Inspiration
Design Brief
I want to design an upcycled, rustic stool to use as both a seat and a bedside table, utilising only parts sourced from the scraps at my Dad's workshop. The stool should have a rustic aesthetic that not only captures the natural aesthetic of the wood whilst also reflecting the previous industrial use of the materials and parts.
Design Specification
Aesthetic:
Rustic and natural aesthetic
Industrial and simplistic form
Makes use of the knots in the wood within the aesthetic
Functional and minimalist
Cost:
Aim to design the stool using spare parts and materials
Danish oil (wood oil) - £9
Threaded steel studs - £3
Customer:
Urban adults / teens
People with small living space
People wanting to create a natural / rustic timber aesthetic
People who need efficient and functional furniture
Environmentalists
Environment:
Utilises old cargo palates and spare nuts and washers
Used non-permanent fixtures to allow the product to be disassembled and up-cycled once again
Used non-toxic danish wood oil for the finish
No adhesives used
Size:
The product should be a comfortable height to sit on
The seat / surface of the stool must be wide enough for people to comfortable sit on
The seat / surface of the stool should be able to fit an alarm clock and mobile phone
The stool should be approximately level with the top of my bed
The stool should be no bigger than 500mmx500mmx500mm for portability
Safety:
Ensure edges are varnished to prevent splinters
Structure must be able to comfortably support a person's weight
Curved edges on the bottom of the stool
Ensure moving parts cannot trap fingers or clothing
Function:
Stool
Bedside table for alarm clock, water, phone, etc
Seat / surface folds downwards to enable the product to be more portable
Material:
Mixture of woods (primarily oak) from pallets
Plywood
Steel nuts and washers
Steel studs
Making the Stool
This project started by walking around the trading estate where my dad works to find pallets of wood that could be incorporated into my stool. Once I had found some pallets, I took them back to the workshop and dismantled them using a crowbar and mallet. Next I removed the nails and checked the wood for splits and damage. I then sorted the wood into parts for the legs and parts for the seat / tabletop.
Pallets
Crowbar and mallet
Dismantling the pallets
Removal of nails
I then cut the wood for the top of the stool into 300mm lengths, using a tape measure, pencil and try-square to measure and mark the wood before cutting it with a jigsaw.
Measuring the wood
Marking line with try-square
Cutting wood with jigsaw
After that I cut up some plywood from my dad's workshop and cut 4 peices to the same 300mm length as the planks of wood. On the plywood, I marked out points 40mm into the plywood to drill 6.5mm holes for the metal studs. These metal studs had to be secured at both ends with washers and nuts. Once the metal studs were secured, I used the plywood as a jig to attach the other planks too. Overall, I used 4 plywood planks in order to strengthen the seat / table without having to use adhesive. Next I cut the studs down so that 50mm was protruding out from either end. Finally, I planed the surface and sides of the seat / table, using a planar and smoothened the surface using an air powered orbital sander in order to increase the surface area before adding 3 coats of the danish (wood) oil to the top face..
Jig using plywood layer
Adding a plank to the jig
Planing the surface P1
Planing the surface P2
I then cut the 4 legs to size with the jigsaw and used the angle grinder to curve the legs of the stool. I marked and drilled 6.5mm holes in the legs, sanded the legs down and applied danish (wood) oil. Finally, I bolted on the legs to the seat / table as well as adding a bolt connecting the two legs together and then cut off the excess studding before applying the final coat of danish oil.
Final Product & Evaluation
In reflection, the stool has the desired rustic aesthetic and makes use of the materials found around my father's trading estate. The stool is foldable by undoing two of the nuts, removing one of the studs and then folding the seat / table downwards. This allows it to be stored and transported more easily. Additionally, the product can be easily disassembled for upcycling once again or recycling. The stool can comfortably fit all of my bedside items and support the weight of anyone who sits on it. However, the nuts sometimes come loose causing the stool to be a little bit unstable. Additionally, the folding function of the table was limited by the design of the legs, preventing it from being folded vertically.
In the next iteration of my stool, I'd like to use a half-lap joint to allow both the legs to be flush to the seat / table. This would make the stool sturdier and enable the folding function of the table / surface to be more effective.