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Three-Legged Stool: Seat Portion Three-Legged Stool: Seat Portion From "Trade School" episode DTRS-102

Figure A

Join the gang of DIY's Trade School as we follow the education of Tyler Chartier, a student of fine woodworking. Here, Chartier begins work on a three-legged stool, the first of two impressive woodworking pieces he'll complete in this episode. This sleek, three-legged stool is the first he's created and is based on a design by woodworking master, Tage Frid. Made of cherry, it calls for a complex angled dovetail joint in the seat portion. While the piece seems simple, its design is remarkably sturdy .... (figure A)

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Figure B

Basic Tools:

Jointer
Planer
Plunge router
Jigs
Miter Saw
Band saw
Belt sander
Bow saw
Coping saw
Japanese saw
Block plane
Chisels
Drill Press
Spoke Shave
Heat Gun
Steel Mallet
Rubber Mallet
Wood Glue
Bit Brace
Quick Action Clamps

Tyler starts by cutting the seat pieces to shape on the band saw. Then, on the drill press, he creates three mortises into the seat boards to house the leg tenons. He also crafts a square mortise and tenon joint to join the two seat board pieces together. The seat back features a handle created with a plunge router and a jig template (figure B).

Figure C

Next, Tyler marks the recline angle on the seat back and transfers this angle to the seat board. He then cuts the angle into both pieces on the miter saw. (figure C)

He creates curves on all three of the seat boards using a band saw and a steady hand. (figure D) He finishes the rough edges using the belt sander. (figure E)

Figure D

Figure E

Then, Tyler traces the angled dovetail pattern onto the seat board and cuts out the shape using a bow saw (figure F). He then finishes his cuts using a coping saw (figure G).

Figure F

Figure G

Figure H

Tyler then transfers the dovetail layout from the seat piece onto the seat back. Using the coping saw, he extracts wood from the opposing teeth on the back piece and cleans the cuts with a chisel. (figure H)

Then Tyler fits the interlocking dovetail joint together. (figure I) At first the pieces don’t mesh, so he carefully removes a small amount of material, frequently testing the joint until he has a perfect fit. He finishes the seat portion by gluing the seat pieces together and clamping them to dry overnight. (figure J)

In the next segment, you’ll follow Tyler as he crafts the legs of his stool and then assembles it.

Figure I

Figure J