Although I was a manufacturing engineer by trade, I often owned my own business and always had a project or two on the side. Now that I am retired, I still enjoy designing and building projects and love sharing those projects with others. The challenge: how to share the fruits of my labor with a broader audience. The answer: Kickstarter!
A RICH STOOL AND CARPENTRY HISTORY
One day, a few years ago, I was in my little shop and looked down to see a stool my great-grandfather had made for my parents in 1938. It was covered with several pieces of scrap wood. As I pulled them off, despite the years of accumulated dirt, I could still see the vibrant sunburst image on the side of the stool. I thought to myself, here it is, nearly 80 years later. As dirty as it is, it is still beautiful, sturdy, and useful. It still brings a lot of fond memories.
I wondered: if I created stools… would they still be used 80 years later? Would they last that long? I went into the house and looked at another stool I have. This one was crafted by my grandfather in 1979. The legs on it had been salvaged from an old church pew. The embroidery was started by my mother and later finished by my mother’s sister. This stool sits in a prominent place in our living room. It, too, is very special.
I then looked at another pair of family-made stools in my house. My brother was the designer. He and my father, and my uncle, made several of these for friends and family. All of whom loved receiving these as gifts.
The question continued to burn in my mind. Could I design and make stools that would last a lifetime, like the ones I own, and create the same fond memories for other people? So, I set to work to find out.
A NEW AND IMPROVED DESIGN MEANT TO LAST A LIFETIME
I came up with several designs. After many prototypes I finally landed on “the” one – a cross-legged stool with a unique design that is also very sturdy. The debut of my design was when I gifted a special Indian Rosewood stool to each of my children. I think you will agree, they are stunning. Here is one of them:
THE KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN
My children have loved these stools. When people see them they ask how they can get one. They love the design. They ask about wood and engraving options and when I am going to make more. So, I worked with my children to set up this campaign. I wanted to be able to share this design with many more people, especially those people that appreciate the craftsmanship. It is time to get started! With your help, we can make this possible.
I have the tools I need to complete the stools.
But, as I have looked through my available materials . . .
I found that what I really need, in order to begin producing these stools in a larger quantity, is more great wood. I need the capital for the raw materials.
Also, as you can below, I have a knotty alder wood stool top that has been laser engraved with the words “TIME OUT STOOL – LET THE STOOL BE KNOTTY YOU BE NICE”. This is a fun design that parents see and love. I have been asked if I can engrave other word or images. With your help, through this campaign, I hope to obtain funds for my own laser engraver. I would love to fulfill custom orders engraved with family names, funny sayings, people’s pictures, and more on the tops of their stools.
QUALITY WOOD MAKES A QUALITY PRODUCT
These stools are made from quality wood and it takes time and money to refine quality wood into a beautiful stool. I carefully plan out the use of each piece of wood to limit possible waste.
I am ready to get started and excited at the possibility of bringing many more of these great stools to life to share with many wonderful people!
Thank you for supporting my campaign. Please pass along a link of this campaign to everyone else you know that would appreciate one or more of these stools. Thanks for your comments and support.
STOOL SAMPLE
As a thank you to those that pledge $20 or more will receive a sample version of the stool!
CUSTOM MADE & SHIPPING
Each of these stools is individually crafted and custom made so I can only produce so many in a reasonable amount of time. Due to this limitation, I had to build my Kickstarter rewards around the wood types and let people know that as I finish stools I will ship them. If there is a wood type you are interested in that is not available through the rewards, please leave me a comment so we can let you know when our retail site is up.
SAMPLE-SIZE STOOL DIMENSION
Measurements: 2″ H – 2″ W – 3 1/4″ L
FULL-SIZE STOOL DIMENSIONS
Measurements: 9″ H – 9″ W – 13″ L
Weight varies depending on the wood selected. Sample weights range from 2.9 LBS (Mystery Wood) to 5.1 LBS (Walnut)
TIMELINE
Assuming we surpass our goal, here are our timeline goals:
FAQ
Q. Do you stain the wood?
A. No. I use tung oil on them and let it cure to bring out the natural wood color.
Q. What are your plans after Kickstarter?
A. My hope is to be able to make enough money to buy a laser engraver for future stools. Also I have plans to offer a model unstained for painting and another model without a hand hole for people to create an embroidered top
Q. How can I buy a stool after the campaign?
A. After the campaign I hope to offer stools via a retail website.
Q. What if I want a stool made from wood that is not listed?
A. While I won’t be able to add more woods to the campaign, PLEASE put a note in the comments so we know what additional woods people want if we are successful at offering them via an online retail store.
WOOD COLOR
Below are SAMPLE GUIDELINES of the color of wood and grain for each type of stool. Every wood comes in may shades of color, including light ones and dark ones. My stools showcase the natural beauty of each stool so the color will likely be slightly different from the pictures below and may be lighter or darker than those shown.
MORE PICS!!!!!!
I feel that the most important part of this project is time management. These are hand-made items. This is why there are quantity limits. I am making all of these stools myself. I have already worked out my timing on how many stools I can produce. I have a personal goal of under-promise and over-deliver. To that end, it is my goal to beat my own estimated shipping time frames, while at the same time, being realistic because I know that life happens. I have all necessary tools and I have made several of these stools. I am past most design phases, however, I did run into an issue with a wood I had planned to use. When I tested it, it turned out the wood was too hard and chipped easily in my process. I have tried to mitigate any product issue by using wood I am familiar with and do not anticipate a repeat of this issue with the woods I am offering.