Three-leg bar stool

Re: Three-leg bar stool

William Duffield

In the rear, since that would give you a place to put a stretcher in the front, that you could hook your heels on. (Wrong answer)

In the front, since that would make the stool more stable. If it were to tip over frontwards and to the side, you could put a foot down to keep yourself from toppling. If the single leg were in the back, and you started to topple, you would go over backwards with no way to stop yourself from hitting your head on the bar, wall or floor. This also provides a design opportunity for a perch for your heels attached to only one leg. (Right answer)

Re: Three-leg bar stool

John K Jordan

I don't know about convention, but when I sit on a tall 3-legged stool that gives the option I like the single leg in the front. If in the back, it's too easy for it to tip over when sitting down or getting up. I made one the other way once - it was beautifully constructed (if I say so myself!) from white oak and required care in use. If the stool is short it doesn't matter as much.

Re: Three-leg bar stool

Hank Knight

Build it symmetrical and it doesn't matter. The sitter chooses whether the single leg is in front or the back.

Re: Three-leg bar stool

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

If I walked up to such a stool that was symmetrical I would position it with the two legs in back. It would appear more stable this way and I suppose indeed it is, and my legs could easily straddle the one leg centered in front.

Re: Three-leg bar stool

John K Jordan

This one looks interesting

Design elements

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

I've been pondering a bar stool design and its leg orientation for the past few months now. For some years I have been keen to build Windsor chairs, and I recently began thinking that a way to start would be to build three Windsor stools - the stools are the last part needed to complete the kitchen I began at the start of last year.

Pete Galbert's perch stool would make sense if I was building a stool for the workshop.

This version is made by an Australian chairmaker, Glen Rundell ...

This looks very ergonomic as it aids in maintaining a straight back. However, I want three bar stools for the kitchen, where one is inclined to slouch a little, and I do not think that the perch stool will work there. I like the look of three- as opposed to four legs, but this complicates the design in as much as how best to position the legs.

Pete also has built stools with four legs, and of course they are beautiful ...

Of four-legged bar stools, mention must be made of Curtis Buchanan, who is a hero of mine and a doyen of chairmakers. As far as I know, he has not made any three-legged bar stools ...

The granddaddy of the modern three-legged stool (in my opinion) is Wharton Esherick, who made the most beautiful stools. He brought together great skills as an artist (his training) and passion for woodworking into sculptural furnituremaker, and really was instrumental in help launch the era of studio furniture. I love the free-flowing lines and seat that appeared to have no specific side - however, on closer examination, they force two legs to the front.

These stools have a irreverence that appeals to me, and I love the free form design. No one is the same as another.

My favourite image ...

Eshertick's is a design that also appeals as often the stools in our kitchen are pulled away from the breakfast bar and someone will sit on their rear (the kitchen opens into the livingroom).

Everyone was influenced by Esherick.

Here is an example by another Australian, Bern Chandley ...

Nakashima's Mira bar stool ..

I have spent the past 6 weeks (including a 2 week break overseas) gearing up by building tools (I'll post these separately). It's time to finalise the design and get on with it!

Regards from Perth

Derek

I've never met a comfortable stool...

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

....or at least one that I could enjoy a dinner while upon it. And some of those pictured, while arty, appear less comfortable than most. I don't like my legs dangling in the air. If the rungs are in reach I would have my feet on them.

When I made a functional shop stool it was made with 4 legs. Might not look arty but it is stable and not prone to tipping over when slid or bumped into.

I tried hunting out of a 3-legged stool with a trilobed seat. It was soon abandoned for the enhanced comfort of a 4-legged seat.

If the intention is to actually use the stool sitting on the design before committing to make would be warranted.

Re: I've never met a comfortable stool...

Barry Irby

Me neither...

Behind the office I use, they have opened a craft. They spent months building tables out of pallets. Just some nailed together boards tron from pallets and 3/4" pipe for legs. And metal bar stools. Horrible metal bar stools. Flat tops. A few have a back rest. If you are unfortunate enough to get one of those it's all you can do not to slide off the front.

This is a warehouse space. I don't understand any of it. The seats are terrible, the tables ricketty, the acoustics bad heat from one giant blower heater and I don't like beer, especially for $8 a glass.

