How should I go about gluing my legs onto a 9ft bench?

[John Pond]

So I am making a Nakashima Conoid bench, 335430, the bench is 9ftx2ft wide, and the back support has already been glued and assembled. The slab has twists and cups, and so I had to make each leg a different length and slightly adjust the shoulders. I am using a fox wedge tenon on the end of the leg, 335431, thats not my picture but is basically my situation. I have made a measurement off a flat surface on both ends, and can therefore flip the board and find the measurements again, recreating what I had used as 'flat' when I measured and fit the legs originally And so I was considering flipping the bench upside down on a flat surface, and inserting the leg in with glue, and then eyeing up the leg with a t square ( off the ground, not the bench, because it will not be perfectly perpendicular to the leg) and then clamping the leg in place. Pretty apprehensive, and would appreciate any advice and how about to go about this? Would you glue one, or two legs at a time and use two clamps and piece of wood to span the width and press down on both legs? This is my first major glue up aside from the spindle back rest and expect that there are problems that I have not even considered. Thanks in advance for any advice!

[lowell holmes]

I would make some practice joints with scrap lumber. After getting it worked out, you will know what to do.

On second thought, that's not going to help. You know how to make the joint. If I understand your concern, your not sure how to clamp the legs in place and how to insure they are the proper length. I don't know, but I think I would put three legs in and glue them up. The old saying, three points define a plane would be the logic. After cutting the ends of the three (individually) to the proper bevel, the forth leg would have to be fitted. I think you might work a prototype until it fit and then make a keeper. I think it would be a case of trial and error until you came to a solution.

When attending a windsor chair class, we did that by purposely making the fourth leg long. Then we set the chair on a saw top with the long leg hanging off the end and marking it's length. It worked precisely.

I'm wondering if the bench could be placed on blocks under three legs, allowing you to mark the fourth leg with a fourth block of the same thickness. You can slip up on it before gluing it in place.

I admire your work. If I had space for it in the house, I would like to build one, but I would have to take up turning which you obviously already do.

[Michelle Rich]

I have made windsor chairs for eons, but nothing this long without stretchers. I have to honestly say, that I would never try to get the legs the right length before gluing them in. I would have made 4 legs and then adjusted. You might get close with your method, but floors may get you in the end, depending on the location . Quite an ambitious project. Let us know in the future how these legs hold up, and how about some progress pictures of this lovely bench

[Jim Becker]

I think what you need to do is to dry assemble and stand the piece on a flat surface (floor). Manually adjust things until it sits correctly. Mark the tenons and seat surface from the top side for alignment. Take it apart and using long-open-time glue, reassemble in the same manner on the flat floor surface and manually adjust things until it sits as you want. Glue and drive the wedges home and let the glue cure. The rest is as you would expect it.

[Sam Murdoch]

I think what you need to do is to dry assemble and stand the piece on a flat surface (floor). Manually adjust things until it sits correctly. Mark the tenons and seat surface from the top side for alignment. Take it apart and using long-open-time glue, reassemble in the same manner on the flat floor surface and manually adjust things until it sits as you want. Glue and drive the wedges home and let the glue cure. The rest is as you would expect it.

THIS ^ OR - attach the legs having pre trimmed to 9/16" +/_ correct length based on a mock up. After the legs are securely glued in place NOW - set the bench on a perfectly flat table or floor section and with a very sharp handsaw ( a nice Japanese Ryoba) set on a secure piece of 1/2" MDF or other similar truly flat block of a dimension that will give you the correct results - follow the plane of the block with the saw and trim each leg. You can use a block big enough with a hole in the center into which the bench leg will sit and then you can score all around with the saw to get a very nice and true trim. Best to make 4 blocks so that each block is a throw as you use it - so no compromise if the saw teeth chew it up a bit.

[Dan Hahr]

I'm not sure why you would need to clamp the leg in place. If you don't want to glue the wedges in until you are adjusted, just press one in without glue just enough to hold it.

Dan