Making Short Breakfast Bar Stools for Your Kids

There are a range of different kinds of breakfast bar stools that could easily fit into your kitchen but, while they may be suitable for adults, what about suitable seating for children? Some parents may worry about their child's safety sitting on such a high piece of furniture but would still like them to be a part of family life around the breakfast bar. For a simple solution, why not make your own short breakfast bar stool, which your child could even decorate using some acrylic paint.

Step 1 - Prepare the Workspace

Ensure the area is well ventilated and you wear safety glasses, a mask, and gloves when cutting the wood to prevent any inhalation or splinters from wood shavings. Keep children away from your work area, and solvents such as wood glue and varnish should be kept safely away from reach. Make sure any power tools are unplugged when not in use and kept at a safe distance along with any sharp objects.

First decide on the type of wood you would like to use for your stool; a typical choice would be maple, oak, or beech as they are easy to work with. Then choose whether you would like a circle or square seat. When considering the legs, a stool height safe for a child is 24 inches but if in doubt, use your tape measure to measure the height of your breakfast bar and make your own decision. The piece of wood for the seating should be wide and thick enough to ensure it’s sufficiently sturdy to withstand bodyweight.

Step 2 - Prepare the Seat

Place your stool seat upside down on a solid stable surface and dig a hole into each corner of the seat using the chisel; make sure they are large enough to fit a screw in. Slightly lift the seat and insert a screw in each hole. The screw points should be facing you and make sure you can see enough of the pointed end of the screw through the hole to be able to attach the stool legs. If the holes need to be bigger, use your chisel to dig out some more.

Step 3 - Prepare Stool Legs

If the stool legs are not already cut to size, use your measuring tape to mark out the required length and cut accordingly using a saw. Use a sander to smooth the tops and bottoms of all your stool legs to prevent splintering.

Step 4 - Attach the Stool Legs

Stand one of the stool legs up and use your drill to make a hole into the top of the leg; this is where the legs will fit onto the base. To make the fixtures secure, place a few drops of wood glue around the screw heads in the seat. Carefully line up the screw tip on the seat and hole in the stool leg and slowly insert the tip into the hole. Keep screwing the two together until you feel they are tightly attached. Repeat this process with every stool leg. Use a cloth to wipe off any excess glue and turn the stool upright to dry. Ensure the bar stool is well balanced before using.