Step Right Up!

I ran off another copy of the shop sign and while I was at it I made some signs for inside the shop. No. You can't see them yet.

I got to thinking about what else the shop needed. I was wandering around and in the warehouse I found an old step stool. The customers need it to get to the top shelf on the second floor. I decided that while I was at it, I would give you the directions on how to make one. It is one of the earlier pieces that I made. I got the directions out of a magazine for the real thing and miniaturized it.

It is really simple and was a woodworking project for beginning woodworkers in the real world. Anyone just starting to get interested in minis could probably tackle it. There are only 4 pieces to it.

You will need tools...Exacto knife, sandpaper and white glue. You will need supplies. 1/8" thick bass wood stock. You can get this at a mini shop or Michael's. Please don't use balsa. It will not hold up and it stains weird. You can leave the stool raw or buy stain or paint for it. I use either Minwax stain or Ceramcoat paint that you can get at Michael's also.

When you poke the photo you can see the dimensions better. It is pretty straightforward. If you are going to do mini furniture it is a good idea to have a quad rule planning pad at hand.

Simply draw up plans to match the one in the photo. Cut them out with an Exacto knife. Bass wood is semi soft and with a few passes of the knife you can cut it out. Use a cork backed, metal ruler as a guide and stand up over the top of the wood as you cut it. You will get a straighter line if you do this.

After you get it cut out, sand it. Try not to sand the edges where you will be gluing too much. Stain or paint if you wish. Then glue it together as in the photo. I have better luck if I glue on the bottom step first. The front edge of the steps will stick out about 1/16" on both steps. You can either glue the ends on a little bit inside the end, making the overhang the same on all three sides. The back of the top step should be flush with the back of the sides so that it can sit flush against a wall or, in this case, a counter. I further distressed the one in the photo. After the stain was dry I sanded wear marks on the front of the steps. You could also do some tole painting on it if you want to get fancy. Maybe tomorrow I will teach you an easy way to paint roses on it.

This would be a good little stool to go in a children's room or kitchen, as well as a shop. Have fun making it.

See you tomorrow.