A lathe is a great piece of machinery for the woodworker who wants beautiful results but has limited space to work in. With a little practice, you can make showpiece furniture with your lathe.

Take wood bar stools, for instance. These can be made almost entirely with your lathe, including the seat. Start with a simple design and then tackle more complex turning projects.

You can easily make tapered legs just by offsetting the bottom of the leg. It may be a little disturbing at first, because it will wobble, but if you approach it with care, it won’t be a problem. You do, however, have to be careful about how you set your chisel rest and how deeply you make your first cuts. Approach the wood slowly and just nibble rather than gouge.

By the time you have completed four sets of legs for your wooden bar stools, you will be a virtual expert at turning tapered legs. If you like, you can put the legs back on the lathe and add some decorative detailing. Instead of making a dead straight taper, try adding a gentle bulge to give it a less rigid look.

Before you take your legs off the lathe, you will need to turn the top of the legs to an exact diameter for installing into the seat. You will need to set your calipers to the diameter you want and check regularly as you turn. As soon as the calipers can slip over the wood, stop turning. If you need to trim a little off later, after you have bored the holes in the seat, you can easily do so. It’s not so easy, however, to add wood to your turning!

You will then need to turn your stretchers. These can be straight or you can taper them at both ends. If you taper them, your calipers will come in handy to ensure that they are of equal diameter at the ends.

The hardest part of making these bar stools is putting them together. The legs are not going to be straight, so you will have to drill the holes for the legs and the stretchers at an angle. You can determine the angle best if you make a drawing first. Then, make a jig for your drill press. Make a few practice holes first, so you don’t ruin your stool seats.

Woodworking, like any other craft, is a matter of practice. It’s a good idea to start off with fairly easy projects and work your way up to more complex pieces. You will be surprised how quickly you will improve. Soon you will be making better modern bar stools than you can buy in the store!

Tags: furniture, hobby, woodworking

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