Make a stool from plywood. Homemade stool: manufacturing features, design choice. Stool-table with hemp or nylon weaving
Humanity never tires of inventing the stool.
And this time the fight against triviality and banality had a positive effect. There was little imagination and material available, but a lot of simple tools. This allowed the author to create an original design without a single nail or screw.
Tools used:
1) pencil;
2) eraser;
3) ruler;
4) triangle;
5) stationery knife;
6) hammer;
7) electric jigsaw;
8) manual jigsaw;
9) screwdriver;
10) two clamps;
11) file for wood;
12) coarse and fine grit sandpaper;
13) pattern.
Materials needed:
1) a sheet of whatman paper;
2) a sheet of plywood 15 mm thick, 2nd grade.
Manufacturing process:
Step one. Preparing the template.
On a white sheet of whatman paper, using a ruler, a triangle and a pattern, we draw sketches of the two parts that will make up the stool. The one on the left is the side of the structure, the one on the right is part of the seat; these parts will connect the sidewalls. The first part is obtained as follows: a rectangle measuring 42 cm * 36 cm is drawn, inside it are the contours of the sidewall, the width of the upper parts of which is 4.5 cm, and eleven grooves with a width slightly less than the thickness of the plywood, i.e. 1, 5 cm. Their depth is 2.2 cm. The length and width of the second part are 48 cm and 4.5 cm, respectively.
Step two. Cutting out the template.
After drawing, we cut out the parts with a stationery knife with great precision.
Step three. Drawing on plywood.
We place the resulting templates on a sheet of plywood 15 mm thick and trace them: large - twice, small - eleven times. The lines turned out not bright, but quite pronounced.
Step four. Sawing out parts.
Now comes the central moment in the entire manufacturing process: it is necessary to obtain the details of the intended design. To do this, use an electric jigsaw to cut them out along the outlined contours. But the author cut out the lower boundaries of the grooves with a manual jigsaw, since it is much more difficult to do the same with an electric one.
Step five. Grinding.
The sawn parts should be given a pleasant and aesthetic appearance. Clamping the crossbars with two clamps, we first level them with a file, and then process them with coarse and fine-grain sandpaper.
Step six. Assembling the stool.
Now all the parts are ready for assembly. Therefore, first we hammer in the two lower crossbars using a hammer and a wooden block, then the remaining upper ones. Since the grooves are cut to a width slightly smaller than the thickness of the plywood, the crossbars will fit into them very tightly. The stool is ready.
Conclusion.
The result is a rather original, beautiful stool. The bottom bars allow you to use it as a coffee table or a cat bed if you place a sheet of plywood on them. The disassembly of the stool is a plus for the time being. With an increase in the number of assemblies and disassemblies of such a constructor, there is a decrease in stability and, as a result, the stool itself. Also, the need to grab it by the top bars and rearrange it leads to the stool becoming loose. For greater reliability, when assembling the product, you can place the parts on wood glue.
Everyone knows the expression: “simple as a stool.” There is a fair amount of truth in it. This piece of furniture in its classic design is laconic and strict.
It is difficult to do without a stool in the kitchen and workshop, in the garage and in the bathhouse. It is needed wherever cramped conditions do not allow for larger furniture to be placed. For a home craftsman, making such a thing is the best way to gain practical skills in carpentry.
In this article we will introduce you to the varieties of wooden stools and tell you about the features of making them yourself. We hope that after this you will be able to confidently get to work and please your family with this useful piece of furniture.
Before you make a stool with your own hands, you should learn more about what carpentry masters in this area have come up with. First, let's study the sketch of a simple product and remember the names of the main parts. This will help us speak the same language using common terms.
So, a classic stool consists of a seat and four legs. The bars of the upper belt serve as a support for the seat and are called tsarg. The lower stiffening belt connecting the legs also consists of four bars called pro-legs. Through experience, the craftsmen established the optimal dimensions: height 50 cm, seat width 45 cm.
Stools made of logs, saw cuts and branches
By abandoning the legs, the seat can be made from an ordinary log. By sawing it into several logs and equipping each with a soft pad, we will get an original set for a country holiday.
The disadvantage of this solution is obvious - heavy weight, which creates inconvenience when carrying.
Here's what you can do by combining wooden legs with a massive seat made from a rounded piece of log. This unusual stool claims to be a designer find.
There are no drawers or legs here. The rigidity of the structure is ensured by a massive seat, into which four legs are embedded at 1/3 of its height.
Anyone who is good with a chainsaw can create an original piece of furniture from a log. To do this, you need to make three neat side cuts in a thick block of wood to form the legs. Having made precise markings on the scraps of one trunk, you can cut them out into a set of two stools, nested one inside the other.
Continuing the “forest theme”, let’s see what can be built from the material lying under our feet. A beautiful product can be made from thick branches, freed from bark and polished. This design has one original detail - a drawer for household items located under the seat. The lid is assembled from planed boards mounted on wooden tenons and glue.
This piece of furniture will fit perfectly into a rustic interior style, which is characterized by massive wooden beams, stairs and tables. But it is unlikely to take root in an ordinary kitchen.
Cutting a log makes a ready-made seat for a stool. By cutting three legs from thick branches into it, we get a durable and attractive structure.
Hemp and forks of trunks can be used as bases for the manufacture of original products. Sanded and topped with thick log cuts, they fit perfectly into the interior of a log cabin.
Traditional simple stools
Timeless classics live not only in the facades of buildings. Time-tested solutions are also preserved in the designs of stools. Adding smooth lines to their appearance eliminates boring angularity.
In the photo below we see the classic version. Thanks to the rounded drawers and legs, it looks quite decent. The milled grooves on the legs also improve its appearance.
