reduced. But the constant release of formaldehyde resins, which make this material unsafe, unfortunately, cannot be completely eliminated.
MDF - environmentally friendly material, quite durable. However, when making kitchen furniture with your own hands, it is better to use it in combination with hardwood, especially in the supports, that is, in fact, it is used only for the seat, or lid, as it is called in some sources.
A good substitute for wood is plywood, but then you will have to do a little magic with the design. Kitchen stools made from plywood are made from 3 parts, or from 4, so-called box-shaped. This design is now very common, especially in the furniture industry. Although it is perfect for making a stool with your own hands.
Tools are selected depending on the materials. To make wooden stools, we will need:
- roulette
- self-tapping screws
- screwdriver
- square
- jigsaw
- chisel
- emery
- wood glue
How to make a classic stool yourself
In order to make a wooden stool with your own hands, we will need material (boards, bars) and tools. If you don’t have a jigsaw and there’s no way to buy one, then we do this: we buy an inexpensive frame hacksaw for metal and direct its teeth toward you when working. So, the scheme is ready, the materials have been purchased and, if necessary, dried, the tools have been prepared - you can start. Before starting work, you can make so-called “patterns” out of paper, that is, life-size parts of the future stool cut out of paper. You don’t have to do this, whatever is more convenient for you.
Click to enlarge
We start with the legs, they will have a square section of 50x50mm. Let's cut off 4 identical parts from the block, let's say 450mm long. Then assemble a seat from a single piece or from two halves, ours is 380x380, the thickness of the board is 20 mm. Next, we cut out 4 drawers to connect the legs of the stool and 4 legs. We will also need four bars for an additional connection between the drawers and the seat. The structure is assembled according to the principle: tenon and groove, tenons are cut along the edges of the drawers, and grooves are cut on the legs of the future stool. The length of the tenon and the depth of the groove are approximately 20-25mm. We do the same with the legs, which will subsequently be attached to the legs. You can mark the details ahead of time for clarity.
We sand it before the parts are assembled; this is both convenient and safe. We assemble all the parts at the beginning without glue, adjusting and, if necessary, filing them. Then we coat the parts one by one with glue and assemble them. We fasten the bars between the drawers with self-tapping screws to the bottom of the seat “tightly”. To do this, we will take care of the length of the fasteners in advance. I would like to say a few words about the glue that we will use to coat the grooves.
It is better to take special glue, carpentry glue. This glue has proven itself for many years. If you don’t have it, then you can take PVA, but not the stationery type for paper, but the one that is suitable for wood.
Other types
There are stools that are much easier to make than classic ones. A very common option now is a stool, consisting of four parts: a seat, two wide legs and a reinforcing crossbar (or jumper). This option should not be difficult, especially in assembly. Wood, thick plywood, and laminated chipboard are suitable for it. This structure is secured with furniture screws and glue for additional fixation. This option is very simple, but there is one subtlety: the reinforcing crossbar should be in the shape of a trapezoid with a 5mm bevel. This is necessary to make the structure more stable.
You can try your hand at making a lightweight stool. In this version, there are no side drawers and the legs are attached directly to the grooves of the seat. For this purpose, the seat cover is made of thick material. The grooves are made directly into the seat or bars are attached to it. In this case, the legs are made thicker than usual. Of course, such a stool will take much less time than a regular one.
Another type of stool is a seat and two legs arranged crosswise at an angle of 90 degrees. In this version there are no additional parts, where the structure itself consists of 4 parts. In this case, we can again use wood, plywood, and pressed boards. If we settle on a wooden model, then we do the final touch after final assembly. We carefully sand the stool again, and then treat it as desired with stain, varnish or paint.
Decorating your stool
You can decorate your stool depending on the interior items where it will be located. You can apply a design on the surface of the seat with spray paint using a stencil. Then coat the surface with varnish. Or make a bold design move and decorate a retro stool using decoupage. This is labor-intensive, but effective, and you can also connect it to interesting business the whole family. For this we will need PVA stationery glue, beautiful napkins and varnish, preferably acrylic. The result will tell not only about your accuracy, but also reveal your taste. In the end, you can decorate just the seat by laying thin foam for softness. Then decorate it with beautiful fabric and decorate it with accessories to your taste. As they say, everything is in your hands!
Everyone knows the expression: “simple as a stool.” There is a fair amount of truth in it. This piece of furniture in its classic design is laconic and strict.
It is difficult to do without a stool in the kitchen and workshop, in the garage and in the bathhouse. It is needed wherever cramped conditions do not allow for larger furniture to be placed. For the home craftsman, making such a thing is The best way gain practical skills in carpentry.
In this article we will introduce you to the types of wooden stools and tell you about their features self-made. We hope that after this you will be able to confidently get to work and please your family with this useful piece of furniture.
Before you make a stool with your own hands, you should learn more about what carpentry masters in this area have come up with. First, let's study the sketch of a simple product and remember the names of the main parts. This will help us speak the same language using common terms.
So, a classic stool consists of a seat and four legs. The bars of the upper belt serve as a support for the seat and are called tsarg. The lower stiffening belt connecting the legs also consists of four bars called pro-legs. Experts installed it experimentally optimal sizes: height 50 cm, seat width 45 cm.
Stools made of logs, saw cuts and branches
By abandoning the legs, the seat can be made from an ordinary log. By sawing it into several logs and equipping each with a soft pad, we will get an original set for a country holiday.
The disadvantage of this solution is obvious - heavy weight, which creates inconvenience when carrying.
Here's what you can do by combining wooden legs with a massive seat made of rounded logs. This unusual stool claims to be a designer find.
