Turn A Three-Legged Stool

Come learn to make a three-legged “milking stool” using staked joinery! In this class we will be making all our parts on the lathe, spindle turning our legs, then faceplate turning the seats.

This little stool is super convenient to have around the house or workshop as a low seating option, or it makes a nice plant stand. It serves as a great introduction to turning and the tapered, round joinery of staked furniture. This class is suitable for beginners or more advanced turners; if you have lots of experience with Windsor joinery you might not need much instruction, but we’ll have a good time anyway!

Learn. Students will be introduced to the lathe as well as learn joinery, assembly and finishing techniques.

Day 1: Lathe Fundamentals & Turning Components
Our first day focuses on spindle turning and building a strong foundation on the lathe. Students will receive an in-depth introduction to the lathe and three essential turning tools: the parting tool, gouge, and skew. Participants will turn the stool legs using spindle-turning techniques. As legs are completed, students will move on to shaping the stool seats, which will be turned on the lathe using a faceplate and bowl gouge.

Day 2: Joinery, Assembly & Finishing Touches
Day 2 begins with completing any remaining work on the seats. Students will then learn how to drill and ream conical mortises in the seat. Matching tenons will be cut on the legs, followed by final assembly as the legs are glued and wedged into place. The class will wrap up with trimming and refining the stool, and if time allows, an introduction to traditional milk paint as a finishing option.

Make. Students will make a traditional three-legged milking stool using a combination of light and heavier hardwoods, finished with either a natural finish or classic milk paint.

Saturday & Sunday  |  10am – 5pm  |  Class will break for a 1/2 hour lunch.
2 Sessions: September 19 & 20

Cost: $390 non-members: $331.50 members (plus an additional $35 materials fee)