Simplicity has its own charm. Designers successfully play with this quality, creating deliberately rough, brutal products. Artificially aging furniture is not an easy task. The author had to work a lot on the product, the photo of which we see below.
The category of classic “stool design” includes designs with drawers under the seat. To do this, use wide side frames and hinged lids.
Sophistication and originality
Not everyone likes the hard seat and angular shape of the stool. For fans of aesthetics and comfort, craftsmen offer elegant products with curved legs and soft upholstery.
It is difficult for a beginner to make bent curly legs. Without compromising their beauty, they can be replaced with two pairs of crossed bars connected by a crossbar. But you shouldn’t give up soft foam upholstery.
Let's ask ourselves the question: what is needed to assemble a homemade wooden stool? Four thick boards for the seat, legs and crossbar. By decorating them with carvings, we get an exquisite and high-quality product. You can use it with pleasure at home, and on occasion, make it an exhibit of an exhibition of folk crafts.
When planning to make your first “masterpiece”, do not forget about using firing, stain and varnish for decoration. Even the simplest piece of furniture acquires a noble gloss after finishing with contrast tinting.
In addition to natural wood, stools can be made from chipboard and thick plywood. This solution reduces their weight without losing strength. In the photo below we see an interesting plywood structure. Slotted holes in the seat and legs give it beauty and delicacy.
Square, round and oval seats are yesterday's carpentry art. Today, original solutions are in fashion. From these you can assemble a bench of any length and configuration. Invite your friends to visit and show them this miracle. Among them, there will probably be those who want to play with an unusual furniture “constructor”.
Bar stools
Anyone who believes that a stool must necessarily be low and nondescript is mistaken. Designers successfully prove the opposite. A little imagination and a familiar piece of furniture becomes a “fashionable thing” in the avant-garde style.
The high stool captured in the photo is a bar option. They can decorate the interior of a cafe and the decor of your own apartment. Its lower brother, made in the same style, will take its rightful place at the dining table made of Euro pallets.
These days, bar seats are popular not only in catering establishments, but also in home settings. The tradition of placing bar counters in apartments, which came from overseas, caused a real boom in these products.
A high stool is convenient not only for drinking cocktails at the bar. It can be successfully used as a stand when picking fruit.
Folding stools
There are a huge variety of them, from the simplest solutions to very complex transformers.
We present to your attention an original folding design. It consists of two rectangular frame-legs connected in the center by a metal axis. The support frames are attached to the seat with carpentry hinges. When folded, the axle moves along two slots cut into one of the legs. The seat rotates on hinges and stands upright.
Here is another version of a folding stool. His seat is made of two halves. When folded, the legs rotate around an axis and are placed in the same plane. The seat halves are pressed against them on both sides.
Fans of complex folding systems are offered an option consisting of eight pairs of lattice legs connected at the base by a common bar.
The upper ends of the legs on one side are hingedly connected to the seat, which is also made of bars. To fold the structure, take it by the lower slats and move them in the opposite direction. In this case, the lattice legs and seat bars fit into the gaps provided for them, and the stool becomes flat.
Another option is a folding stool with a “crawler” seat. Despite the simplicity of the design, it looks very original. Its two crossed legs are hinged in the center and connected at the top by a wooden segmental seat. By holding the edges, you can easily fold and unfold this stool.
DIY example
Having finished the brief overview, it's time to start the practical part. We offer you a step-by-step guide. Let's say right away that it is better for beginners to avoid tongue-and-groove joints. They require good carpentry skills and the presence of a special tool - a milling machine or, at worst, a hand router.
To work you will need several tools:
- Tape measure or ruler;
- Hand saw with fine teeth;
- Jigsaw for cutting legs and seat;
- Screwdriver for drilling holes and tightening screws;
- Belt sander for smoothing sharp edges on parts;
- PVA glue or wood glue.
Step one– using a hacksaw from a 30 mm thick planed pine board, we cut blanks for the legs and seat. If there is no board wide enough to make a solid seat, then it can be assembled from several narrow scraps. To do this, you need to mark and drill holes in their side edges for dowels. Having smeared the dowels with glue, they are inserted into the boards, assembled into a single panel and secured with carpentry clamps. After a day, you can start making the seat.
Step two– cut out the profile of one leg from thick cardboard and transfer it to all the blanks. We do the same with the seat blank.
Step three– We cut out the legs and seat with a jigsaw, and then sand their sharp edges with a grinder.
Step four— we assemble the legs in pairs, screwing self-tapping screws into their ends. We also use self-tapping screws to connect pairs of legs together. We arrange them so that they do not meet with previously twisted ones.
Step five– marking holes for dowels on the legs and seat. Having done this work, lubricate the tenons with wood glue and place the seat on the base.
Anyone who wants to simplify the work a little can refuse to fasten the seat with dowels. Instead, you can screw four screws directly through the lid into the legs from above. To ensure that they do not stand out on a flat surface, drill shallow secret nests for them in advance. After screwing, putty them with wood putty and cover the product with varnish and stain.
A stool is a familiar, comfortable and compact piece of furniture that is most often used in the kitchen or country house. Chairs purchased in a store and made from wood composites do not always meet all consumer requirements in terms of aesthetics and practicality for such conditions, and they are also quite expensive. This is why the question arises of how to make a stool with your own hands from wood so that it is reliable and lasts for many years.
Anyone who started making furniture with such a simple product as a stool, having become skilled at it, may later want to make more complex and large-scale structures, for example, a table, a cabinet, or something, which will save a decent amount of money for the family budget.
Popular types of stools
Even such a simple piece of furniture can be made in different variations and used for different needs. To decide which model you would like to obtain as a result of the work, you should consider several similar products.
