How to join leg to desk?

[Mark Gibney]

A designer has asked me to make a desk for her clients, together they drew the design.
My main issue is how to attach the two legs where they meet the underside of the desk. They will be "tapered cylinders" from 2" at the foot to 3" at the top.

The desktop will be 3/4" bamboo plywood, with drawers underneath, then a second layers of 3/4" bamboo plywood.

I cannot bring the leg up through this lower layer because there will be drawers above it.

499893

Here's a crude sketch I made of what's going on.
How can I securely attach the legs to the bamboo plywood?

thanks, Mark.

[Lee Schierer]

I would alter your design slightly to make your drawer like the one in the attached photo.
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It is a very old photo so it isn't as clear as I would like. The front skirt is attached to the leg with a mortise and tenon. The side is also attached the same way. This configuration should give you a leg that is secure and doesn't wobble with age like the screw into a plate type legs.

[Jamie Buxton]

make the leg run from the floor to the underside of the top plywood. It penetrates through the lower plywood. The drawer front is full-width, as the clients have drawn. However, the drawer box is narrower, to clear the leg.

When you taper the leg, make it taper only to the bottom of the lower plywood. The upper part of the leg is square cross section. This gives you nice flat surfaces to fasten to the side. The side is firmly connected to the top plywood and the lower plywood, so this will be a secure connection for the leg.

[Howard Rosenberg]

Threaded insert in the bottom of the case meeting threaded rod in the top of the leg?

[John TenEyck]

Exactly what Jamie recommended. Solid construction is the most important consideration, so the leg needs to come up through the bottom so it can fasten to the stretchers. Running the drawer front full width gives the desired aesthetic even though the drawer box is narrower inside.

The customer gets what they want and you can sleep easy. I'd call it a win-win.

John

[Michael Burnside]

Personally not a fan of a wide drawer front and narrower drawer box, but it's an aesthetic that can work for sure. Just don't like it when you open the drawer, but that's me. Personally I'm with Howard in that I'd use a threaded rod epoxied into the leg and threaded into the base of cabinet. With the other side being a book case, you have a ton of lateral stability so you should be more than fine on a desk, IMHO.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

+ 1 for Jamies way. Maybe leave a slightly bigger corner for the "through the drawer case section" of the leg than you have drawn in your sketch.

[Mark Gibney]

I too like Jamie's solution, but I can't do this - the clients are very specific on what they want, and the drawer will take up the room where the legs would come through the lower level of plywood - they have measured out what they will store in there and a full width drawer is needed.

Some variation of what Lee suggests, a more conventional leg/apron construction might be feasible.
I could also think about two truncated "aprons" say 3" tall, 6" longs, that taper away from the leg in two axis, and combine this with the threaded rod that Howard suggests.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Always good to be able to get feedback on these things.

[James Jayko]

Turn a round tenon on the end that meets the bottom of the desk. Wedge the tenon through a round mortise like in a Windsor chair, then trim flush?

[Derek Cohen]

A designer has asked me to make a desk for her clients, together they drew the design.
My main issue is how to attach the two legs where they meet the underside of the desk. They will be "tapered cylinders" from 2" at the foot to 3" at the top.

The desktop will be 3/4" bamboo plywood, with drawers underneath, then a second layers of 3/4" bamboo plywood.

I cannot bring the leg up through this lower layer because there will be drawers above it.

499893

Here's a crude sketch I made of what's going on.
How can I securely attach the legs to the bamboo plywood?

thanks, Mark.

Mark, I think that this is designed by someone with little understanding of woodwork or engineering. However, you need to meet your client's needs, and it seems that the priority is the drawer. With that in mind, how about a cantilevered drawer case without legs at the front? That can be done.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jamie Buxton]

I too like Jamie's solution, but I can't do this - the clients are very specific on what they want, and the drawer will take up the room where the legs would come through the lower level of plywood - they have measured out what they will store in there and a full width drawer is needed.

Some variation of what Lee suggests, a more conventional leg/apron construction might be feasible.
I could also think about two truncated "aprons" say 3" tall, 6" longs, that taper away from the leg in two axis, and combine this with the threaded rod that Howard suggests.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Always good to be able to get feedback on these things.

