Collapsible Stools

Since these stools are serve as eye candy when not in use, we decided to get fancy and miter the edges to make a clean box. We cut nine 20" x 20" panels for the tops and 36 20" x 4 3/4" pieces for the side panels, with mitered edges on all four sides of the top panels and on three sides (two short, one long) of the side panels.

Start assembling the boxes by laying one top and four sides on your work surface, mitered edges down. Carefully line up the side pieces around the top panel, and with the edges flush, secure them with strips of packing tape.

Keeping all the pieces together, flip the taped unit onto its back side.

Run a bead of wood glue along the mitered edges, then lift them up into place to form the box.

Secure the sides and top with finishing brads (or wood screws and a drill, if you don’t have access to a nail gun).

Repeat steps 2 through 5 for the remaining boxes.

Remove the tape.

We created supports for the legs from a 4" x 4" piece of scrap wood, which we cut at a diagonal that left one side approximately 2 3/8" and the other 7/8". We then measured and drew out a square on the underside of the box approximately 2 1/4" in from the edge. Finally, we put some wood glue beneath the bottom (flat end) of the supports, placed a flange on the angled top, and secured the assembly at a 45˚ angle just inside the marked square using four wood screws long enough to go into, but not through, the top panel. Note: We used angled supports just for kicks. It is absolutely permissible—and much easier—to simply attach flanges using 1/2" screws to each corner of the underside of the box.

Based on how you’ve chosen to attach the flanges, determine how long you want the legs to be and use the table saw to cut the PVC to the desired length. (Low stools or side tables are usually between 16" and 18" in height.) Because we used the angled supports, we cut our legs to 15 1/2". Do not cut off the threaded end of the PVC, or you won’t be able to screw the legs into the flanges.