Kids Kitchen Step Stool in Hickory

[Jay Aubuchon]

Other than a few finishing touches, I've completed a pair of kids kitchen step stools for our grand-kids. I followed plans (https://thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/kids-kitchen-step-stool/) from the Wood Whisperer. The platform can be set at three different heights.

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This is my first project using some of the hickory I bought from fellow Creeker Lee Schierer. The finish is Watco Danish Oil Natural.

[Jim Becker]

That turned out really nice, Jay! Sounds like it's versatile, too.

'Hope all is well up in Happy Valley!

[Jay Aubuchon]

'Hope all is well up in Happy Valley!

Thanks, Jim. Things are much better now that Penn State's creamery has expanded curb-side pickup hours!

[Jim Becker]

Thanks, Jim. Things are much better now that Penn State's creamery has expanded curb-side pickup hours!
Wow...'wish I lived closer. The Creamery is da bomb and is probably the singular thing I miss the most about campus and the town. Thankfully, O-Wow-Cow down here is also pretty good. LOL (Well, there are other things I love about State College and University Park, but ice cream is a good thing to keep high on the list!) Since my daughter chose to do all four at Abington, there haven't been any trips up that way since her campus tour in 2016 sadly. (She's now a senior...already)

[Mark Rainey]

Jay, those are solid step stools. They will be used over and over. Good job!

[Phil Mueller]

Nice work Jay. Curious, since you said it’s your first experience with hickory, likes/dislikes with that wood?

[Frederick Skelly]

Nice Job Jay! Those babies will love 'em!

[Jay Aubuchon]

Curious, since you said it’s your first experience with hickory, likes/dislikes with that wood?

Thanks! My wife and I discovered that we really like the grain and color variation in the hickory. I plan to make an end table from it later this summer.

For the most part, it was easy to work with. It may have helped that I have the spiral cutter head on my G0490 jointer and carbide blades on my DW735 planer. However, an occasional piece had significant tear-out. I am not savvy enough to figure out what was different about those pieces.

I also had to remake a couple of parts because of splitting. That probably had more to do with my questionable choices than the hickory.

[Phil Mueller]

Thanks Jay for the input. I have friends with hickory wood flooring and it’s a beautiful wood. I have my eye on it for a new family room coffee table that is a couple of projects down the line. We’ll see.

[Stan Calow]

Very nice, looks like its very solid. Great idea.

When I opened this thread, a Google sponsored ad for hickory furniture popped up in the middle of it. That's a pretty sophisticated and scary surveillance and marketing tool they have.

[glenn bradley]

Nice job on a great kitchen helper. Nice to involve the kids (just don't tell them they're learning things).

[Lee Schierer]

Jay, I was just thinking about you today. the hickory looks nice. What sort of issues did you have with splitting? Knowing how heavy hickory is will you grand kids be able to move those steps.

[Jay Aubuchon]

Jay, I was just thinking about you today. the hickory looks nice. What sort of issues did you have with splitting? Knowing how heavy hickory is will you grand kids be able to move those steps.

Yes, we like the hickory a lot!

I suspect that the splitting was mainly from my being too stingy with the material; a bad habit. It probably wouldn't have occurred if I had stayed a little further from the ends of the rough boards. However, in some cases, there is a little surface checking, and it is hard to know in the rough how deep those checks go.

The need for mom or dad to move the steps until the kids get a bit older is a feature, not a bug!

[Lee Schierer]

I'm glad the hickory is working out for you. My wife loves the grain patterns on our desk, filing cabinet and storage cabinet in our office. When I purchased it, I wasn't aware of the need to seal the ends of the boards so there was some checking. I noted some in the pieces I used and just sacrificed a little off the ends to insure it didn't make its way into my projects. The scraps smell really good in a campfire and I've given some to friends for their smokers.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Great looking stools. I was surprised to hear you say hickory is easy to work. Of the local common hardwoods (red oak, white oak, walnut, maple, poplar) in my experience it is the hardest to work. I have only found Osage orange to be more difficult amongst the local woods I’ve used. I understand sycamore and locust can be challenging as well. I too love the dramatic variations in the hues and the grain and the density of the wood. Look forward to seeing your end table.

[Ed Gibbons]

Living I Boalsburg gives me the opportunity to enjoy Peachy Paterno!

[Jay Aubuchon]

Living I Boalsburg gives me the opportunity to enjoy Peachy Paterno!

They do have some nice options for those who, unlike me, favor fruit in their ice cream. How do you feel about Cherry Quist?