Squaring the end

[Mark Rainey]

Any good methods of squaring the end of a 3 by 3 inch board used for a leg of a table?

[Rafael Herrera]

If using hand tools, mark the end w a square using the reference face of the leg. If you have a good cut, you may just need to do a bit of trimming w a chisel.

[Jim Koepke]

Any good methods of squaring the end of a 3 by 3 inch board used for a leg of a table?

One saving grace is it doesn't have to be perfect. My first try would be to use a shooting board with my widest plane and rotate the leg a quarter turn on each pass. If you have a piece of scrap, use it for a test run.

jtk

[Rafael Herrera]

At 3" square, I don't think a shooting board is an option. Careful sawing is the first step. He didn't say if the leg ends will be concealed or exposed. That would also be a factor on how much effort to put into finishing those ends.

[Jim Koepke]

At 3" square, I don't think a shooting board is an option.

That is why the piece is turned after each stroke. If it is way out of square the longest side should be set to the bottom and brought as close to square as possible.

A little chamfer all the way around may also be needed.

If the end is going to show it might be better to lift the end being worked a little and shoot the angle to the center and then rotate the work. This would make a small pyramid top.

jtk

[Mark Rainey]

Thanks for the advice Rafael & Jim.

[Gary Focht]

I would think Warren Mickley or Paul Sellers would scribe a line all the way around, saw, then put it in a vice and plane to the scribe line - careful not to plane through the other side to avoid breakout. If I recall correctly, Warren never uses a shooting board and just planes the ends in a vice. Sellers does have a jig to use with a vise to help plane square, but usually just freehands it.

https://paulsellers.com/2022/11/a-square-end-plane-guide/

[Derek Cohen]

Any good methods of squaring the end of a 3 by 3 inch board used for a leg of a table?

Two methods:

1. Use a set up tablesaw. :)

2. With hand tools, use “tenting”. This involves scribing a line around the leg, sawing away 95% of the waste, then using a wide chisel to pare a pyramid from the scribed lines. The pyramid is then gradually flattened. This may also be done with a square block of wood to act as a guide for the chisel. When doing so, work around the leg towards the centre.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Warren Mickley]

I would think Warren Mickley or Paul Sellers would scribe a line all the way around, saw, then put it in a vice and plane to the scribe line - careful not to plane through the other side to avoid breakout. If I recall correctly, Warren never uses a shooting board and just planes the ends in a vice. Sellers does have a jig to use with a vise to help plane square, but usually just freehands it.

https://paulsellers.com/2022/11/a-square-end-plane-guide/

I have never made a table where the ends of the table leg were exposed. Usually one end of the leg is on the floor and the other is underneath the table top.

Commonly, I mark the leg all the way around with a knife, but leave it 3/4 inch or so long until after mortising. Then I use a backsaw to cut right to the line. I like to have a chamfer on the bottom of the leg, but if it is a delicate leg the chamfer is quite small.

You could use a plane or a chisel if the saw did not follow the line.

[mike stenson]

Two methods:

1. Use a set up tablesaw. :)

2. With hand tools, use “tenting”. This involves scribing a line around the leg, sawing away 95% of the waste, then using a wide chisel to pare a pyramid from the scribed lines. The pyramid is then gradually flattened. This may also be done with a square block of wood to act as a guide for the chisel. When doing so, work around the leg towards the centre.

Regards from Perth

Derek

These would be the two I would use. Tenting works great. If I didn't feel like getting the stuff off my table saw then this would be how I would go about it. I think, I can thank Charlesworth for that tidbit.

[chris carter]

I’ve done this a bunch of times. Mark your line all the way around with a knife and cut just barely to the line. Then stick it end up in a vise and use a block plane along with a square to flatten it. It sounds like it would be difficult, but it’s not. Just make sure not to blow out the other side, so you have to work from the outside-in. A chisel would also work, but I find the block plane easier.

[Mark Rainey]

I would think Warren Mickley or Paul Sellers would scribe a line all the way around, saw, then put it in a vice and plane to the scribe line - careful not to plane through the other side to avoid breakout. If I recall correctly, Warren never uses a shooting board and just planes the ends in a vice. Sellers does have a jig to use with a vise to help plane square, but usually just freehands it.

https://paulsellers.com/2022/11/a-square-end-plane-guide/

Thanks Gary, I was looking at that Sellers article last week but I think it is mostly for narrow end grain pieces.

[Mark Rainey]

Two methods:

1. Use a set up tablesaw. :)

2. With hand tools, use “tenting”. This involves scribing a line around the leg, sawing away 95% of the waste, then using a wide chisel to pare a pyramid from the scribed lines. The pyramid is then gradually flattened. This may also be done with a square block of wood to act as a guide for the chisel. When doing so, work around the leg towards the centre.

Regards from Perth

Derek Thanks for the suggestion Derek. Yes, no table saw!


I have never made a table where the ends of the table leg were exposed. Usually one end of the leg is on the floor and the other is underneath the table top.

Commonly, I mark the leg all the way around with a knife, but leave it 3/4 inch or so long until after mortising. Then I use a backsaw to cut right to the line. I like to have a chamfer on the bottom of the leg, but if it is a delicate leg the chamfer is quite small.

You could use a plane or a chisel if the saw did not follow the line. Thanks Warren!


I’ve done this a bunch of times. Mark your line all the way around with a knife and cut just barely to the line. Then stick it end up in a vise and use a block plane along with a square to flatten it. It sounds like it would be difficult, but it’s not. Just make sure not to blow out the other side, so you have to work from the outside-in. A chisel would also work, but I find the block plane easier. Good information Chris!

[Charles Guest]

Any good methods of squaring the end of a 3 by 3 inch board used for a leg of a table?

Knife deeply. Pare on the waste side to give a fine crosscut saw a nice trough to run in. Saw in from all four faces. Shoot the end just to the line with the leg upright in the vice, using a No. 6 or No. 7 from each of the four corners in toward the middle and using a bit of a circular motion with the plane. Check results along with the way with a square off the two true faces. Plane to the upright wall of the other side of the knifed line and it'll be perfect.

Cheers

[Jim Koepke]

If you have a lathe big enough to mount it you could get a good cut on the end with a parting tool.

jtk

[Mark Rainey]

Knife deeply. Pare on the waste side to give a fine crosscut saw a nice trough to run in. Saw in from all four faces. Shoot the end just to the line with the leg upright in the vice, using a No. 6 or No. 7 from each of the four corners in toward the middle and using a bit of a circular motion with the plane. Check results along with the way with a square off the two true faces. Plane to the upright wall of the other side of the knifed line and it'll be perfect.

Cheers

Thanks for your method Charles!


If you have a lathe big enough to mount it you could get a good cut on the end with a parting tool.

jtk

Interesting Jim, I do not have a lathe.