Hello again, this post will be brief as I am now supplementing my typical long winded verbiage with video clips to better explain the various woodworking techniques and methods I will continue to share.

As usual I have to add a bit of something to think upon.  This following brief missive is telling about the world we live in today and a lesson from world history in times of war and unrest.

On this day in 1941, Joseph Goebbels publishes in the German magazine Das Reich that “The Jews wanted the war, and now they have it”—referring to the Nazi propaganda scheme to shift the blame for the world war onto European Jewry, thereby giving the Nazis a rationalization for the so-called Final Solution.  Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. One of Adolf Hitler’s close associates and most devoted followers, he was known for his deep and virulent antisemitism, which led to his supporting the attempted extermination of the Jews in the Holocaust.

A similar rationalization, and lies are being told today, albeit by a different fundamentalist group.  I do not believe that all fundamentalists and fundamentalist cultures are bad or evil (however you choose to see it), The Amish, are by definition fundamentalists, but I have never seen an Amish terrorist.  Everyone alive in the world today knows what I am talking about.

Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. In accordance with Hitler’s will, Goebbels succeeded him as Chancellor of Germany; he served only one day in this post. The following day, Goebbels and his wife committed suicide, after poisoning their six children.  So what’s the point?  I am saddened by the world we live in, however at the same time I have a deep and true hope for the world in knowing that good will triumph over evil.

Ok then, back to woodworking! My previous post and videos for the stool making series covered the design, construction of the main stool components, and the rough seat shaping which preceed the glue-up of the stool, final shaping details of the seat, and leveling of the stool legs.

The following video shows the final steps of the stool construction prior to the glue-up.  I highlight a completed stool for comparison sake and to show the results of the methods I used in the construction of the stool from first blog post.  The video also captures in detail how I shape the back side of the seat.

Once the stretchers have been trimmed to length, the leg tenons have been sawed to receive a wedge, the wedges have been made to fit each leg tenon, and the seat-back have been shaped I move on to performing the glue-up of the stool. This is a somewhat simple glue-up process if you use a clear system of marking all your components and approach it in a systematic process.

The following video shows the the entire stool glue-up process.  I lightly discuss why I use hide-glue and the “worlds best hide glue pot”.  I also encounter some rough waters in driving the wedges in from the top of the seat into the leg tenons which may help you learn from the process.

With the stool assembled, my last video in the stool making series captures how I trim the legs to sit level on the floor, trim the ends of the tenons/wedges, and the final shaping details for the seat.

I will not be making a video on the painting and finishing application for the stool but I did want to note the finishing method and materials I use and why.  For chairs and stools, I use natural Watco Danish Oil finish which is available at your local big box store.  There are a few reasons I choose this finish material.  First is I like a close to the wood finish that is achieved by using an oil finish.  Second and most importantly, this finish is easy to maintain.  Chairs and Stools take a beating over the course of their lifespans.  An oil finish does not leave a film on the surface of the wood, therefor there is no film to scratch or flake off over time.  To renew or refinish all you have to do is clean the piece with light detergent, let it dry, and wipe on/off new finish and you have a like new looking piece of furniture.

I hope you have enjoyed the videos and information presented in this series.  Please leave your comments and feedback on my site.  Thanks again and shalom.