This project has been on the go for months. I probably turned these legs about 6 months (maybe more) ago. I actually made 4 as I originally intended to make a 4 legged stool.
They are approx 50mm diameter, in Ash.
I had some 1.5 inch ash, so joined two bits together. They are simply glued together - no biscuits!
I used the (crappy but functional) bandsaw to cut a shape. As you can see from the picture, I didn't follow the lines very well, (which were only sketched on their anyway) until it looked approx mirrored across the glue line. I'm deciding what angle to have the legs at - I reckon 10 degrees will be about right.
Because my bandsaw is not very well setup
, the cut wasn't straight. I'm using the belt sander (my new Jet one - it's first use!) to get everything square.
Onto the spokeshaves next, the seat has both concave and convex, so a curved shave is needed.
Bit of a gloat this shot. It wasn't meant to be :?
Next stage was to round off the edges of the top, I used the router and a round over bit. This matting is great, holds it the bench quite firmly.
I'm trying to make a resonable guess at the positions to drill the holes for the legs....
I set the drill up at 10 degrees, and lined the seat up by eye. I've got some sacrificial MDF underneath.
At the same time, I drilled some larger holes for the shoulders of the legs. You need to do this at the same time as drilling the other holes, before moving the seat on the drill.
Here I am turning the shoulder onto the legs.
Then wiping some danish oil on, before spinning it back up and buffing with a cloth.
Now, at this point, I realised I'd made a major mistake. Drilling the holes for the shoulders - I'd done them from the wrong side - so should I have pushed them in, the legs were focusing towards a single point, rather than splaying apart.
I carried on anyway - firstly, I cut slots in the legs for the wedges, then I trimmed then shoulders to be a lot shorter.
Next I glued the legs in, then hammered wedges in (oak) then snapped them off. You can see the (unwanted) "should have been on the other side" space for the shoulders"...
Here it is - you can see the mistake!
I decided to turn a few discs in walnut....
Glued them in, then clamped it all up....
With the clamps off!
Trimming the excess off
To the sander....
Then the scraper..
Then the card scrapers!
More danish oil really sets the grain off.....
Those discs came up really well. It worked out much better than I'd hoped!
Finished!
This turned out to be a quick, simple project. Mostly it was done by eye, the only requirement is to turn the shoulders of the legs accurately to the size of hole you have drilled through the seat. Being three legs, it doesn't wobble if the legs are slightly different lengths, and the eye doesn't really see the discrepancy in the seat.
I don't think this angle, nor the wide angle lens on the camera makes it look quite right here, the back legs are splayed, I'll try and take a better shot in the house.
Adam
They are approx 50mm diameter, in Ash.
I had some 1.5 inch ash, so joined two bits together. They are simply glued together - no biscuits!
I used the (crappy but functional) bandsaw to cut a shape. As you can see from the picture, I didn't follow the lines very well, (which were only sketched on their anyway) until it looked approx mirrored across the glue line. I'm deciding what angle to have the legs at - I reckon 10 degrees will be about right.
Because my bandsaw is not very well setup
, the cut wasn't straight. I'm using the belt sander (my new Jet one - it's first use!) to get everything square.
Onto the spokeshaves next, the seat has both concave and convex, so a curved shave is needed.
Bit of a gloat this shot. It wasn't meant to be :?
Next stage was to round off the edges of the top, I used the router and a round over bit. This matting is great, holds it the bench quite firmly.
I'm trying to make a resonable guess at the positions to drill the holes for the legs....
I set the drill up at 10 degrees, and lined the seat up by eye. I've got some sacrificial MDF underneath.
At the same time, I drilled some larger holes for the shoulders of the legs. You need to do this at the same time as drilling the other holes, before moving the seat on the drill.
Here I am turning the shoulder onto the legs.
Then wiping some danish oil on, before spinning it back up and buffing with a cloth.
Now, at this point, I realised I'd made a major mistake. Drilling the holes for the shoulders - I'd done them from the wrong side - so should I have pushed them in, the legs were focusing towards a single point, rather than splaying apart.
I carried on anyway - firstly, I cut slots in the legs for the wedges, then I trimmed then shoulders to be a lot shorter.
Next I glued the legs in, then hammered wedges in (oak) then snapped them off. You can see the (unwanted) "should have been on the other side" space for the shoulders"...
Here it is - you can see the mistake!
I decided to turn a few discs in walnut....
Glued them in, then clamped it all up....
With the clamps off!
Trimming the excess off
To the sander....
Then the scraper..
Then the card scrapers!
More danish oil really sets the grain off.....
Those discs came up really well. It worked out much better than I'd hoped!
Finished!
This turned out to be a quick, simple project. Mostly it was done by eye, the only requirement is to turn the shoulders of the legs accurately to the size of hole you have drilled through the seat. Being three legs, it doesn't wobble if the legs are slightly different lengths, and the eye doesn't really see the discrepancy in the seat.
I don't think this angle, nor the wide angle lens on the camera makes it look quite right here, the back legs are splayed, I'll try and take a better shot in the house.
Adam
