Some Simple But Elegant Woodworking Projects

If you like woodworking, but are short on space, consider buying a good quality lathe. With practice, you can learn to do amazing things with a lathe.

Wood bar stools are a perfect starter project. You can start by turning simple tapered legs and stretchers and gradually work your way up to more complicated turnings. You can even turn the bar stool seat on your lathe.

You can easily make tapered legs just by offsetting the bottom of the leg. It may be a little disturbing at first, because it will wobble, but if you approach it with care, it won't be a problem. You do, however, have to be careful about how you set your chisel rest and how deeply you make your first cuts. Approach the wood slowly and just nibble rather than gouge.

You will find that by the time you have finished turning 4 legs each for a set of 4 wooden bar stools, you will be an expert at the straight tapered leg. You may want to put them back on the lathe and add some detailing or even try customizing the curve so that it is not quite so perfectly straight.

Don't forget to turn the tops of the legs to the diameter of your dowel holes. Usually that's around three quarters of an inch or 18 mm. Use your calipers to determine the diameter. Check regularly and stop as soon as the calipers just clear the timber. It's a lot easier to trim off a bit more wood than it is to add more later.

You will then need to turn your stretchers. These can be straight or you can taper them at both ends. If you taper them, your calipers will come in handy to ensure that they are of equal diameter at the ends.

Now that you have finished all of your turnings, you are at the hardest stage of construction. Since the legs aren't perpendicular to the seat, you will have to first figure out what angle they are going to be at. A safe way to do this is to make a full scale drawing and work from that. Then, when you know the angle, make a jig for your drill press. Don't forget to make some trial holes in some scrap wood first.

As with anything, the secret to woodworking is practice. Set yourself modest goals at first and then tackle the more advanced projects. Before you know it, you will be making modern bar stools to rival the best!