Stool Project - DIY thread

Having owned my Harbor Freight adjustable stool for a good year and a half or two I figured I'd make my own.

The HF variant sits too tall, and is only useful when I sit at my laptop for any CNC work (29" sit height). Other than that, I can't use it at all for anything else.

I mucked up the Anything Welding thread so figured I'd post my own here along with the plans for free.

Since I wanted to use material I already had at home I opted for 3/16" mild to use on the legs, 1/8" mild for the backrest, 1 3/4" diameter tube for the center section, 9/16" diameter for the casters, M8 hardware for the seat bottom and backrest mount, and purchase the remaining parts for a custom setup.

The five legs, all cut and ready to go right off the table.



I made this small jig to help offset each leg a perfect 72 degrees.



The mount for welding the leadscrew and nut to.



The backrest, using a tab and slot design for mating it to the spine. This will be bent on my press brake then welded together.



Inch long sections for mounting my stem casters.



Without having actually assembling anything together at this point, I knew I needed an 18" long leadscrew for my desired height. Still, I ordered a 24" long leadscrew at 1" diameter since it's easy to shorten, but not add length to.



Probably the most expensive part of this whole project, I spent just under $100 for five 4" diameter, polyurethane casters. They have zerk fittings, and support a healthy 350lbs per.

I went with a brake on the 5th wheel for added safety. These wheels roll so easily and so well that the last thing I need is for it to roll out from underneath me as I sit down.

If you're going to make one yourself, you can easily spent a 1/4 of what I did here.



Acorn nuts for aesthetic purposes for mounting the casters.



I wanted leather, real leather cause it's durable as shit. This stuff is top grain at 2.6oz per sq ft. Too thick and it'll take years for the stool to break in, not to mention would be uncomfortable as hell.



High density resilient foam, supposed to last over 10 years and it's meant for vehicle/boat use so it's highly resistant to moisture. I went overboard with this stuff as well.



I sort of cheated here. With all the extra leather I've got left over, I may replace this with a slightly larger pad but for now I got this since it basically came free with scrap I cut out for someone else.



Can't take any real credit for the wood mount as I am not a woodworker. Small collab with @wilcam47 and huge thanks for cutting, shaping, and sealing up this 3/4" thick ash hardwood.



Everyone uses 1/4 - 20 for their seat hardware. I've got a ton of metric hardware so I got M8 t-nuts. Glad I did cause there's a nice size difference.



And lastly, I wanted a wrinkled sort of finish. Powdercoat would be too expensive and I don't do it myself so this is the next best thing.



Not shown is the footrest I've got a local shop rolling for me but that's fine. I'll update the thread once the stool is complete.

For those wanting to make their own parts, I'd be happy to share the DXF.

 

Easiest thing is to start working on the legs whether it's welding the tubes to each end, or the legs to the larger tube.









This is how the jig comes into play.





The only real painful part in this process was grinding down the nut for welding inside the tube.

If you've got a lathe, this will be way easier for you.



Onto prepping the actual wood mount.





As well as the backrest.







Another skill I lack is sewing and leather work so, I used a local upholstery shop.

They freaking knocked it out the park.





Perfect cause now I needed to mock things up to move forward.



Leadscrew cut down and welded, she's shaping up real quick.



That VHT paint? Man, if you follow the Youtube video suggestions in using a heatgun, it ends up looking really freaking nice.





And here's how she sits as of now!





This handle that acts as a locknut was a real last minute thing, glad I went with it!



The goal was a sit height range of 22" to 29".

Without fully bottoming out the leadscrew, the uncompressed cushion sits at 22.5" at its lowest and 30" at it's highest will remaining fully threaded into the center section.

Definitely could've saved money in several places, but I wanted to build a quality and comfortable chair I can be proud of (and still at less than half the cost of a Vyper).

 

Nice work!

 

Mein Gott!!

Wow. I am humbled by your craftsmanship

 

I appreciate the kind words!

The real labor is the stool cushion and wood mount, two items I didn't male myself

 

Thank you brosef!

Was meaning to ask, I gotta get you something else along with what you asked. You'll have to figure out what else you want as I've got some steel left over.

 

I would say the steel!

 

Fun for sure!

I love dabbling with steel, especially drawing stuff up whether it's for myself or others.

 

Still delayed for my footrest but my weather stripping did arrive.

Someone made a comment about the rear spine being a sharp, exposed edge so I went ahead and covered it up.



Just two steps away from completion.

 

What would you call a maker of expertly overengineered stools?

Stoolwright?

Stoolmason?

 

Stoolmaster

No wait..

 

How much left over?

 

I could do 10" x 13" if going square/rectangle, or 10" round.

Got space for two of either dimensions above if you want one or two additional signs.

I'm thinking of making a backrest

7" x 9" with a 1" radius should do, although I think 1/2" thick will suffice?

Not like I know anything about stools

 

Ill send pm

 

Oh, I love those Vyper chairs. I missed out on the last few limited edition colors. I might have to buy a plain one and have it powder coated.

 

Nice stool. Now a thread for that Z hanging out in the background.

 

I have to say, they look really sharp.

But knowing what I know (as little as that is), Vyper shouldn't cost as much as they do for several reasons -

The parts are bolted together which means faster production since nothing is welded

The backrest pad (the only actual item I have on hand) use cheap parts like crappy thin t-nuts, the backplate is a cheap plastic panel that's flexing on its own just with the 4 tiny phillips head screws holding it together

Pad and stool cushions are vinyl, not even leather

Cheap casters that many people complain about, locking up is a common complaint

When you're big production like they are, raw material, etc are all purchased in bulk for a lot less than a small shop like my own. But, they're big in general catering to large respectable companies so they're going to charge whatever they want cause people will drink the kool-aid.

 

Dayum almost $600 it better be made out of platinum

 

Yeeeah, it goes up quick if you add any options

If you want the taller variant, it's $650

 

I've never heard of any of the issues you mentioned with Vyper Industrial. They sell leather versions (Obsessed Garage). I can't say that I've heard of one falling apart either since it's bolted together vs welded. Build quality and safety has been their business motto. They also have a lifetime warranty.

I spoke with them a bit at Barrett Jackson, Scottsdale in January. They were really nice people and were willing to answer any questions.

I just ordered a couple of their re-released wall mount fans for the garage at the new house. I was planning on ordering a chair and low profile stool from them next.

If I had the time and tools to build one like you I might give it a whirl.