Children's stool
This stool option will not be out of place in any home, as it is convenient not only for children, but also for adults. It is light in weight and compact in size, so it can easily be moved to any convenient place in the yard or house where it is needed at the moment, and even a small child can move it.
It is best to make such a model from a solid board, which should be well processed first. If you want the stool to be very light, then dry linden is used to make it, which has a beautiful textured pattern and very little density.
If the thickness of the board taken for a small stool is at least 25÷30 mm, then only three main parts will need to be made - these are two legs and a seat, which can be fastened with dowels, even without the use of additional reinforcing elements.
All parts of the product must not have sharp corners or burrs. The workpieces must be rounded and well sanded so that there is no risk of injury or splintering.
This piece of furniture can be used not only for sitting, but also as an ottoman, placing it under your feet - this is especially often used by older people. Therefore, by making such a stool, you can please both kids and grandmothers, showing them your care.
Stool - box
It's common to run out of space for small items in the kitchen or workshop, and this stool model is perfect for clearing out some of the currently unused items on your counter. The boards that form the walls of the box strengthen the entire structure well and at the same time create a box where things that should always be easily accessible can be placed.
For example, women can use such a box to store needlework, as it is spacious enough and there is room in it for balls of yarn and knitting needles, as well as everything necessary for hand embroidery or sewing.
The male half will calmly hide in a box under the seat some items of his home “arsenal” that are most often needed in the household - a hammer and nails, pliers and other not too large tools.
To make such a product you will need a well-processed timber 50×50 mm, a board 200÷250 mm wide and 20÷25 mm thick, plywood for the bottom of the box and fasteners.
Folding stool
A folding stool is suitable for small apartments with small kitchens or for small country houses. It can be kept constantly unfolded, and, if necessary, put away in any closet or niche between the furniture and the wall, since when folded its thickness will be approximately 60÷80 mm, depending on the material chosen for manufacturing and design features.
The seat for this stool model can be made round or square, but each option has its own design for attaching the legs. The legs for such a stool are made of boards or thick, 20÷25 mm high-quality plywood. The base of the product consists of two frames, one of which must fit freely into the other. The frames are fastened together on one side and the other with special screws with bushings or a pin axis, which allows the structure to fold.
Step stool
Another option for a stool that can serve not only for sitting, but also act as a stepladder. This model is always useful both in a private house and in an apartment. For example, it is difficult to do without a stepladder during general cleaning, and without it it is not easy to get the right thing from the top shelf of a high cabinet.
When folded, this design will be no different from a regular stool, since the steps will be under the seat. Turning a stool into a convenient staircase is not difficult - you just need to pull the top of the temporarily inverted steps and carefully place them on the floor. The result is a reliable and stable stepladder, which can also be used as a comfortable footrest when sitting on a stool.
To make this model, you will need massive boards for the seat and steps, as well as thick plywood for the legs and a stringer for the steps.
Stool for the garden
If you plan to use a stool in a summer cottage according to the type, only in a portable version, then you need to prepare a wooden beam for it, since plywood will not work in this case. It will begin to delaminate under the influence of moisture, and the product will soon be hopelessly damaged.
Larch or oak is best suited for manufacturing. If you choose other wood, then it will need to be thoroughly impregnated with moisture-repellent compounds and then painted. Moreover, the process of pre-processing of lumber is carried out even before the structure is assembled.
Furniture used outdoors differs from that found indoors in that between the parts from which the seat and back are assembled (if a bench is made), gaps must be left so that rainwater does not linger on their surface, and parts were ventilated faster.
Stool drawing
Having decided on the model of the future product, a sketch drawing is drawn up, according to which all structural elements will be manufactured. When drawing up a drawing, all the necessary dimensions are immediately calculated and marked on the drawing. It is not at all necessary to make a diagram, observing all the canons and rules of drawing science - even just drawing it by hand will be enough. The main thing is that you can visually evaluate what will happen in the end, see all the parameters of the necessary materials and the principle of their connection.
In the presented diagram you can see the names of some of the parts that are included in the design of the stool - these are drawers, legs and “crackers”. Let’s talk about them in a little more detail, so that in further descriptions it will be clear what we are talking about. All these parts are necessary to hold the structure together and give it the required strength.
- Tsargi are bars or boards located under the seat of the stool and fasten the legs together with tenon joints, creating a strong support for the seat.
- The leg is an element designed to increase the stability and rigidity of the structure. It is located in the central or lower part of the legs (according to their height) and also fastens them together with tongue-and-groove joints.
- “Rusks” are bars, boards or metal corners installed diagonally on the inner corners of the structure under the seat and secured to the drawers and legs.
When drawing up a drawing, it is important to calculate not only the parameters of all visible parts of the structure, but also the size of the internal connecting elements, such as tenons cut at the edges of the drawers, and the grooves in which they will be installed, selected in the legs of the stool.
Tools for work
Without carpentry tools, it is simply impossible to make any piece of furniture from wood. Professional furniture makers have workshops fully equipped with special expensive machines. But just to try yourself as a carpenter, of course, you shouldn’t immediately purchase professional equipment, however, you will still have to prepare some tools.
The list of the most popular tools for working with wood is as follows:
- It’s great if the farm has a set of cutters that will help you process the edges of boards, timber and plywood, drill holes of different sizes, or carefully select grooves and grooves on any of the parts.
- To get rid of tedious operations, you will need a sanding machine with interchangeable wheels of varying degrees of grain to give the wood surface a smooth finish. This work can be done manually, but it will take much longer.
- Electric jigsaw. This tool, of course, can be replaced with a hand hacksaw, but after sawing the boards with it, the edges of the parts will not turn out neat, and you will have to work hard on them using a router. Again, cutting the material by hand will take much longer.
