splay and rake

[Art Brazee]

I have a large walnut crotch slab which cries out to be a bench after George Nakashima. I have the slab mostly ready (flattened and "butterflyed") for legs. Before I set it thing up and play with rake and splay angles visually (for the legs) I wanted to get some feedback. I intend to join the legs like a windsor chair. There will be no stretchers. Obviously, a dead vertical leg with provide the most strength, but won't look very good. A large rake and splay will be weaker. Visually, I'm not sure what will look good yet. I intended to turn the legs a bit more bulbous than a windsor - really I want to exgagerate their roundness - perhaps giving a feeling of strength (hopefully they won't be clown feet).

What I'm wondering is what rake and splay have others played with varying degrees of success. The slab is 6' by 17" and 2" thick. The way the slab sits on the legs may be the most important design element. So, I'm going slow. Actually, I don't even know the rake and splay of a windsor, or if there is a common angle. Anyone have some input? Anything would be most welcome.

[Jamie Buxton]

You could mock it up, and see what looks best to you. That, of course, is more important than what the rest of us think. To mock it up, you could make a sub-top from 3/4" plywood. You could mortise crudely-turned legs into it, and just rest the walnut slab on it. Or you could get more elaborate, and make some way to adjust the leg angles.

[Art Brazee]

Thanks Jamie - I will mock it up. I was looking for a starting point. I can go from zero to perhaps something like 15 ???? (I'm not sure what the practical limit is) That's 125 combinations. Hopefully there's some chair guys out there who have been through such an exercise. I seems a 50's look is a fairly high rake with no splay. I don't want that. Nakashima had straight legs on some of his work. That's a little too simple. I think a good start is a windsor, but I can't seem to find the common angles.