# HOW DO I MAKE A BARSTOOL 8" TALLER



## cowdough (Sep 26, 2015)

I have been tasked with trying to make 4 bar stools 8 inches taller. Ive been a trim carpenter for 15 years and building custom furniture for 4 years, and im stumped. from floor to bottom of bar is 46". with 14" for leg space i need to achieve 32" to the seat.right now im at 24. i believe these were for a table originally but thats beside the point. they have 4 turned spindle legs and an actual chair with a back and arm rests atop a lazy susan thing. without the chair it looks like a round top stool. i could turn new legs but making them all exactly the same would be pretty tough and alot of work. i could add to the legs with some kind of double ended screw or dowels but thats not safe. ive tried a piece between the 2 pieces to get the desired height but it looks stupid. idk what to do. ive suggested a platform for the chairs to sit on and the customer shot that down. i dont want to have to call her and tell her i cant come up with anything. eesh…brain smoker..


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

If you bar is that high I don't think your seat height is enough. 14'' knee room it too much. With the numbers you give when to put your elbows on the bar they are going to feel like they are up to your ears. Unless you are an accomplish chair maker I'd look at buying new stools.

My bar and stools give me 10 inches of knee room height. It's always been plenty.

https://www.hayneedle.com/tips-and-ideas/bar-stool-buying-guide/


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Here's someone's crazy way to extend legs and recycle plastic bottles at the same time


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> Here s someone s crazy way to extend legs and recycle plastic bottles at the same time
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Another thing to think about is if you add 8-10 inches to the existing legs, will they still splay out enough to keep the stool stable at it's new height.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Just kidding with that photo unless you're going for the hobo camp look  Good point about the splay of the legs though "J".


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## tblank (Apr 8, 2010)

How about cutting the stools' legs below the stretchers and making a platform of sorts that is 3-4 inches thick. Whatever is pleasing to the eye. Then you can make new short legs for the remainder of the needed height. If you run the legs through say from bottom to the top of platform and the old legs vice-versa. Drill holes on the bottom and the legs would penetrate like a tenon and attach to the top panel of platform. And top down as well. That would be very strong. The platform could be something to hook your heels on. Does this make sense?


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## GrantA (Jul 19, 2014)

Turn all new legs, only feasible way. Unless it's for a loved one or they have some sentimental value I'd pass and order taller stools. Someone on Facebook or Craigslist will want shorter stools


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## LittleShaver (Sep 14, 2016)

+1 on new legs. But, if you insist, I might try large steel dowels. Off hand, 6-8 inches long and at least 1/2" diameter, epoxied in place. Then give them to someone I didn't like.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

The only way to do that is to replace the legs, It might well be cheaper to buy new stools than to turn each one, one at a time. Some jobs you have to walk away from.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

No way I'd EVEN touch that job. New stools.


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

I think that making new legs is the best solution. Other than that, I like your idea of a "piece" between the tops of the legs and the turn-table. That could work. The trick is in making it look like it belongs there. Maybe you could turn some short "legs" to match the existing ones and tenon them into top and bottom 3/4" plywood. Ten mount the turn-table on top. Maybe the short "legs" could splay the opposite direction. This might be as much work as making new legs.

Perhaps you could buy some turned leg basic stools, new or used, and remount the swivel tops.


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

1 - get in your truck
2 - go to store 
3 - buy right size stools
4 - deliver to customer
5 - get check plus 30%
6 - call it a day :<))


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

> Perhaps you could buy some turned leg basic stools, new or used, and remount the swivel tops.
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Personally, that's the only option I would consider, getting flat top stools the right height and mounting the swivel top to those. If the color/wood is off(most likely), paint the base.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> 1 - get in your truck
> 2 - go to store
> 3 - buy right size stools
> 4 - deliver to customer
> ...


+1 unless the customer is your wife….........then you are on your own


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## Harryn (Apr 25, 2011)

Wear Stilts! lol


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## JohnDon (Mar 14, 2015)

Set it on an 8" box


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

I'm with the group. Not a chance would I ever under any circumstances try to make them taller. Start over with the right size stools.


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## CaptainKlutz (Apr 23, 2014)

Time and materials for all new legs/stretchers will be much more than cost of new chairs.
+1 Sell old chairs on CL and buy new for customer.


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## Ripper70 (Nov 30, 2015)

Have you considered lowering the bar by 8 inches?


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

A stool like any other piece of furniture has bee designed (engineered) to a specific dimension; in this case height. Making the stool taller, changes the geometry. The legs make a specific angle to the seat and the stretchers are designed for that angle. Changing any of it's geometry will put all other geometry out of whack. I'm for turning down the job and going for new stools. You should tell your customer, "it is not feasible to make them taller".


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## jerkylips (May 13, 2011)




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## WoodenDreams (Aug 23, 2018)

Remove or cut the legs off at the seat, Fill the holes, Drill new hole to the angle you need. You can get 42" wood railing spindles from menards or lowes and cut them down to length. Rasp or sand one end to fit the seat holes. make your cross









legs support, and assemble. This is what I've been doing for stool legs. Till I get a larger lathe.


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