- will be necessary not only for screwing in fasteners, but also for drilling holes in parts. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare a set of screwdriver bits and drills of different diameters. Instead of a screwdriver, you can use any drill and a set of hand screwdrivers.
- Clamps of various sizes. If you want to make a really high-quality and durable thing, then you must have clamps on hand, since when gluing boards into a solid panel or individual parts together, they must be strongly compressed and left in this position for a fairly long time, and besides these no other instrument can do this.
- You always need a hammer and chisels of different sizes. Sometimes you have to resort to using a plane - it can also be manual or electric.
- Measuring and marking equipment is being prepared - tape measure, construction square, wooden ruler 500÷1000 mm, simple pencil, surface planer, etc.
In addition to these tools, to carry out the work conveniently, you will need a fairly large and durable table - a workbench.
Making stools
folding stool
Traditional simple stool
The designs of even the simplest products may differ from each other in some elements, which, as a rule, are intended to give the stool additional strength.
Materials for production
A simple model of a stool looks like this and consists of parts indicated in the drawing by numbers:
1 - Legs.
2 - Stool legs.
3 - Tsargi.
4 - Seat.
5 - Connection elements - supports for installing the seat.
6 - Connecting grooves.
7 - Connecting grooves.
To make traditional stools with a height of 500 mm, a seat of 450x450 mm and straight legs, the following parts will be required:
- Four well-processed, smooth beams for the legs, cross-section 50x50 mm, height 485 mm. They can be straight or have narrowed cuts on the inside.
- For the seat you need to prepare two or four boards 12÷20 mm thick, 450×225 mm or 450×112.5 mm in size, or a plywood panel 450×450 mm, 12÷20 mm thick.
- To give the stool strength, in different types of structures 4 legs and 4 drawers can be used, made of timber with a section of 30×30 and a length of 441 mm, or only drawers - 4 boards, with a cross-section of 30×60 and a length of 441 mm.
- Additionally, connecting elements can be used in the form of small pieces of bars fixed on the inside, in the middle of the drawers, but you can do without them if bars of sufficient thickness are taken for the base under the seat.
- 30×30 mm timber for making “crackers” if they are intended to be installed.
- Wooden dowels (chops) for securing the seat to the finished base - 4 pieces, 30 mm long and 8÷10 mm in diameter.
- Self-tapping screws.
- Wood glue.
Assembling the stool
| Illustration | |
|---|---|
 | The first step, in order not to waste time, is to glue the boards for the seat if it will consist of several elements. To do this, well-fitted and polished end sides of the boards are coated with glue, connected to each other and tightened with clamps. This design should dry thoroughly, and while it is setting, you can start assembling the frame base of the stool. |
 | Next, the bars for the legs are prepared. They must have perfectly even cuts and be the same in height, which can vary, depending on the wishes of the master, and range from 450 to 500 mm. |
 | The next step is to mark the legs and determine the location of the connecting grooves for installing the tenons of the legs and drawers in them (or just the drawer, if the legs are not included in the design). The holes are selected using a router or chisel. |
 | Next, the edges of the drawers and legs are processed. Tenons are cut out on them with a width, height and depth that is 1÷1.5 mm smaller than the holes in the grooves in the legs intended for them. The tenons should fit fairly freely, but still fit tightly into the grooves. |
 | After this, the legs are assembled in pairs, fastened together by means of legs and drawers - their tenon parts are glued into the grooves of the legs. Each of the resulting frames is tightened with clamps. Then, after they have dried, the legs, tied in pairs, are also connected by drawers and legs into a single structure for the base of the stool and again compressed in clamps until they are completely glued. After the glue has dried, all connections are additionally secured with self-tapping screws. |
 | If it is intended to strengthen the stool with “crumbs”, then they are screwed to the sides and the leg of the stool. This element, installed flush with the top edge of the drawers, will create additional support for the seat. |
 | The next step is to mark and secure the stool seat. To do this, glue is applied to the back of the panel according to the markings, and then it is laid on the finished base of the stool, leveled and pressed. Next, in the corners, through the seat panel, one hole is drilled, the diameter of which should be 1-2 mm larger than that of the prepared dowels, and the depth should be 5 mm less than their height. Glue is poured into the hole, and then the dowels are driven in. Exposed glue is immediately wiped off. The top of the dowel is cut off using a router, and this area is sanded smooth. Additionally, the seat must be tightened with the frame using clamps until the glue dries completely. |
The adhesive can be designed for different drying times, and this is usually indicated on the packaging by the manufacturer. It is possible to operate the products only after the specified period has completely expired.
Folding stool
The folding version of the stool is convenient because, thanks to its compactness, it can not only be stored in a small living space, but can also easily fit into the trunk of a car for transportation to the country.
children's stool
Materials for production
To make such a stool model, you will need slightly different materials than those used for the traditional product. Thus, some craftsmen prefer to purchase ready-made furniture panels made from natural wood. They are excellent for cutting design parts, since, having cut them out of this material, all that remains is to process their edges.
For the presented version of the stool, the master required a panel measuring 1120×400×24 mm, and in addition to it, additionally, the following materials:
- A stud with threads cut on both sides and end nuts, 250x8 mm in size, for through installation, or a stud with blunt ends for installation in blind grooves.
- Furniture butterfly hinges size (when opened) 350x400 mm - 4 pieces.
- Dowels or choppers 50×8 mm.
- Wood glue.
- Stain and clear varnish or tinted varnish.
- Self-tapping screws 15÷20 mm long.
The dimensions of all structural parts are clearly visible in the presented drawing.
The folding stool consists of the following parts:
- The seat is round, with a diameter of 350 mm.
- The frame is 166 mm wide, consisting of two bars measuring 500 × 48 × 24 mm, and a cross member 122 mm long.
