[Build It] Milking stool

TOH general contractor Tom Silva and TOH host Kevin O'Connor transform a salvaged pine beam into a neat little seat that features four angled legs to make it extra stable

- ROB WOTZAK

Despite their sometimes rudimentary appearance, the three-legged milking stools found in antique stores are built on a solid mathematical principle: Three points are always on the same plane. Used on the uneven floor of a barn or out in the field, the trio of legs ensured the sitter a stable perch. While many such seats were made by simply driving three tapered posts into a slab of wood, it is not uncommon to see elaborate stools with delicately turned legs and shaped seats, too.

Tom designed his four-legged stool with an emphasis on looks and stability-for indoor use. "I had a nice old beam I saved from a job site a while ago," he says. "And my wife needed something to reach the top shelf of our closet." While a four-legged step stool would wobble on uneven ground, the extra leg establishes a solid base on a flat floor. Equally well suited for use as a seat, a small side table, or a plant stand, it can be tucked away when it's not needed. Building it shouldn't take more than a few hours. If you don't have stock stashed away or a source for reclaimed lumber, your lumberyard can supply you with thick (8/4) boards that will fit the bill.

STEP-BY-STEP

1] Make the seat blank. Chances are that you will have to glue two or more boards together to get a slab wide enough to make the seat; Tom had to use only a couple of pieces of his thick beam. On your table saw, rip enough pieces of wood to make a slab at least 1212 inches square and about 2 inches thick. If you're working with rough or uneven boards, be sure they are thick enough to plane them flat to the final thickness. Feed the boards over a jointer to straighten and square the edges; then use a couple of pipe or bar clamps to glue them together.