It's all about the wood
I'm so excited about my stool!* It's -- wait, that's gross. Let me start over.
Last week, I went to the store and I got wood --
(Sigh) Let me just show you a picture instead. Behold:
What started off as two simple pieces of tree is now this, 85% of the finest handmade stepstool you ever did see. (Some might note that the parts that are missing are the STEPS, which play an integral role in the success of most stepstools. Those have been cut, but not yet sanded or assembled.) After Wednesday night, it should be fully put-together.
The only (known) mistake I've made so far is purely cosmetic. You can sort of see in the picture that the grain on the outside of the left side of the stool matches the grain on the inside of the right side. This is to imply that the grains on the two outsides do NOT match each other. Luckily, you can't see the two outsides at the same time. In fact, I probably could have argued that I had done that on purpose, were it not for the dumb look on my face when the teacher told me that I did it.
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* Actually said in a conversation with the wife. That's about as far as I got before I realized I had better rephrase.
Comments
cadiz12 said:
wow, omar. even without steps, that piece of work is very nice handiwork! i'm impressed. but be careful; now that the world knows you've got skills you'll be finding yourself pretty busy.
Katie said:
I saw the title and I laughed. And then I saw the first sentence, and I laughed even more. And then the next, and... well, I think you know how it went. Nice work, I am very, very impressed.
Becky
said:
this comment has nothing to do with wood or stool... i just wanted to say, "AAAARRRR, MATEY."
Syar said:
nice work, 'Mar. that really looks impressive, especially from this angle, where the grain matches.
wendela said:
A very impressive first stool sample. ;-)
Radioactive Deconstruction said:
Have you considered leaving the steps off? The project then becomes a Statement, and suddenly you're a talented artiste with an inscrutable yet clearly tormented, angst-ridden soul.
Just a thought.
elasticwaistbandlady said:
Upon first glance at your picture and looking at the gaping hole where a step should be and then reading the word, "stool", I assumed that you had handcrafted an heirloom keepsake potty chair for your toddler son. I'm still impressed with your stool skillz. Maybe you should leave off the steps because in a pinch it really could double function as a mini-potty.
I said:
cadiz - Once the world figures out how expensive it is to buy wood, they'll back off. I wanted to do a table as well, but it would be cheaper for me to just go out and buy one instead of buying wood and making one!
katie - And you'd be happy to know that I've used the phrase "git 'er done" plenty of times while making it.
becky - Ahoy!
syar - The more I think about it, the more it makes perfect sense to have the sides you can see at the same time match! I don't know what the teacher is talking about. And thanks!
wendela - And I'm going to stain the stool a nice shade of brown...
RaJ - Interesting thought. I could turn my nose up at "steps." And I'll go to class wearing sunglasses and randomly saying things like, "don't talk to me about conventional wisdom!"
elastic - Better yet, I could make the bottom step with a hinge, like a toilet seat cover. Then it can be BOTH a keepsake potty AND a stepstool. WAIT! It's brilliant! Step-Stool! I think if I hyphenate it, I can copyright it. When it goes big time, I'll give you a cut of the profits, since it was your idea.
Cate said:
Put me first on the Step-Stool pre-order list. It should make an excellent gift for my nephew, as potty training is not far off.
elasticwaistbandlady said:
I'm in for the profit part Omar but we'll need to tinker with the name bit you see "Step Stool" could really be an insensitive term to a broken family and I'm all about political correctness and saving people from hurt feelings.
One nice thing about this item is we can advertise it as a remarkable creation that can be used both standing up AND sitting down!
I said:
How about "Step 'N Stool"? It still has "step," but I think the "N" eases the broken family edge.
elasticwaistbandlady said:
No, "Step N Stool" will ruin a perfectly good pair of shoes.
Syar said:
I hope everyone's noticed how hilarious elasticwaistbandlady is. especially that last comment. can't wait to see where you two bring the step'N'stool. or maybe not.