- Frame 122 mm wide from two bars 500x48x24 mm with cuts at the upper ends at an angle of 30 degrees, and crossbars 70 mm long.
Making a stool
Processing of parts and their assembly is carried out in the following order:
| Illustration | Brief description of the operation performed |
|---|---|
 | It must be said that the seat can have a round or square shape with rounded corners, at the choice of the master. In this case, a round seat with a diameter of 350 mm was chosen. For the convenience of folding the stool, a curved hole should be made in the upper part of the seat, approximately 120 mm long and 20÷25 mm wide, so that it is convenient to grasp it with your hand. It can be cut using a router or drilling two holes with a diameter of 20÷25 mm at a distance of 120 mm from each other, and then connecting them by sawing out the wood between them using a jigsaw, making two cuts. In order for the hole to be neat and smooth, its edges must be processed immediately. |
 | Processing the edge of the seat and the inner edges of the “handle” hole is most often done using a semicircular cutter. But if this tool is not available, then they are put in order by first using a file with a large notch (rasp), and then sandpaper of different grain sizes, gradually bringing the wood to smoothness. |
 | The next step is to process the prepared bars of the legs. In two of them, which will form the outer frame, you need to cut a groove 180 mm long and 8 mm wide, and 42 mm deep, along which the pin will go. Sometimes the grooves are made through - it is for this case that a stud with threads at the ends is selected, onto which a special cap nut is screwed. In the other two bars, according to the diagram, through holes with a diameter of 8 mm are drilled through which the pin will pass - these elements are intended for the manufacture of a narrow frame. |
 | The grooves are cut using a router, or holes with a diameter of 8 mm are drilled along the intended line, which are then combined into a common groove using a jigsaw. The work is carried out on a special machine, or the beam is rigidly fixed in a vice, and then holes are drilled in it using a drill or screwdriver. |
 | The bars that will form the inner, narrower frame of the stool must be carefully sawed off at the top at an angle of 30 degrees - this process can be done on a machine or using a miter box. The corner must be cut perfectly accurately, so this work cannot be done “by eye”. On the lower part of the legs, it is recommended to slightly round the corners and edges. |
 | The crossbars installed between the legs are mounted on dowels, which are glued into the drilled holes. This process can be done in different ways. Most often, the jumper is first installed with glue in the place intended for it, the legs are compressed in clamps, and left to dry completely. Then, through the outer side of the legs, through holes are drilled, which go deep into the end sides of the jumpers by at least 20÷25 mm. After this, dowels are carefully driven into the holes using glue. Each side of the jumpers will require two fasteners. |
 | On the back of the seat, according to the drawing, the places where the butterfly loops will be attached are marked. Then, the loops are laid on the marked place and outlined. Further. From this place, a landing “nest” is selected with a depth equal to the thickness of the loop, that is, when secured, the loop should be flush with the main wooden surface. |
 | Next, the loops are secured on the upper end sides of the legs. They are screwed on with self-tapping screws, the caps of which must be in the same plane as the surface of the hinges. The next step is to attach the second side of the hinges to the sockets prepared for them on the back surface of the seat. |
 | To make the structure look neat, it is recommended to cover the pin with a tube carved from wood. You can replace the wooden version of the element masking the pin with a plastic tube, since turning this part out of wood is not so easy. The length of the tube should be 68 mm, the internal diameter 9 mm, the thickness of the tube walls can be from 2 to 10 mm. |
 | Next, the pin is inserted into the narrower frame through a prepared decorative tube, and its ends are inserted into the grooves of the outer, wider frame, along which they will move when folding and unfolding the stool. |
 | It must be said that a folding stool may have a slightly different design. It uses not one, but two studs, and instead of an internal frame, a solid board is fixed, and it serves as an equally reliable stool leg. The second, outer frame has a jumper at its very bottom, at such a level that when the structure is folded, the leg board fits neatly into it, creating one panel. The fastening of such legs to the seat is carried out in exactly the same way as in the first version of the folding stool. |
 | For comparison, you can see what one and the other model of the finished product looks like, and choose the one you like best for production. It is probably not difficult to understand that the second design option is simpler to implement. |
Stool with wicker seat
A stool with a wicker surface can be made in a low or full, high version - it will be comfortable in any case. Its seat can be made of various materials - durable fabric, belts (including old car seat belts), cord and even plastic-braided cable. It is quite possible to come up with your own version.
Materials for production
The frame for such products is mounted, in principle, according to the same scheme, however, if a high stool is made for an adult, then the design should be more reliable, that is, it is advisable to strengthen it with durable drawers and legs. We must not forget that in a traditional stool the seat is also a reinforcing part of the structure, and its wicker version itself requires a particularly strong frame.
So, for the frame of a rectangular stool measuring 500×400 mm, you will need:
- Wooden blocks 50x50 mm for legs - their height can be selected individually.
- Bars for drawers and legs, section 50×25 mm.
- Metal or wooden corner elements - “crackers”.
- Self-tapping screws.
- Leather or synthetic belts, or durable rope in one or two colors.
Let us immediately note that the model shown in the example has a fairly large seat, which reduces the overall strength of the stool. Therefore, it may be more reasonable to make this structural element a little smaller, for example, 350x300 mm.
Find out by reading the options from “classic” to “transformer” in a special article on our portal.
