Nice looking bar stools aren't exactly a "beginner's" project in woodworking. There's several aspects to this sort of project that come into play, even if you're not using turned legs/beams.

That said, here's my general observations about woodworking and learning woodworking.

There are two ways to get things done in woodworking: power tools and hand tools.

With the correct power tools, correct blades/bits/etc, and right fixtures to hold your work, you can get consistent results fairly easily.

With simple hand tools (saws, chisels, gouges, knives, scribes, etc), and well-honed skills, you can get excellent and consistent results.

So with that, you need to consider how much in tooling you're going to invest on this (and possible future) projects.