Scribing to Level
When I make stools, I always leave the legs about 1/2" overlong for leveling. Then, after the final glue-up, I trim all the legs to make sure the piece sits true. To mark the legs accurately, I place the stool on the flattest surface in my shop: my table saw. (When I installed the saw, I shimmed it so it was perfectly level.) To level a stool, I place a 24" level on the seat and shim under the legs until the bubble stays in the center. Then it is a simple matter of scribing around each leg with a pencil and trimming to the line. To aid with this, I cut a V-notch along the center of a 7" length of 1 × 2 and lay my pencil in it. Then I slide the 1 × 2 around each leg, keeping the pencil’s tip in contact with the leg to draw the scribe line. Once I’ve drawn my lines, I trim each leg with a hand saw.
—Jeff Peters,
Redgranite, Wisconsin
Why accurate marking matters when leveling stool legs
This tip from Jeff Peters shows a straightforward way to mark stool legs accurately for leveling, using scribing to let the finished piece determine the cut. It’s tempting to trim legs to final length before assembly, but that approach assumes nothing moves. In practice, even tight joinery can settle differently once clamps come off. Leaving legs long and marking them after assembly gives you a reference based on how the stool actually sits.
A flat reference surface matters just as much. A table saw top that has been shimmed level makes an excellent baseline, but any reliably flat surface works. What matters is consistency. You are not chasing absolute perfection, just making all four legs agree with each other.
The value of scribing instead of measuring
Scribing transfers reality directly to the work. Instead of relying on numbers, you let the stool tell you exactly where each leg needs to be trimmed. This avoids cumulative measuring errors and keeps the cuts visually consistent, even if the stool has subtle variations.
A simple pencil guide keeps the scribe line steady around each leg. It does not need to be fancy. The goal is a clean, continuous line that gives you confidence at the saw.