Don't worry.  This isn't one of those "my wife asked me for
something and I quickly made this masterpiece last night"
stories.  This project started in Fall 2001 and was finished
last night.  This is why I wasn't allowed to make a crib for our
now 10-month-old daughter!

Back in 2001, I decided to build a stepstool for my wife as an
anniversary gift.  She had complained about not being able to
reach the top cabinets in our new house, so I started secretly
plotting in the cellar about 6 weeks before our anniversary.  I
found plans I liked of a Shaker stepstool in Popular Woodworking,
but it was a three-step stool, so I modified the design for a two-step
stool.  Back then, before my wife left her job to stay at home with
our new daughter, she was a high school teacher, and her
evenings were spent grading and lesson planning, so I had
hours every evening in the shop.  I knew I could get it done in
6 weeks.  I may be a ham-fisted galoot, but this was just a freakin'
stepstool, right?

Things actually progressed quite smoothly.  The glue-up of the
wide panels for the sides went well.  I had read and reread everything
I could find on laying out and cutting dovetails (my first attempt).
And things went reasonably well for a first try at dovetails. I cut a
few a night.  After a few extra nights of paring and final fitting, it all
went together.  And just in time for our anniversary.  That evening
I brought it up out of the cellar and showed it to her and she loved it.
It wasn't quite finished, but I promised her it would be ready to use soon.

Problem was, I wasn't completely happy with it.  There were pretty
big gaps in some of the dovetails.  And because of this it slightly
wobbled and squeaked when you stepped on it.  And it wasn't
completely square in places.  It was still pretty darn great, but I
knew it needed some work.

For a while I worked on getting it finished, but I got more frustrated
with little details and finally I set it aside to work on something else.
Then it migrated further and further from the bench and finally was
hidden out of sight and forgotten.  My wife never brought it up and
it sat there for a couple of years.

This summer I found it again as I was cleaning out the cellar.  I
haven't really had time to start any new projects lately, so my
woodworking skills haven't gotten any better.  But I decided I
would just make it as good as I could in a reasonable amount
of time and be done with it.  My daughter is just starting to stand
and soon enough she will need this stepstool, so I got off my butt
and made a bunch of wedges of various sizes, got out the glue
bottle, glued it up, pounded in thin wedges wherever there was a
gap and lo and behold, it was solid as a rock, no longer squeaked
or wobbled, and it looked pretty good.  I sanded it, put on two coats
of Salem Red milk paint followed with some Tried & True varnish
(all non-toxic finishes, as I assume the little one will try to gnaw on
it).
And it was done.

Here's a picture of the finished product:
http://www.geocities.com/sawnutz/projects.htm

Things I learned along the way: Dovetails really aren't that hard,
but they are hard to do well.  And I need a shooting board so that
I can square the ends of my boards better before attempting
layout and cutting of said dovetails.  And your family probably won't
even notice all the stupid little things that you will notice, so just do
it
and don't sweat the small stuff.

Tools used:  Frankly, I don't remember!  But no electrons were burned.

Now to finish that dining room table.  Where did I leave that?  Oh yes,
in the dining room. Under the large table cloth.  Thanks for reminding me,
dear.

Brian Welch
Worcester, MA