My daughter has entered the age where she wants to be part of the action whenever me or my wife are trying to get something done. The biggest example of this is in the kitchen. We love to spend time with our daughter but most of the time we end up sitting her on the counter so she can “help”. Obviously sitting her on the counter includes the dangers of falling so it does limit you to how much you can actually accomplish in the kitchen because you are primarily focused on making sure she never gets too close to the edge. Even when she is not sitting on the counter she is down near our feet where she is at risk of tripping one of us while we are carrying something heavy or hot. Ultimately the decision of making this my next project was determined out of necessity.
Do a simple google search for Kitchen Helper or Learning Tower and you will find hundreds of different examples. I pulled a few different versions of the Kitchen Helper / Learning tower that had features or designs I liked and created a version that combined the features from each version that best fits our family needs.
As part of the design process I started by sketching the basic side profile on a sheet of birch plywood. As I was not sure if my design would work I decided to transfer the profile onto a sheet of masonite/hardboard and further refine the design. Once the design was refined on the masonite I would use it as a template for my trim router.
With all the templates refined to their final dimensions I used spray adhesive to attach the templates to the birch plywood. I also added a layer of regular printer paper in between the plywood and template in hopes to make it easier to separate the pieces following this step. Using a flush trim bit in my router I cut the plywood to final dimensions.
Moving on to the pieces that would connect the left and right sides I use started by cutting them all to the desired basic dimensions. Each piece would have to be identical in width so after cutting all the cross pieces, platform, and step to the same width I worked on creating a nice arch detail on the cross pieces to add some character.
With a simple paper template half the length of the cross pieces I was able to trace it on one half then flip the template and trace it again. This would give me an exact mirror image arch.
After cutting the arch out at the bandsaw I used spray adhesive to attach all of them together. Using the oscillating spindle sander I trimmed all the cross pieces at the same time to the final dimensions.
After getting all the parts cut out of the plywood and trimmed to their final dimensions I loosely assembled the pieces to make my final decision on the height and location of the step, platform, and cross braces.
Once I was happy with the positioning of the pieces, I kept them clamped up and drilled pilot holes where each threaded bolt would be placed.
With the pieces disassembled I used a larger drill bit and drilled the holes to match the hardware.
As I wanted the entire step stool to have the ability to disassemble and store flat I used threaded inserts on all the cross pieces.
I gave all the pieces a quick sanding up to 220 grit to remove any pencil marks and rough edges. Then applied a few coats of lacquer followed with a coat of wax. I wanted the finish to be durable as it would be used on a daily basis in the kitchen where I expect it to get splattered with food and water.
Overall I could not be happier with how this project turned out. I think this might be one of the easiest projects I’ve ever made with the most payout. Since I now have the template I may build another one when my son is old enough and wants to start helping in the kitchen.