3" tapered legs?

[Brian Penning]

Any suggestions on making the 3"(at the top) legs for this table?
Wood will be walnut.
I'm more concerned with the grain orientation and the glue line.
Was thinking of simply gluing two thick pieces together, matching the grain of the 2 halves best as I can, and then tapering them.
Thanks in advance.

[Joe Scharle]

I've never had any success matching a glue up with walnut. Luckily for me, thick slabs are available around here. However, when I mate the transitional knee to cabriole legs, the glue line is expected and not objectionable.

[mike holden]

Brian,
3 inch or 12 quarter stock is readily available. If you are having trouble finding it, ask a fellow woodworker who makes period furniture where he gets his - cabriole legs are almost always twelve quarter stock (or sixteen quarter, but that *IS* difficult to find).
Walnut should not be difficult, you could try Irion lumber if you cant find local.

If you have to glue, then I would use 2 inch stock and then recut so the glue line is on the diagonal.

Mike

[Prashun Patel]

Here's how I'd do it (in order of descending pref):

1. Find 12/4 stock. It's nominally the most expensive, but by FAR the cheapest in effort.

2. Grain match narrower stock. I agree that it's hard to do, but I also agree that I don't mind the effect of non-matching grain.

3. Do an 'inlaid' leg, whereby you separate the two laminations above with a contrasting band of thin wood, like maple. That breaks the grain line and can appear that your design choice was deliberate.

[Dick Strauss]

Don't forget to use a dark glue...

[Frank Drew]

I agree with the advice to find some 12/4 material; something about glued up leg stock..... to me it just looks, well, bogus.