Making a stool
The manufacture of such a stool is carried out in the following order:
| Illustration | Brief description of the operation performed |
|---|---|
 | The structural elements of the stool are cut from the bars prepared for work. The legs can range from 300mm to 500mm in height and the model shown is 400mm high. In order for the legs to be stable, their end parts must be perfectly flat. Therefore, they should be marked using a construction square, and preferably sawed using a circular saw, which will give a perfect cut. |
 | The next step is to prepare the bars for the legs and drawers. In this case, 4 beams with a length of 450 mm and 4 beams with a length of 300 mm are cut. These elements should also have smooth edges for a snug fit to the legs. |
 | To make holes for fastening structural elements at a certain angle, a special tool (jig) is used that can guide the drill bit in the desired direction. This device is fixed on a block, and two holes are drilled through its guide holes on each side of the wooden part. After all the elements of the stool are ready, they should be thoroughly cleaned - this process is best carried out before assembling the structure, as it will be easier to see all the problem areas on the wood. |
 | This photo shows what such holes look like inside the beam. |
 | Additional fastening of the drawers and legs with the legs can be done using tongue-and-groove fasteners, and then, for maximum reliability, also with metal corners - “crackers”. These parts need to be selected according to the width of the wooden blocks. |
 | If the first fastening option is chosen, using self-tapping screws, then the assembly and fixation of all parts of the stool look as shown in the presented photo. |
 | At the end of the assembly, the stool frame should be strong and stable. When leaning on it, it should not swing. |
 | If it is planned to be painted or tinted, then this process is carried out before the seat is made. |
 | To equip the seat for the model shown in this example, 17 leather belts, 35 mm wide, were required. As already mentioned, seat belts used in cars can be used instead. The straps are screwed with two self-tapping screws measuring 10 mm at a distance of 9 mm from each other, onto the wide side of the beam extending inside the stool frame. The length of the belts must be measured in advance using a tape measure, “traversing” the entire path of the belt with its flexible tape. First you need to secure the belts, which will be located along the length of the rectangle. Having secured the belts on the inside, they go around the beam, pull it through the seat frame to the opposite king beam, go around it and also fasten it on the inside using the same screws. |
 | After the longitudinal belts are secured, the belts that will intertwine the already tensioned elements should be secured in the same way. They are screwed onto one of the long sides of the frame. Then, each of the belts is passed transversely through the longitudinal belts, in the form of weaving. After this, they are also wrapped on the inside of the opposite drawer, stretched and screwed. Having completed this operation, you can proceed to “testing” the product. |
 | Another option for designing a flexible stool seat is to stretch a strong rope or cord over the frame. In this case, paper rope was used. In addition to this, you need to prepare furniture nails with wide heads and a hammer, as well as clamping pliers and an awl. |
 | You can purchase rope of different shades for weaving and display one of the selected patterns on the surface of the seat, getting a stylish piece of furniture that will complement the interior design. |
 | The end of a rope of the same color is nailed to the back side of the drawer using two furniture nails. |
 | Next, the rope is carefully wrapped around two long opposite sides of the frame. If the frame is square, then the process of laying the rope can begin from any side of the structure. |
 | By braiding the opposite sides with a rope, its loops are pressed against each other as tightly as possible and pulled. Having covered approximately 100÷120 mm of the length of the seat with braiding, the rope is temporarily fixed with pliers so that it does not loosen. Work continues in this way until the entire surface of the seat is covered with a wound rope. |
 | Having finished covering the seat along two sides with one color, you can move on to weaving it across with twine of a different color. To do this, in this case, take a white rope and fasten it also on the back side of the drawer, running parallel to the already wound rope. |
 | Using a white cord, any pattern can be “highlighted” from a red background. This process is relatively simple and will be accessible even to a beginner. |
 | In this case, the white cords are pulled between the red rope so that the result is a herringbone pattern, that is, stripes are turned diagonally from the center of the seat. |
 | Having intertwined 6-8 rows and pulled them tight, the white rope is grabbed on the back side of the drawer with a furniture nail. If this is not done, the seat will quickly stretch and sag when using the stool. This procedure must be carried out every 6–8 rows, driving nails either on one side or on the opposite side. |
 | The result should be a durable seat, four threads thick, with an interesting design. If you want to choose a different pattern, woven from three or even four colors of rope, then on the Internet you can always find exactly what will suit a specific interior. |
It should be noted that in the second option, where the seat is covered with rope, the frame is not very strong and is unlikely to support people with heavy weight, but such a stool is perfect for a children's room or as a footrest. If you want to make a full-fledged product for the seat, you need to choose a more massive beam for the frame and strengthen it especially reliably.
Find out by studying several available options in a special article on our portal.
In conclusion, it is worth saying that making a stool yourself, without having experience working with wood and special tools, is not as simple as it seems at first glance. However, if you have the desire and enough patience, then it’s quite possible to try yourself as a carpenter. The main thing is that you need to get ready for serious work and not do it “carelessly.”
Video: master class on making a simple wooden stool
If you decide to test your own skills in carpentry and furniture, you can start with small and completely uncomplicated items in design, such as a shelf, drawer or stool. But if you already have at least a little experience in this matter, then you can safely start making a reliable and high-quality chair from plywood with your own hands. This piece of furniture is very popular and therefore there is always a place for it in an apartment or in the courtyard of a country house. And if you are a lover of outdoor activities, you should definitely find out how you can quickly and easily, and most importantly inexpensively, make a folding chair from plywood.
You may ask, why bother making furniture yourself when there is a huge range of ready-made furniture on sale? The fact is that this process is quite interesting and exciting. Making your own furniture, even something as simple as a folding chair, will not only save your family budget, but also bring something special and unique to the interior of your home.
Plywood is several sheets of wood glued together using a perpendicular method, which achieves high strength of the material. The thickness of plywood can reach from seven to twenty-five millimeters. Thanks to this range, the scope of application of plywood is very diverse. The thinner one is used as a material for upholstering walls, and the widest one is used for covering floors or constructing partitions.
For the production of furniture, plywood of medium thickness is used - about 10-15 centimeters, which allows you to achieve the necessary strength, as well as elasticity to give the sheets additional bends when making decorative elements of a stool or other pieces of furniture.