There are no drawers or legs here. The rigidity of the structure is ensured by a massive seat, into which four legs are embedded at 1/3 of its height.
Anyone who is good with a chainsaw can create an original piece of furniture from a log. To do this, you need to make three neat side cuts in a thick block of wood to form the legs. Having made precise markings on the scraps of one trunk, you can cut them out into a set of two stools, nested one inside the other.
Continuing the “forest theme”, let’s see what can be built from the material lying under our feet. Beautiful product can be made from thick branches, freed from bark and polished. This design has one original detail - a drawer for household items located under the seat. The lid is assembled from planed boards mounted on wooden tenons and glue.
This piece of furniture will fit perfectly into the rustic interior style, which is characterized by massive wooden beams, stairs and tables. But it is unlikely to take root in an ordinary kitchen.
Cutting a log makes a ready-made seat for a stool. By cutting three legs from thick branches into it, we get a durable and attractive structure.
Hemp and forks of trunks can be used as bases for the manufacture of original products. Sanded and topped with thick log cuts, they fit perfectly into the interior of a log cabin.
Traditional simple stools
Timeless classics live not only in the facades of buildings. Time-tested solutions are also preserved in the designs of stools. Adding smooth lines to their appearance eliminates boring angularity.
In the photo below we see classic version. Thanks to the rounded drawers and legs, it looks quite decent. Milling grooves on the legs also improve it appearance.
Simplicity has its own charm. Designers successfully play with this quality, creating deliberately rough, brutal products. Artificially aging furniture is not an easy task. The author had to work a lot on the product, the photo of which we see below.
The category of classic “stool design” includes designs with drawers under the seat. For this purpose, wide sidewalls and hinged lids are used.
Sophistication and originality
Not everyone likes the hard seat and angular shape of the stool. For fans of aesthetics and comfort, craftsmen offer elegant products with curved legs and soft upholstery.
It is difficult for a beginner to make bent curly legs. Without compromising their beauty, they can be replaced with two pairs of crossed bars connected by a crossbar. But you shouldn’t give up soft foam upholstery.
Let's ask ourselves the question: what is needed to assemble a homemade wooden stool? Four thick boards for the seat, legs and crossbar. By decorating them with carvings, we get an exquisite and high-quality product. You can use it with pleasure at home, and on occasion, make it an exhibit of an exhibition of folk crafts.
When planning to make your first “masterpiece”, do not forget about using firing, stain and varnish for decoration. Even the simplest piece of furniture acquires a noble gloss after finishing contrast tinting method.
Except natural wood stools can be made from chipboard and thick plywood. This solution reduces their weight without losing strength. In the photo below we see an interesting plywood structure. Slotted holes in the seat and legs give it beauty and delicacy.
Square, round and oval seats are yesterday's carpentry art. Today, original solutions are in fashion. From these you can assemble a bench of any length and configuration. Invite your friends to visit and show them this miracle. Among them, there will probably be those who want to play with an unusual furniture “constructor”.
Bar stools
Anyone who believes that a stool must necessarily be low and nondescript is mistaken. Designers successfully prove the opposite. A little imagination and a familiar piece of furniture becomes a “fashionable thing” in the avant-garde style.
The high stool captured in the photo is a bar option. They can decorate the interior of a cafe and its decor. own apartment. Its lower brother, made in the same style, will take its rightful place behind dining table from euro pallets.
These days, bar seats are popular not only in catering establishments, but also at home. The tradition of placing bar counters in apartments, which came from overseas, caused a real boom in these products.
A high stool is convenient not only for drinking cocktails at the bar. It can be successfully used as a stand when picking fruit.
Folding stools
There are a huge variety of them, from the most simple solutions and to very complex transformers.
We present to your attention an original folding design. It consists of two rectangular frame-legs connected in the center by a metal axis. The support frames are attached to the seat with carpentry hinges. When folded, the axle moves along two slots cut into one of the legs. The seat rotates on hinges and stands upright.
Here is another version of a folding stool. His seat is made of two halves. When folded, the legs rotate around an axis and are placed in the same plane. The seat halves are pressed against them on both sides.
Fans of complex folding systems are offered an option consisting of eight pairs of lattice legs connected at the base by a common bar.
The upper ends of the legs on one side are hingedly connected to the seat, which is also made of bars. To fold the structure, take it by the lower slats and move them in the opposite direction. In this case, the lattice legs and seat bars fit into the gaps provided for them, and the stool becomes flat.
Another option is a folding stool with a “crawler” seat. Despite the simplicity of the design, it looks very original. Its two crossed legs are hinged in the center and connected at the top by a wooden segmental seat. By holding the edges, you can easily fold and unfold this stool.
DIY example
Having finished short review, it's time to start the practical part. We offer you step by step guide. Let's say right away that it is better for beginners to avoid tongue-and-groove joints. They require good carpentry skills and the presence of a special tool - a milling machine or, at worst, a hand router.
To work you will need several tools:
- Tape measure or ruler;
- Hand saw with fine teeth;
- Jigsaw for cutting legs and seat;
- Screwdriver for drilling holes and tightening screws;
- Belt sander for smoothing sharp edges on parts;
- PVA glue or wood glue.
Step one– using a hacksaw from a 30 mm thick planed pine board, we cut blanks for the legs and seat. If there is no board wide enough to make a solid seat, then it can be assembled from several narrow scraps. To do this, you need to mark and drill holes in their side edges for dowels. Having smeared the dowels with glue, they are inserted into the boards, assembled into a single panel and secured with carpentry clamps. After a day, you can start making the seat.
