Boulder Stool

By Ben Uyeda

SKILL
easy

How to drill holes in rocks is the question I had in mind at the beginning of this project. I want to do more stone furniture projects and I have access to a lot of low cost rocks so I have been experimenting with small rock diy projects like this stone stool. I used my ryobi hammer drill to drill 3/8" diameter holes in a granite stone and then used Quikrete Anchoring epoxy to glue in 3/8" steel rods. This was a really easy and fast DIY project and I am starting to brainstorm other projects made with real stone.

Tools

  • 18V ONE+ HP Brushless 4-1/2" Angle Grinder/Cut-Off Tool
  • 18V ONE+ HP Brushless 1" SDS-Plus Rotary Hammer

Accessories

  • 12 PC. Masonry Drill Bit Set
  • 3 PC. 4-1/2" Metal Grinding Wheel Set
  • 3 PC. 4-1/2" Masonry Grinding Wheel Set
  • 3 PC. 4-1/2" Metal Cutting Wheel Set

Materials

  • 3/8" Steel Rods
  • Anchoring Epoxy
  • Plastic Cups
  • Polyurethane
  • Quick Setting Concrete
  • Small Boulder
  • Tape

Steps

STEP 1

Drill (4) 3/8” Holes into the boulder.

Tools

Rotary Hammer

Materials

Small Boulder
Drilling holes

STEP 2

Cut (4) 3/8” steel rod with a metal cutting wheel.

Tools

Angle Grinder
Cutting steel rod

STEP 3

Slightly taper the ends to fit into the drilled holes.

Tools

Angle Grinder
Tapering steel rods

STEP 4

Use anchoring epoxy to secure the steel rods into place.

Gluing rods into place

STEP 5

Shape the steel bars into legs and trim as needed. Once the legs are shaped as desired, flip the stool over so the seat is upright. Pull the legs out as needed until the stool is level.

Shaping legs

STEP 6

Secure the leg ends together by wrapping metal wire around them.

Wrapping metal wire

STEP 7

Create a mold around the ends of the stool legs using duct tape and a plastic bottle.

Making mold

STEP 8

Mix concrete together, then pour into the mold. Allow the concrete to cure, then remove the mold.

Concrete mold

STEP 9

Use a flap disc to shape the concrete to give it a more natural appearance.

Tools

Angle Grinder
Shaping concrete piece

STEP 10

Seal the steel rods with polyurethane to prevent rusting.

Sealing steel rods