At first glance, making plywood furniture may seem like a rather complicated task to some. However, this is absolutely not true. You will, of course, need certain skills in working with tools, but without much professional training.
Another argument in favor of making furniture from plywood yourself is that there is no need to have a professional workshop with a huge number of tools and CNC coordinate milling machines. The most common household tools available in the arsenal of almost every man are quite suitable here. But even if you still have to buy some of the tools, these costs are nothing compared to buying ready-made furniture.
If you are new to home furniture making, then start with the simplest designs. An excellent option for such cases would be plywood chairs. And today we will look at two examples of making plywood furniture - a folding chair and a rocking chair with your own hands.
Simplicity, convenience and comfort - do-it-yourself folding furniture
It is worth noting that a beautiful plywood chair can perform not only a decorative function, but also a practical one. Especially when we are talking about folding chairs, which, due to their compactness and ease of assembly, will be useful for any summer resident or fisherman. The design of folding plywood furniture we offer is quite simple and allows you to make a chair with your own hands quite quickly and with minimal financial costs.
As the fitter Mechnikov said in the well-known film, when the experienced swindler Ostap Bender is trying to get his goods as quickly as possible - “Money in the morning, chairs in the evening!” So in our case - having spent very little money in the morning, by the evening you can get a comfortable plywood chair with an unusual design.
Tools and materials
Tools for working with plywood
To create one chair from plywood you will need:
- a sheet of moisture-resistant 20 mm plywood measuring 60 by 90 cm;
- construction corner;
- scissors;
- paper;
- Sander;
- marker;
- screwdriver or screwdriver;
- electric jigsaw;
- drill;
- fastening hinges or bolts with sleeves;
- varnish for woodworking;
- drawing of a folding chair with a photo, which can be easily found online and selected to suit your taste.
Tip: Birch wood is an ideal material with high strength. It can be easily processed, which allows you to create stylish decorative furniture elements. This type of bent plywood is widely used in the production of school chairs, kitchen furniture, etc.
Manufacturing stages
Folding chair Drawing of a folding chair made of plywood Drawing of a folding chair made of plywood, option 2
- The drawing of a chair selected from a photo on the Internet must be transferred to cardboard or thick paper, and then cut out the templates of the parts.
- Attach the cardboard blanks to a sheet of plywood and trace with a pencil or marker.
- Using a jigsaw, cut out the chair parts along the pre-marked lines.
- The resulting workpieces should be carefully sanded using a machine or special fine sandpaper. Particular attention must be paid to the cut lines.
- Using a drill, drill holes for mounting the hinges.
- Lay out all the elements of the folding chair on a smooth surface according to the diagram and assemble them together.
- If desired, the finished chair can be opened with varnish and veneer glued to the ends.
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Ready-made folding chairs
In the same way, you can make a table and chairs for school or home, which you can not only take with you to nature, but also install on the veranda, in the garden or dining room, decorating the interior of a country house. Show a little imagination and we are sure that your design solutions will be appreciated not only by family members, but also by guests at home.
Plywood chair
The long-awaited evening or day off is approaching, when you want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday work, sitting comfortably in your favorite chair. After all, you must agree that one of the important components of a comfortable pastime is comfortable furniture. A rocking chair made of plywood will allow you to quickly relieve tension from your entire body after a busy day at work, relax with a book in your hands, or, rocking almost silently, indulge in pleasant memories of the events of the past day.
And what could be better than independent production of comfortable furniture that would fully meet your individual needs? Some people think that making a chair or armchair from bent plywood is a rather complicated process. Many people don’t even know where or how to start.
In fact, you don’t need to be a professional furniture maker or designer in order to build something special and beautiful. Today in RuNet you can find quite a lot of ideas with photos and videos that will help you choose exactly what you like most and will best fit into the interior of your room. Having figured out with our help what needs to be done and in what order, you will easily cope with this task.
To make a rocking chair you will need:
- Canvas with a thickness of 15 millimeters or more for load-bearing structures, such as side supports, racks, etc.
- A sheet of bent plywood 10 mm thick, from which you can easily make any curved part, for example, a backrest strip or other decorative element.
- Graph paper.
- Marker.
- Jigsaw for cutting parts from plywood.
- Sander.
- Wood glue.
- Antiseptic for FC treatment.
- Self-tapping screws.
Stages of making a chair
1. Drawing 2. Cutting out the parts 3. Assembling the seat
4. Attach the back 5. Attach the armrests The chair is ready
- We find online drawings of the parts of the furniture we need to make with our own hands. Please note that you should choose models whose design has the smallest number of connection points - despite the fact that plywood with laminated sheets is quite strong, it is still more susceptible to destruction from dynamic loads compared to solid wood.
- We transfer the diagram of the rocking chair onto a format sheet with exact adherence to scale.
- We place the resulting paper patterns on plywood and make precise markings on it in strict accordance with the blanks.
- Using a jigsaw, we cut the structural elements made of plywood as accurately as possible.
- Using a sander, we process the surfaces of the structural parts of the rocking chair, rounding their edges and removing small fractions of wood from the plywood.
- We carry out antiseptic treatment of plywood sheets.
- The structure is assembled in accordance with the diagram of the selected drawing. First, you need to glue the necessary structural elements together and then strengthen them using self-tapping screws.
- The finishing of the rocking chair is done at the discretion of the craftsman. You can give preference to a seat covered with foam rubber or fabric, or simply varnish the chair. Much will depend on where your new furniture will be located.
- For greater reliability, special springs should be installed on the supporting parts of the rocking chair.
With this our chair is ready. If necessary, you can improve the drawings of standard models, modify them to suit your parameters or dimensions.
No matter how rapidly technological progress develops, there are times when any man must pick up a tool and with his own hands make such a necessary household item as a stool.