Step two– cut out the profile of one leg from thick cardboard and transfer it to all the blanks. We do the same with the seat blank.
Step three– We cut out the legs and seat with a jigsaw, and then sand their sharp edges with a grinder.
Step four— we assemble the legs in pairs, screwing self-tapping screws into their ends. We also use self-tapping screws to connect pairs of legs together. We arrange them so that they do not meet with previously twisted ones.
Step five– marking holes for dowels on the legs and seat. Having done this work, lubricate the tenons with wood glue and place the seat on the base.
Anyone who wants to simplify the work a little can refuse to fasten the seat with dowels. Instead, you can screw four screws directly through the lid into the legs from above. To ensure that they do not stand out on a flat surface, drill shallow secret nests for them in advance. After screwing, putty them with wood putty and cover the product with varnish and stain.
What piece of furniture is most often found in the kitchen or dining room? Of course it's a stool! This simple and familiar element of furniture has been popular among all mankind for many centuries. Its history began in ancient times, when cavemen, sitting around a fire, used wooden logs. Modern world The range of stools is quite extensive and varied, and their models meet all the requirements not only in terms of practicality, but also in terms of aesthetics. Do-it-yourself stool made of wood, drawings and photos of which can be found on the World Wide Web in large quantities, due to the simplicity of its design, is the beginning of a creative journey for many amateur carpenters. And today we will look at the most popular and easy-to-make examples.
The simplicity of the shape and design of this piece of furniture allows it to fit into absolutely any kitchen interior. This is what has attracted the attention of connoisseurs of minimalism for many years, allowing them to take it as a basis for the implementation of other aesthetic concepts.
Stool diagram Stool diagram (option 2)
Diagram of a stool-bedside table Assembling legs with hags
Depending on the style of the interior of the room, you can make a stool of absolutely any shape and material. For example, those who love something exclusive may like stools made of stone, metal or glass. However, the most popular and most available materials is still a tree. The reason for this is the ease of manufacturing the stool, strength and reliability, and most importantly, high aesthetic advantages. The most simple design wooden stools consist of four legs, a seat and connecting plates. However, there are many other options that have a specific purpose.
Stool with storage box
Stool with storage box Stool with storage box (option 2)
Sadly, most apartments cannot boast of having free space and, accordingly, additional lockers for storing various small items. It is for such cases that you can make a wooden stool with a drawer. This model will be great solution, how to free the table and other furniture elements from infrequently used items.
For example, housewives will be able to place handicraft items such as balls of yarn, knitting needles and other accessories for sewing or embroidery in the drawer built into the stool. The strong half of humanity will be able to hide small tools, such as a hammer, pliers, pliers, nails, etc., in this roomy chair.
By placing all these items on a wooden stool, on the one hand, the problem will be solved free space on a table or windowsill, and on the other hand, thanks to easy accessibility, they will always be at hand.
To make a chair with a box you will need a processed timber 5x5 cm, a board 2x2.5 cm thick measuring 20x25 cm, plywood, which will be used to make the bottom of the box, and fastening materials.
Folding stool
Wooden folding stool Wooden folding stool (option 2)
This is another one good example chairs for small spaces. The design of the product allows you to have several of these stools in your arsenal - keep some of them unfolded, and some to store in a closet or niche, because the folded dimensions of the chair are about 6-8 centimeters thick. If necessary, you can always take it out and comfortably seat the whole family or house guests at the table.
For this model of wooden stools, you can choose round or square seats, but the design of the legs is special. To make them, you can use a board or high-quality plywood with a thickness of at least 2 - 2.5 cm. The base of the chair consists of two frames that are freely connected to each other. To fasten the frames, special screws with bushings are used, which allow the structure to unfold.
Children's stool
Children's wooden stool Children's wooden stool (option 2)
Thanks to its small size, such a chair will always find its place in any home, not only in a children's room. Such homemade stools are very often used as a comfortable footrest for summer people. Therefore, their production will delight not only the little ones, but will also allow them to take care of the older residents of the house.
For the manufacture of high chair you need to use a treated, pre-sanded board in order to eliminate the risk of injury or getting a splinter. Ideal option there will be a dry linden tree having a light weight, thanks to its low density and beautiful texture.
Stools for a country house
Stools for country house Stools for a country house (option 2)
Products that will be used outdoors are recommended to be made from wooden beam. The best option will be oak or larch - these materials are best able to withstand the effects of moisture. If wooden stools assembled from other types of wood, then the beams should be pre-treated with a moisture-repellent agent.
Making a stool - stages of work
So, you have decided to make a wooden stool with your own hands, but don’t know where to start? The manufacturing technology is as follows:
Design
First of all, we draw up a drawing of the stool - from it we will subsequently manufacture all the components of the structure.
When drawing up a diagram, you should immediately calculate and note everything as you work. required sizes structural elements and methods of their connection. Also, when designing a drawing, it is important to take into account the dimensions of the internal fasteners - the tenons of the crossbars, as well as the grooves cut into the legs of the stool.
If you are not sure that you can cope with the development of a sketch on your own, make this task easier for yourself and find ready-made drawings with photos and possibly videos online. The main thing is that when you start work, you have a drawing to guide you.
Purchase of materials
After you have developed or found a ready-made sketch of a stool, you need to sketch out a list of all necessary materials, which you will need during the work. Your list must include:
- beams of the selected type of wood for the legs of the chair with a board for the crossbars;
- board or plywood for the seat;
- self-tapping screws;
- wood glue;
- varnish for woodworking.
If you plan to make a stool with your own hands with a soft seat, then you will additionally need high-density foam rubber and upholstery material.
