My wife wants a very rustic looking kitchen table. Im using red oak
and Ive already finished the top. Im trying to figure out what kind
of legs to make. I dont have a lathe so they cant be round.
Originally I was going to make a pedestal style table but my wife says
thats too country. She just wants 4 plain legs, but I think that will
look amatuerish. The only thing I can think of is to just use heavy
legs (about 5" square) and slightly taper them. Any other ideas?
I made an oak dining table that lives over in the Smokies now in a
cottage on the Hiawassee River. The legs were plain, about 3" as I
remember. To make them a bit more interesting, I did a stopped champher
on the outer corner from the floor up to about 3" from the top. The 45
degree champher was about 3/4 to an inch across.. The Lady that bought
the cottage liked the table and chairs I made, she bought them to stay
with the cottage.
Mike in Pelham, NC
UTRECHT wrote:
>My wife wants a very rustic looking kitchen table. Im using red oak
>and Ive already finished the top. Im trying to figure out what kind
>of legs to make. I dont have a lathe so they cant be round.
>Originally I was going to make a pedestal style table but my wife says
>thats too country. She just wants 4 plain legs, but I think that will
>look amatuerish. The only thing I can think of is to just use heavy
>legs (about 5" square) and slightly taper them. Any other ideas?
>
>
In article <[email protected]>,
UTRECHT <[email protected]> wrote:
>My wife wants a very rustic looking kitchen table. Im using red oak
>and Ive already finished the top. Im trying to figure out what kind
>of legs to make. I dont have a lathe so they cant be round.
>Originally I was going to make a pedestal style table but my wife says
>thats too country. She just wants 4 plain legs, but I think that will
>look amatuerish. The only thing I can think of is to just use heavy
>legs (about 5" square) and slightly taper them. Any other ideas?
5" square is _big_. "typical" tapered square legs are on the order of 1-3/4"
sq at the top, and 3/4"-1" square at the bottom. Usually with some form of
minimal 'ornamentation' in the few inches directly below the skirt.
A very clean, simple, and elegant look can be accomplished by taking a
tapered cut off the inside _corner_ of a medium-large square leg. I dunno
what to call the design, but I've used it on big (42"x96") solid-mahagony DR
tables.
Using 3" sq. stock, I mark the base of the leg, at the middle of each of the
two 'inside' sides; and on the 'inside corner' a few inches (1x to 1-1/2x the
height of the skirt seems to 'look right') _below_ the bottom of the skirt.
Play 'connect the dots', and cut off the triangular piece so defined.
These are readily cut on a table saw -- 45-degree blade angle, plus a simple
taper-jig.
Shaving that insde corner of the leg makes a tremendous difference in the
apparent 'massiveness' of the table.
How about some oak newel posts modified to suit your needs?
"Phisherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 15 Aug 2003 18:33:57 -0700, [email protected] (UTRECHT) wrote:
>
> >My wife wants a very rustic looking kitchen table. Im using red oak
> >and Ive already finished the top. Im trying to figure out what kind
> >of legs to make. I dont have a lathe so they cant be round.
> >Originally I was going to make a pedestal style table but my wife says
> >thats too country. She just wants 4 plain legs, but I think that will
> >look amatuerish. The only thing I can think of is to just use heavy
> >legs (about 5" square) and slightly taper them. Any other ideas?
>
>
> 5" square legs are huge, rather bulky. Tapering the legs will make
> the table appear lighter--without the taper it might look a piece of
> shop furniture. Generally, the inside of the legs are tapered. With
> 5" legs I'm not sure if your table saw can handle it.
On 15 Aug 2003 18:33:57 -0700, [email protected] (UTRECHT) wrote:
>My wife wants a very rustic looking kitchen table. Im using red oak
>and Ive already finished the top. Im trying to figure out what kind
>of legs to make. I dont have a lathe so they cant be round.
>Originally I was going to make a pedestal style table but my wife says
>thats too country. She just wants 4 plain legs, but I think that will
>look amatuerish. The only thing I can think of is to just use heavy
>legs (about 5" square) and slightly taper them. Any other ideas?
5" square legs are huge, rather bulky. Tapering the legs will make
the table appear lighter--without the taper it might look a piece of
shop furniture. Generally, the inside of the legs are tapered. With
5" legs I'm not sure if your table saw can handle it.