We made a couple of mortise and tenon stools a couple of years back, and it was…well, not quite fun. Satisfying? At any rate, here’s a different kind of wooden travel bench!

Preindustrial Craftsmanship

I’ve been making folding camp furniture.  The stools are sometime called “pea-pickers”.  They were somewhat difficult to figure out without a plan but some photos of others and experience making other furniture helped.

finished

They’re not as easy to make as I thought they would be.  The holes must be very precise and dowels tight-fitting.  If everything isn’t square and precisely cut, the stool just doesn’t work.

folded

This is their beauty.  They fold flat and have an integrated handle.  They can be made just about any size and out of any straight lumber.  My first one is made from scraps from around the workshop.  These later ones are from premium pine.

17pieces12holes

Seventeen pieces, twelve holes.  Stick ’em together.  Sit.  Mine are sturdy enough to use as a step stool, with some caution due to the narrow width.

strong-enough

A table of similar construction.  The top is about 22 x 46″.  I made…

View original post 27 more words