Preparing the tools necessary for work
Making any wooden furniture is impossible without the use of carpentry tools. All furniture workshops in Moscow and other cities in our country use professional machines and special equipment. But to make a stool from wood or chipboard with your own hands, you will need a minimum list of tools, among which the most popular are:
- Sander;
- electric jigsaw;
- screwdriver;
- chisel;
- plane;
- hammer;
- roulette;
- pencil;
- building level.
Manufacturing of stool components
The process begins with markings that need to be transferred from the drawing for the stool, which we make with our own hands from wood, to the surface of the materials. From the timber, according to the given markings, we cut out legs 45 centimeters high. In the upper part of each of them we make two holes on two touching edges, retreating from the top by 2 cm. The width of the groove should be 1.3 cm, and its height should be 5 cm.
1. Marking the board 2. Marking the jumper 3. Marking the board
4. Using a jigsaw, cut out the parts 5. The parts are ready 6. Smooth with coarse sandpaper sharp corners
7. Sand the parts with fine sandpaper 8. The parts are ready for assembly
From the boards we make crossbars 44 cm long, on which we cut out tenons 1 mm smaller than the grooves. If you decide to make carved legs for a chair, then the method of attaching them will be slightly different from the option we offer. The seat of the stool is usually made from a sheet of thick plywood or board and cut to pre-calculated dimensions.
Before you make a wooden stool yourself, you should prepare all the structural elements. For this wooden surfaces processed first grinder, and then with fine-grained sandpaper. Don’t forget about safety precautions when working with a grinding machine - it is advisable to wear protective mask and glasses, and perform the work itself outside or in a well-ventilated area. The finished components of the structure are varnished. If you plan to change the color of the wood, you can pre-coat it with stain.
Assembly of the structure
When making stools with your own hands from the selected type of wood, you should lubricate with glue and connect together all areas of fastening of the chair legs and crossbars and wait until completely dry, then secure the connections with self-tapping screws.
9. Assembling the stool - connect the sides with the jumper (1 screw on each side) 10. Fasten the seat and the stool is ready
Quite often, to make the stool more durable, so-called “crackers” are additionally prepared - strips with beveled corners are cut from timber with a cross-section of 3x2 cm. These elements are screwed to the crossbars (drawbars) and legs.
After the frame of the product is ready, all that remains is to attach the seat blank, made according to the sketch, to it. Cover the finished chair with several layers of varnish and leave to dry for about a day.
11. Coat the product with colorless varnish. Finished stool
To make a stool with a soft seat, you will not need any special drawings or sketches during your work. The work is carried out according to the same scheme, only varnishing is carried out only on the legs and crossbars. Foam rubber is glued to the seat of the stool and covered with the selected upholstery material.
On most modern kitchens There is such a piece of furniture as a stool. It's very convenient, useful thing, which takes up very little space, which when small sizes there are enough standard kitchens valuable quality. Making a stool with your own hands is not difficult, even if the master has minimal working skills. The main thing is to be careful when preparing parts and taking measurements.
The stool is a compact but very convenient element of the kitchen interior.
Many residents small apartments They prefer to use something more mobile instead of a chair, and a DIY stool will do just fine. Those who want to make a stool themselves, as a rule, do not encounter any difficulties, but have with them good instructions on carrying out the work and carefully fulfilling its points will not be superfluous.
If you decide to make a chair or stool for your own kitchen yourself, but have no experience in woodworking yet, try to follow some tips while working.
You should not undertake mortise-tenon joints. This will require not only good work skills, but also great precision during execution, otherwise, instead of a chair or stool, you will end up with a wobbly thing. Such connections can only be undertaken if you have the necessary skills.
A stool is usually a mobile thing that is constantly moved around the apartment (for example, a chair is less comfortable in this regard). Therefore, you should not use chipboard in its manufacture - its edges quickly deteriorate, especially if the material has been exposed to moisture. Chipboards hold screws and other fasteners very poorly.
Materials for making a stool
On modern construction markets furniture is offered in different shapes and types, for example, you can choose a folding chair or a simple one. The materials for making furniture can also be chosen differently. Ordinary furniture like a table or chair can be made of wooden materials - plywood, OSB or chipboard, plastic, metal, and sometimes more exotic ones - like stone or glass.
To make a stool with your own hands, it is better to choose ordinary wood, that is, wooden materials.
For example, you can take a reliable and simple-to-design stool, made up of three elements: legs, a seat and the elements connecting them. Before making a stool, prepare everything you need for this. To make it you will need:
- timber for legs with a section of 30x30 mm;
- two boards 145x300 mm with a thickness of 20-25 mm;
- sandpaper;
- wood glue;
- plywood 12 mm thick;
- acrylic lacquer;
- screws 40 mm long – 24 pcs.
Tools for making a stool
Only suitable tools and devices should be used in the work:
- hacksaw with fine teeth;
- shaped screwdriver;
- ruler, corner;
- electric drill and drills for it;
- construction pencil;
- varnish brush.
You need to choose only convenient and high-quality tools - then the work will be a pleasure, and the product itself will turn out beautiful and can last a long time.
How to make a stool: stages of completing the work
Instructions for performing work help the master save time on thinking about actions and not make mistakes even with little experience. To make a stool, start by measuring and sawing off wooden block 4 parts, each length should be 430 mm. These will be the legs for the stool.
Now, from a board with a thickness of 20-25 mm, make blanks for the seat - there should be two of them, width - 145 mm, length - 300 mm. If desired, the seat can be made in one piece if you can find a good, suitable board 300 mm wide. But most home craftsmen try to use cuttings of boards, especially in cases where they are left over, for example, from renovations. They won’t make a more serious thing, it’s a pity to throw them away, but it’s always nice to make a useful piece of furniture out of scraps that are, at first glance, unusable. Neither the quality of the stool nor its appearance will suffer if you assemble it from pieces - you just need to do everything correctly.
