Another Step Stool

I guess step stools are getting to be my thing.  I saw a similar piece on the unplugged woodworkers FB group and I needed to make one.  This project has an aspect that I've never tried before but have wanted to for a long time.  The stretcher between legs is attached with cross wedged through tenons.

Sketchup model (without shaping) to give general idea

The legs are splayed out at 15°, so the mortises in the top and legs, as well as the shoulders of the stretcher tenons are at that angle.  I had some softwood from an old coffee table that I planed to about 1" thick.  The top and legs started out at 10" wide.  The top is 15" long and the legs are about 11" long.  Being careful to use only the reference face and edge, I marked out for the leg tenons and top mortises.  Because the rear mortises and tenons were too far from the reference edge to use a regular marking gauge, I used a panel gauge.

The tenons cut: note the angled shoulders

Mortises marked out and the first one chopped and pared to the lines

These mortises are angled

Four mortises complete

Mortises in the legs chopped and the stretcher tenons formed

A mortise in the tenon will fit a wedge

Note the mortise is not rectangular, but angled.
This made making and fitting the wedge more complicated.

Here's a test wedge in softwood showing its angled nature

A wedge fitted, but not trimmed to length

A final hardwood wedge in place

All shaping done: oval cutout forming feet, leg sides shaped,
hand-hole in top, stretcher tenons rounded over ...

... stretcher edges curved, and underside of top beveled

The top was shaped so that the last 4" of each long edge was slightly curved heading towards the ends.  The shape turned out to be very pleasing.  The tops of the leg tenons were leveled with the top.  I'm not planning to glue this project.  The angled legs and wedged stretcher tenons make it quite sturdy.  But I am adding a few coats of shellac.

The finished product

This was a nice project.  Not hard to do, and I tried a new technique with the wedged tenons.  Now to fine a home for it.