Make a DIY hairpin leg stool

If you’re anything like us, you’ve left your Christmas shopping to the very last minute and not even Amazon Prime can save you now (mainly because you’re not even a member).

In desperate times like this, homemade gifts – like this DIY hairpin leg stool – are the perfect saviour, cleverly disguising your disorganised approach to Christmas with a lovingly crafted piece of your own handiwork.

To make your hairpin leg stool, you’ll need:

A stool top

This can be pretty much anything, from a natural log slice to an old chopping board. If the stool top needs treating, check out how to prepare and preserve wood in last month's blog.

Hairpin legs

We used our 2 rod, 16" black, powder-coat legs.

A drill or screwdriver

Screws

We used 3/4 inch, No.10 wood screws.

A compass, ruler and pencil

Making your DIY hairpin leg stool

Once your arsenal is assembled, all that’s left to make your DIY hairpin leg stool is an easy three-step process.

1. Arrange the position of your hairpin legs

To position your legs, you need to hark back to your GCSE maths days and use a compass and pencil to mark an equilateral triangle inside the circle.

Start by marking out the diameter. Then use your compass to plot out the other two vertices, as described in the diagrams and video above. You'll end up with what looks like a massive peace sign.

2. Screw them down

We recommend making a pilot hole with a drill, to help guide the screw. This is particularly important if the wood is very hard, as it helps prevent it from cracking.

3. Tell all of Instagram what you’ve done

#imadeastool #stool #hairpinlegstool #itsastool #ohmygodstool #beststoolever #imsogoodatmakingstools #iscreweditmyself #givemecompliments #mystoolismuchbetterthanyours #homemade #homemade2016 #homemadestoolsforthewin #stoolsbetrippin #canyoubelieveimadeastool #stoollife #ilovethehairpinlegco #stoolytimes #imadeitwithmyhands #mystoolbringsalltheboystotheyard #betyourstoolisnthomemadelikemineis #imtheboss #stoolgoals #blessed

And if you can't find the time to make one...

Here's some we made earlier, available to buy through our website.