Free templateBeginner

Square stool

Start your first mortise-and-tenon on a stool that's yours

Free template · build as many as you want · 30 min to grok joinery logic

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Square stool 3D preview

Square stool design details

What's distinctive about this template

Default square stool — 3D
Default square stool — 3D
Wireframe — see structure
Wireframe — see structure
Wireframe shows mortise / tenon positions on every leg and apron — all auto-computed

Design highlights

What this template's algorithm handles for you

🔨
Auto mortise layout
Through ≤25 mm / blind 2/3 algorithm auto-switches
↔️
X/Z apron stagger
Tenons never collide in the leg
📐
0–12° splay with compound
True leg length + table-saw angles given
🆓
Free template
Capped at 35×35×45 cm, build as many as you want

What this template builds for you

A four-leg square stool is the classic woodworking starter — four legs, four aprons, one seat. Get those six things right and you've already nailed 80% of furniture joinery fundamentals.

This template takes length × width × height and lays out every mortise position, tenon depth (through for ≤25 mm legs, blind at 2/3 depth above), and how the X-axis and Z-axis aprons must stagger so they don't collide in the leg. You stop worrying "are the legs too thin?" "will a thick apron split the leg?" — the algorithm checks for you, and the output is ready for the shop.

After one stool, every other piece of furniture starts to look like a scaled-up version of the same joinery: dining chairs, side tables, desks — same logic, bigger numbers.

Who this template suits

Recommended for

  • · First-timers learning mortise-and-tenon
  • · Want to design furniture without learning CAD
  • · Looking for a small gift project to practice on

× Not for

  • · Want to build large furniture (try dining-chair / dining-table)
  • · Pure design theorists who don't want to actually build

Parameters you can adjust

The algorithm auto-computes dimensions, joinery, and material usage.

L × W × H
Free plan capped at 35×35×45 cm; paid plans unlock any size
Leg profile
Square or round — algorithm auto-fits mortise shape
Apron height
Auto-scaled to seat width; flags when ratio is unsafe
Splay angle
0° straight / 5–12° splayed, includes compound-angle math

Enter sizes, get everything

Six deliverables in one pass — print A4 and walk into the shop.

📐
Engineering views
Front / side / top auto-dimensioned
🪵
Perspective
3D rotatable, explodable, see inside
🔧
Joinery detail
Every joint zoomed and dimensioned
📊
Cut list
Per-part sizes, board-foot conversion, waste estimate
✂️
Cut layout
Optimized stock layout, minimum waste
📄
A4 PDF
One-click print for the shop

Real generated output

The screens below are actually generated from the Square stool template — apply your sizes and they update live.

Engineering views
Engineering views
Front / side / top fully auto-dimensioned
Cut layout
Cut layout
Algorithmic nesting, minimum waste — hand to the lumber yard and cut straight from it
Cut list
Cut list
Per-part sizes with board-foot conversion, printable for the shop
Build steps
Build steps
Stock prep through finishing, every step timed
3D perspective
3D perspective
Rotatable, explodable, see the joinery inside

※ These regenerate live whenever you tweak size, wood, or style

When you'd build one

Classroom

Pull up the designer on every student's phone, each enters their own size — 30 minutes from abstract idea to drawings they can build.

Weekend build

Enter sizes Friday night, buy stock Saturday, build Sunday — one stool in three days.

Gift build

Measure the actual corner in a friend's home, build a one-off size that fits — far more meaningful than another IKEA piece.

Father's Day

Start two weeks before — a stool engraved with his initials beats anything off a department-store shelf.

5 preset variations

Swap styles in one click — no need to re-adjust every parameter from scratch.

Straight-leg classic
Square straight legs — standard starter for learning mortises, easiest structure to reason about.
8° splayed
Legs leaning out 8° — visually lighter, compound geometry handled by the algorithm.
Tapered leg
Tapered toward the foot — common Nordic proportion, cuts apparent weight in half.
Wide-seat foot stool
Seat widened to 40 cm with a lower stretcher — works as a footstool or step.
Through-tenon decorative
Apron tenons run all the way through the leg, exposed end-grain on the outside — Ming-style traditional craft look.

FAQ

Why is the free plan capped at 35×35×45 cm?+

That's the natural "stool" envelope — anything larger becomes a low table and effectively a paid template. Upgrade to Personal to unlock any size.

Are thinner legs more elegant?+

Visually, yes. Structurally — too thin and once you cut a mortise there's barely any meat left to carry the load. The designer warns you when ratios go bad, but the final call is yours.

Can I build a round stool here?+

Round stools use a different leg algorithm (typically 3–4 splayed legs). Use the round-stool template instead.

How deep should the mortise be?+

Through tenon: depth = leg width. Blind tenon: 2/3 of apron thickness (e.g. 18 mm apron → 12 mm mortise). Too shallow pulls out; too deep blows out the back. The algorithm computes this from your apron thickness.

What tools do I need?+

Minimum: a saw (hand or table), 3 chisels (6/9/12 mm), a mallet, and either a hand drill or a mortiser. Power tools speed things up but hand tools work fine.

How to unlock "Square stool"

Free template — start building now

Free foreverUnlimited use

Square stool is a beginner-practice template — on the house from Wooden Ren

  • No signup, no payment, unlimited builds
  • 3D, joinery, 3-views, cut list and PDF — same as paid users
  • Only limit: a size cap (fits small practice builds)
Try free →

Start designing your Square stool

Free template — no signup, no payment, start now.