Thread: Kitchen bar stool

Hi Sam

I don't thin they are anglesd - It looks like an optical illusion caused by taking a photo of an open rectangular prism at an angle (but one of our photographer members may be able to answer that better). A major point in my view in support of that is that there is no sign of an angle where the leg sits on the floor and that is where I would expect to be able to see it.

If it is angled, I think the angle is very small - I would lay it out so that the outside of the bottom is half the distance from the perpendicular dropped from the edge of the seat that the top is from the same perpendicular, and then calculate the angle back from that using trig.

But the easier answers are - if the picture is from a catalogue, go to the store with your tape measure and measure up (say that you are checking if it will fit existing kitchen, if anyone asks what you are doing). If you can't do that, ask SWMBO what she thinks the picture shows (with any luck, after you have explained the optical illusion, she will think the legs are vertical only. If not, just angle them.

Jeremy

Hi Jeremy

thanks for the reply. I personall prefere the straight leg version since it is easier to build. However I have not built a stool before and have a silly question. Do you think having a straight legs may cause a balance problem?

Sam

It depends on the dimensions - stability will be increased the wider the legs are (if the legs are straight that is a function solely of the dimensions of the seat) and decreased the higher the stool is. But if the height and seat size are within normal parmeters (again, I cheat and look at plans on the internet or books and measure in a convenient furniture store), I shouldn't think there wil be much of a problem.

The angle is minimal. Once you know how big the seat is, cut the bottom supports accordingly ie. spreading the bottom of the legs. A careful tickle with the belt sander or 1° incremental cuts with a dropsaw will soon have the supports fitting properly.

The same goes for the top supports under the seat. Recess these a millimetre or two so the extruding surface of the leg can be belt sanded flat with the supports. If you know the correct angle used for the bottom supports, you can calculate the angle to be removed from the top and use a saw.

Don't forget! The top of the legs are angled in two directions (legs angled zx, zy) so the head of the dropsaw will also have to be tilted.

Damn I love my stationary belt sander...


Damien

Hi Damien,

Do you match the size of the seat to the size of the leg spread or do you make the spread bigger?

Cheers Sam

Sam
I went through the same process a little while ago.

I looked through lots of woodworking books and took my tape measure to the shops. Then made a couple of mockups.

There didn't seem to be much about on building stools.

Once you get to a decent size seat to fit your bum, I think you can have the legs straight. That will give enough stability.

Splaying the legs is really for looks. If your wife want the legs wider apart at the floor than at the seat, then that is what you gotta do.

I would keep the legs within the dimensions of the seat. This reduces the chance of kicking the legs with your bare feet when you walk past the stool.

Look at the Shaker stools of Thos, Moser - he moves the legs towards the centre of the chair to give a greater angle of the splay.

Work out how tall you want the stool,
Then the dimensions of the seat
and the amount of splay you wife like the look of.
Then you have the spacing between the legs at the seat and at the floor.
Make a full size mockup of one leg and the rails to get the angles.

Then you are set.
Like Damien said, you can sneak up on the angle to refine the fit of the joints.

Have fun.

I reckon they're splayed about 2 to 3 degrees. I made some bar stools years ago and first made 1 with parallel legs and 1 with splayed legs as prototypes. Anecdotaly (ie I had usually drunk too much to notice), the one with parallel legs tipped over more often when sitters got on or off than the splayed 1 did.
Fletty

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the replies. They are all quite helpful. I decided to make tw0 full size sketches, on straight and one splayed (2 degrees), and let the SWMBO makes the decision.

A career in diplomacy awaits you....
Let us know what she decides and then give us a look at the product, please.
Jeremy

Hi guys

I made 2 stools for my friends kids and have found that the seat must be the same size as the feet. I had to cut the seats down as the kids were always tipping the stools over when they sat on the edge. Hope this helps.

Cheers DJ

Originally Posted by sam63

Hi Damien,

Do you match the size of the seat to the size of the leg spread or do you make the spread bigger?

Cheers Sam

From a physics point of view, it all comes down to the sqaure measured at the feet. This has to be stable enough to support aprox 50 kg off-centre straight down. The tipping force is of course less than 50... probably around 15 kg. When a grown man has 100 kg and the torso is moving 360° and pulling at the centre of the stool, the square at the sides is the smallest point - over the legs the longest. If it's a bar stool, and you've drunken a half bottle of Baccardi, it doesn't really matter how wide the base is - you're going to fall off and take the stool with you.

Having said that, 40 x 40 cm should be enough. How big you make the seat - and whether or not this means the legs are spreading - is up to you.

Damien

damien, DJ, Jeremy

Thanks for the feedback. Jeremy, I'll upload a pick when it is completed.

Cheers
Sam

Generally it is a good idea to have splayed legs (even only a few degrees, as might be the case here). Moser does indeed advocate narrowing the top of the leg supports to accomodate a leg base size equal to the seat size. There are lots of reasons from a physics perspective (which I not only don't understand but like to ignore completely if possible).

The main reasons are fairly obvious. If the legs are vertically straight any body weight over the edge of the seat takes it over the edge of the downward force on the legs. Straight leg seats are common in pubs so go in (there's an excuse) and try it. Funny really, you'd think a pub the worst place for an unstable stool.

Having the legs splayed means force directly on the edge of the seat is transferred to the (smaller) top support of the legs which is then transferred to the wider base, forming a supportive triangle. It is surprising how little splay is required to make a stool feel much more supportive. I'm off to try out the bar stool theory...

cheers,