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
Square stool design details
What's distinctive about this template
Design highlights
What this template's algorithm handles for you
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.
Square stool common dimensions
These numbers come straight from this template's adjustable ranges and defaults, so they update whenever the template does.
| Dimension | Adjustable range | Template default |
|---|---|---|
| Length | up to 500 mm (50 cm) | 350 mm (35 cm) |
| Width (depth) | up to 500 mm (50 cm) | 350 mm (35 cm) |
| Height | up to 500 mm (50 cm) | 450 mm (45 cm) |
| Seat thickness | 12–60 mm (1.2–6 cm) | 25 mm (2.5 cm) |
| Leg size | 20–120 mm (2–12 cm) | 35 mm (3.5 cm) |
Main dimensions list only the upper bound: the template has no meaningful lower limit. Values in mm with cm in brackets.
How to pick your sizes
- As a dining stool use 42–45 cm seat height for a 72–75 cm table; an entryway shoe stool is 40–45 cm.
- Keep the table-to-seat gap at 27–30 cm — measure your own table and work backwards.
Enter sizes, get everything
Six deliverables in one pass — print A4 and walk into the shop.
Real generated output
The screens below are actually generated from the Square stool template — apply your sizes and they update live.
※ These regenerate live whenever you tweak size, wood, or style
When you'd build one
Pull up the designer on every student's phone, each enters their own size — 30 minutes from abstract idea to drawings they can build.
Enter sizes Friday night, buy stock Saturday, build Sunday — one stool in three days.
Measure the actual corner in a friend's home, build a one-off size that fits — far more meaningful than another IKEA piece.
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.
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
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)
You might also like
Same family or complementary templates
Start designing your Square stool
Free template — no signup, no payment, start now.