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Standard bar stools top out around 30", which leaves you perched below some tall pub or shop counters. This one runs taller, with 50" back legs that carry a backrest and 33" front legs, plus a footrest rail — the height detail that makes a tall stool actually comfortable, since your feet need somewhere to go.
The build is blunt and strong: predrill, glue, and countersink screws at every joint. Assemble the back (the two long legs plus three 2x3 backrest boards) and the front (the two short legs plus the 2x3 seat-rest and 2x2 footrest) as separate frames, then join them with 2x3 side rails. Doing it as two frames first keeps everything square and manageable.
The seat can be almost anything flat — the source cut solid pine rounds (four seats out of an 18"-wide, 6-foot board), but plywood or glued-up 1x4s work just as well. Because it's a tall stool, stability matters: check it doesn't rack or wobble before you finish it, and make sure all four feet land evenly. Countersink and fill the screw holes for a clean look, then finish.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x2 board, 8 ftLegs and footrest. | 3 each |
| 2x3 board, 8 ftBackrest, seat rest, side rail. | 1 each |
| 1/2" solid wood or plywood for seat | 1 each |
| Wood screws, 2-1/2" | 30 each |
| Wood glue | 3 oz |
| Wood filler and finish | 12 oz |
Overall cost: $. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Back legs2x2 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 50" |
| Front legs2x2 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 33" |
| Backrest boards2x3 | 3 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" × 12 1/2" |
| Seat rest2x3 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" × 12 1/2" |
| Side seat rests2x3 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" × 13" |
| Front footrest2x2 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 13" |
| Seat1/2" solid wood or plywoodCut a round or square; solid pine, plywood, or glued 1x4s. | 1 | 1/2" × 14" × 14" |
Buy 5 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
3 boards
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Working on a flat surface, assemble the back using the 50" legs. Predrill all holes, glue, and countersink the screws. Attach the three 12.5" 2x3 backrest boards, centered, to form the backrest.
Assemble the front using the 33" legs — predrill, glue, countersink. Attach the 2x3 seat-rest board with a screw toward the top, and add the 2x2 front footrest lower down. The footrest is what makes a tall stool livable.
Attach the back and front frames together with the 13" 2x3 side seat-rest boards, predrilling, gluing, and countersinking. Check the whole stool for square and that it doesn't rack.
Cut the seat from a solid board, plywood, or glued-up 1x4s and fasten it on. Confirm all four feet land level. Fill the countersunk screw holes, sand, and finish.
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