The Tractor Stool

I love creating projects from random objects which a find lying around.

This particular project came into being after discovering an old tractor seat and a threaded piece of an old work bench that I had lying around in my barn.

The design was made up as I went along and based on parts I had on hand and so might be hard to replicate, however the techniques used may come in handy to create something similar.

Step 1: Finding Materials

Materials (in no particular order of appearance)

• Old rusty tractor seat
• Piece of chimney pipe
• Threaded work bench component
• Lengths of square steel tubing

Tools used

• Woodworking lathe (non essential)
• Hack saw
• Angle grinder
• Welder

The design for this stool essentially originated from the tractor seat shown above.

Once I'd found the seat and decided I wanted to make a stool from it, my first step was to remove the rust. The seat was covered in surface rust all over and so I decided to try out electrolysis as a rust removal technique

Essentially the process works by placing your rusted object in an electrolytic solution and passing a current through the object via a sacrificial anode. The rust is removed as if by magic! For a more in-depth explanation of the process and how to do it please visit this guys intractable, which is where I got the inspiration: https://www.instructables.com/id/Electrolytic-Rust-...

Step 2: Creating a Height Adjustable Base

After having removed the rust from my seat I rummaged around my barn and chanced upon an old piece of chimney pipe along with a threaded component from an old woodworking bench.

I decided that these where to form the the rest of my stool and create a mechanism for adjusting it's height.

After cleaning up the threaded workbench component with sandpaper on a lathe I was ready to cast threads. My chimney pipe was cut to a length that seemed reasonable (around 30cm) and a wooden plug was inserted in the bottom. I covered the threads in masking tape and then lathered on copious amounts of vaseline in order to stop concrete from sticking to the piece. Steel wire was spiralled and placed inside as re-inforcement. Concrete was then poured in and allowed to set.

I now had a height adjustable base.

Step 3: Welding Legs

The legs where created from square steel tubing, 40 cm in length. A triangular template was cut and screwed to the plug at the bottom of my base. The legs where then held in place using magnets whilst welding the legs in place.

Due to the steel of the chimney section being of a different kind to that in the legs, my welds turned out terrible.

I therefore decided to cover them in filler and sand it smooth as can be seen above.

In the end this created a smooth looking finish, which was preferable to leaving the welds as they where.

As a finishing touch I created wooden plugs for the ends of my steel tubing from some scrap pieces of rowan wood. The plugs where cut to fit using a chisel and finished with linseed oil.

Step 4: A Lick of Paint and Oil

After assembling all the components and attaching the seat to the top using a bolt I was ready for the finish.

The steel components on the bottom half where spray lacquered. To protect the seat and prevent it from rusting, a thin coat of linseed oil was applied. Linseed oil gives steel a protective coat without affecting the natural brushed steel look.

The end product turned out pretty good in my opinion.

Not bad for a pile of scraps!