Work Shop Stools

A friend of mine gave me two work shop stools to use in my shop. These stools are probably 30 years old. Obsolete? I don’t think so. Can they be shined up and updated? Yes they can!

The first step was to decide the purpose of the stools and my design.

·         Will I use the stools at the work bench or at a project on the garage floor?

·         Do I need comfort or durability?

·         Do I strip and sand the frames for painting?

·         What color should I use and what kind of paint?

·         Padded seat or no?

The decision was made to strip the stools to bare metal and remove the molded fiberglass seats. I primed the metal frames and selected some red farm implement paint for durability. I used scrap ¾ “ plywood to make a round base for the seats. My mother was kind enough to make a padded cushion out of black vinyl from some of her upholstery supplies.  I mounted a swivel under the seat cushion which allows me to sit on the padded stool from any direction. This keeps the pad from wearing down on one side.

Total expenses to redo both stools amounted to approximately $20.00. To purchase one comparable stool you will pay $60.00 or more.

New is not always better. Here we have renewed our resources, saved a bunch of money doing it and have the satisfaction and joy of creating attractive and useable tools.

Did you Know? - WD-40 can be use to protect silver from tarnishing?

Exciting restorations are ahead!

Ron

Homemade Easel - Stronger than Store bought

My son Jamie from Jamie Jansen Photography came to me with a problem.  He needed to participate in a large bridal show in Cleveland.  He needed to display large mounted photographs.  A normal easel would not be sturdy enough and could be knocked over by the crowd.  He asked if I could help.  

I researched and designed an easel based on the above requirements. I decided to use 1x2 frames and construct it using ¼” bolts with wing nuts for easy dismantling. The 1x2 frame was built using wood from a local lumber yard. I cut the boards into 34” strips using my Dewalt 12” sliding compound mitre saw. After the wood sections were cut I ran each piece through a router with a 1/8” round over bit. This finished the edges taking away the sharp corners and eliminating the possibility of splinters. I finished each piece by lightly sanding to give a smooth surface. The holes, for inserting bolts, were bored in the widest portion of each board, using a Sears 12” drill press. The easel required six boards, two were needed for each of the three legs. Each leg was then constructed allowing them to overlap and inserting a bolt and washer on each end with the wing nut secured. At the top end of each leg, on the inside of each outer section, a 15 degree beveled cut was made. A hole was then drilled at the top to insert a 3 ½” bolt and washers. This allowed the two outside legs to attach and angle out for support.

This project stands approximately 65” tall and is 30” wide. I cut two boards 24” long which were used for the picture to rest upon. To prevent the picture from slipping off the support I routed a dado cut, using a ¼” straight bit, creating a rest for the picture frame. A hole was drilled in the center of each board. One board was placed on the front of the easel and the second board on the back of the easel. A  4” bolt was inserted to draw the boards together horizontally and so hold the picture in place. The final step in construction was to attach a chain from the front picture rest to the rear leg to provide support and hold the legs in position during use.

Jamie wanted it stained with a Minwax Ebony stain. This would provide the dark color which he wanted for his display. I finished by applying two coats of Minwax Ebony stain to get the required color.

I made two for a minimal cost of approximately $35.00.  These should last a lifetime and will be a great display piece for his studio. They are sturdy and can be folded at the joints for storage.   

I hope you have enjoyed this project. I have many more to post. If you have any projects you are currently working on or have done please send me a note. I would like to hear about it. 

Exciting restorations are ahead!!

Ron 

Make It Yourself!!

While looking through my woodworking tools I have a new pipe clamp set which has a unique design.

The design provides feet for the pipe clamp to be elevated and stabilized on the countertop. This makes the work piece more accessible and tightening is made easier. It is useful when working on top of the workbench.

My assortment of tools includes an older set of 3/4" pipe clamps which I want to make compatible with a new set of 3/4" clamps. Has this problem ever happened to you? I need to create a way to make my existing clamp set into one which provides the qualities of the newer pipe clamps but without the cost.

I have scraps of 1/2" and 3/4" plywood in my workshop. I measured the dimensions of the new 3/4" clamp fixtures. Next, I transferred the measurements to the 1/2" (thinner) plywood scrap and cut out four pieces, two per pipe. A 1" O.D. hole had to be drilled, using an adjustable circle cutter drill bit, to allow the 3/4" pipe to pass through. 

After cutting out the plywood pieces and drilling the holes I mounted two pieces to each pipe. Now I have two used older pipe clamps which I can use in tandem with the new pipe clamp set. This project took me approximately one hour to complete and I saved myself approximately $20.00 plus the cost of driving to the store and shopping. 

This is an example of using resources already available and having the satisfaction of creating something useful on your own. You too can do this! I would be interested to hear from you on similar projects you have worked on. The final and last step will be to paint these pieces so dirt and glue can be easily washed off. 

I hope you have fun around the shop too!

Exciting restorations are ahead!

Ron