Making it thrugh another year, '24-'25

[trimguy]

Here's the pictures Tom , sorry , I didn't realize that they were not very good until I went to load them. The step / seat is 11" off the floor and the back is about 36" tall.

[Old Greenhorn]

No worries Arnold, these are very helpful. This is what some antique folks would call 'primitive' meaning it was homespun and not made in a factory but made for use in one's home. I like it even more.  In your second photo of the bottom, I cannot tell if there are some sort of straps that the seat sits on or what that is. Do you recall? I think I see straps, but no matter I was most curious if the stretcher was straight or formed to also support the top, I can see clearly it's a straight piece now.

 I think this is a cool piece and I am just trying to figure out how to do the cutouts and have them come out looking good. I'm excited to make a pair, but no way I can have them figured out and built for my next show in 4 weeks. Unless I dropped everything else and didn't go to the mill for a while, and I have to get back to the mill and finish another order. I have 4 projects in work now. I want to jig this one up right because I have a feeling I may be making a bunch of them over time. The paint and coloring on this sample are also very appealing. I hope I can do that justice.

 Thanks an awful lot for taking those photos.

[trimguy]

I believe it had the straps that you asked about. Screwed to the front and back and the 
seat / step screwed from underneath.

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah, after my post I managed to get it up on a better monitor and see it better. Certainly I will 'take some liberties' when I get to it, but I like the design a lot and just have to make some patterns to make it easier to repeat. Most time I make a new item I just 'wing it' and only make patterns later if it sells. But I like this, so doing the patterns up front will take a bit longer but make it easier to repeat. I think I will change the heart shaped hole in the top to a round one but I like the heart tops on the legs.
 I have to find a source locally for 1/4" Masonite.

[doc henderson]

I also use Masonite for patterns and it is now often metric and closer to 1/8th inch.  hard to carry a 4 x 8 sheet.  My son uses it for bases to his gaming pieces, and I cut out down to 1 x 1-inch squares for him on the laser engraver.  Tom, let me know when you are ready for more of your brand coins.  

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah Doc, I have some of that thin stuff but the bearings on my router bits often slip under or over them, so I need to get 1/4" to hit it right. HD sells small panels (2x4' or something like that) which will do fine.
-----------------------
 Well the last couple of days have been steady but slow progress. We are back in another cool down, 27° this morning, so I have been heating again and needing a bit more than a smudge fire. I throw a log in the stove every couple of hours but never fill it and moderate it. I think I have to do some repair work on the thermostatic damper, seems like the bi-metal spring is slipping on it's shaft. Not a big deal, I just need to watch it closer and fix it on the next warm day. I still haven't pulled my water pump, but I did drain what I could and disconnect the hoses and open the lines I could. I'll get to it this week.

 Yesterday I finished up leg prep on two different benches, one is a nice flat RO 8/4 slab about 24" long (I am making a pair of them) and the other is that rounded Hemlock that I draw knifed last week. That one has branch legs, pretty hefty maple, maybe 2-2-1/2" diameter, the RO gets my standard Octagonal legs. I drilled the pockets on the Hemlock and fitted those legs, then I managed to drill one of the RO slabs but my forstener bit is getting pretty dull, that RO is really hard and I just can't seem to get that bit sharp anymore. I ran out of shoulder muscles. So I quit on that third bench and ordered another new bit. It can wait a few days. In the meantime I glued the legs on the RO bench and epoxied the legs into the Hemlock bench because they didn't fit as well and the tenons were not straight, the epoxy makes a much better fill than glue does IMO.

 As a side note, I will say that I have altered my tenoning method (again) since I have been getting better results with the tenon cutter. I now only sand the tenons down to 1-3/8" and it goes MUCH faster, about a minute a tenon, but I need a better bit. I like the bigger diameter. I used to sand to 1-1/4" which took more work and time and drill to that size. Bigger tenon means stronger to me, especially if they are short and blind.