Make connecting plates from plywood - stability will largely depend on them finished product. The size of the plates should be 100x270 mm. On the wide sides of the plates, cut two grooves with dimensions of 12x50 mm. Each of the grooves should deviate from the edges of the part by 30 mm - this will be the thickness of the stool leg. We assemble the parts prepared in this way into a box - we get a connecting frame for the stool.
The legs and seat must be attached to the frame using screws. To do this, you will need to pre-drill pilot holes. Before tightening the screws, for greater reliability, coat the joints with glue - you can use PVA.
If you need to give the stool more stylish look, the edges of the parts are smoothed out - chamfering does not take much time, and the product takes on a completely different appearance.
The resulting structure must be carefully processed with sandpaper. This can be done either manually or using a grinder. First, the processing must be carried out with coarse-grained paper No. 100-120, then process the result with finer paper - No. 300-320.
Do not sand parts before assembly. When processing a stool in an already assembled form, all minor inconsistencies in the parts are smoothed out, but if such an operation is carried out on the parts in advance, it will be done almost empty. During assembly, small chips and other surface defects will inevitably appear that will have to be smoothed out again, otherwise the product will look sloppy and ugly.
When sanding is finished, coat the stool with 2-3 coats of clear varnish. Before applying each layer, wait until the previous one has dried thoroughly.
You can make a simple chair in much the same way, but you will also need to make a backrest. When working, do not forget about the need to comply with safety precautions. To avoid getting splinters and cuts, don’t be too lazy to wear gloves.
“Can you put together a box? Yes? Okay, you’ll make stools for now.” This is from a conversation with a new job seeker in a small furniture company. Indeed, making a simple stool with your own hands is no more difficult than making a box. That one may be more difficult if it is retractable in a nightstand. Therefore, for those interested in carpentry, it is better to master it by starting with a stool. You won’t save a lot of money on this, stools are inexpensive. But the acquired skills will allow you to start working on large cabinet furniture, which will give you significant savings, plus unique items in the interior.
A stool as a starting object in the furniture business has another advantage: it requires little planing and sawing work with the inevitable debris, you can test your carpentry abilities on the balcony or even in the kitchen. Having made sure that things are going well, we will think about a carpentry workshop with a workbench and other things; Without it, you won’t be able to make the furniture more impressive.
The device and something about the terms
A classic kitchen stool made of wood is constructed as shown in Fig. It also shows that its design is a little complicated for a beginner, but we will get to it through simpler samples, but no worse. In this case, the picture is needed for something else.
The reader may think that calling the support beam a drawer, and the ties/spacers with legs is a purely furniture-specific feature, sort of like how a sailor’s bench is a bank. As for the kings, this is not so. Drawbars can also be found in other branches of technology, and there they are by no means beams, either in appearance or in the nature of the load.
In fact, the drawer is a structural element that distributes multidirectional loads across the components of the power circuit. When distributing the load, it is impossible not to experience it, therefore it is structurally, technologically and economically justified to make the drawers also load-bearing, i.e. make them work.
In furniture production, the frame is most often combined with a support beam in the form of a board or beam placed on the edge. This idea is so ingrained that some experienced carpenters consider any such board to be a tsarga. However, drawers in furniture are very diverse.
For example, at pos. 1 pic. (underneath a stool with legs in sockets) the drawers are still quite drawer-bearing beams, only made of timber. But already at pos. 2 kings are scarves, and their frame does not hold anything and is only decorative; on pos. 3 tsar-kerchiefs can do without it. And at pos. 4 ( dressing table) tsarga - a jib, which is a beam no more than a gusset.
Table with removable legs, pos. 4, the case is generally interesting. When it is disassembled, the drawer will be a shaped steel brace, because only in this case it keeps the boards of the underframe from breaking out of the tabletop when pushed, or simply from falling apart if the tabletop is also removed. But when the legs are in place, their heads are pressed into the corners and the table is standing, the boards of the underframe will become both beams and drawers, because support both vertical and lateral loads. In this case, it is even legitimate to talk about attaching the legs to the drawers (!), because the product acquires proper strength and rigidity only when the mounting units of the legs are assembled and loaded.
Drawers made from boards can also be vertical posts rather than beams. In this case, they are called combat drawers, pos. 6. In general, with drawers you need to do the same as with beams: first of all, look at how they work in the structure, but how they look is the second to fifth question. It was necessary to immediately be distracted by the drawers, because... in furniture they are found all the time.
What do we do?
To make a stool, let's see what you can do. Not everything, there is an endless variety of stools, but for starters, typical examples. Our task is to choose what is simpler and better for a specific purpose.
The classic kitchen stool can be both utilitarian and very artistic, pos. 1 and 2 in Fig. Its design has evolved over centuries and such stools serve for many decades. The strength of the structure allows the stool to be used as a work table, everyone knows this. You can start working on a classic stool from the very beginning, having learned a few woodworking techniques, see below.
In lightweight stools, pos. 3-8, the legs are attached either without drawers at all, in sockets in a thick, durable seat, or in sockets in kerchief drawers. In the first case, both the seat and the legs have to be thickened, so such stools are inferior to others in strength, and often in appearance and position. 3.
