Stools by Stuart
and
Stands by Stuart
Every stand (every stool) has a story.

My brother (Roland) had designed these stools and has made a number of them in the past. I commented that I'd like to try to make one and he gave me a leg (extra from one of his) to use as a pattern.

This pattern sat in my Garage for a couple years before I finally got the time and the courage to try to make one of these stools.
He has also given me a good deal of Red Oak (and White Oak) lumber over the years but I've never had the nerve to cut it (too nice to cut).

This spring (2010) I was given access to a friend's wood shop (with a 15" belt sander - among other things) so I needed to come up with something to make. I chose to tackle this stool and I got the nerve to cut this beautiful wood into small pieces to make something I like.

Each stool that I build takes me to new places in my woodworking education. I think of things I'd like to try with diferent types of wood and with diferent styles of construction. And, hopefully with every stool I am becomeing a better craftsman and artist. I am pushing myself to refine the design and the building process.

Each stool also represents a new stage in my life as I cope with 'retirement' from a career that I've lived in for 20 years and as I cope with the rejection in my attempts to build a new career upon the experience and expertize that I have gained. ( in other words; I'm too old to land a new job in Information Technology).

These stools have also helped me deal with the news that I had cancer. They have given me distraction from the side effects of chemotherapy and they have given me something easy to do while I recovered my strength after surgery.

Now that I am a cancer survivor, they give me great satisfaction in my new life because I am creating something that has never existed before which is both useful and, because of it's sillyness, may give someone joy - and/or amusement - everytime they look at it.