Generations in the Making
A couple weeks back, I wrote about the step-chair I was making for my
niece, per a Fitzpatrick family tradition that began in the 1950s. The
project plan was from U-Bild, which discontinued the plan probably in the
early 1990s, said a company official who cited poor sales as the likely
culprit. But I had a fair number of people request the plan, so I
e-mailed U-Bild again, and they kindly gave permission for me to post
it.
I've done so in the PDF below (compatible with Adobe
Reader 7.0 and later) – and my apologies in advance for the image
quality. This is a scan of a photocopy of a photocopy from a plan from
the '50s, shrunk down to work on our server – it's the best I've got to offer.
Note: I did modify the
plan a wee bit by trimming the bottoms of the base pieces so the sides
would rest on the floor in the step-stool position. If I built it
again, I'd simply shape the sides with more of a swoop, or move the
dowel down (it seems to me important to have the sides rest on the
floor; otherwise, the thing is tippy).
And I had to chuckle at
the first paragraph under "Recommended Finish," which reads: "Use
plenty of sandpaper. The beauty of the finished article depends largely
upon the amount of time spent in sanding." My grandfather (the original
owner of this much-used plan) didn't enjoy time spent in sanding. But to be fair,
neither do I – which is why I love my No. 4.
By the way: We're
working on our own design for a flip-stool; look for that in the August
"I Can Do That." Glen's building it out of scrap tiger maple (natch).
StepChair.pdf (171.3 KB)
Read other entries by Megan Fitzpatrick
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 1:38:51 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) 
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