Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 17

Thread: Kids Kitchen Step Stool in Hickory

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    State College, PA
    Posts
    376

    Kids Kitchen Step Stool in Hickory

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

    IMG_2434.jpg IMG_2437.jpg IMG_2433.jpg

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

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,638
    That turned out really nice, Jay! Sounds like it's versatile, too.

    'Hope all is well up in Happy Valley!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    State College, PA
    Posts
    376
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post

    '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!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,638
    Quote Originally Posted by Jay Aubuchon View Post
    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)
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Clarks Summit PA
    Posts
    1,728
    Jay, those are solid step stools. They will be used over and over. Good job!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    3,222
    Nice work Jay. Curious, since you said it’s your first experience with hickory, likes/dislikes with that wood?

  7. #7
    Nice Job Jay! Those babies will love 'em!
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    State College, PA
    Posts
    376
    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Mueller View Post
    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.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    3,222
    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.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Kansas City
    Posts
    2,645
    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.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    22,480
    Blog Entries
    1
    Nice job on a great kitchen helper. Nice to involve the kids (just don't tell them they're learning things).
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    McKean, PA
    Posts
    15,574
    Blog Entries
    1
    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.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    State College, PA
    Posts
    376
    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Schierer View Post
    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!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    McKean, PA
    Posts
    15,574
    Blog Entries
    1
    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.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Lafayette, Indiana
    Posts
    1,378
    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.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •