Guitar Pick-Shaped Stool

My boss was retiring, and I know he loves to play guitar, so I thought I’d try to make him a guitar stool that was in the shape of a classic Fender 351 guitar pick. I had some leftover rosewood and epoxy from another project, so the only cost was going to be the time required to figure out how to make it.

I started by purchasing a handful of picks, placed a pick on a sheet of glass, and used a flashlight to cast a shadow that was bigger than the pick.  I had to do this a couple times so that I could trace a base for the mold that would be big enough for the seat of the stool. This was the only way I could think of to keep the guitar pick shape perfect, as my freehand attempts were not working.

From there, I pieced together some scraps of rosewood, and fit it inside the mold base, poured in the epoxy that I tinted with white pearl mica, and then let it cure a couple days.  Next, I removed it from the mold, sanded the edges to clean up the shape of the pick, and used my router sled to make it perfectly flat. I sanded down to 220-grit, and coated with Rubio Monocoat pure.  

Overall I was pretty pleased with how it came out. If I did it again, I’d try to keep all the wood grain going the same direction, as I didn’t think of that until after I poured the epoxy.  My boss was very excited to receive it, and his smile made it all worthwhile.