Designing a Piano Stool .
The Piano Stool idea came as a negative reaction to black ,metal ,cross legged mass produced things meant for electronic keyboards . (although just £16 ) .In front of a mahogany coloured upright piano that would not look right .
So I looked on ebay to see what shapes and designs were out there in wood . There is no real market for these . Most were on the auction system with 0 bids and No Delivery. Free collection in person .Only one was a buy it now .
First impression was cabriole legs . Visually-bandy legged .That`s out . Storage under the seat is a good idea but some make it a cupboard right to the floor which might put your backout if you move it when it`s full .
Cushions on many were skimpy and looked uncomfortable A hard wooden edge outside the cushion would be bad under your legs . One cushion lid was slightly wider at the edges to give a grip for change of positions but there was a chance of trapping fingertips if the lid lifted. The worst idea .
Straight legs with no bracing would make more strain on the glued joints. Front to back bracing plus a cross rail was much stronger without looking clumsy .
Some cupboard designs had doors to access the music shelves . 2 had a tilting system which would be fine as a magazine rack but poor for sheet music,which likes to lay flat . One door was hinged across the bottom edge so it would lay on the floor .That would be awkward to use .One had no door but separate shelves and the front sections with handles would hinge flat when opened .Excellent thinking for sheet music .
The storage ,underseat box gave the seat strength . The joints would be an important part of the build .
Here is a question about the join from box to legs . Is it better to make the box with two pieces extending sideways and then join the legs with a single joint rather than cutting into the leg twice at right angles ?
As a seat what type of padding is best for a piano player . Leather covering might be better than material with some friction . So scanning lots of different piano stools I have found a good way to end up with a better functional result . Carving and decoration can be included after the practical details are worked out .
Finally the ebay wooden models lacked one feature in the metal £16 design. They had no height adjustments .
The Piano Stool idea came as a negative reaction to black ,metal ,cross legged mass produced things meant for electronic keyboards . (although just £16 ) .In front of a mahogany coloured upright piano that would not look right .
So I looked on ebay to see what shapes and designs were out there in wood . There is no real market for these . Most were on the auction system with 0 bids and No Delivery. Free collection in person .Only one was a buy it now .
First impression was cabriole legs . Visually-bandy legged .That`s out . Storage under the seat is a good idea but some make it a cupboard right to the floor which might put your backout if you move it when it`s full .
Cushions on many were skimpy and looked uncomfortable A hard wooden edge outside the cushion would be bad under your legs . One cushion lid was slightly wider at the edges to give a grip for change of positions but there was a chance of trapping fingertips if the lid lifted. The worst idea .
Straight legs with no bracing would make more strain on the glued joints. Front to back bracing plus a cross rail was much stronger without looking clumsy .
Some cupboard designs had doors to access the music shelves . 2 had a tilting system which would be fine as a magazine rack but poor for sheet music,which likes to lay flat . One door was hinged across the bottom edge so it would lay on the floor .That would be awkward to use .One had no door but separate shelves and the front sections with handles would hinge flat when opened .Excellent thinking for sheet music .
The storage ,underseat box gave the seat strength . The joints would be an important part of the build .
Here is a question about the join from box to legs . Is it better to make the box with two pieces extending sideways and then join the legs with a single joint rather than cutting into the leg twice at right angles ?
As a seat what type of padding is best for a piano player . Leather covering might be better than material with some friction . So scanning lots of different piano stools I have found a good way to end up with a better functional result . Carving and decoration can be included after the practical details are worked out .
Finally the ebay wooden models lacked one feature in the metal £16 design. They had no height adjustments .