Randy Klein
06-28-2007, 5:24 PM
This was originally an update to a thread (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=59025&page=4) in the EZ forum where we discussed various ways of post construction to include lock miter and chamfer router bits, TS and BS bevels, Mark Singer's dado approach and others. I wanted to share it here as well as I ended up making these legs in a different manner than the original EZ method I proposed. This way, I hope for a larger audience for comments...
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I finally got around to making the legs. I ran some test pieces through the BS at 45 degrees (useing the Tilt Top angle gauge for accuracy), but there was still some small error that prevented the square from closing perfectly. Plus, they wanted to slip around so much, I was dreading assembly. Scrap that idea.
So back to the thinking board. I decided to use a rabbeting bit and join the legs as shown in the pictures. You can't see it, but these legs are dead-on square. I still need to trim the ends since they don't are all different lengths. Those aren't gaps at the ends, those are shadows from the longer pieces.
I also Dominoed them together for help with alignment (although this took some time to figure out how to properly place my mortises). These pictures are only a dry fit, but they are as snug as anything. In fact, I have to force them apart, carefully of course.
I intentionally created those corners as such. I'm going to inlay some cherry. The bed is maple with cherry accents, so it should mesh well design-wise. Although my wife likes the weird design w/o inlays and wouldn't mind leaving it like that...:confused:
I haven't decided yet to put a core in the middle or leave it hollow as it is now. These are modular bunk beds, so in bunk-bed mode, they will be a connecting piece between the legs of the 2 beds. So leaving it hollow will obviously allow room for the connecting piece. I think I may add a core, but not the full length (leave a few inches hollow at the ends for the connecting piece). This way, I'll add some additional strength and heft to the legs while preserving the bunk-bed-ability.
Overall, I think this method of leg construction is rather straight forward and simple to execute. And if you are using 2 different species of wood, it allows you to highlight/accent the legs (what normally would be an ugly design in my mind). I'm not sure what I would do if I using just one species.
Any thoughts, comments, or suggestions?
******
I finally got around to making the legs. I ran some test pieces through the BS at 45 degrees (useing the Tilt Top angle gauge for accuracy), but there was still some small error that prevented the square from closing perfectly. Plus, they wanted to slip around so much, I was dreading assembly. Scrap that idea.
So back to the thinking board. I decided to use a rabbeting bit and join the legs as shown in the pictures. You can't see it, but these legs are dead-on square. I still need to trim the ends since they don't are all different lengths. Those aren't gaps at the ends, those are shadows from the longer pieces.
I also Dominoed them together for help with alignment (although this took some time to figure out how to properly place my mortises). These pictures are only a dry fit, but they are as snug as anything. In fact, I have to force them apart, carefully of course.
I intentionally created those corners as such. I'm going to inlay some cherry. The bed is maple with cherry accents, so it should mesh well design-wise. Although my wife likes the weird design w/o inlays and wouldn't mind leaving it like that...:confused:
I haven't decided yet to put a core in the middle or leave it hollow as it is now. These are modular bunk beds, so in bunk-bed mode, they will be a connecting piece between the legs of the 2 beds. So leaving it hollow will obviously allow room for the connecting piece. I think I may add a core, but not the full length (leave a few inches hollow at the ends for the connecting piece). This way, I'll add some additional strength and heft to the legs while preserving the bunk-bed-ability.
Overall, I think this method of leg construction is rather straight forward and simple to execute. And if you are using 2 different species of wood, it allows you to highlight/accent the legs (what normally would be an ugly design in my mind). I'm not sure what I would do if I using just one species.
Any thoughts, comments, or suggestions?