To make a lightweight stool strong, its legs are tied with tie rods: the lower, the stronger and the thinner the tie bars can be, pos. 4 and 5. But the low frame made of ties interferes with the legs of the person sitting, and cutting into the thin legs of the stool weakens them. Therefore, instead of a simple frame, they often make an H-shaped one, pos. 6, or put ties on different levels, pos. 7.
The greatest strength and convenience is provided by the X-shaped tie system (tie cross), pos. 8. With a certain configuration of the legs, it is possible to do without the lower cross; One example of this kind will be discussed below.
Important subtleties
If you ever decide to make a lightweight stool, keep in mind, firstly, that its legs should be slightly apart, i.e. the axes passing through the centers of the heads and heels of the legs should deviate from the vertical by 7-12 degrees outward relative to the axis of symmetry of the stool. The second option is that the legs should be arched and expand upward, see below. Without one or the other, the legs may break even when slightly rocking on a stool. Moreover, both solutions are valid if the stool is symmetrical about the vertical axis, i.e. not extended in plan. An exception, up to a proportion of 1:1.5, is a stool with ties at different levels; it can be pulled out in the direction of the lower ties.
Second, in order to cut the heels and heads of the legs to the required angle, their blanks need to be collected in a tightly tightened bag and cut in 1 pass. Otherwise, the stool will remain an oblique spread: the vertical legs can then be adjusted to the length along the length, but the accuracy of the angles required for processing the legs one by one is simply impossible to achieve on wood. The angles will already go half a degree or a degree away from the drawing, but this is not so important, as long as all the legs are the same.
Stools-cabinets, pos. 9 and 10, are heavy and material-intensive, but very durable, because consist, from a mechanical point of view, of 3 sides located in mutually perpendicular planes. These same stools are easy to make, and it’s better to start mastering furniture making with them. In such a case - in Fig. drawings of 2 types. At pos. on the right, the details of the cabinet also cut into half the tree, see below; The groove for insertion is not shown. The seat in both cases can be of any centrally symmetrical shape; they place it on dowels, see below. The covers on round pedestal stools make them look indistinguishable from more labor-intensive poufs if you make an upholstered seat, as described below.
Note: in the inset at the bottom left of Fig. variant of a stool-cabinet for a summer residence. It requires 4 parts, but it does not get bogged down in loose soil.
Box-shaped, or panel, stools (items 11 and 12) require 4 parts, but are lighter and less disturbing to the legs. Making them is no more difficult than the previous ones, and all connections are dowel, which makes the work somewhat easier. Box stools can be extended in length until they become benches, and their strength and stability depend very little on height. The well-known utility stool (item 12) is from this breed. In general, stools made from panels are also a rewarding object for a novice carpenter, so we provide drawings for them of several types: a normal room height, on the right in the figure, a utility one lower, on the left there, and below - the construction of a very small children's stool.
Note: in Fig. on the right is a diagram of a reinforced box-shaped stool. Pos. c) there is a way to make it look more attractive by veneering the sides. This stool is well suited for the dacha: it is simple, light, inexpensive, looks good, and is not inferior to the classic one in terms of durability and convenience.
Stools for pos. 13 and 14 only look like box-shaped ones, but in fact they each have 4 wide and flat legs. Therefore, such stools must be made with drawers made of boards or beams, and the legs must be fastened with a leg. True, in this case there is only one and can be positioned so that it does not interfere with the legs at all.
The next variety available for beginners to make on their own is step stools with X-shaped legs. To give them the required strength, they require either 2 drawers and 2 legs, located mutually perpendicular, pos. 15, or 4 drawer-beams forming the upper frame, and 1 tie between the crosses of the legs. Last option can be fit into the interior of a living room or bedroom, but most of all the spreaders are made folding. If you suddenly become interested, see Fig. folding country stool, drawings and folding method. You can assemble a country house set from these and a garden folding table. In general, there are many designs of folding stools for different purposes, from a fishing stand to furniture for picnics, and some of them are easy to make with your own hands.
Note: all the described stools are quite plastic and tolerant of the configuration of parts, so their creative designs are possible in different styles, pos. 17-20.
Materials, tools, technology
What to make it from?
The wood is suitable for making any stool. In terms of strength and durability, a wooden stool is second only to a forged metal one, and in terms of convenience and functionality it has no equal among its peers. Any quality wood will be suitable for a stool, except for very soft and easily rotting species: poplar, willow, aspen, alder.
The quality of wood for any furniture is determined, firstly, by the absence of visible defects: cracks, falling knots, chips, wormholes, traces of rot and mold in the form of spots of a color unusual for this species, see fig. Secondly, the wood for furniture must be room-dry, with a humidity of 8-12%. Kiln-dried wood (humidity up to 8%) is of limited use for furniture, because during the drying process, its structure may be damaged and furniture made from it in the room may shrink or crack over time.
Note: cross-grained and twisted wood for furniture in handicraft production is in many cases acceptable, and sometimes desirable, because allow you to get beautiful texture. The famous Karelian birch is nothing more than an ordinary warty birch, completely curled due to unfavorable conditions growth.
The wood is air-dry, with 12-20% humidity (this is ordinary timber) must be kept in a dry room at a temperature of 15-30 degrees for 1-6 weeks, stacked on stands that do not dampen. The initial plots (boards, beams) are placed on supports at intervals, and the next belt (layer) of the stack is also placed on supports; Now you can use the same plots as them, laying a pair across.
Note: It is impossible to dry the wood under the influence of heating devices or incandescent lamps - we will get very poor chamber wood.
They usually use pine or spruce for the seat of the stool, and harder wood for the legs: birch, oak, maple, beech. Of course, the entire stool can be made from hardwood. Of the fairly accessible imported breeds, wenge, hemlock, and mahogany are suitable.
