This is my first wood working project ever. It’s a step stool for my girlfriend. I got a R4511 for Christmas and that’s where it started. I still need to sand it some more, and carve hearts into the sides. I used finger joints, and the three side pieces are held together with tongue and groove joints for extra strength. Is this strong enough? There is another piece in the back with finger joints for extra strength.
The finger joints had gaps in some parts, not really sure how to fix that. The tongue and groove joints were either too tight sometimes or too lose sometimes with no adjustments between cuts.
5 comments so far
Partridge
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296 posts in 2153 days
#1 posted 1255 days ago
what kind of wood.
has for a fix.
I just fixed some dovetails.
-- I get out in the shop when I can
bgilb
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20 posts in 1255 days
#2 posted 1255 days ago
Home depot red oak. Was tough to work with because of its hardness.
Gary
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3694 posts in 1629 days
#3 posted 1255 days ago
You’re not likely going to have any problems with it’s strength….if you used a good glue.
-- Gary, DeKalb Texas only 4 miles from the mill
redfernal
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3 posts in 1575 days
#4 posted 1254 days ago
It looks very nice, and the oak should be plenty strong. If the gaps are between the fingers, as opposed to at the bottom, you can actually use a hand saw to cut a kerf and fill with a thin strip of matching oak. It does not look too noticeable from your photo, though.
Karson
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34396 posts in 2597 days
#5 posted 1254 days ago
Great looking stool. Nice job
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
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