How to make a stool with your own hands? You need to answer this question by choosing the material from which the item will be made.
Currently, the range of materials is very wide, but wood remains the undisputed leader among furniture raw materials.
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List of required materials
To work you need to select:
- several boards with a thickness of 15-25 mm or a sheet of plywood with a thickness of at least 10 mm from which the seat will be made;
- four boards with a cross-section of 25-35x50 mm and a length of approximately 300-350 mm for making drawer panels;
- four boards with a cross-section of 25x30 mm and a length of 350-450 mm for making pedestals;
- four bars with a cross-section from 30x30 mm to 60x60 mm and a length of approximately 450-500 mm from which the legs of the stool will be made. You should immediately note that, unlike the legs indicated in Fig. 1, especially if you have little experience in furniture making, the legs can be made not of a trapezoidal shape, but a simple rectangular one.
List of tools
Before making a stool from wood, you need to select the tool that will be needed for the upcoming work. Its list will include:
- metal ruler;
- metal square;
- a hacksaw for wood, or better yet a jigsaw;
- hammer;
- chisel;
- emery;
- brushes
In addition to the tools listed, you can add fasteners, glue, paint or varnish.
Creative stage
At the very first stage, every creator must imagine in his imagination what he wants to create. The shape of a home stool should be quite stable and therefore you should not get carried away with the elongated shapes of their fellows standing near the bar counters.
Note!
The stool should be low - no higher than 500-600 mm from the floor level and slightly different from the cubic shape.
Then it will be both a wonderful resting place and a stand on which you can pick apples or paint the ceiling. The seat area should be from 350x350 mm to 500x500 mm. Therefore, creativity should end with the design of a drawing of a stool with dimensions that allow one to accurately calculate the need for materials (Figure 1).
Stool legs
Drawing
You should not try to create drawings in compliance with all the norms and requirements specified in GOST. It is enough to make a neat, and most importantly, understandable sketch by hand with accurately calculated dimensions. There are two elements that need to be drawn separately. These are drawers and legs. The drawbar is an element that, using a tenon joint, secures the legs of the stool and, together with the legs, serves as the basis for arranging and supporting the seat. The leg is an element that also secures the legs with a tenon joint and ensures rigidity and stability of the entire structure of the stool. The sketch must show all the necessary dimensions, but especially accurately you need to show the dimensions of the tenon, as shown in Figure 2.
Manufacturing of drawers and legs
There are different opinions about where to start making a stool - from a frame of legs, drawers and legs, or from a seat. Obviously, if necessary, it is much easier to adjust the seat to the assembled base than vice versa. Therefore, first of all, let's start assembling the base. Do not forget that all boards and bars must have smooth surfaces without burrs, cracks or chips. The production of drawers and legs is carried out approximately the same way. Using a hacksaw or jigsaw, the drawer is cut out, then the tenons are cut out. The tenons are ground with a knife, and then sanded into their final shape, which must exactly match the dimensions of the grooves in the legs of the stool.
Connection of legs with drawers and legs
Drawings of the stool should provide detailed information about the places where the drawers and legs are attached to the sheath of the stool. The assembly order is as follows:
- the drawer and the leg are connected into a groove with two legs of the stool;
- The legs connected in pairs are also connected by drawers and legs into a spatial structure.
It often happens that the size of the tenon and groove do not match. If the tenon is slightly smaller in size than the groove, then it is recommended that after applying glue to the tenon, wrap the tenon with a bandage or gauze and lubricate it again with glue, and then insert it tightly into the groove. After assembling the entire structure, you need to give the glue time to “set” and only then continue working.
Making a seat
The seat is best made from a sheet of plywood. After the base is obtained, it is necessary to cut the seat so that its size exceeds the size of the base by about 15-40 mm. The top edge of the seat is chamfered with sandpaper and the surface is cleaned.
Assembling the stool
Assembling wooden stools with your own hands using a tenon joint between the legs and the seat is quite problematic, since without much experience in carpentry it is very difficult to accurately mark them. This can ruin the entire structure. A simpler connection option is offered using self-tapping screws that attract the seat to the legs. And in order to ensure higher reliability and strength, it is also necessary to attach the seat to the drawers with self-tapping screws using metal corners with a side of 15-25 mm.
Stool diagram
Additional work
There are a few extra steps you can take to customize your custom stool and ensure it will last in your home. Most often, the stool is used in kitchens, verandas, garages and other rooms where the floor is made of, covered with ceramic tiles or. In order to avoid the stool slipping and thereby avoid possible injuries, it makes sense to glue a piece (nulls) to the supporting part of each leg. If you have to sit on a stool during long work, then it is quite advisable to upholster the seat with a piece of old leatherette, laying 10-15 mm thick foam rubber as a pad.
Putty product
Any homemade stool will differ from the factory one in certain roughnesses introduced during manufacturing. In order to minimize all the mistakes made, it is necessary to use.
Note!
First of all, you need to putty the joints of the structural elements, then you need to cover the heads of the nails and screws with putty.
There is a wide selection of products for this purpose in hardware stores, but for supporters of environmentally friendly materials there is a simple recipe for making it yourself. Collect as small sawdust as possible and mix them in a 2 to 1 ratio with ordinary glue used in construction. After thorough mixing, the putty is ready. We must not forget about sanding all putty surfaces.
Painting the product
The last step in making a stool is painting or varnishing. Painting will not cause any particular difficulties, but the varnish will require preliminary preparation. It includes:
- applying two or three layers of stain;
- sanding;
- applying one layer of stain;
- varnish coating in one or two layers.
The craftsman who completed all the steps can be congratulated - he received a reliable and, hopefully, beautiful stool.
How to make a stool with your own hands video:
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