You didn't build that, someone else did. Saddle stool edition
- Thread starter samUwell
- Start date
First, I want to say I massively respect (and understand) the work that went into making these, plus you made a great thread, but I'm not a fan of the stools themselves at all. They absolutely don't fit with that kitchen. I'd sell or give them away and learn from your mistakes. Woodworking takes a lot of fucking stuff up to get things right.
I wouldn't burn those stools, but...
- Too many gaps on the joints
- Too many incorrect angles
- They're also made up of too many colors that don't work with your kitchen. Zebra, Maple, Walnut, Padauk, Cherry, Oak... I don't even know all of the types you used. It's a bit crazy looking. Two would've been great. Three can work if done right.
- They're wide-seats but too thin in the middle with sharp edges on the left/right.
- Chamfer or round-over the edge more than softening the edge, especially on the end-grain.
- Don't underestimate wood glue. Those figure-8 anchor things you're using are pointless. Glue the top down, use pocket 4 pocket screws underneath into the wide sides, or simply just use tiny angle brackets. Routing for those things is not worth it. So many easy, better methods that are nearly completely hidden.
- Dowels are pointless unless you're going for the looks but then why multiple dowel colors so randomly?
Kitchen:
- I hate quarter-round trim, but that's just me. I understand why people use it, but I won't.
- Color palette is a bit off between the floor, wall paint, and backsplash tiles. Obviously you can't remove the tiles reasonably, but I'd probably repaint or something. Maybe it's just the angle or camera though.
- Also, that looks like vinyl plank flooring. If so, that's a huge mistake in a kitchen or anywhere else where water can be. It's absolute trash if you get water on it. The water will get in between the seems and then just stay stuck underneath and create mold. Snap-together vinyl planks are fucking awful unless you know and accept the egregious downsides they have. They also can't be in direct sunlight, scratch somewhat easily, etc.
- Those corbels look terrible in the nice, modern kitchen.
These are better:
I know you didn't ask for any critiquing and the thread is great, but it's just some feedback.
p.s. Whenever you're making something new out of wood, use shit wood to make a mock version so you can avoid making those mistakes on expensive hardwood on your final product. It's so fucking easy to make simple backwards angle mistakes or 1/32nd too short, etc.
p.p.s. You commented about how much pressure to wood glue wood together: As much as you reasonably can without damaging the wood or wasting a ton of time. Most of the time, you need to clamp in both directions, not just face-to-face pressure, but lateral as well to stop them from sliding on each other.
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I even didn't notice you said burn, but I was almost* already there. If he didn't put so many dowels in em, I'd strip the things down to bare wood again and use it for other shit. Unfortunately, all of those holes, glue (not as difficult), weird angles, routing, kind of makes them difficult to fix or repurpose.
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ArakAtak
Veteran XX
Val, thank you for the criticism of the stools. I am always looking for constructive criticism in all things I do as that is a great learning tool. While the stools are... loud, they would make sense if you knew me. I'm loud and crazy; I like loud and crazy and shy away from anything... normal or trendy.
Because there were so many colors involved, I wanted to dowels to stand out in the wood and bring out some contrast on the pieces; to give the stools a more mechanical look/feel. I like the old nail fastener heads in wood components made a few hundred years ago and was hoping for the contrast of the dowels would/could mimic that look.
Like I said, there were a lot of mistakes I made, and I am keeping the stools for a bit, so I learn to live with my mistakes. I am a fricken perfectionist and it sucks... bad. And in all my years of trying to do everything perfectly, I've discovered that the only thing I am perfect at doing is not being perfect. And in the coming weeks, I plan to remake the legs and the various joint cuts so I can perfect this as this was more advanced than I thought. I will be remaking the stools at some point and have a toned-down version I will be experimenting with and most likely use.
When I was ready to burn the things to the ground, I was talking to my dad and said, "I probably should've started with a box and then moved onto something more advanced."
As I said, I have never built a piece of furniture before so most of what I did was an experiment. And building the stools the way I did, I now have a good idea of how to work with several different pieces of wood. And let me just say, there are noticeable differences between all those pieces. This is going to help when I design and build furniture in my home, which I plan on doing, and replace a lot of my store-bought pieces.
About the kitchen: I did not design the kitchen; it was like this when I bought the home. The previous owners had a professional design it. One of the first things I did when I moved in was started to price out different countertops as I am not a fan of white. The color scheme is rather... feminine, and I would prefer a darker countertop and to incorporate stone and dark wood throughout the kitchen. This is not a high priority for me now, but it is something on my list. The layout of the kitchen is prime and if you know anything about kitchen remodeling, relaying out the kitchen is a huge expense. Moving the gas, electrical and plumbing is stupid, but I love the layout and can work with it.
The replacement island corbels I've had in my etsy favorites for many months but never jumped on them. I want to bring some of the stainless steel out, so my searches and choices have been limited.
Because there were so many colors involved, I wanted to dowels to stand out in the wood and bring out some contrast on the pieces; to give the stools a more mechanical look/feel. I like the old nail fastener heads in wood components made a few hundred years ago and was hoping for the contrast of the dowels would/could mimic that look.
Like I said, there were a lot of mistakes I made, and I am keeping the stools for a bit, so I learn to live with my mistakes. I am a fricken perfectionist and it sucks... bad. And in all my years of trying to do everything perfectly, I've discovered that the only thing I am perfect at doing is not being perfect. And in the coming weeks, I plan to remake the legs and the various joint cuts so I can perfect this as this was more advanced than I thought. I will be remaking the stools at some point and have a toned-down version I will be experimenting with and most likely use.
When I was ready to burn the things to the ground, I was talking to my dad and said, "I probably should've started with a box and then moved onto something more advanced."
As I said, I have never built a piece of furniture before so most of what I did was an experiment. And building the stools the way I did, I now have a good idea of how to work with several different pieces of wood. And let me just say, there are noticeable differences between all those pieces. This is going to help when I design and build furniture in my home, which I plan on doing, and replace a lot of my store-bought pieces.
About the kitchen: I did not design the kitchen; it was like this when I bought the home. The previous owners had a professional design it. One of the first things I did when I moved in was started to price out different countertops as I am not a fan of white. The color scheme is rather... feminine, and I would prefer a darker countertop and to incorporate stone and dark wood throughout the kitchen. This is not a high priority for me now, but it is something on my list. The layout of the kitchen is prime and if you know anything about kitchen remodeling, relaying out the kitchen is a huge expense. Moving the gas, electrical and plumbing is stupid, but I love the layout and can work with it.
The replacement island corbels I've had in my etsy favorites for many months but never jumped on them. I want to bring some of the stainless steel out, so my searches and choices have been limited.
That's exactly what I plan on doing. My metal fabricator shop is about 3 miles from me, and I would prefer to have them build them as I know their work.