A complete replacement for wild wood will be modified wood - medium and high density MDF. MDF is not impregnated with anything; it is made from compressed elevated temperature industrial wood sawing waste, i.e. The material is completely environmentally friendly. MDF is inferior to wild wood in terms of abrasion resistance, so it is advisable to fill the heels of MDF legs with solid wood soles.
From plywood you can make pedestal and box-shaped stools, as well as covered stools with an X-shaped tie of legs (item 8 in the figure at the beginning) and similar ones in the power scheme. Also, plywood will fit on the seat of any stool. As a rule, only box-shaped stools are made entirely from chipboard, because... in the designs of all the others there are points of concentrated loads, which chipboard does not support. But chipboard will also work well on the seat.
Note: It is highly advisable to impregnate plywood for furniture with a water-polymer emulsion on both sides and on the end.
About the glue
Most furniture joints are glued. Traditionally, bone wood glue is used for this. It is inexpensive, does not require touch-drying before joining parts, and gains strength as soon as it hardens. But to prepare it you need a glue maker, which, however, you can make yourself.
Liquid nails wood glue is very strong. It also makes it possible to hide adhesive seams, because... it is tinted to look like wood with sawdust, or you can buy a ready-made tinted one. Better acrylic glue for wood, water-based.
Liquid nails and acrylic are quite expensive, so in many cases they are replaced with almost equally durable PVA, but not the usual office grade for paper, but for wood. The corresponding marking must be looked at on the label, and wood PVA is sold not in office supplies, but in construction and hardware stores. It is necessary to glue parts on PVA only after exposure to tack; glue is applied to both parts to be joined. Allow for at least a day to gain strength, only then can you continue working or load the connection.
Note: All adhesive joints do not hold seam shear well, i.e. they need to be supported in this direction different ways; about some, see below.
What to do?
We will assume that since you are a craftsman, you have simple measuring, marking and working tools, including chisels and chisels. It is also advisable to have a caliper with a depth gauge. But in order to start making stools and furniture in general, you need to stock up on a couple more devices first.
Firstly, a surface gauge (reismus) for marking, see fig. You can do it yourself by using a couple of screws instead of a lever lock. If you wish, you can use a homemade surface planer; amateurs do it.
Secondly, wooden panels for furniture are not assembled just like that; they will come out hunchbacked and cracked. Shields need to be united, i.e. When assembling, do not glue the boards, press them tightly against each other with their edges until the glue dries completely and gains strength. See below how the shields are held together, but for now you need to make devices for this: plazas or weims. The basis in both cases is strong, even and seasoned boards of at least 150x50 for plaza and 120x50 for vaym.
A very convenient plaza made from a screw clamp and a stop with a dead center, pos. 1 in Fig. If there are no components for it, then the simplest plaz, pos. 2. The boards in it are compressed with wedges, pos. 2a, alternately beating with a mallet, and roughly matching the size of the shield, place a spacer from the same board as the base of the plaza.
Large shields, approximately longer than 50 cm, cannot be rallied on the plaza, because its base itself bends. In addition, the extension of the edges of the boards beyond the plaza should not exceed 150 mm, i.e. on a plaza from 250 mm boards you can assemble a shield up to the same 50 cm wide. This is enough for a stool, but for the future it is better to get 3-4 wires, pos. 3. The fastening of the end stop bosses in all cases must be very strong, using M8-M12 through bolts with nuts, because Very large forces act on the work stops.
How to do?
To make a stool, you first need to master several types of connections of wooden parts:
- Insert into half a tree (half a tree).
- Tongue and tongue connection.
- Tongue-groove connection.
Half a Tree
Half-tree connection shown in Fig. Technologically, it is the simplest and quite reliable if it is additionally fastened, 2-3 points per connection, with dowels, self-tapping screws, bolts, nails and, optionally, glued. When working hand tools The recesses are first sawed along the edges, not reaching 0.5-1 mm to the desired depth, and the excess material is removed with a chisel. Making cuts deeper in order to knock off the excess with one blow is a manufacturing defect!
Half-tree connections are closed, pos. 1, this is how the crosspieces are assembled, open, pos. 2, for assembling corners, and blind (closed) halfway, pos. 3, for insertion on the run. In addition, half a tree can be connected either side by side, pos. 1-3, and along the edge, pos. 4. In the latter case, if the parts are high enough, the connection holds well and only with glue without additional reinforcements; This is how the supports of stools/pedestals are assembled.
Tongue and tongue and groove
For tongue-and-groove joints, pos. 1-3 in the figure, the 1st point of additional fastening or just gluing is enough. The tongue-groove connection can be single open, pos. 1, open double, pos. 2, triple, etc., or closed, pos. 3. The latter can be separated only by pulling the part with the ridge, and open tongue-and-groove joints can also be done by rotating the parts relative to each other, i.e. a closed tongue-and-groove ridge is technologically more complex (the hole must be drilled along the edges with a drilling depth limiter and then carefully hollowed out), but stronger and more reliable.
Mortise-tongue and tongue-and-groove joints are mechanically similar, so they are often confused. For example, connections to pos. 1 and 2 in old Soviet textbooks for vocational schools are called tongue and groove. But in fact, the shoulder of the tenon, unlike the shoulder of the comb, goes around the tenon on all sides, pos. 4. This makes it possible to hide the semicircular edges of the hole selected by the end mill, and makes the connection resistant to breakout in 2 planes, along and across.
The tenon, like the closed tongue-and-groove, can be wedged when assembled with a wedge made of hard wood, also pos. 4. The connection becomes permanent, but very strong and no visible additional fastenings are required; glue will last forever. The connection on a wedged tenon is generally “dead”; it is easier to break the entire product into pieces than to separate it.
