Plywood Potty Pedestal

The purpose of this instructable is to create an in-expensive stool that serves two purposes. The first purpose is to test the theory behind the current bathroom alignment fad (Is squatting better?). The second purpose is to serve as a step stool for my newborn son when he is old enough but not tall enough to use the bathroom.

To complete this instructable you will need:

3/4 ACX plywood at least 18 1/8" x 24" ($11 for a 2' x 4' sheet enough to build this 'ible twice)

10 Pocket hole screws 1 1/4" coarse thread

Wood Glue

Pocket hole Jig

Table Saw

Jig Saw or Band Saw

Handheld drill and bits

Pocket hole jig

Assorted clamps

Stain

Polyurethane

Lets get things started by cutting a 18 1/8" by 24" piece of plywood. I used 3/4" ACX Pine plywood.

In the next few steps you will be cutting the plywood as pictured above. steps 4-7 can be skipped if you simply cut this layout.

-Set your rip fence to 3 1/2" and cut a strip of plywood 3 1/2" x 18 1/8"

- Using your miter gauge cut the same piece down to 14 1/2" long

- Discard the scrap

Resize your plywood to be 18 1/8" x 20"

- Set your rip fence to 11"

- cut your plywood into two pieces

- 11" x 20"

- 7" x 20"

Cut the 7" x 20" plywood into two 7" x 9" legs and discard the scrap.

Using a 4" diameter cup I cut U-shaped legs by placing the top edge of the cup 3 1/2" from the top of the legs and tracing the arc. It would be great to have an oscillating sander to smooth out those arcs.

I have included the dimensions I used to shape the top, however, since each toilet is different I suggest tailoring the shape to your needs. I used the same cup from the previous step as a stencil to round all corners.

Sand all these parts in steps down to 220 grit until you are happy with the appearance.

Drill three pocket holes at the top of each leg and two pocket holes on each end of the support brace.

I will let the pictures do the talking for assembly. I used 10 pocket screws and wood glue. I had intended to center the cross support, however, I failed to plan ahead when drilling my pocket holes and ended up offsetting the center support. The offset does not seem to make any difference in overall quality.

I stained this ible using Minwax water based tintable stain tinted to Rosewood. There are many people better suited to give advise on staining, however, I will say that this stain was very easy to use and very low odor. Two coats of stain will give you more even coverage, however, I was happy with the look after one coat so that is where I left it.

Minwax polycrylic is a great top coat to protect your potty pedestal and it is very low odor. I applied two coats of Polycrylic and sanded with 220 grit sandpaper before applying a third coat. For good measure I sanded again with 800 grit sandpaper before applying a fourth and final coat.

Does squatting relieve pressure and expedite the poopin' process? Well, I have no idea... I enjoyed the challenge of building this 'ible and I learned a-lot along the way, but like most 'ibles this was more about the joy of making than anything else.