How To Build An Oak Step-Stool

I wanted the stool to have a ¾” overhang on all sides of the legs. You need to lay this out on the bottom of the stool top, and mark your two hidden dados. The hidden dado is 1-1/2 inch smaller than the stool leg.

I marked and cut my legs on a miter saw. I also used a round measuring cup and combination ruler to decorative cut out, later cutting it with a jigsaw.

The trick to a drop cut hidden dado is to use marks on the workpiece and router table to guide your cut. When your piece is short or narrow, you can mark and use your router fence as a reference. When your routing is taller or large – the fence is hidden from view – that’s where you’ll need to mark the table.

The reference marks on the router table is to show you where the router bit is located. The marks on the workpiece show you where to start and stop your cut in relation to the router bit.

Drop Cutting The Stool Top – 10 Routing Steps:

1. Line up and position the router fence were needed to make this cut.
2. Mark the dado location on your workpiece [edge or face] and line up with router bit – this is a good way to double-check that your fence is adjusted properly.
3. Ensure that you mark a spot that is visible during your entire routing process.
4. Apply a blue table to your router table.
5. Use a block of wood or square and draw reference marks at the front and rear edges of the router wing cutters
6. Set the router bit to the proper depth
7. Line up your reference lines on the workpiece to the reference lines on the table. These reference marks allow you to see exactly where the bit is in relation to your workpiece.
8. Use blue tape to secure a ½ inch strip of wood on the dado location, opposite the board router bit. This shim will create a 5-degree angled dado.
9. With the workpiece against the fence, start your cut by lining up the router bit reference line to your workpiece.
10. Tilt your workpiece down, plunging down onto the router bit to start your cut.
11. Push workpiece and make your cut. Stop your cut at your stopping reference line, tilt up the workpiece off the router bit.

I constantly test my joints first on a scrap piece of wood, and dry fit my parts to ensure I’m on track.

Once the stool is assembled it will be difficult to sand, especially near the leg stretcher. Once all the arts have been cut and dry fitted I run them through the router with an edge easing bit. Then I sand all surfaces with 80 and 120 grit sandpaper prior to assembling.

Dry fit the legs into the stool dados. Mark your stretcher location onto your legs and predrill the stretcher holes into the legs. Each leg will have two screws securing them to the stretcher. I used a counter sink to create a hole big enough to insert an Oak plug to hide the screws.

Final assembly involves gluing the leg to stool top dado, installing fasteners into the stretcher and clamping the top to the legs.

Once the glue has cured, I cut four [always cut a few extra] Oak plugs with a plug cutter and my drill press. I glue and insert the plugs trying my best to match the plug wood grain to the leg grain. Once that has a chance to dry, I trim the plugs with a chisel, sand the entire stool, and then ready it for finishing.#diy #oakstool #build #woodworking

Видео How To Build An Oak Step-Stool канала A Concord Carpenter / ToolBoxBuzz