Food Living Outside Play Technology Workshop

Make a real Viking Stool

by morfmir on March 24, 2013

Table of Contents

Make a real Viking Stool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: Make a real Viking Stool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Tools needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: Cutting the wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 3: Drilling and planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 4: Fitting the legs to the seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 5: Securing the legs and cutting them in lenght . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 6: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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Intro: Make a real Viking Stool
This is a real viking stool. We have many archaeological findings of this kind of stool. Lots of sizes and shapes, even some with a hole in the seat probably used as a
toilet seat.The common characteristics of the stools is the D shape and the 3 legs. Two in the corners of the straight side and the 3rd leg in the middle of the round side.
This stool is some places refereed to as the Lund Stool because one particularly intact seat was found in Lund.

To my knowledge we have no complete findings only the seat is found. So we need a interpretation of the legs of the stool. When we have no evidence of the shape of
the legs this is my interpretation. The legs can have been turned on a pole lathe but I have no evidence of that.
Because we have so many findings of D stools we also have many kinds of woods used. I will say that it is okay to use any kind of hardwood and still call it authentic. For
this stool I use black Cherry, I really like this beautiful wood.

Step 1: Tools needed

To make this stool I will use all tools that I have to my disposal. I have made some of this stool using only the "real" viking tools but for this instructable I will make it easy
for me... and you if you want to make one also.

The Tools I used.

Pull saw
Jigsaw
club
chisel
axe
spokeshaves
Forstner drill
drill Press
pencil or scripe

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 Image Notes Image Notes
1. This shave have a straight edge 1. 34mm drillbit
2. The other shave have a round edge.

Image Notes
1. improvised scripe to mark where to cut the legs

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 Image Notes Image Notes
1. The drill need to run very slow for the drill bit not to burn. 1. a stick of scrap wood is fastened to the drill table to get the right angle when I
drill the holes for the legs

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Step 2: Cutting the wood
As I stated in the first step we have so many different findings of the D stool so you are free to make your stool the size that suits your need. If you are not sure about the
size you want make a template in paper first or just do like me write on the wood until you get the size you want. Your are going to plan the wood later anyway so it is no
problems in scribing direct on the wood.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. A nice plank of dry black cherry wood. The plank is a little bend but it will still 1. The plank is 45mm thick
work fine.

Image Notes
1. I make the legs 4 cm wide. That will make a almost square leg.

Image Notes
1. All 4 pieces of wood cut and ready for next step.

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Step 3: Drilling and planning
When marking for the legs I first draw a line down the center of the seat, then I make a mark around 10cm from the straight front side. Then I draw a line from the corner
to that mark.
Then I set a mark 5-6 cm from the edge on all 3 lines. That will place all the legs nicely the same length from the edge.

To get the right angle on the legs I strap a piece of scrapwood to the table of the drill press. The seat will lean on the edge of the scarpwood and the table giving all 3 legs
the same angle.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. The arrows mark where I want to drill the holes for the legs 1. a stick of scrap wood is fastened to the drill table to get the right angle when I
drill the holes for the legs

Image Notes Image Notes

1. remember to protect the edge with a small piece of wood. so the benchdog 1. nice and smooth. Look at how the curved planblade have cut diagonally to
dont mark the wood. the grains, giving the flat surface a nice rustic look.
2. hold the wood in place and plan all sides. I use the plan with the curved blade
for flat sides and the straight plan for the edges.

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 Image Notes Image Notes
1. with the ax I cut the lower part of the legs octagonal. The top part is left 1. With the plane I shave the legs round and smooth.
untouched as it need to be fitted in the hole later.

Step 4: Fitting the legs to the seat

Now comes the hard part, getting the legs to fit the holes in the seat, we want a tight fit, but if it is to tight and we force the legs in the hole the seat will split and crack.
Go slow and be careful not to take of to much wood at a time, if you do that the leg will be loose. And when you dry fit the leg to the hole don't force it in with a hammer or
club. If you can't push it in by hand it is to tight and you need to remove a little more wood from the leg.
Don't remove any wood from the seat only work on the leg.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. find the center of the leg 1. this is a piece of scarpwood, I drilled a hole in it with the same drill I used for
the holes in the seat. Us this hole to draw the circle on the end of the leg.
2. try to mark the circle with the cross in the center.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. be careful, make a cut 4 cm from the end. The cut need to follow the circle in 1. see the sawcut all the way around.
the end of the leg, going deeper in at the corners of the leg. 2. remember that the pencil circle is inside the hole. Place the chisel right at the
edge. And with the club and chisel cut away the wood down to the saw cut.

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 Image Notes Image Notes
1. cut and fine trimmed ready to go into the hole in the seat. 1. we want the leg to rest it shoulders on the back side of the seat.
With my improvised scriber I draw a line all the way around . That way I tract
the backside of the seat unto the leg.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. it is not possible to cut a shoulder that fits perfect with out this technique. 1. watch out, that pull saw have teeth
2. like before make a cut following the shape of the round part of the leg.
And with the chisel or a sløjdknife cut the last small bits of.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. there you go, perfect fit. And a very strong bond. When one will sit on the stool 1. last thing, saw a cut in the leg making room for a wedge, Only saw down 3/4
the shoulder will rest on the underside of the seat, making the bond very strong of the way, to prevent the leg from splitting when the wedge is driven in.
and ensuring that the leg will not get lose.

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 Image Notes
1. See how the cut is across the grains, this prevent the seat from splitting when
I drive in the wedge in the leg.
2. See how the cut is across the grains, this prevent the seat from splitting when
I drive in the wedge in the leg.
3. See how the cut is across the grains, this prevent the seat from splitting when
I drive in the wedge in the leg.

Image Notes
1. all 3 legs fitted and ready for the wedge.

Step 5: Securing the legs and cutting them in lenght

To make sure the legs don't fall out I will put in a wedge. I use the same kind of wood for the wedge in this stool. But you can use some darker or lighter wood to bring out
a contrast for a different look. I sometimes use ebony wedges on a birch stool, that gives a good contrast. Just remember that if you want the stool to be a real copy of a
viking stool the ebony is no go.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. the wedge needs to be 3-4mm thick. This wedges are cut from the same plank 1. be sure that the wedge goes in crosswise to the grains in the seat, to
as the seat and legs. prevent the seat from splitting.

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 Image Notes Image Notes
1. with a knife or chisel I sharpen the end of the wedge before it is hammered into 1. when the wedge is 2cm down I cut it of leaving 1-2 cm. The last few cm I
the cut in the leg. beat all the way in .

Image Notes
1. with the pullsaw flat to the seat I saw off the end of the leg.
2. the saw have bite the seat here, I need to fix that with a knife or the plane.

Image Notes
1. improvised scripe to mark where to cut the legs

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 Image Notes
1. this leg was longer than the others.
2. I place some pieces of wood under two legs until the seat is leveled.
3. raising the leg a bit with a piece of wood
4. nice to have so many small bits of wood lying around.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Remember to leave the scribe at the same heights all the time on all 3 legs, It 1. just like the fitting of the shoulders of the leg, here we now have a perfect
need to mark the shape of the base surface onto the legs to give them the right marking of where to cut the legs.
length.

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Step 6:
When the legs is cut into length the stool is finished and ready. I gives the stool a coat of linseed oil to protect the wood. The linseedoil will darken the wood a little over
time. If you don't want the darkening you can use beeswax or mineral oil.

Image Notes
1. all finished and ready for the linseed oil.

Image Notes
1. Perfect! ;-)

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