Simple Wood Stool — board plan

What to buy, and which parts come off which board.

Buy 4 boards at 8 ft.

1 1/2" × 1 1/2" — 2x2

1 board · 1.7 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 98% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 1 1/2" left over
23 1/4"23 1/4"23 1/4"23 1/4"
1. Legs — 23 1/4"
2. Legs — 23 1/4"
3. Legs — 23 1/4"
4. Legs — 23 1/4"

3/4" × 11 1/2" — 1x12 or plywood round

1 board · 0.8 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 13% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 83 3/8" left over
11 1/2"
1. Seat — 11 1/2"

3/4" × 1 1/2" — 1x2

2 boards · 0.9 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 54% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 1 1/8" left over
10"10"9 1/2"9 1/2"8 1/4"8 1/4"8"8"7"7"7"
1. Top supports, long — 10"
2. Top supports, long — 10"
3. Rungs, secondary — 9 1/2"
4. Rungs, secondary — 9 1/2"
5. Top supports, medium — 8 1/4"
6. Top supports, medium — 8 1/4"
7. Rungs, lower — 8"
8. Rungs, lower —

Cuts are listed longest-first, which is how they should be made: the awkward pieces get placed while there is still board to place them on. The layout assumes one end of each board is squared off (1") and that every cut costs 1/8" of kerf — the reason six 16″ parts do not fit on a 96″ board.

1 1/2" × 1 1/2" — 2x2

Board 1 · 1 1/2" left over

3/4" × 11 1/2" — 1x12 or plywood round

Board 1 · 83 3/8" left over

3/4" × 1 1/2" — 1x2

Board 1 · 1 1/8" left over

Board 2 · 87 7/8" left over