Child's Step Stool

[wizer]

Well this has been in the works for longer than I can remember. It started out being a quick project using ply with exposed edges. But after problems with ugly voids and even uglier filler, I changed my mind and went for real wood.

It's not my design. I found is on the web somewhere. The timber is reclaimed beech with Iroko accents, all from Corby.

It's been a bit of a nightmare project to be honest (aren't they all?). The first glue up of the sides bowed during clamping. On the second set I used cauls and many many more clamps. They came out of the clamps flat, but then bowed over night! :evil: I should have left a weight on them. Then all the problems with the shellac. I ended up removing it all and using Osmo Poly X which is much easier to apply.

When I was rounding over the edges with the router, my heart sank as the bit fell into the dado of the seat. I had no option but to make a feature of it and do it on all four ends. It doesn't look to bad and only I (and all of you) know that it's a mistake.

Anyway. Do you think the customer is happy?

This was also my first chance to use the brand that I got recently. I actually ordered it before xmas when I had no intentions of going over to the round side. I'd completely forgotten about it when it turned up in April!

It's just the brand with a handle, I didn't order the electric part of it. So I have to heat it with a blow torch. It's a little tricky. As you can see the right hand side fades away a little. I think this is more about getting even pressure on the iron. Too much and it's just a burnt smudgy mess, too little and it's faint and broken. Of course, on a finished piece, you only have one shot at it. It's 50x50mm which I think is just right for furniture but too big for my turnings. It's a toy but I'm happy with it.

 

[Woodmagnet]

Well that turned out( :lol: ) very nice Tom,
and the little one looks well impressed 8) .
Love the brand although i think the "wizer"
brand name would have been better. :wink:

 

[TheTiddles]

That's pretty good for one of yours!

Didn't you start that when she was a newborn?

Aidan

 

[wizer]

hehe thanks, I think. I started it soon after her 1st birthday, so only 9 months! That's good for me.

 

[Mr Ed]

Nice one Tom - looks like a quality job.

Ref your finishing issues, I actually think Osmo is a more appropriate finish for something like this that will get some hammer and potentially get wet, so probably no bad thing that the shellac didn't work out after all.

Ed

 

[JonnyD]

I like the branding idea and the stools not bad either. Do you have a link to where you got the brand from.

cheers

Jon

 

[wizer]

Here you go

http://www.brandstempel.com/wood-branding-hand.html

OryxDesign recommended them and I believe Philly has used them?

Very Very slow service. But the iron is high quality. My Manual Iron costs around £65 IIRC

 

[wizer]

I think you're right about the finish Ed. I wanted to use shellac as it was clearer than anything else I tried. I probably should have just tried a clear varnish but I didn't have any to test.

 

[Karl]

Nice job Tom.

Cheers

Karl

 

[OPJ]

When I was rounding over the edges with the router, my heart sank as the bit fell into the dado of the seat. I had no option but to make a feature of it and do it on all four ends. It doesn't look to bad and only I (and all of you) know that it's a mistake.

Ah, yes, I remember seeing this when it was made from plywood! I bet that many of use have made the same mistake with bearing-guided cutters and shallow grooves - I actually think it works quite well and, from the photo', almost makes it looks as if the seat is mysteriously floating. :wink:

 

[Night Train]

It is a very nice step/stool. I, too, think the accidental detail looks good and should be repeated on any similar work. It is very effective.

 

[TrimTheKing]

Lovely that Tom, might steal the idea for my little one

 

[wizer]

Cheers chaps. Steal away Mark.

I'm not sure if I made it clear but Olly guessed, the seat is in a housing\Dado joint, as is the support stretcher which you can't see in the pics. These were cut with a router and guide rail while the sides were still square. I then reinforced it with plugged screws. The sides were cut on the bandsaw and then double stuck together and smoothed\matched on the bobbin sander.

Indeed the accidental feature looks quite nice, tho I wasn't totally sure til it was finished, which meant it was a little off putting in the final stages worrying if it'd look right.

Now.... I guess her next present will have to better this.... rocking horse? [-(

 

[TrimTheKing]

One other thing mate, did you design the logo for your brand yourself or did they have it as a standard one? I only had a brief look at the site yesterday but disn't see any standard options, do they send you a catalogue or something?

 

[wizer]

I designed it in Illustrator and sent them the image. The first version had the word 'handcrafted' under my name, but we decided it wouldn't look right in the finished brand.

 

[Rob_H]

What are they like pricewise, Tom?

 

[TrimTheKing]

I designed it in Illustrator and sent them the image. The first version had the word 'handcrafted' under my name, but we decided it wouldn't look right in the finished brand.

Good stuff, I like it.

 

[wizer]

I paid £65 ish IIRC

 

[Rob_H]

Thanks, I've dropped them an email.