Shaker two stepper

I’ve been working to improve my dovetails. I took a three day course with Greg Pennington and supplemented his course with Rob Cosman’s dvd. I prefer to chop the waste vs fret saw, so I prefer Greg’s methodology. However, Rob has some great layout and sawing suggestions. The biggest improvement I’ve made since my schooling was learning how to properly sharpen my chisels and planes – which makes a huge difference in the dovetailing experience.

I spent a good two hours digging through stacks of soft maple for the “permed” maple you see in this stool. I waited over a year for my skills to be minimally worthy of this wood. The stool is for my son who will be walking soon. I finished with a concocted wiping varnish (BLO / Spar / Danish Oil cut with mineral spirits to ease the application process).

The plans: http://www.finewoodworking.com/woodworking-plans/article/a-classic-step-stool.aspx

I changed the dovetail layout as I like the look of thick pins… especially in a utility project.

It’s amazing the difference that sharp tools and good quality wood can make. See my first two stepper here:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/121897