For the want of a socket...

Funny where this DIY lark can lead you...

For ages I have had a short extension lead draped across the room to power the fridge since its original socket was eliminated in a bit of a reorganisation when the boiler was changed. So finally locating the required shape of tuit, I decided to stick in a new socket properly.

Glossing over the whole "wall seems to be made of nuclear strike proof concrete block" that laughed at the attempts of my SDS to touch it, and required more considered coaxing with the SDS Max concrete breaker - we had a new socket back box nicely chased in ready for wiring. Being about waist height and on a hard tiled floor, I though it would be easier to sit on something low to wire it up. Normally I sit on the toolbox with my electrical kit in it, but this time I had only bothered grabbing the cutters, earth sleeve, screwdriver, and a rubber grommet from it, and had left the rest in the workshop. So I thought - aha, will borrow SWMBOs hideous green plastic step stool from the kitchen.

With hindsight that was a mistake. They seem to rely on a certain amount of friction on the floor to not splay their legs to the side when loaded. Needless to say, me + plus smooth floor was too much for it, and I narrowly avoided a jagged green plastic enema as fragments of it flew in all directions!!

So I thought I would make a nice traditional step stool as a replacement. Ideally out of oak since that is what the cupboards are faced with. Fortunately I remembered there was a spare kitchen unit cupboard door in the garage. So I hacked it about a bit, and came up with this:

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Top is about 14" by 9", and it stands about 10" tall. The "pegged" stretcher seems to keep it all nice an solid regardless of load.

The design was a figment of my imagination, but if anyone wants plans, let me know and I will draw some.

Reply to
John Rumm
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That looks nicely made, but having such a relatively large hangover at the ends of a short stool could lead to more excitement than you want. Take care!

Reply to
<no_spam

Looks good.

I would just comment that as it's designed to be stepped on, watch out for where the top overhangs the feet when you step on/off it.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

In message , Andrew Gabriel writes

Looks comfy. I think I would have deepened the cross member (stile?) to withstand tangential loading. Particularly in view of your impact on the plastic whatsit:-)

I spent my morning fabricating a *rotted post* puller from bits lying around the farm and the afternoon discovering that posts in dry ground rot some distance below the surface:-(

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Reply to
Tim Lamb

Since the stool is a rigid structure, its the overhang compared to the foot position that counts. The latter could be shifted by adding wider feet onto the base if desired.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

I envy your supply of tuits. I'm very lacking of late.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

You are welcome to some of mine :)

Reply to
Tim Watts

In message , snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com writes

I could supply the tuits if necessary - what I couldn't do is 'just knock together' something like that. Ever. It is gorgeous.

Reply to
News

I wish

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

Looks great! Was SWMBO happy with it as a replacement for her green plastic monstrosity?

Reply to
Roger Mills

See you Monday morning? Have tools :)

Reply to
Tim Watts

The design was done so that there is actually very little hangover - the legs splay out such that the footprint is only 1/2" smaller all round that the top. So its quite stable.

Reply to
John Rumm

Top is about 14" by 9", and it stands about 10" tall. The "pegged"

Hopefully this shot shows that the amount of overhang is mostly an illusion:

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Reply to
John Rumm

After an initial "will that take my weight?" doubt (which I dispelled conclusively by standing on it!), see seemed gruntled. I think I am forgiven for the destruction of the original ;-)

Reply to
John Rumm

It does look rather good. Such stools were known as 'crackits' in the North East when I was a youngster, grand parents and older relatives always seemed to have them.

Yours is by far the smartest one I've seen, a 'Whitely Báy crackit'.

Reply to
Brian Reay

OK, it must be a perspective effect in that photo.

Reply to
<no_spam

Funny where this DIY lark can lead you...

Nice design, even has a fart hole...

Mike

Reply to
Muddymike

I'm hugely envious of your skills, John.

Reply to
Huge

I'm hugely envious of his outlook on life.

I would have invented quite a lot of new words then gone down the pub.

John makes a stool!

Reply to
Tim Watts

Yup partly... the narrow axis overhang is quite small. Its slight wider on the long axis - probably an inch to inch and a half each end. (the legs splay by 12 degrees - and are set in 2.5" from the end where they meet the top. However there is also a slight concave radius on the end which brings the edge in a little)

Reply to
John Rumm

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