Cutting leg tapers

[Maurice Metzger]

I'm getting ready to saw some tapered legs out of red oak (not my favorite wood, the why is a long story). I'm going to use a fine tooth ryoba saw followed by a hand plane. I'm shooting for a very mild taper.

I plan on using the rip edge for this, but I thought I'd just check in with everyone - does anyone have any experience cutting tapered legs by hand? If so, any bad experiences using a rip saw for this?

Thanks in advance,
Maurice

[Steve Wargo]

If you're going for a very mild taper... why not just plane them. But that is coming from someone that doesn't rip very well by hand. You can taper a 30" long leg, 1/4" in just a couple minutes. Probably not much more than ripping and then cleaning up the cut.

[Mike Wenzloff]

Hi Maurice...how much taper is "very mild"? Less than 1/2" to remove at the end of the taper?

If so, it probably is faster to simply plane it out. Begin at the bottom of the leg, make a bunch of strokes with each begining of stroke coming back a tad towards the mark indicating the beginning of the taper.

There for a while I made a lot of Shaker-styled tables, taper was more than I would call mild taper. After using a BS to cut the first bunch of legs, I just simply switched to using a hand plane for the entire process. Overall it was faster.

I used two planes for the bulk of stock removal. One had a moderate camber, the other fairly straight edge. #3 planes--but maybe #4s. After the taper was well established and parallel to the gauged line, I switched to a #5 or #6.

Take care, Mike

[harry strasil]

I cut shaker style tapered legs, and just use 2 boards one nailed to the top of the other with the correct taper and with a stop and use this like a shoot board to do the planing, no guesswork and its quick and easy. I am right handed so you have to do the left side taper first.

You just plane till the plane quits cutting and you have a nice even taper and they are all the same.

[Maurice Metzger]

Steve, Mike, thanks for the suggestion, I'll give planing first a try.

Steve, I can rip fairly well with a ryoba, but it requires Zen-like focus. If I lose that even for a second, disaster can ensue. I also do a really wierd squint thing with my right eye and keep my left eye closed the whole time, all that's left is for me to stand with one leg raised :-)

Cheers,
Maurice

[Maurice Metzger]

Junior, I sure would appreciate a picture of that if you've got your camera handy.

Maurice

[harry strasil]

Just a scrap piece of 3/4 stuff, plane the edge where the plane will run true. Determine the taper wanted and nail a batten on the top in the right place, and a small piece for a stop. Clamp the simple jig to the bench top. The bench top serves as the slide for the plane, a little wax on the down side of the plane is a good idea.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/taperjig1.jpg


Lay the leg in the jig, use a jack set a little rank and plane close, then finish with a smoother or fore. The top side in the picture has already been done, its better if you plan which sides you are going to taper first then plane the first side, roll it a quarter turn to work the second side so the taper is up and plane the other side.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/taper2.jpg


This is how the piece I did quickly came out, about 15 minutes to set up the jig and plane both sides.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/taper3.jpg

[James Mittlefehldt]

Wow Harry, I was doing some mental gymnastics trying to visualize in my mind how to do the taper, something I plan on doing sometime in the future, and then you come along with that jig, WOW>

Whacks self on the side of the head, think next time. Seriously though that is an excellent idea you have there and it would work really well, and even justify all those cutoffs I keep hanging about the shop.

Imagine twenty years ago if someone wanted to do that with hand tools and how they would figure it out without the internet, I love my computer.

[harry strasil]

James, I am used to making simple jigs all the time, been doing it with iron since the 60's by just tack welding pieces together, then started with wood in the 70's. Usually if I have more then one of the same thing to make, I make a quick simple jig. Saves the customer some money and makes my job easier.

NOT trying to say I am smart or anything cause I am not, just have a vivid imagination and like to do things the easy way.

Maybe I shouldn't say this, but if you cut off the head of a small finish nail and drive it in the stop with a little sticking out and then sharpen it, that jig works well with a table saw too.

Respectfully Jr.

[Bob Hallowell]

Harry,
Sorry it's late and I am not thinking straight, but do you just put a wedge behind the side already tapered when you flip it?

Bob

[James Mittlefehldt]

The silly thing is I have once or twice made simple jigs like that, one for putting handle holes in a wooden carrying case and it is so simple it should have occurred to me.

Indeed hindsight is always 20/20.

[harry strasil]

Bob, when I do shaker legs I only taper the two inside sides. If I were going to taper all four sides. I would do two sides on all four legs then change the jig or make another for the other two sides.

[Deirdre Saoirse Moen]

Harry, as usual, this is a brilliant idea.

[Pam Niedermayer]

I'm getting ready to saw some tapered legs out of red oak (not my favorite wood, the why is a long story). I'm going to use a fine tooth ryoba saw followed by a hand plane. I'm shooting for a very mild taper....

A ryoba is the wrong saw to use for this job, should you decide to go with sawing rather than planing. The following crosscut teeth should fairly well muck up your sawing to any line. Instead, you should use a rip kataba, or tatabiki ( http://www.hidatool.com/woodpage/saws/rip%20cross.html ).

Pam

[Maurice Metzger]

Pam, I have written a haiku to address this very subject:

crosscut teeth follow
where my rip teeth flow
with my left eye closed
I can't see where they go


The ryoba works well enough :-)

Cheers,
Maurice