Note: There are many types of tenon joints used in furniture; For example, a small part of them is shown in Fig. on right. We will get acquainted with the necessary ones along the way when describing the corresponding types of furniture.
Dowels
The dowel connection is the main thing in carpentry, because... it is quite strong and invisible, i.e. completely closed. Actually, a dowel is a round or octagonal tenon made of hard wood, made separately from the parts being connected. How the connection is made with dowels is shown in the figure; for marking, you can’t do without a surface planer.
The dowels can be wedged during assembly, see fig. on the right, then they are called dowels; The wedges must be placed across the grain of the wood of the parts being joined. The dowel connection is permanent, but very strong and reliable. The connections on the dowels are usually glued.
The attentive reader probably already has a question: where can I get them, these dowels? Random twigs and slivers will not be reliable. It’s true that dowel sticks are available for sale, but you can also make them yourself. In general, the main dowel connection in furniture has a lot of other subtleties, so we give a selection of videos:
Video: dowel connection
Video: making round sticks for dowels and arrows
Video: a device for making dowels with your own hands
Video: homemade jig for drilling holes for dowels
Rally
Boards are assembled into furniture panels in different ways. On a tongue and groove connection (a type of tongue-and-groove connection), pos. 1 in Fig., it is easiest to consolidate if you use tongue-and-groove boards. Due to the large contact area of the surfaces being connected, glued tongue and groove is very reliable and is often used. However, only boards of sufficient thickness can be tongue-tied, because the tongue crest should, on the one hand, be no wider than 1/4-1/3 of the thickness of the board, and on the other hand, it should not be narrower than 10-12 mm. It is believed that minimum thickness boards from wild solid wood for joining to tongue and groove - 30 mm, but it is not recommended to join boards less than 40 mm to tongue and groove; The dimensions of the tongue for a forty board are shown in Fig. higher. MDF and laminate panels can be tongue-and-groove with board thicknesses of 16 mm or more.
Joining in rebate, pos. 2, secure only if the fold has a lock. A lockless rebate is just a quarter, and a board made of quarter boards will not be reliable, just like a board assembled into a batten, i.e. just the ends of edged boards. It is difficult to make a locking rebate at home, so they, like the locking tongue and groove, are used to join panels made of MDF or laminate, see fig. on right. In this case, the thickness of the boards can be from 12 mm.
Rallying on dowels, pos. 3, perhaps solid wood boards from 20 mm and MDF/laminate from 12 mm, but it is labor-intensive and difficult. It is best to join thin boards using a smooth reveal, pos. 4. You will have to choose grooves for the reveal manual router on wood with a disk cutter, but the fugue itself can be made from plywood from 3 mm, which makes it possible to assemble “wild” boards from 12 mm.
About the seat
Sitting on a hard stool for a long time is uncomfortable, so something softer will do just fine. How the soft seat of the stool is arranged is shown in pos. 1 pic. You should immediately note that it is better to make the external upholstery from burlap, and sew capes for the stools from decorative furniture fabric. The stool is used intensively, often carelessly, and expensive jacquard, etc. It will soon get oily. And the cape can be washed, and sewing it is much easier than a cover for a chair or armchair.
The inner lining is installed on glue with a wing turn of 60 mm, pos. 2. Glue is applied only to the base and the wings are applied, drying it until it sticks. Foam rubber is chosen “by snap”: compressed to the limit with your fingers and suddenly released, it should straighten sharply, and not pull up smoothly.
The outer skin is also installed with glue, with the inner wings overlapping by at least 30-40 mm. To prevent it from creeping, its edges are tied with harsh threads lengthwise and crosswise, and the threads are sealed so as not to break accidentally. thick paper, thin cardboard or just tape. Upholstery nails, if necessary, are imitated with push pins, pos. 3. The seat is attached to the base when it is completely ready.
The wicker seat pos. does not irritate the “fifth point” at all. 4, but it requires a reliable frame, like a classic stool. Lightweight stools and stools without a tightly attached seat are not strong enough. Modifying cabinets and box stools by replacing the top board with a frame is not worth it for the same reason.
Note: the dimensions of ordinary, not for a bar, stools are 420-450 mm in height; the seat is from 350x350 to 400x400 mm square and with a diameter of 300-450 mm round.
Examples and samples
The most reliable and functional, as we see, is still the classic stool; No wonder she became one of the classics. Therefore, we also provide its drawings, see Fig. Pos. A - general form and device; B – method of fastening the seat; B – detailing; D – diagram of the seat joining on the dowels; D – base assembly; E – checking for evenness by measuring pairs.
However, established canons do not exclude evolution up to revolutionary changes. Revolutions are generally not necessary for society because they are ruinous, but in technology they are almost always fruitful. An example is a lightweight stool for the kitchen based on a classic one, see next. rice. The use of plywood (top frame), laminate for the seat and, most importantly, the extension of the drawers outside the load-bearing belt, gave rise to a very simple, light, cheap and convenient design - there are no protrusions. And in terms of strength, it will not be inferior to the classics, but you can’t make a wicker seat.
And finally, a version of the base of a lightweight stool without legs. See fig. for assembly method. Material – wood or plywood. The seat can be anything. Thanks to the correctly chosen configuration of the legs, the stool is quite reliable, and in appearance, especially with a soft seat, it will fit into any living room.
Finally
Making furniture with your own hands is not only economical, but also exciting. And therefore - good morning! From a simple stool to a wardrobe or bed that will make the seasoned designer gasp in admiration.