Meryl Davis is an avid Our House viewer in need of a helping hand. The 72 year old has been standing on two bricks, in order to reach her hanging baskets and garden shed shelves. Shirl has a fantastic little stool which will help Meryl reach her plants and also solve her storage problem.
The storage stepping stool is slip resistant and there's a little cushion for the top, when Meryl wants to sit comfortably. Best of all, the stepping stool doubles as a storage box with just enough room for the gardening fork, trowel and secetures in a tray underneath.
STEP BY STEP
1 Start with the legs. They will be splayed so adjust the drop saw to a 5° angle when cutting the legs. They will be narrower at the top than the bottom, so measure your angle and cut the sides to shape.
2 To make the legs more attractive, you can cut little scallops from the bottom. To make it simple, use the edge of a one litre paint can to mark the shape and cut with a jigsaw.
3 Make the smaller stool first, fixing a couple of rails between the legs that are also cut at 5°. The rails are 350mm long, cut at a 5° angle and should be fixed about 40mm in from each side of the legs. Remember to pre-drill the holes in the leg side and add a bit of glue to the ends of the rails.
4 Glue and screw the top of the stool, screwing into the rails. The top of the stool will be slightly wider than the legs, allowing for overhang.
5 Now for the larger stool, which fits over the smaller one. The legs are 400mm long and positioned on each side of the smaller stool to get the right housing width.
6 To make the storage tray, glue and screw the sides to the base. Fit the sides between the larger stool legs and glue and screw from the sides and each end.
7 Fit a support rail above the tray in the middle of the legs and flush with the top of the legs. The stool top is fixed onto this.
8 Last of all, position two extra rails on the insides of the larger stool legs and screw into place from the inside.
To safeguard against the moist conditions in the garden, we treated the stool with Wattyl Forestwood Natural Colour Oil Stain.
Diagrams
|
