Trestle Table Leg Design

[Campbell Mike]

I am building a trestle style table for my sister and she has requested a leg style similar to these. I am using 8/4 alder to laminate the large pieces of the legs but was curious if anyone had any advise for making the vertical section of a leg like these. I am debating between laminating the full size of the leg and then cutting out the shape of the leg on a bandsaw. Or gluing on the round shape to the legs as 4 individual pieces with mitered corners like trim.

Second question. I plan to use a double tenon on the leg into mortises on the "foot" of the leg. Does anyone see anything wrong with this?


340605340606

[Jamie Buxton]

I'd bandsaw the curved pieces individually, and glue them on to the central post after. I'd also make the central post hollow, glued up from four pieces mitered together at the corners.

[Campbell Mike]

I thought about hollow central posts but wasn't sure how to connect to the foot then? Any ideas?

[Jamie Buxton]

I thought about hollow central posts but wasn't sure how to connect to the foot then? Any ideas?

Mortise and tenon. Think about a different design, in which a single piece of 4/4 lumber connects at the end to some other piece of lumber. You'd be comfortable using a mortise and tenon joint, wouldn't you? The tenon might be 3/8" thick. In these posts, you have two pieces of 4/4 lumber you can mortise into the base. (The M&T joints only go along the grain of the foot, not across the grain.)

[Campbell Mike]

Thanks Jamie! I will likely build it as you described.

[Brian Triplett]

I currently doing the same thing, 4 blanks to be cut out on the bandsaw, mitered then glued to a center post. My curve is deep enough that I had to glue on another piece to the back to keep some structural capacity in the curved piece. Also I had to be careful of the over all thickness because my tablesaw can only cut miters on a 2-1/4" thick piece (10" table saw). I did a trial run and it seems to work out so now I working a jig for the bandsaw so all the cuts come out the same.

[Campbell Mike]

I currently doing the same thing, 4 blanks to be cut out on the bandsaw, mitered then glued to a center post. My curve is deep enough that I had to glue on another piece to the back to keep some structural capacity in the curved piece. Also I had to be careful of the over all thickness because my tablesaw can only cut miters on a 2-1/4" thick piece (10" table saw). I did a trial run and it seems to work out so now I working a jig for the bandsaw so all the cuts come out the same.

Thanks Brian! That is reassuring that it is working for you. Did you use a hollow center post? or was your solid? Did you have to join the center post to some sort of foot?

[Bryan Lisowski]

I would laminate the entire column (vertical) and then bandsaw the shape. Cutting the pieces to shape first could create a complicated glue up and if things shift may create a different look (not consistent). I think using M&T joints should be good.

[Brian Triplett]

Mike,

I was planning on gluing the mitered pieces to a solid center post.

Bryan, I was thinking about gluing it up into one piece then cutting it out but with the blade on my bandsaw and the curves I need to cut I remove several pieces from one side and I would have to put them back together to support the now curved side as I cut the next side out. It seems like it would be easier to cut out the pieces one at a time with a template guide. But I guess I will see as the project moves along. Oh and by the way you spelled you name wrong, ;)

[Frank Drew]

I would laminate the entire column (vertical) and then bandsaw the shape. Cutting the pieces to shape first could create a complicated glue up and if things shift may create a different look (not consistent). I think using M&T joints should be good.

This is the route I'd go. Much easier and quicker to get done (IMO) than other proposals. I agree about the double tenon; they could be loose or integral.

[Frank Drew]

Slight correction: I'd laminate the legs if I couldn't find solid timber in the right thickness; from the picture it looks like the legs are larger in one dimension than the other so 16/4 might do the trick. In any case, I'd want to work from solid not hollow and ditto for the feet.

[Don Kondra]

Many moons ago :) I made a dozen or so of these pedestals for a local furniture store.

The center portion is 7/8" material (hollow) with a lock mitre. Then 8" x 1 3/4" mitred parts are glued on and cut to shape....

This way, with careful selection, the grain is continuous.

Center part is glued first and then the outside portions are added on, all in a vacuum bag.

340727

340728

With this many surfaces to fare, I made a cradle to guide an air powered cylinder/sander to finish sand the shape after rough bandsawing.

Sorry, can't find an image of the completed piece.

Cheers, Don

[Campbell Mike]

Many moons ago :) I made a dozen or so of these pedestals for a local furniture store.

The center portion is 7/8" material (hollow) with a lock mitre. Then 8" x 1 3/4" mitred parts are glued on and cut to shape....

This way, with careful selection, the grain is continuous.

Center part is glued first and then the outside portions are added on, all in a vacuum bag.

340727

340728

With this many surfaces to fare, I made a cradle to guide an air powered cylinder/sander to finish sand the shape after rough bandsawing.

Sorry, can't find an image of the completed piece.

Cheers, Don

Thanks for the picture, Don! They are very useful.