It is winter now, and in northern Indiana that means wearing boots in snow and slush. My husband was looking for a woodworking project so I mentioned that it would be nice to have a small stool near the coat closet where I could sit to put on my boots and take them off. He chose this lightweight Moravian stool featured in Popular Woodworking December 2012 issue.
According to the article author Christopher Schwarz, he designed this pattern after stools seen at Old Salem, North Carolina. These stools are well-used throughout the historical village. They can also be found in rural Europe, especially eastern Bavaria close to the origin of the Moravians in the Czech Republic.
For you woodworkers here are some interesting features: tapered octagons for the legs, sliding dovetails, compound leg splays, and wedged-through tenons. Because of the cross-grain construction, it is common to have the seat develop a split, which does not affect the utility or integrity at all. Because my husband used mesquite wood, we are curious as to whether our stool will follow the historic precedent. Mesquite has different properties from the poplar suggested in this article.
To learn more about Moravians in the United States, visit Old Salem's web site.
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