 Today I had a short day. so I checked my joints and needed to do some epoxy fills on the Hemlock bench legs, they are not great tenons and they are deep (over 2") so I did that plus some sanding on both benches and some other touch up fills here and there. I also have a hemlock stool seat ready with no legs yet which I did some crack fills on. Had to get the stove going at almost normal winter mode the keep the shop warm all day for the epoxy. The high today was only 52. then I cleaned up and we headed to my daughter's for Sunday dinner as my sister in law is visiting with us from Oregon.  So that killed half the day and when we got home tonight I threw a couple of small logs in the stove just to keep the heat up for 'most' of the night. The shop is holding at 63° right now.

 I suspect I'll spend tomorrow full time in the shop and maybe finally pull that pump. Then Tuesday or so will begin transitioning back to mill work while I do the finishing on those benches. Sand a little and lay down a coat in the morning, then head to the mill for a few hours, then come back and check the finishes and do more on something else.

Tomorrow is another day, just like today but different.

[Wlmedley]

Tom,I'm in the process of making my grandson a step stool based on the link you provided a few posts back. I have all the pieces cut out but now waiting on a router I have ordered so I can fit it together.I've never owned or used a router so I may or may not be able to post a picture of a finished product.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well that will be really cool Bill! Could you post progress photos as you go? Not sure what you need the router for, are you planning on dado joints? You could make those on the table saw too. That link I posted was a result of Arnold's (Trimguy) excellent suggestion. I haven't really gotten into it yet, but I think I am going to us elements from that one as well as the first one Arnold posted.. I think I'd like  a large hole in the top of the back for a handle or hanging point and I could just do that with a hole saw then a corner rounding bit on the router. Probably cleats under the seat for simplicity and maybe a little more detail on the leg bottoms such as in Bill's sample, but I have yet to put up a pencil for this one. I don't even have material to work with in the shop yet. I also have 4 other projects I am working on that I'd like to get done first.

 I'd be interested to follow along with you on this one for sure.

[Wlmedley]

Tom,I took a picture of the parts I cut out for my step stool. Being I've now had my sawmill 4 years I've got quite a bit of fairly dry lumber even though it is only air dried. I went through it last year and probably 1/2 went into the wood stove or on a brush pile. Anyway I have some nice red oak and that's what I am using for the back piece.The rest will be walnut. I don't have a table saw but I have a big worm drive circular saw that I can get a pretty straight cut with on long pieces. Was planning to make slot in back piece to accept seat and slot in bottom of seat to accept front piece.All wood is 3/4" thick. I'm planning to use router to cut slots when I get it after I practice on some scrap wood. Hope doctor says I can stand and do a little bit or I'll go nuts.Also thanks to Trimguy and MachineBuilder for info they provided on this topic.

[Old Greenhorn]

 Well that was pretty dang fast!  Especially for a one legged wood cutter!
 That looks great! You don't mention, but are you putting a stretcher under the seat? I had not considered a a dado for under the front edge of the seat. I'll have to think on that. I plan to make mine out of pine, at least to start. I wanted to keep it lightweight. How tall is your back (I mean the back on the seat).
 Heal up man, then get back to work. 

[Wlmedley]

Tom,I cut the pieces before I had my accident. I have a piece of wood for a stretcher underneath seat but haven't decided how to fasten it yet and don't have it cut to size.I have a Kreg pocket screw rig I have used a little bit with pretty good results along with glue so I might use it. I used the measurements from the link you posted which I think was 44" tall.Mine might be a little heavy being I used oak for the back but for some reason I like to use different kinds of wood plus I have a limited supply of walnut and I am kind of stingy with it.I have several pretty good cherry boards that I might use on the next one if this one works out okay.I plan to make two.One for my grandson and one for my great niece. My little grandson is pretty stout so he might get the heavier one 

[GRANITEstateMP]

Bill,

The stool looks great, but you make sure and get yourself healed up, quick!  It might mean taking it easy for a bit.  Have no fear, you can then make a never ending list of the things you want/need to get done.  Once your feeling better you can start on that list, or promptly toss it into the woodstove!

Be safe out there guys

Matt

[WV Sawmiller]

Bill,

   The stool looks good but are you sure Grandma ain't looking for her missing ironing board?

[Old Greenhorn]

He only took half of it Howard. She is still good to go.

