My wife's uncle Ray made what I call a "sit 'n step" when she was a
toddler. That little bit of pine nailed together fell apart years ago but
I hung onto the pieces. She saw the pieces in the shop last week and
proceeded to tell me the whole story (again) about when he made it, etc. I
was out in the shop yesterday and decided to make a prototype so I can see
what sort of issues I might have when making it. It was a quick MDF
project held together with a little glue and some 18 ga 1 1/4" nails. I
brought it in the house and showed it to her and before I could say
anything she quietly said "oh my..." and proceeded to start crying.
Seeing the sit 'n step in one piece brought back a flood of very happy
memories (which I was totally unprepared for). She had spent many a
happy hour playing on, and with, that tiny bit of craftsmanship.

Gentlemen, Keep making that sawdust no matter how good your skills are.
You may never know how much joy and happiness you will bring a child.

The sit 'n step looks something like the item at
http://www.hebookservice.com/product...?prod_cd=c6287

but Ray's is almost identical to the one at
http://www.asu.edu/clas/tnt/ideas/mo...earch=%22step%
20stool%20chair%20child%22

Somehow I like Ray's version better. The bright colors are OK, but to me
bright colors say "This is a toy". A fine finish says "This is a piece of
furniture."

If Ray's version made of pine and nailed together held up for years, your's
will too.

Another nice part about building the sit 'n step is the fact that you can
cut all of the pieces using your jigsaw (sabre saw). Sure I used my TS and
BS and JS, but only the JS is necessary.

Pierce