george nakashima spindle detail

[John Pond]

Thanks for the quick response. Haven't had the time to get back to the shop since I posted last but I will refer back to this when I do. When you said brace rather than clamp for the drill jig, did you mean a horizontal brace, like using the 'dogs' on a workbench? I don't have this capability yet but it sounds like a good idea as I did have the occasional spin out when the bit would catch the jig. And also, could you further explain what you meant when you said "I corrected for any deviations between sides (left and right mirror)"?
I bought my spindles from some Mennonite's in the area (who generally seem to price things reasonably), so they should be fairly uniform. But the don't have the taper on both ends, just a slight taper from on end to the other, with a 6 inch-ish uniform 3/4' base before the taper begins. So it'll just be a matter of sticking them all in the same depth so they have the same dimensions at the top. But Kudos to you for spinning them yourself.
And by hand drilling I do mean with a power drill. But I recently picked a hand drill thinking it might be good to start the holes with to avoid tearout at the top. Not that it has been a problem yet. Just wondering when the bit might begin to dull after 20 or so holes.
hHow did you contain the glue overflow during the backrest placement, ie. from running down the spindles?
The legs I took off this old garage sale table, I have sanded them but haven't cut them to size yet. They look very similar to the style of the original. Any idea how he joined them underneath? I wasn't planning on having them come right through the slab however. I have about two inches of slab thickness to work with. I was half considering sticking a threaded rod into the legs and screwing a female end underneath the slab,. I have seen this on a lot of cheaper tables but have begun to think that it might not be a great idea because people will be sitting on this not putting coffees on it. I suppose the 5 degree splay would increase the rigidity but I was hoping to keep them at a right angle. Do you know if the legs are splayed in the original? Any ideas for the leg joinery? This is my first piece of furniture so all methods/ideas are definitely appreciated. Thanks again

[Raphael Weil]

Wow love this thread, so many possibilities!