Customers do know what they want. But customers don't know how to build furniture that will fill their needs. That's your expertise. As a furniture builder, you have to find a way to fill their needs, but letting them design the structure is asking for trouble.

[John Kananis]

If not what Jamie said, then redesign a substructure for the legs and attach the cabinet-like top with mechanical fasteners to the "well-built" base.

Edit: attach stretchers, even if you just dovetail them into the tops of the legs, you can secure that way.

[Christian Hawkshaw]

You could do like Jamie suggested, but also half-lap the portion of the leg that extends to the top. The top component could then "sit" on sholder portion of the leg. In addition, the amount of space consumed by the legs in the interior would be reduced by half.

edit: Just noticed the legs will be 3" at the top..a full half lap my push the legs out too much, but you could remove a portion.

edit 2: You could also just make the top potion of the leg tenon shaped. 1" should give you plenty of strength to attach to the side.

[Mark Gibney]

Some great suggestions here, thanks. I'll have time this weekend to really look at the project in detail before meeting with the clients and designer next week. I'll be sure to let you know what the upshot is.
Mark

[Tom Bender]

How about a plate more sturdy than the typical manufactured items. Since the leg is 3" diameter you can drill a hole 1" ID x 5" deep. Get a welder to make a 3/8" triangular plate 6" on a side and weld on the 1" bar. Rebate it into the plywood.

[Mark Gibney]

Tom, I like your idea, and I'm going to develop it.
Christian, they rejected this idea of the half-lap leg-to-drawercase-side. Unfortunately.

[Mark Gibney]

Derek, I would like to know more about what you envision for this?
Could you draw something on the back of a napkin? Thanks!

[Myles Moran]

I think Tom's on to something with that welded bracket idea. The other consideration is the attachment to the shallow bookcase at the other side. Given it spans the width of the desk, that connection should resist a lot of side to side racking force. If it's secure for forward backwards racking force (such as pushing on the desk as one stands up) that strength there will surely help offset any shortcomings in the front leg connections. Hopefully the top drawer box can serve sort of as a torsion box so the bookcase portion of this can really handle more of the forces than the smaller legs.

[Derek Cohen]

Derek, I would like to know more about what you envision for this?
Could you draw something on the back of a napkin? Thanks!

Mark, here are a couple of rough sketches ...

Firstly, the desk/bookcase ...

https://i.postimg.cc/QdtNZd8D/Cantilevered-table-bookcase.jpg

Then, the hidden cantilever. The male section can be made from plywood (welded steel would be better still), like a box, and bolted to the wall. The desk is open at the rear and fits over this (female section).

https://i.postimg.cc/L8b99F51/Cantilevered-table-bookcase2.jpg
Plenty of space for drawers. at the front. The bracket is completely hidden. Altogether, much cleaner looking than the original client's design.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[glenn bradley]

Drawing pictures is easy. Drawing pictures of something that can be built that will last takes something else. I vote with Jamie if the look is paramount.

make the leg run from the floor to the underside of the top plywood. It penetrates through the lower plywood. The drawer front is full-width, as the clients have drawn. However, the drawer box is narrower, to clear the leg.

When you taper the leg, make it taper only to the bottom of the lower plywood. The upper part of the leg is square cross section. This gives you nice flat surfaces to fasten to the side. The side is firmly connected to the top plywood and the lower plywood, so this will be a secure connection for the leg.
If the client is open to a small visual modification Lee's picture is how I would go. I would not simply screw the leg to the bottom surface although lots of "Wal Mart" furniture is made this way. The bookcase could add some stability as a screwed on leg has little lateral strength if you choose to go that way. I would just explain the positives and negatives but get the statement in writing if the client wants a physically inferior design in favor of aesthetics. Wouldn't be the first time. The customer is always right.

[Christian Hawkshaw]

Tom, I like your idea, and I'm going to develop it.
Christian, they rejected this idea of the half-lap leg-to-drawercase-side. Unfortunately.

For clarity, The half lap(reduced leg) would have been in the interior of the carcus side...It would allow more room for the drawer is all...