Easiest Stools Ever
When we were customizing our Party Station for Ryobi Nation we knew we wanted to add some seating. So here it is, a quick and easy barstool. This simple barstool is functional and looks great but the best part about them is you can build 2 for $20 or 3 for $25!
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Required Tools
Materials (2 Stools)
- 1x 1 x 12 x 48″
- 4x 2 x 2 x 8′
- 2-1/2″ Wood Screws
- 2″ Wood Screws
- Wood Glue
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Dimensions
Cut List
How to build the easiest stool ever!
Follow along with these simple plans to build your very own set of two bar stools. These plans are for two bar stools but you could get 3 seats top out of the 1x12x48″ board and with two more 2x2x8′ boards you could easily get make a total of 3 stools. If you’d like to download the printable PDF of this plan click on the link below and subscribe to the mailing list and it will get sent right over to you!
Questions? Comments?
As always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to comment below and especially don’t forget to post pictures of your finished products in the comments! ENJOY!
What is that you used to fill the drill holes? How do you finish the project? Sanding? Prime? Paint? Any special tips??
I used spackle because I was out of wood filler and they were getting painted. If you fill the holes with wood filler, sand to 220 grit and paint you should be fine. Nothing to complicated here.
What a cool easy build, I think I’ve got enough off cuts lying around to build a couple of these, thank you for the plans. I see you had a good supervisor advising you in one of the photo’s !
Ha! Yes I always have some little helpers running around the workshop! Happy building and be sure to post pictures!
Is there a plan that would include a back for the stool? Or can a back be added?
Thanks
I do not have a plan yet that includes a back to the stool, but Im sure a back could be added to the plan.
How difficult would it be to adapt plans to include a back. Love the looks, but prefer a back. However great for extra seating. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Dee, that’s a great idea. I think it would be pretty easy to do that. Maybe cut holes in the seat for the 2x2s to extend through and add some 1x4s for the back. Hope that helps.
Love this! I need 33-36″ barstools.. How would you adapt this to meet that height? Just change the height of the 28″ to one of those heights? Also, with the bottom “ledge” that is 6″ off the ground, would you change that height or add another somewhere else? Thanks!
Leave the bottom rung where it is and increase the vertical 2x2s to the desired height.
Thank you! Can’t wait to try this out!
Love the plan! Perfect for our deck but for now being used at our makeshift kitchen island. Added extra rungs as we are both vertically challenged for the size in the plans…lol. I like the look with the extra rungs. Thank you!
Thanks! And that is a great idea!
We just moved into our new house and I’m attempting some DIY projects to save money. I love your ideas!! I’m wondering, since I don’t have a miter saw, can I have my local hardware store cut the pieces to size?
Congrats Priscilla! You should be able to cut with a hand saw or have them cut the wood to size at you local Home Depot or Lowes.
Perfect! Thanks so much
Can you use pocket hole screws to put this together?
Yes, you definitely could. Just hide them on the bottom.
I have built these stools ! they are awesome! thanks, wanted to know if I could add backs to these stools? if so you thoughts would be appreciated.
You could extend the depth of the seat by 1.5″ and add a back using 2×2’s.
What type of wood did you use for the stools? I don’t really want to spend a lot but if’s better for the structural safety of the stool to use a denser wood than I’ll take that into account.
Are the legs actually 2 x 2’s or 1.75 x 1.75 which is what is sold in the lumber stores.??
They are 2×2’s from the box store, which mean they are actually 1.75. If you want them to look cleaner aI would recommend just ripping them down from a 2×4, the 2×2’s in the box store aren’t great.
Any concerns with the structural integrity of using the 2×2 furring strips from Lowes or Home Depot?
Hey thank you so much for the plans! I was wondering, which software do you use to make the 3d and 2d drawings? Thx 🙂
I love the bar stools, my girlfriends son is going to make sixty of them for his Eagle project, and donate them to a school, but did have a question about using one screw per rung. I could see the possibility of the rung spinning should there be a force applied to the one edge of the board. Also, will the one screw through the end grain of the board hold the force of someone standing one it, as I often see people do? I was thinking to do a small inset/mortis to allow the end of the rung to set in, in the verticals, thus giving it something to rest upon. I believe just the shear strength of one screw there puts you at risk for failure.
That’s why you apply the wood glue. The glue adds a lot of support and prevents the spinning of the rungs.
Any idea how much weight these will hold?
so i want to make this but im concerned that the screws on either side of the supports will stop each other. how do they go in at 90 degrees to each other without hitting one another? sorry if its a dumb question.
The screws cannot be at the exact same height… else they will “hit” each other.
Change the height of the screws a little bit… even a few mm will be enough.
Also, the wood bars don’t need to be on the same height.. I mean, they can be offset a little bit from each other. Gives you different heights to keep your feet… actually I prefer that way because I get bored of keeping legs at the same angle/height every time. Now, you can simply rotate the chair and get a different height.
What are your thoughts on attaching the seat boards with screws? That doesn’t leave room for wood movement, thus cracked seats.
I’m going to build 4 of these bar stools. Please send plans
Awesome! Here are the plans: https://rogueengineer.com/product/ryobi-stool/
Instead of 2×2’s, I’m going to halve a 2×4 instead and use. I know each piece won’t be square (equal dimensions on all sides), but wondering if it will just look awkward and/or be stable enough. Will take pic and show you when done
That should be just fine
Thank you, this is just what I needed, an easy and inexpensive plan to make two stools. I need two stools because I am going to teach my cat to jump through a hoop!
I believe I will upholster the seats; just a simple job of gluing down a piece of batting, wrapping a piece of fabric over the top and around the edges, and stapling it onto the bottom before screwing the seat to the base.
What is the thickness of the Legs, Front Rails, Seat slat, & Side rails?
These are great! Any plans available to build that party cart??
We were needing stools for temporary seating at a small table while we are building our kitchen. Stools were unbelievably expensive from most stores….even just basic stools. This fit the bill perfectly and we were able to build exactly the stools we needed with just a few simple changes to the height, mostly with spare lumber we had laying around from our ongoing home build. We built them as a temporary fix to our current arrangements but I like them so much, when we get done building and I finish out my shop with a small bar area, these will be the permanent seating in that area. Thanks for the great, simple plans! I’ve already been planning a few more projects with some of your other ideas/plans. GOOD JOB!
Could I build these 32 inches high without changing the dimensions of the base?
Did you hear back from him? I also want to make my stools 32-33 Ickes high
No I never heard back but I did make some y’all stools and they felt unsafe. I think the nest thing is to widen the base if you want to go higher so that u lower the center of gravity.
I love doing DIY projects, this was very informative and helpful. There was so many ideas and plans to work with and creative products that really do work. I have found that this guys plans work and are as equally helpful too. http://plans.watch/Wood2work I love wood working.
Help! The link for the pdf isn’t working. These plans look perfect!