Bar stools

[Laurie Brown]

I want to make a couple of stools for my wet bar in the family room. (No idea what may have happened to the ones that were with the bar, probably taken by the people who moved out) I don't have a lathe, so I need to make them with square or tapered legs. Does anyone have any good, simple plans for such stools? These don't need to be anything fancy, just tall enough for the bar and something to sit on.

[Laurie Brown]

No replies at all? Nobody makes or uses bar stools?

[Nancy Laird]

Laurie, I went to the Wood magazine site and found two issues which have plan for square-legged bar stools - one has a back, the other is backless. PM me and we'll talk some more.

Nancy

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Why PM? Is it a secret?

[Nancy Laird]

No secret, really. See Wood issues #6 and 45. (whisper) I just don't want to get in trouble with the copyright police. I have the issues--they might not be easy to find.

Nancy

[Jamie Buxton]

No replies at all? Nobody makes or uses bar stools?


Well, yes, but you said simple, and asked for plans.

These have carved-out seats, square through-mortises for the legs, tapered legs, and the legs splay for stability. The footrest joints are floating tenons. One is birdseye maple for the seat, and the other is curly cherry.

[Jim Becker]

Timing is everything, Laurie...your original post late afternoon just didn't get read be me (and probably many others) until, umm...well...now.

Given you want (or need) to stay with rectangular legs, you still can do some neat things. If you are not requiring a seat with a back, a slab seat with a gentle camber in the middle (thicker at the outside edges than in the middle) would work very nicely for bar stool height or lower, too. Somthing like this...

52490

[Mike Squire]

There was one on the DIY Network site from the Wood Works show.
If the link doesn't work, try searching for David Marks DIY Bar Stool.

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_wwk/episode/0,2046,DIY_14350_26910,00.html

[Brian Penning]

New member and I hope this helps. I've made a couple of stools based on a david marks design. This is a short one. They are quite eyecatching to some people with the brass pins.
The instructions can be found here.
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/ww_chairs_stools_benches/article/0,2049,DIY_14439_2274730,00.html
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f193/Bri68/117_1760_IMG.jpg
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[Jim Becker]

Brian, that's the base design I kinda had in mind when I did that simple sketch up above. I hadn't seen the Marks seat design, but that looks quite comfortable.

[Karl Stewart]

[quote=Brian Penning]New member and I hope this helps. I've made a couple of stools based on a david marks design. This is a short one. They are quite eyecatching to some people with the brass pins.
The instructions can be found here.

Wow!

What great detail in that photo. How'd you do it?

Karl

[Laurie Brown]

The reason I'm looking for something simple is my limited number of tools. I don't have a lathe or a bandsaw. I have a table saw, a router (currently being repaired), a small jigsaw, small drill press, pocket hole jig, drill, etc.

[chris fox]

I think you could create similar stools by using rasps and scrapers. You could scrape out seats and soften the hard edges of TS cut legs. You would need alot of elbow grease but since you dont have lathes etc its worth a shot. Mark Singer mentioned that he used scraper/files to soften the edges on his sofa project.

Chris

[Jim Becker]

Laurie, you can cut the curves on the legs for something similar to what Brian posted using your jigsaw to rough it out and your router to smooth things using a template...or even use hand tools to smooth things out!

[Matt Kollar]

Laurie:

Here are a few links with samples you might be able to "redesign"
to fit your tool requirements.

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/plans/index.cfm/plan_details/5/68/68

http://www.woodcraftplans.com/fd617.htm

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/plans/index.cfm/plan_details/5/16/1426

Matt

[Brian Penning]

[quote=Brian Penning]Wow!

What great detail in that photo. How'd you do it?

Karl

Photo was taken with an old Canon 2.0 megapixel little Elph. It is a great little camera. One of them PHD cameras. (Press Here Dummy);)

[Bill Fleming]

I have alway admired the series of stools designed and produced by Thomas Moser - I have most tools I need except a lathe so I build a jib that holds a square leg blank similar to a lathe and then it slides over a route mounted in a table - this was I can make tapered legs and will now set about working a seat with hand tools - not sure all of this is simple but will let you know if I come anywhere close to a Thomas Moser style stool.

Good luck with your effort no matter what approach you take - stools look easy and simple.... but....

Cheers - Bill

[Chris Rosenberger]

Attached is a picture of some bar stools that I built. I also built the bar & the doors in the background.