3 leg shop stool and spindle steady rest

[Mike Peace]

They say experience is what you get right after you needed it. I guess so is this spindle steady rest. I made a 25" tall shop stool from recent plans from Woodworkers Journal. I was getting a little chatter on the maple legs so after I finished the stool I decided to make a steady rest. The front stretcher is turned on two axis so as to have a flat spot to put your feet on. The stretchers are cherry with a little cherry stain since I did not want to wait for them to darken. The top is a large scrap of I believe Fir.

I got the wheels a couple of years ago from a used pair of skates from a thrift store. Just now getting around to using them. Nothing fancy but it seems to work fine. Should make it easier to turn my next long spindle without having to figure out how to remove the spirals from the chatter.

Comments or questions welcome.
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[Roland Martin]

Pretty neat idea with the front stretcher Mike. Nice stool & steady.

[charlie knighton]

both good projects, Mike, well done

[Greg Just]

nice looking stool Mike. I made a 4 legged stool a few years ago and it was a fun project. Here is a link for a video on this project:

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/Main/Articles/Turning_a_Three_Leg_Stool_8731.aspx

[Michelle Rich]

great shop stool. pretty soon you'll be turning windsors!! :-)

[John Keeton]

Nice work on the stool, Mike! On the steady, will it adjust back and forth for diameter? It would seem one would need a slot of some sort - either where the wheels are mounted or in the base. Perhaps I am just not seeing that feature?

[Mike Peace]

Greg, thanks for adding the link to the video.

John, I do have a slot on the bottom that the bolt from the round clamping block goes thru. It does not need more than 1" adjustment since I figured any spindle I used it on would generally be from 1" - 3" in diameter. So the slot is only needs to be about 1" long.

[Peter Lamb]

Mike once again a fine effort. Thanks for sharing

[Steve Schlumpf]

Nice work on both projects Mike! Interesting design on the stool.... had not seen that one yet.

[James Combs]

Mike, that's a cool stool and a ready steady.

[Steve Kubien]

I like the stool a lot but I LOVE the steady. Simple rules in my opinion.

[Jim Underwood]

Nice job on the stool Mike. I too just recently used a steady on a long thin table leg, and boy does it make a difference! I don't know how I've lived without one. I'd have posted pix, but forgot before handing off the project to the guy doing the finishing...

[Tim Rinehart]

Mike, I like this stool and the thru-tenon should be a great long lasting joinery. The off-center rung in front is a great idea!