Japanese Street Vendor Stool
This intriguing utilitarian design is at home most anywhere.
This intriguing utilitarian design is at home most anywhere.
As a curious designer I often find myself frequenting estate sales, online auctions and even local antique stores in search of oddities and relics of the past. This exercise affords me the opportunity to be exploratory in my quest for inspiration and has become a practice that remains integral in the overall design process. The act of seeking without presumption allows one to experience new pieces through an unadulterated lens. This method has also proven itself to be an effective way to develop a historical connection with pieces and to appreciate the zeitgeist of any given period.
It’s this exact process that led me to discover a set of 19th century Japanese street vendor stools on a British auction site. Initially frustrated by my inability to discover any sort of historical context or provenance for such a piece, my focus soon became directed towards its simple aesthetic and form. I instantly became drawn to the stool’s intimacy of scale/proportion. The angularity of their shape combined with a straightforward construction method made this not only an approachable project from a build perspective, but one that can easily be integrated into any space.
Preparing the Panels
The first part of the process is to construct a 1/2"-thick panel that will become the two sides (A) as well as the bottom (B) of the stool. To save on time and ensure grain continuity, I constructed one large panel glue-up that exceeds the combined lengths of both sides as well as the bottom. Once the glue has dried, rip the panel to its final width as well crosscut your sides/bottom to their respected lengths (I did this all at the table saw). Once these three pieces are prepped, it’s time to start cutting the joinery.
Angled Perspective
Since we are conveniently located at the table saw from panel preparation, proceed to set the blade to 6°. This setup will be used for several cuts on the project, however, at this time the only adjustment that will need to be made is at the fence. Start by moving the fence to accommodate the full length of your stool sides (A) or 19". Move your fence over enough that the blade can complete the 6° angled cut required. Once you have made a pass at one end, flip your panel 180° on end and make the second cut. This should render your two cuts
parallel to one another and at a 6° splay when placed perpendicular to a flat surface. Proceed to do this for both side panels.
The next step is to cut the rabbets on one end of each panel. Layout the 1/2" long by 1/4" deep cut on the panel and lower the table saw blade to accommodate the 1/4" depth. Using your fence, make the first cut to establish the shoulder of your rabbet. Since we are using the kerf of a single blade, continue to make a series of passes to create the cheek. Depending on the type of table saw blade being used (or have access to), you may notice that it has a tendency to leave a v-bottom kerf or even what’s referred to as “bat ears”. This can easily be remedied with a few passes of a router plane or a sanding block.
With the blade still at 6°, proceed to make cuts on both ends of the bottom panel (B) to accommodate the rabbet on the side panels. Then, tilt the blade another 3° to make 9° and flip the bottom panel 90° to make cuts that correspond with the angle of our two side panels.
Simple Motif
Find the middle of each panel (5 3/4") at the bottom and measure 4 3/4" up to establish a center point. From this point, using a compass, draw a circle with a 3 1/2" diameter. To reduce the number of cuts along with ensuring accuracy, go ahead and adhere both panels together using carpet/double stick tape.
Drill a pilot hole anywhere within the desired diameter using a standard drill bit (one large enough to accommodate a jigsaw blade). Once this pilot or access point is complete you may proceed to rough cut your circle pattern using a jigsaw. These saws are inherently crude and will inevitably leave coarse blade marks behind. Clean up any remaining inconsistencies left with a spindle sander or a rasp.
Power at Hand
Layout the locations for edge halflap joints on the side panels. Using the fence on the band saw, make stop cuts 1/2" apart (thickness of the stretchers) and about 1/4" shy of the joint depth of 1 1/4". By doing this, you are allowing enough material to remain to chisel out the bottom of your joints at 6°. Since most band saws are only able to tilt in one direction, I built a simple jig to cut the angled walls for the bottom step (F) as shown. This jig is nothing more than a block of wood cut at a 6° angle and mounted below a piece of Baltic Birch plywood (dimensions for jig shown in project schematic).
Utilizing the fence, make your two stop cuts. Since the two side panels (A) are splayed as well as mirrored, you will have to rotate your jig 180° to make the two corresponding stop cuts on your
Cut List
right-side panel. Once your joinery is complete, you can go ahead and cut the 9° angled profiles of the two sides. If you are one to lack confidence in your ability to cut a straight line, cut close to your reference and finish with a block plane, edge sander, or sanding block. If you are still not satisfied, use one of your side panels as a template over at the router table with a pattern or flush trim bit.