Floating Stool - Not What You Think

Sorry, I couldn't resist a poop joke. They are often “stinky” and sometimes “corny” but most always a "gas" that makes people laugh. Seriously though, they are not my favorite type of joke but the are a solid “#2”.

Ok enough of this “crap”, let’s get down to "business" and make a real wooden floating stool that can be your new favorite "throne."

This stool is a supersized version of a recent table version I made called an AirVace. It’s a Tensegrity structure (tensional integrity) that perfectly balances tension and compression of a system of components that defies gravity.

So “brace” yourself while I do my best “doodie” to explain how I “squeezed” this ible out.

Poopuns are now over … maybe since I don't know if I can hold it in that long.

The components are rather simple.

(1) One 6 foot long 2”x6”will more than suffice for the seat, base, and centers

(2) Two 8 foot 1” diameter pole for the legs

(Got these at Home "Dupa")

(2) Steel Turnbuckles, (4) Steel Chain Quick Links, and (2) Steel Rods

(4) Braided wire + crimping beads and tool to make the side cables

(Got these on Amazon and fairly cheap)

Cut your 2x6 in to 6" rectangular segments. These are then cut along their diagonal to create triangular wedges which form the seat, base, and center pieces of the three legged conical shaped floating stool. Once you have 12 wedges, you can arrange them into a tangential circle and glue them up. To make the center disks, you can use 4" rectangular segments since it needs to be smaller to fit between the legs. Once the glue dries, you can cut the disk on a bandsaw or a lathe to make them circular.

To create the floating effect, you need to add a way to anchor a tether rod between the top and bottom sections. Just route out a section on the Center disks and epoxy in a still rod. Next, drill 3 holes at an angle of 12 degrees for your stool legs and evenly space them around the disks (top, bottom and center. Don't go all the way thru the seat and base but you do for the center disks.

This part is a bit tricky and a helper would be good to have (If not, then use bungy cords.) Add the legs (~22") to the base and then slip the center disk down the legs to create a conical shape structure. Do the same for the top cone but without adding the center disk. The top cone needs to intersect the bottom and then you can add the center disk. The structure should now be interlocked. I added spacers for the center anchor rods to keep the tether rod from shifting. I used a turnbuckle (hold 1,300 pounds) for the tether rod since you can adjusted the length by turning the center section. You can also use quick links to adjust your stool height. You can now trim off the legs that extend past the center circle. Although the center piece forms a very tight joint, I also drilled thru the side where the leg passed thru and inserted a dowel to further lock them in.

Now you can add steel cables around the seat and base to help balance the floating stool. This is how tensegrity works. The turnbuckle creates compression of the two center sections and the side wires are in tension as your weight shifts when you are sitting on the stool. This interplay of compression and tension creates a stable structure. To make the side cables, I drilled around the seat and base perimeter and routed a small groove. Tip: I created a measure jig to make sure the cables were all the same length. Cables were make with a crimping tool.

Almost done. Just add your favorite stain and insert the cables with a nail and CA glue. With the cables on you can now tighten the turnbuckle to pull the top and bottom centers tight to create tension on all side cables.

I used a cheap pine board since this was my test piece to see if this whole thing would work. It turned out to look very cool with a sort of Shou Sugi look. Also it won People Choice Award in my wood club too!

Now your turn to pop one out ( I could have sad poop but didn't) ... it's not that hard and very fun to sit on but if you want to start out simple see my AirVase ible.

BTW, I forgot to tell you, I grew up in a small town that made toilets and at back in the day (early 1900's) it was the largest ceramics producer in the USA. Go Eljer.