My daughter recently started university and she wanted a small fridge. The only place to put it was under the bed, so we had to raise the bed to its highest adjustment. This meant she had to jump up onto her bed every night and it was a good jump, almost 4ft. So she asked me if I could get her some steps or a little ladder. She also wanted me to get her a night table so she could put her phone and maybe a book or whatever she wanted or needed close at hand without having to jump down from her bed. I looked at Home Depot a few days ago and yes, I found some 3 step ladders, it wasn't Ideal, it was a little step ladder, great for reaching stuff on a shelf, but not in a dorm room in the middle of the night as the steps are so narrow. As for the night table, they don't make them that high. The only other option was I thought I could try and build her a small set of steps that could also double as storage/night table/bookshelf and a seat if she had a guest. I hadn't really built furniture before other that a couple work benches (very solid) and a paper towel holder which turned out pretty good. So I though I would give it a try. I went and purchased a sheet of Maple plywood yesterday. I layed out the steps so it would give her the height she needed and then mirrored the two sides so they would be exactly the same. I used my Ryobi 61/2 inch saw (great little saw) and my Ryobi 18volt Jig Saw (amazing tool) I recently purchased. I then made the steps so they would overhang the sides and that they would go all the way to the back for storage and to give added strength. I then routered the edges of the steps with my fathers old corded router (not Ryobi, Sorry). I finished cutting and routering everything last night and then finished it with a light stain and hand rubbed one coat of varathane over it to seal it. I left it overnight to dry and was going to glue and screw it all together, but I thought I would try a test piece first. The screws I had split the plywood. So I went to Home Depot this morning to get thinner screws and I ended up buying a 18 volt cordless 18 gauge Ryobi Brad Nailer as I didn't have a brad nailer and they lowered the price $149. It worked perfect, (other than I missed a couple times, operator error). Once it was all glued and nailed together it moved a little when I sat on it (I could have been impatient), so I added two braces on the bottom for rigidity, one you can see in front of her slippers, the other is at the back, now it's solid as a rock. In a matter of a few hours about 5 in total (not counting getting the tools/materials), my daughter has a new step/storage/seat in her dorm room. Thank You
My daughter recently started university and she wanted a small fridge. The only place to put it was under the bed, so we had to raise the bed to its highest adjustment. This meant she had to jump up onto her bed every night and it was a good jump, almost 4ft. So she asked me if I could get her some steps or a little ladder. She also wanted me to get her a night table so she could put her phone and maybe a book or whatever she wanted or needed close at hand without having to jump down from her bed. I looked at Home Depot a few days ago and yes, I found some 3 step ladders, it wasn't Ideal, it was a little step ladder, great for reaching stuff on a shelf, but not in a dorm room in the middle of the night as the steps are so narrow. As for the night table, they don't make them that high. The only other option was I thought I could try and build her a small set of steps that could also double as storage/night table/bookshelf and a seat if she had a guest. I hadn't really built furniture before other that a couple work benches (very solid) and a paper towel holder which turned out pretty good. So I though I would give it a try. I went and purchased a sheet of Maple plywood yesterday. I layed out the steps so it would give her the height she needed and then mirrored the two sides so they would be exactly the same. I used my Ryobi 61/2 inch saw (great little saw) and my Ryobi 18volt Jig Saw (amazing tool) I recently purchased. I then made the steps so they would overhang the sides and that they would go all the way to the back for storage and to give added strength. I then routered the edges of the steps with my fathers old corded router (not Ryobi, Sorry). I finished cutting and routering everything last night and then finished it with a light stain and hand rubbed one coat of varathane over it to seal it. I left it overnight to dry and was going to glue and screw it all together, but I thought I would try a test piece first. The screws I had split the plywood. So I went to Home Depot this morning to get thinner screws and I ended up buying a 18 volt cordless 18 gauge Ryobi Brad Nailer as I didn't have a brad nailer and they lowered the price $149. It worked perfect, (other than I missed a couple times, operator error). Once it was all glued and nailed together it moved a little when I sat on it (I could have been impatient), so I added two braces on the bottom for rigidity, one you can see in front of her slippers, the other is at the back, now it's solid as a rock. In a matter of a few hours about 5 in total (not counting getting the tools/materials), my daughter has a new step/storage/seat in her dorm room. Thank You
