Over the weekend I completed my first true wood-working project – a custom designed step stool.  Overall it went pretty well, took about an hour start to finish, and the stool came out exactly like I envisioned.  The problem though is that the design itself is flawed…it’s just not stable.  Because the legs are 1/2″ inset from the top and are perfectly vertical, it has a tendency to tip if you stand on the edge or shift your weight just so.  No stool is completely free from tipping, but this design is beyond the threshold of what I consider acceptable.  So…back to the drawing board…or in this case Sketchup.

As for some finer details of the construction, I used a circular saw for the long, straight cuts and then a jigsaw for the cut out in the legs, andthe handle.  I didn’t have a jigsaw prior to this, so I went to the local big box home center and bought a Black & Decker .  I was a bit hesitant about getting a cheapie, but the reviews were good and without knowing how serious I am about this new hobby I didn’t want to break the bank.  So far so good.

One tip that I learned afterwords in regards to my technique is what they call “plunging” the jigsaw.  I historically have just drilled holes in the corner of whatever I was cutting then dropped the blade in the hole and started from there.  I didn’t really like the results of that method and googled from jigsaw tips and found this video.  I’ll keep it in mind for the next time around.