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Given a heavy, yet healthy, obsession with road signs, I created these stools for my new apartment. They use a simple metal-bending technique to turn down the sharp edges of the signs and simultaneously brace the legs. You can see some of my other projects that use signs and this bending technique here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Road-Sign-Coffee-Table/ and here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Nine-Square-Chair/.
I got my signs at the surplus pile at the state highway engineer's yard. Aluminum signs are very hard to recycle because the coating on the signs is expensive and difficult to get off, therefore making them unprofitable to melt down. Old signs are sometimes just thrown in a big pile and forgotten about . . . all you need to do is ask. I found three the same size, 15" x 21".
Don't steal signs. They are expensive, paid for with your tax money, and you could potentially create a dangerous situation by removing an important sign from the street.
All the wood was found 2" x 4" scrap that I milled down to about 1-1/4" square. The only expense was the screws, 3" drywall or similar, that ran me about two bucks for half a pound.
You will need these materials:
Road signs
Approx. 16' of wood per stool
3" drywall or wood screws
#10 washers
wood glue
sandpaper
You will need these tools:
Miter, circular, or jigsaw
Impact driver and/or drill
Hammer
I got my signs at the surplus pile at the state highway engineer's yard. Aluminum signs are very hard to recycle because the coating on the signs is expensive and difficult to get off, therefore making them unprofitable to melt down. Old signs are sometimes just thrown in a big pile and forgotten about . . . all you need to do is ask. I found three the same size, 15" x 21".
Don't steal signs. They are expensive, paid for with your tax money, and you could potentially create a dangerous situation by removing an important sign from the street.
All the wood was found 2" x 4" scrap that I milled down to about 1-1/4" square. The only expense was the screws, 3" drywall or similar, that ran me about two bucks for half a pound.
You will need these materials:
Road signs
Approx. 16' of wood per stool
3" drywall or wood screws
#10 washers
wood glue
sandpaper
You will need these tools:
Miter, circular, or jigsaw
Impact driver and/or drill
Hammer
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The frames for these stools are very simple. Start with some scrap 2" x 4"s and mill them down on a table saw to 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" square.
To make the top of the seat square, take the short dimension of the sign, in this case 15", and make that the length of the top piece of your "A" frame.
Cut the legs to your desired length with a 5 degree miter to get a nice taper effect. A rule of thumb is that a stool should be a around 8 inches shorter than the surface where you will be sitting. So, for a 42" bar, make your stool 36" tall; for mine, designed to match up with a standard 36" kitchen counter, I made them 28".
Make the miters at each end of the legs parallel to one another so the stool will sit flat. Measure up from the floor 6-10 inches for the crossbar brace.
Attach everything with one long screw and a healthy dose of glue. Pre-drill for your screws with an 1/8" bit to prevent splitting, and counter-sink your screws so the heads are flush.
Knock down all the sharp edges with some sandpaper.
To make the top of the seat square, take the short dimension of the sign, in this case 15", and make that the length of the top piece of your "A" frame.
Cut the legs to your desired length with a 5 degree miter to get a nice taper effect. A rule of thumb is that a stool should be a around 8 inches shorter than the surface where you will be sitting. So, for a 42" bar, make your stool 36" tall; for mine, designed to match up with a standard 36" kitchen counter, I made them 28".
Make the miters at each end of the legs parallel to one another so the stool will sit flat. Measure up from the floor 6-10 inches for the crossbar brace.
Attach everything with one long screw and a healthy dose of glue. Pre-drill for your screws with an 1/8" bit to prevent splitting, and counter-sink your screws so the heads are flush.
Knock down all the sharp edges with some sandpaper.
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so easy to do and looks great.
I would just recommend to use a rubber hammer to prevent all the scratches you made on the sign while bending it.
Talking to your local city, county, stave provincial works yard that deals with road signs may just get you the materials you need to make a project like this. There may be bullet holes or other "character" in your stool seats, but that is something I, for one, would appreciate.
please read the instructable before you post comment like that.
I have access to a bunch of old signs from the city where I work. Hmm... This got my gears turning!