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Thread: A Three Legged Stool for Candy

  1. #16
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    “Please note there was no claim to knowing what what the heck is being done.”

    Have to smile. Well played, Jim!

  2. #17
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    A little more work was done on the stool being made for Candy.

    The set up on the drill press was aided by a speed square. The center lines on the underside of the seat were aligned by eye with the flat edge of a speed square held against the flat body of the drill press:

    a Speed Square on Drill Press.jpg

    A test cut was made in a piece of scrap. The work piece was clamped in place:

    b The Set Up w: Forestner Bit.jpg

    The first cut was made with care taken to barely penetrate on the shallow side:

    c First Cut.jpg

    A drill press makes this kind of work much easier than trying to use a drill motor or a brace.

    With the three pockets finished the guide was set in place with an auger bit set into the center from the forestner:

    d Setting Up the Guide.jpg

    This was started with an Irwin bit in a 10” brace. That was difficult and was changed to a less aggressive Jennings bit and a 12” brace:

    e Something Honey Do This Way Comes .jpg

    Didn’t see this coming, Candy was more concerned about a problem she was having with a rock tumbler than what was on the bench.

    This is where the work stopped to help her:

    f Two Done One to Go.jpg

    May be able to get a bit more done today.

    There is an old truck that needs to be cleaned out so it can be sold.

    To be continued…

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  3. #18
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    DOH!

    While boring the last leg mortise the auger was making a lot of noise. Rubbing wax on the outside not only silenced the groaning it made turning the brace much easier. As an added benefit the chips held together and spiraled out the flutes like nobody's business.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  4. #19
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    I knew this was going to come out fine. Nice going Jim. I am mortified to see two of the three plans I have for Windsor chairs call for drilling the seat after the saddle is carved. The third says tearout around the drilled holes while carving the saddle can be problematic, but "sharp tools can alleviate the challenge" which basically means I am hosed; the only people who think my tools are sharp aren't wood workers.

    Don't sweat the turnings too hard. Like other areas of woodworking, the maker can see all the flaws while the user usually can't see any of them. A handmade thing, even with less than perfect turnings, has an aura of autheticity to it that perfect flat packed product from ikea can never achieve. The four legged stool with turned legs I posted a few months ago has as much presence, as much realness, as anything else in my living room. It is in the top three with my high end woodstove and the high end speaker system on our home theater system. Everything else in the living room is just stuff.

    You are making a thing that your wife will enjoy and your grandkids will want. You are building a legacy. Looking forward to ongoing updates.

  5. #20
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    Thanks for the encouraging words Scott. That will make my morning coffee a touch sweeter even without sugar.

    Strange thing was on the first hole my count was off on the brace. The auger went all the way through before realizing it. The wood didn't tear out like most augers usually do. It may have been the spurs on the bit have a low profile and didn't push the wood out as much as the spurs on most auger bits do. The mark on it is difficult to read but it looks like it says Jennings Pat. It surprised me it worked since it was a junk box find. The spurs do cut a full circle before the cutting lips engage. That and a fine pitch lead screw does a fine job.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  6. #21
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    Further to this, Jim, the reason I suggested not starting out carving the top but drilling the legs first (from the underside), is that any spelching could then be carved away.

    But you have recovered well, done a fine job, and all is looking good. Slave on son!

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  7. #22
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    Thanks Derek,

    Today was mostly spent doing yard work. Did have a little time at a local flea market and found a few things.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  8. #23
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    A little time was spent today working on the seat for Candy’s stool.

    A Veritas concave shave was used to round over the edge on the top:

    Edge Rounding.jpg

    The piece has to be turned often due to the grain going every which way on a round piece. A thin scrap of ash was set across the guides and screw of the vise to prevent oil from the screw getting on the work.

    A scraper was also used on this some. There is a bit more to do on this.

    The depression on the seat was also worked with a convex shave and scraper:

    f Using a Convex Scraper.jpg

    It is shown with my left hand resting stationary with the fingers working like a hinged pivot point.

    This is from a set of three 0.015” thick Clifton scrapers purchased on my last visit to a local WoodCraft store.

    My burnishing of the edge is improving:

    g Scraper Shavings.jpg

    The scrapers are finally making shavings instead of dust.

    jtk

    To be continued…
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 05-24-2021 at 12:23 AM.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  9. #24
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    The final finishing touches were done on Candy’s three legged stool today.

    The legs were trimmed at the hilt to fit in to the pockets around the tenons:

    Finishing the Fit..jpg

    First a caliper was set to size and a parting chisel was used to turn to size. Then a skew chisel was used to blend the two levels.

    A spoke pointer makes it easier to start a round tenon in to its mortise:

    Spoke Pointer.jpg

    If your vise screw occasionally transfers oil or dirt to your work you may have already thought of this:

    Scrap for Covering Vise Screw.jpg

    Thin pieces of scrap can become a protective piece between any work and a vise screw. The seat was held in the vise to work the outside and to shape the rounding on the top edge.

    The tenons were formed on the lathe to be a hair oversize. A light rasping brought them to size:

    Sizing Tenon.jpg

    After making this stool it became clear as to why the round mortise and tenon joint benefits from being tapered. It is much easier interference fit with a tapered tenon than a round one.

    The excess was carefully sawn off:

    Sawing Tenon Waste.jpg

    This is possibly my main use of a Japanese pull saw, cutting round work.

    This was followed by a chisel to pare off anything left above the surface:

    Trimming Leg Tenon Waste.jpg

    Candy likes it as is:

    Stool For Candy.jpg

    The underside shot was forgotten until the stool was already in the house:

    Underside of Stool for Candy.jpg

    Candy tried the stool and likes it. My comment was if it is too tall, we could adjust the legs by cutting their… Maybe we shouldn’t go there.

    My own thoughts on this is if another one is made is to use a tapered mortise and tenon. Also to have a bit more splay with the legs set closer to the edge.

    Thanks for looking, hopefully you enjoyed it…

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  10. #25
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    Looks fine to me.

    I like to put the leg holes as close to the center of the seat as possible for longevity, but with the feet of each leg as far out as possible in the 'shadow' of the seat and slope angles between about 6 and 15 degrees.

    It is just like being happily married, you cannot win. If you bore your holes too close to the center of the seat for longevity the angle is too much. When I straighten up the angle on the legs too much I worry about fracturing the seat. You and I are both basically hosed here. If the wife likes it for now, golden, and you can make another one when it breaks. If it doesn't break, double gold.

    I think you pulled this one out of the fire just fine, and it looks good.

  11. #26
    On the contrary, I find with this style of construction extremely forgiving. Scott, what do you mean by fracturing the seat?

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Prashun Patel View Post
    On the contrary, I find with this style of construction extremely forgiving. Scott, what do you mean by fracturing the seat?
    Good point. Three legged stools, I don't worry.

    On four legged chairs built this way, at garage sales and the solid waste transfer site, I see, more often than I think I should, glue lines in chair seats, repairing a split between a front and rear leg, or along the line of the spindles holding up an armrest.

    Maybe the local extreme humidity swings are the ultimate culprit, maybe cheap factory construction also contributes, but I am gun shy in this area of design.

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