Surely they would like to have better stools that are more comfortable to encourage people to linger a while and tip a few.

Re: I've never met a comfortable stool...

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Bill, I agree about the rung. I was already planning to use the cross bracing design of Esherick on all legs (rather than the "T" bracing that seems so common today).

My decision is whether a carved Windsor seat is preferred to the more plain (but still recessed and bottom-friendly) Esherick-type seat, and whether 3 legs are the equal of 4?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: I've never met a comfortable stool...

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I am sure you will build a test stool which will lead to a design you will find functional.

Re: Three-leg bar stool

Philip Duffy

All my Windsor bar stools have the single leg in the back. That keeps the weight and balance correct for almost all situations, including sliding up to the bar( !).

Go here...

Mike Farinella

As far as I can tell, the single leg goes in the back.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1920&bih=959&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=L8dcWtyHN8HmjwPc5KmoCQ&q=3+legged+windsor+bar+stools&oq=3+legged+windsor+bar+stools&gs_l=psy-ab.12...49647.54917.0.57235.9.9.0.0.0.0.138.974.6j3.9.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.6y4sEqgkoBM

Re: Three-leg bar stool

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

I like the elegance of three legs. The objection is whether is it as stable at four. I believe it is. In this regard I keep returning to a demo put on by Roy Underhill and Chris Schwarz ...

http://www.pbs.org/video/woodwrights-shop-staked-furniture/

Look around the 8:30 minute mark onward.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: Go here...

William Duffield

Google doesn't design furniture. It just throws everything it finds in a big pile. Even Google provides some very important counter-examples. Derek referenced some of the best examples in his post above, by highly respected furniture designers George Nakashima, Wharton Esherick, Peter Galbert, etc. Other examples are non-directional, with round, unshaped tops.

Re: Three-leg bar stool

Hank Knight

Derek,

I have two cheap four-legged stools I used in my workshop for years. Several years ago, I built one of the three-legged Chinese stools that were the subject of an article in Woodworking Magazine. It is now my main shop stool. From my experience, the four-legged ones are definitely more stable than the three-legged stool. The three-legged one has a different "balance feel" (I don't know how else to explain it); but it's easy to get used to. So the stability difference is not much of an issue. The best thing about there three-legged stool is that it's always firmly planted on my uneven shop floor - no rocking like the foul-legged ones used to do.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/FozdU5][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/FozdU5]IMG_0087[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/158680038@N03/]Hank Knight[/url], on Flickr

Re: Three-leg bar stool

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

That's a nice piece of work, Hank. I'd be very happy with that in my shop.

Regards from Perth

Derek

tipping physics (pics)

GolfSteve in Calgary

Derek...I'm late to this discussion.

I built a Windsor style stool several years ago. My own design based looking at numerous pictures in similar style...heavily influenced by the Dunbar four legged stool.

I decided to use three legs instead of the more conventional four. The stool is stable enough if you're sitting on it, but treacherous if you stand on it. A slight shift of weight to the side, and you're immediately on the ground with a broken rib.

If I was as smart as I used to be in engineering school, it's not too hard to calculate centre of gravity and tipping forces...but I'm now old and dumb. My observation is that if you want to design a 3 legged stool for increased stability, you should make the seat as small diameter as possible.

My stool has quite a large diameter seat, and as a result the amount of the seat overhanging the legs on the tangent drawn between the legs is quite large, and it is very easy to tip in certain directions.

I gave the legs lots of splay - which at the time I probably thought would make it more stable - but in fact more splay may have made it less stable in certain directions.

Additionally the seat profile I chose is not particularly comfortable. The concave seat edge digs into the crease between my butt and my legs. A cushion filling the concave seat makes it quite comfortable.

A convex seat would be more comfortable, but would be easier to slip off of and feel less stable.

Re: tipping physics (pics)

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Hi Steve

Thanks for the ideas.

What is the diameter of your stool, and can you recall the angles of the legs?

Incidentally, who stands on stools?!

Regards from Perth

Derek

You said, and I agree,

Keith Newton

It seems that it would require that the center of gravity above, getting outside of the triangle is a requirement of tipping, so a larger triangle defined by the feet on the floor should help.

Making the circular seat larger, so one's center of gravity is outside of the triangle would make it more tippy.