Cardboard Stool

This project ranks low on the danger scale, but it is still fun and may impress your guests. The stool is two feet tall and has been tested by humans up to 200 lbs. You should be able to find large sheets of cardboard at art supply stores for a few bucks. If you can’t find one for component C that is 72" long, you can use a 36" sheet and just make the long strips separate pieces.

danger level

negligible
moderate
high
do not do this

tools

E. Compass
F. Box Cutter
G. Straight Edge

materials

A. 3/8" cardboard, 30" x 40"
B. 3/8" cardboard, 23.5" x 48"
C. 3/8" cardboard, 24" x 72"
D. White Glue

photos

how-to

Cut and fold part A, which will form the seat. It is made of multiple 11.5" diameter circles folded over each other to make a strong sitting surface. The narrow strip is folded around the circumferance of all of the circles to hide the edges.
Cut and fold part B, which is the weight-bearing element in the stool. It is just a large sheet that is rolled into a tight cylinder. You can make folding easier and more precise by using a straight edge and a blunt instrument to score parallel lines into one side of the cardboard. The cardboard will then fold nicely along these lines.
Cut and fold part C, which is mainly decorative. This piece has thin diamonds cut out of it, allowing the middle to be pressed in when it is rolled up. The result is an hour glass shape.
Test fit the parts, and then start gluing things together. It will look most impressive if none of the glue is visible.
Let the glue dry fully before you sit on the stool. If you have built the stool well it will be quite sturdy, but you should sit fairly still. Tilting or leaning will wear it out quickly.

28 Comments:

Jan 19, 2007 | 11:10 pm

Christian wrote:

i gave this neet seat to my grand mother she loved so much it makes a good present!
Jan 29, 2007 | 9:53 pm

rimian wrote:

Never throw out any cardboard again!

Excellent
Jan 31, 2007 | 12:11 pm

Anonymous wrote:

Pretty cheap if ya ask me… i know… which you didnt.
Feb 17, 2007 | 11:33 am

Helper wrote:

This is cool.
Feb 17, 2007 | 4:07 pm

jj wrote:

Is it solid??
Feb 18, 2007 | 5:50 pm

Dangerously Fun wrote:

@jj:
It is solid enough to sit on. However, it’s not something you could use everyday.
Mar 14, 2007 | 7:50 pm

Ganja wrote:

Maybe i’m retarded but please elaborate on part A, its obviously the seat piece as stated but are the circles horizontal or vertical with cardboard glued to the ends of the circles
Mar 15, 2007 | 1:58 pm

istatkoff wrote:

Ganja, they’re made from one piece of cardboard, which you have to bend after that, you just don’t cut the circles entirely, than partially
Apr 1, 2007 | 4:14 pm

cardboard wrote:

On finding cardboard: you can often go behind a store that has a recycling dumpster and just take some old boxes.
Apr 30, 2007 | 2:51 am

Uchtungbaby wrote:

I’m in the middle of making a Starbutt Stool out of cardboard. You may not have heard of it before. That’s because I just invented it:)

It involves creating a star shape on the vertical with a sun shaped seat for the top. The spokes of the sun will fold over into the crevices created by the star shape.

I think your chair is fantastic. But it is too complicated for me.

In a way, we are at opposite ends of the looking glass on this subject.
May 13, 2007 | 1:58 pm

DKoffman wrote:

how is this dangerously fun? fun sure, but dangerous?
May 13, 2007 | 4:01 pm

Dangerously Fun wrote:

@DKoffman:
You’re right, it’s not dangerous.
May 25, 2007 | 8:50 am

unperfect wrote:

how much do you have to weigh to sit on that?!
Jun 4, 2007 | 5:15 pm

Anonymous wrote:

it says 200lb
Jun 14, 2007 | 3:10 am

HEY wrote:

when creating the design part how or where can i get a dimond design to keep them even and uniform?
Jun 24, 2007 | 6:05 pm

Dangerously Fun wrote:

@HEY:
Use a ruler to measure the shapes, draw them on with pencil, then cut them out using a straight edge.
Jul 13, 2007 | 8:11 am

Anonymous wrote:

I need to finda diamond pattern too, I guess I could make one but im not sure enough of teh dimensions to do it…How wide???
Jul 14, 2007 | 12:12 am

Little Monkey wrote:

Now spray a design on it. It will be cool
Sep 25, 2007 | 3:54 am

mrfixit wrote:

Some time ago my stepson and I built a round stool from 100 rolled up newspaper tubes. In our testing of pushing down on a rolled-up tube standing on end on a bathroom scale, it took 20 lb to begin to crush one rolled up tube. Multiply times 100 and you get what it can support…on a good level surface, it will literally support the front of a pickup truck. We tried it and it worked!
Oct 18, 2007 | 8:41 pm

wow wrote:

this inst dangeous but its cool :)
Mar 30, 2008 | 3:30 pm

NevilleDaDevil wrote:

ooh fun a stool! lame… -.-Zzz
this is by far the most boring thing on this site.
May 1, 2008 | 3:03 am

Flaker wrote:

Man, this is brilliant. im doing a assignment about cardboard stools at the moment, and this inspired me . thanks for this.
Jun 23, 2008 | 6:07 am

chico wrote:

Want to make tables just like this stool. Never done this before. Gonna give it a try. Like the star seat idea from above too. Wish me luck. Need to make 5 of them.
Jun 23, 2008 | 6:09 am

chico wrote:

also, have Quick Tube building form tubes that I was going to use for small side tables, but do not have any idea of how to decorate it. Suggestions?
Jun 24, 2008 | 5:56 am

This idiot wrote:

it looks interesting
Jul 12, 2008 | 9:29 pm

Vanessa (Ii) wrote:

They went forth and increased
Jul 16, 2008 | 3:59 pm

cool kid wrote:

I will never have to spend money on stools agin!!
Jul 17, 2008 | 1:11 am

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