How to Make a Lion Shaped Wooden Animal Stool
This blog post is going to show you how to make an adorable children’s wooden stool in the shape of a lion.
How to Make a Lion Shaped Wooden Animal Stool is sponsored by The Home Depot and contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
What do you get the child that has everything? If that child loves animals, the hardest part of this project is finding the design for the stool because there are so many options! But I decided upon the cutest lion shalped wooden stool. Children will love their new stool and they can play pretend with it for hours! This woodworking project makes use of readily available materials and tools so it won’t cost you much either! The best part is: this craft can be customized with paint colors or different types of wood depending on your preference. You could even add personal touches like names by using stencils or stamps!
OK, Let’s Get Dirty!
Materials
- 2×2 @ 6 feet long
- 1 – 1×2 @ 6 feet long
- 1 – 1in. square dowel
- 2×12 @ 12 inches long
Too
- Miter Saw
- Dremel 8220 Series Cordless Rotary Tool Kit
- Carving Bits (High Performance 9901 Carbide Cutter & High Performance 194 High Speed Cutter )
- Dremel Rotary Tool Dust Blower for Sanding, Engraving, and Carving Applications
- Drill
- Jig saw
- Orbital sander
- Clamps
- Pocket Hole Jig
- Wood screws
- Wood Glue
- Paint/Stain
Step 1: Create the base of the wooden stool.
For the stool base I kept it simple and used the plans from Ana White’s Play Table Stools and made a few modifications, i.e. chaged the height to fit my daughter’s height. I cut the legs down to 8.5 inches.
Using pocket holes I attached the top aprons of the stool base. Then I attached the bottom stretcher using 1 inch screw dowel pieces.
I will admit, I hate angles, so I had no desire to try and figure these corners and angles out on my own. Hahaha so I strongly recommend you follow the plans as laid out by Ana White.
Step 2: Cutting out the Lion Shaped Stool Seat.
Cut out your template for your stool using a Cricut or a Printer. Here is a link to the Cricut Template. I sized it to10in. x 10.354 in
Place the the template on the 2×12 board and cut out using a jig saw or band saw. I found a jig saw witth Diablo Scroll Cut Wood blades worked perfectly around the curved edges of the lion’s mane. Clamp the wood to your work surface and take your time to cut out the lion template.
Step 3: Carve Out The Lion.
Using the a rotary tool,like the Dremel 8220 Series Cordless Rotary Tool Kit , carve out the shape details of the lion as depicted on the viynl template. You’re going to carve directly into the viynl using it as a pencil outline of the shape of the lion.
It may take a few passes to get the hang of it. I recommend using a scrap piece of wood to test your movements. I used several bits but found a few bits extremely benefitial for different line details. The bits I found more helpful include Dremel Carving Bits the High Performance 9901 Carbide Cutter , High Performance 194 High Speed Cutter, & the 1/16 in. Rotary Tool Round-Shaped Engraving Accessory
To blow away the excess dust as I carved I attached the Dremel Rotary Tool Dust Blower for Sanding, Engraving, and Carving Applications. It makes a HUGE difference as I worked the piece.
Step 4: Finishing Touches
Then piece of wood I used to make the seat of the stool had a ton of cracks and gaps. I filled those cracks and gaps with Starbond glue. Then Iet it dry be fore sanding down the lion shaped seat. I started with a 80 grit sand paper and worked by way up to 220 grit sand paper before wiping down and painting.
The Results
I love the way this all turned out. It’s the perfect height for my little girl. In addition, I love the texture that she feels as she runs her hands over the seat of the stool.
She even makes the roaring sound. Hahaha! “Roarrrr!”
Till Next Time. ~T.
For more fun Dremel projects:
How To Make an Acrylic Book Ledge | Toddler Bookshelf
How to Make a House Shaped Magnetic Chalkboard for Cheap
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