 
TUFFET FOR MS MUFFET A nice project for some misfit lumber. SHOP OWNER: George Beardsley LOCATION: Scottsdale, AZ This little project came from a small truckload of misfit pine boards marked down outside the contractor door at Lowe’s. I had almost forty curved, bowed, and generally picked through boards for the salty sum of $10. My youngest daughter likes to read books and generally fuss about so I’ve been going through the boards and making small, simple projects for her room. This corner tuffet is really a small corner bench that she can sit on outside her room, tie her shoes, or to just throw her backpack on after school. I designed the little bench to fit in a corner that’s just outside her door. It’s proportioned for a small juvenile so not only would it be comfortable for a small child to use but also fit in the space of the corner. 
I started by hand jointing the four pieces that make up the two front legs and then stood them up on edge to cut a 22.5-degree chamfer using the table saw. From there it got more and more tricky as I incorporated 10-degree angles and a tapered leg. The single back leg is similar to the front leg parts with the 10-degree angle and tapers except for the chamfer that creates the 90-degree corner is 45 degrees. After I figured out all the angles and dry fitted the bottom stand of the bench, I used the biscuit jointer to make all the joints. The legs could have been easier and possibly stronger had I whittled them out of a solid piece as opposed to individual pieces of ¾-inch pine stock. Oh well, that’s the material I had on hand to use, so I made the most of it! 
My goal was to assemble the entire bench without any screws, just glue and the biscuits. I was pretty careful with all the cuts, including using a jointer to trim the top edges at an angle. This was needed to square up with the top. I wound up using three #10 wood screws in each corner to attach the top to the leg assembly. It’s remarkably strong but I would say not indestructible. If a big person plopped down on it there may be a problem. If I ever created a duplicate, I would consider making it from hardwood. 
The top was all hand planed and jointed with an edge band that is biscuit jointed all the way around. I tried to select interesting grain patterns for the front cross rail. At the last minute, while finishing, I tacked a little do-dad decoration over a knot in the middle. For the finish, it’s pretty basic sanding sealer followed by three coats of gloss urethane. 
All "Ms Muffet" needs now is a little corner cushion and she’ll be happy as could be. Little "Ms Muffet" is already using her tuffet, so I’m glad I took the time to work through all the mysterious angles needed to create the design. . . .
George Beardsley
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