making a wooden stool - what wood?

[nightjar]

The one HSE approved for my factory has a wide base at the bottom too - a curved bar 1.2m long that can be adjusted for any irregularity in the power floated concrete floor.

:-)

Colin Bignell

[Mary Fisher]

"nightjar .uk.com>"

[sylva]

Traditionally windsor chair legs were bodged from beech quarters, the seats were elm because it resisted splitting in wider boards. backs were oak and ash, but then you only need seat and legs on a stool.

AJH

[Roger]

The message from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

You should have pondered a bit more because you are wrong.

3 legged stools are found outside of milking parlours these days, not inside, and uneven floors occur in all sorts of places where they might be the most convenient thing to hand to stand on.

The combined centre of gravity (whatever you mean by that) is a red herring. If the stool doesn't fall over on its own accord it should be possible with care to stand on it. If the floor is so uneven (or even if not) that the stool needs assistance stick a brick or whatever under the lower legs, it is easy enough to get a 3 legged object approximately upright and stable which is more than can be said for a 4 legged object.

Not ever having been in a working mistle I wouldn't know but my experience both within and outside a barn is that the nearest thing to hand is likely to be used for added reach be it bucket, crate, upended pallet, or whatever, even a set of steps. But a ladder? Not when anything else will do.

I wasn't going to respond until I read the paragraph above but the absurdity of this statement and the implied insult decided it for me. Depending on the design of each a 3 legged stool can be safer even on a level surface than a 4 legged stool. A 3 legged stool of reasonable height typically has splayed legs so that the horizontal projection of the seat onto the floor can fall wholly within the perimeter defined by its 3 feet. Some 4 legged stools with similar sized seats have vertical legs and thus an unstable overhang on all 4 sides of the seat should one be foolish enough to stand on it.

You might not use a 3 legged table but tables with a centre support do exist and AFAIK have 3 legs.

Even 3 wheeled cars are (allegedly) stable in normal use.

[nightjar]

"Chris Nellist" wrote in message news:Xns95EC84486C52Fpnellist@195.92.193.157...

You ask for joinery quality timber. Any wooden chair should give you a guide to suitable sizes.

It is called joinery quality timber.

Colin Bignell

[quisquiliae]

The key words here are _with care_. A wobblt four legged chain on a uneven floor advertises its instability. A three legged stool on the same floor appears deceptively stable until you carelessly step upon it.

[Peter Scott]

Elm is traditonally used for the horizontal parts of chairs and tables. There's a lot of it about due to the disease. It is stable so doesn't warp or split. It also looks good. I don't think the legs are so critical. Any good close-grained wood unless you intend to turn them on a lathe, then I don't know.

Peter Scott