Vanity Stool with Cabriole Legs

[Todd Solomon]

My wife had been asking for something to sit on, while putting on her make-up.

I made this with african mahogany. I really enjoyed working this wood, it has a lot of character and some nice figure. I had heard that it is prone to tearout, but I didn't have much trouble carving it. It was a lot of fun- my first real carving project. I kept it simple with trifid feet. I don't really know how period-correct trifid feet are supposed to look, so I just did what looked right to my eye.

I used a double row of loose tenons and corner braces, to ensure it could stand up to years of daily abuse.

I finished it with a few coats of Velvit oil, followed by a whole bunch of coats of Minwax wipe-on poly. Although I'm happy with the results, I must have about 15 coats in all. It was difficult to build a thick enough finish, and I sanded through it once, when trying the final rub-out. Another five coats, then knocked down the shine with 0000 steel wool and brown wax.

This project was a lot of fun. It was my first stab at upholstry, which I found surprisingly easy, compared to the other aspects of the project.

Thanks for looking, I appreciate the opportunity to share with you.

Todd

[glenn bradley]

That's a beauty. Look's like it's time for happy-feet!

[Todd Solomon]

That's a beauty. Look's like it's time for happy-feet!

It's all about doing it . . .
not about getting it done.

Thanks Glenn. I've got to tell you that you have my all-time favorite signature line. I also try to remind myself to enjoy the journey and not focus on rushing, when in the shop.

[David Klug]

Todd that is just beautiful! I like the way you matched the grain on the corner.

DK

["Gary Brewer"]

Your seat looks great! What are its dimensions? How wide are your rails? Actually I am in the process of making something similar with cabriole legs with spoon feet. My first set of cabriole legs. You did a great job on yours. I was wondering how to do the slip ( the upholstred part of the stool )? What sort of frame and upholstery materials did you use? Thanks, your posting has been very helpful and came at just the right time.
Gary

[John Schreiber]

That looks really good. I especially love the feet.

It's also great that your work will be supporting your wife for many years.

[Jim Becker]

Oh, that's really pretty, Todd! Nice! The legs are really wonderful...great carving.

[John Fry]

Very nice, Todd.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Todd...that looks fabulous. The hand carving work looks real good. Nice choice of wood, fabric and finish too. Nice going!
-Jeff :)

[Walt Caza]

Hi Todd,
Great work, it's hard to believe that is your first try!
Any chance you are willing to share with us the tools you used to
make those sexy legs?
I recently bought a hand-cut rasp (#49) from Lee Valley to try
my hand at Cabriole legs. I am not sure if I should be discouraged or
inspired by your awesome work. Wow!

How did you hold the legs for shaping?

Inquiring minds want to know,
be well,
Walt

ps improvising those feet demonstates your terrific sense of proportion
:)

[Kristian Wild]

That looks awesome Todd. Have you told her that she can't sit on it until Christmas? No opening your presents early!

Kris

[John D Watson]

Beautiful piece Todd, Ya did good. I'm sure the LOYL will love it always.

[Rich Torino]

Real nice job.. I especially like the shape of the legs....

[Michael Fross]

Wow, those legs are amazing. Nice gams!

The wood is also beautiful. Well done.

[Todd Solomon]

Your seat looks great! What are its dimensions? How wide are your rails? Actually I am in the process of making something similar with cabriole legs with spoon feet. My first set of cabriole legs. You did a great job on yours. I was wondering how to do the slip ( the upholstred part of the stool )? What sort of frame and upholstery materials did you use? Thanks, your posting has been very helpful and came at just the right time.
Gary

Thanks Gary.

This stool is a little shorter than typical, so that it would fit comfortably under the vanity. I'll take measurements and send them to you tonight.

For the upholstry, I mostly took cues from watching Norm:
1. I used 1" thick MDF, and cut the middle out so that about a 4" perimeter remained. I put a generous radius on the edges.
2. I interweaved 3" wide straps, 3 straps in one direction, and 2 in the other. These are available at fabric stores, sorry I don't know the correct terminology. Norm used a springy fabric that is made just for this purpose. That would be just as good, and easier to just staple down.
3. I stapled 2-1/2" thick foam down to the face of the MDF, about 1/4 to 3/8" from the edge. Cut the foam the same size as the MDF, then roll it at the edges, when you staple it. A pneumatic narrow crown stapler really made this project easy.
4. Next came a layer of batting, just slightly larger than the MDF.
5. Finally, I stretched the patterned fabric over the top, and stapled it to the bottom perimeter.
6. I used black fabric to cover the bottom of the assembly.

When I asked for the above at the fabric store, the people were knowledgeable to recommend specific materials, and it all worked out nicely.

The nice thing about making a cushion, is that it doesn't take very long. You can always prototype it, and fine-tune based on what you learn.

Todd

[Todd Solomon]

Any chance you are willing to share with us the tools you used to
make those sexy legs?
I recently bought a hand-cut rasp (#49) from Lee Valley to try
my hand at Cabriole legs.

How did you hold the legs for shaping?
:)

Thanks Walt! Here are the tools that I used:

1. I first made a pattern out of hardboard, and traced it on to the sides of the leg stock.
2. I bandsawed to the pattern.
3. I used a #49 Nicholson rasp to rough out the shape, then a file to smooth it.
4. I used a scraper to smooth the file marks on the knee and down towards the ankle.
5. I used various Pfeil carving gauges to shape the foot (love those tools, they really hold an edge). In addition to a few standard gauges, a spoon gauge and a back-bent gauge were particularly useful at shaping the toes.

I learned how to make cabriole legs by watching and re-watching Phil Lowe's, "How to Carve a Ball and Claw." This is an exceptional video, that covers every step of the above process, including the specific carving tool sizes for a ball and claw. The trifid foot uses a subset of those tools, so I was covered. I highly recommend watching this video, if you're going to do cabriole legs (even if they're not ball and claw style). I've carved a ball and claw prototype as well, and am hoping to start a lowboy next year.

I also carved a prototype before attempting the real legs. This helped me fine-tune the proportions.

Todd