Well the client caused this project to take about 4 times longer than it should have but I finally finished a toddler helper stool for my 2 year old.
It's all walnut with the sides/supports being 3/4" and the platform at 1" thick. The platform is adjustable with wood tapping inserts or at least I think that's what they're called from 14" to 18".
The front legs are 90 degrees to the top with the back legs splaying out 6 degrees for extra support and to add a bit of room to spread the steps. It stands at 36-1/4" tall so it is just noticeable above the countertop.
All of the joints use dowels so it seems pretty sturdy. Once the platform is lowered to 14", then it rests on the supports so hopefully it should be able to hold a fair amount of weight then. It was sanded to 180 and finished with GF Arm-r-seal.
What i learned-
1) Big glueups like adding all of the cross supports simultaneosly needs a longer open time than Titebond 2. Maybe even polyurethane glue. I think there is 1 joint that started to set up and has a bit of gap due to this.
2) I still dont know how to sand for final finishing. I sanded everything to 150 before gluing. After glueup, I wiped some with a wet toothbrush, some I waited until it set up and then used a scraper and some I waited until it dried and then used a sharp chisel. None of these seemed particularly better but I think I preferred cleanup after the toothbrush. Then tried my best to get into the joints and corners with sandpaper and a final once over with 180. There are still some obvious issues around tight edges. Any suggestions here?
It's all walnut with the sides/supports being 3/4" and the platform at 1" thick. The platform is adjustable with wood tapping inserts or at least I think that's what they're called from 14" to 18".
The front legs are 90 degrees to the top with the back legs splaying out 6 degrees for extra support and to add a bit of room to spread the steps. It stands at 36-1/4" tall so it is just noticeable above the countertop.
All of the joints use dowels so it seems pretty sturdy. Once the platform is lowered to 14", then it rests on the supports so hopefully it should be able to hold a fair amount of weight then. It was sanded to 180 and finished with GF Arm-r-seal.
What i learned-
1) Big glueups like adding all of the cross supports simultaneosly needs a longer open time than Titebond 2. Maybe even polyurethane glue. I think there is 1 joint that started to set up and has a bit of gap due to this.
2) I still dont know how to sand for final finishing. I sanded everything to 150 before gluing. After glueup, I wiped some with a wet toothbrush, some I waited until it set up and then used a scraper and some I waited until it dried and then used a sharp chisel. None of these seemed particularly better but I think I preferred cleanup after the toothbrush. Then tried my best to get into the joints and corners with sandpaper and a final once over with 180. There are still some obvious issues around tight edges. Any suggestions here?
