Step Stool Plan

No house is complete without a good footstool. Kids needing to brush their teeth can’t reach the faucet, and everybody that needs to tie a shoe or reach up to that top shelf in the closet needs a footstool. This is the easiest project to build as a beginner. To last all the years of people standing and sitting on the bench, you need to use healthy wood and make sure all the joints are strong.

Step 1
On the underside of the top piece, mark the spot you want to drill the four holes or mortise for the legs. Use a tape measure and measure in 2" from each corner and put a mark.

Step 2
Using a 1-1/2" forstner/saw tooth bit, drill the four holes a full 1-1/2" deep. To give the legs a slight angle out, stand over the top piece, place the bit on your mark and start drilling as soon as the bit starts to take. Lean the drill towards you, angling in line with the corner. This angle is roughly 8º-10º.

Step 3
Put a 1-1/2" diameter tenon, 1-1/2" long, on all four legs. Use 24'' long logs when making tenons. Do not angle your tenons. Drill in line with the other end so your tenons are as straight as possible. Cut legs to 13'' after tenons are cut.

Step 4
Place glue in the mortise/hole, and place some glue on each tenon. Put the legs into the bench and spin/twist until each tenon is all the way in the mortise for a snug fit.

Step 5
Set the stool right side up and see how it stands. Look at the angle of the legs to see if they match each other. Spin or twist the legs to adjust their direction.

Step 6
With the angle of the legs the way you want them, it’s time to dowel them into place. For this you’ll need a 3/8" auger bit and the four dowel pieces you cut earlier. The dowels should be drilled as the example below shows.

Step 7
Place glue on both the dowel and in the dowel hole. Pound in the dowels until you hear a deep sound or thud. This tells you your dowel is all the way in.

Step 8
Cut off or grind down the exposed or extra dowel.

Step 9
If the stool legs are not the same lengths, you need to level up the legs. Grind or cut down the legs until the stool fits flat and stable on all four legs, and sets level.

Step 10
Round off the edges, sand the stool, and you are ready to apply a finish.

From Build Your Own Log Furniture Book by Les Smith and Dan Swesey.