[Old Greenhorn]

ARRRGGHHH!!!! I just lost a post it took me an hour to compose and add in all the reading aids for Howard. Not the forum, or even the internet, just my home router/wifi system puked on me. I will NOT re-create that post (you're welcome) again, but I did have photos in it and the rules say you have to use all the photos in your gallery in a post somewhere, so here is the abridged version.
 I finished one of the two stool/benches.


Not great but I did get some fleck in this one.



It measures 24 long by 12 high and 12 wide. I figure it's a nice mid sized bench, might appeal to some folks.

 I also tried to catch up to Bill.


 I figure since he is laid up I might catch him and this might even give me a leg up on him, given his 'condition'.  (Sorry Bill, the devil made me say that.) But what I have is just rough, very rough and it's Yellow Poplar, that's what I had.

  I did some work in the trailer packing the new shelves and special packing the stuff I have figured out for my shelf units, which is all new for this show coming up. Also been filling in with fall chores, draining hoses and putting away outdoor stuff. I have two other benches and a stool in work. One is the twin of the RO bench above and the other bench and stool are hemlock and I back up to re-do the finish on the ends which looked terrible.

 Anyway, tomorrow is another day.

[Resonator]

I figure it's a nice mid sized bench, might appeal to some folks.

I haven't done too many benches, but I have sold my slabs and lumber to customers to make them a few times. Often they just wants a "boot bench", literally just a simple bench to sit and get their boots on (either for in snow or mud) in the front entryway, mudroom, garage or wherever. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, that's pretty much exactly what I was thinking. I had a 4' slab that was gonna be a bench but then I thought 'Hey, if I cut it in half, I could sell two short benches for $120. each instead of one long bench for $175.". Plus I like having a variety of sizes and heights. Benches move slow, but they do move. I don't have a collection as big as Howards but I am working in that direction. Stools move slow, but they move a lot faster than benches and I had to make more twice during the selling season this year. So I will try to add a bunch more over the winter if I can. Leg material is a problem for me right now. I am just really short on (dry) wood.

[Wlmedley]

Tom, I think poplar is a good choice for the stool especially if you paint some or all of it. I've always preferred poplar over pine on anything I was painting. When I built my house all the trim was poplar and seemed a lot smoother than pine. My problem is poplar is the wood I seem to sale the most of and I don't have very many dry boards. I like the looks of that bench too. Is it red oak?

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, it's not great poplar I have, but this is more of a prototype and I used what I got to catch up to you.  I do plan on painting it in colors similar to those on the original photo that Arnold posted. I do like those colors even though I hate painting anything, even walls in the house. Finding paint will be a whole 'nother adventure and likely hold me up a week while you catch up and pass me.

 Truthfully I am liking the lines on yours better than mine.

[aigheadish]

Nice looking bench Tom!

[Machinebuilder]

I like the bench.

On the shaker step I would move the front leg out at least close to the edge.
With it set back I can see it tipping towards me and hitting a sensitive spot when I use it.

I didn't see that Bill had set his back before.

[Old Greenhorn]

MB, these are just the blank pieces mocked up. Nothing is fastened, just balanced.

[WV Sawmiller]

ARRRGGHHH!!!! I just lost a post it took me an hour to compose and add in all the reading aids for Howard. 

Okay - so here I get blamed again. What is new about that?

   That's okay. I know you were upset. Us 2 fingered typists take a while and it takes time to reconstruct what we wrote then lost.

    I know you did not really mean to hurt my feelings (again) and please know I forgive you (again) and we all (even Doc) still love you. Take a chill pill and have a nice day.

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah see I typed that too fast and you misunderstood. I never blamed you (well not this time anyway). Just some glitch is the household network.

[jeeper9574]

That bench came out really nice!

For the step stool you might consider a milk paint that will fit with that style. General Finishes, while not a real milk paint, makes a variety of colors that may fit. I had done a "kitchen helper" type stool for the kids which I first painted with black milk paint, then top coated with a darker red. As it was used, banged up, worn through on the edges, etc. the black showed through in areas which I though looked pretty cool. Gave it kind of an antique feel.