Turning Table Legs

[phil harold]

I want to turn some 4" legs from one peice of lumber
how wood I ask the saw mill to cut the log to get the best results
pictures or drawings wood be helpful
thanks!

[John K Jordan]

I want to turn some 4" legs from one peice of lumber
how wood I ask the saw mill to cut the log to get the best results
pictures or drawings wood be helpful
thanks!

Short 4" legs or long legs 4" in diameter? How big is the log? A picture or sketch of what you want to make might help.

The blank should be cut with the grain running as straight as possible in the long direction, avoiding knots and other defects. If you are wondering about the orientation in the log for the blank as you might consider for a board (i.e., quartersawn, etc), for a woodturning it doesn't matter. Just make sure the blanks don't contain any pith. A 4" thick blank might take a considerable length of time to air dry properly.

JKJ

[Jim Barkelew]

If the grain runs diagonally across the 4 inch square the four orientations of the leg will look generally the same as far as the grain pattern. If the grain runs parallel to a side of the cross section the grain pattern will be quite different on adjacent sides. This assumes the top part of the leg is left square.

Jim

[phil harold]

If the grain runs diagonally across the 4 inch square the four orientations of the leg will look generally the same as far as the grain pattern. If the grain runs parallel to a side of the cross section the grain pattern will be quite different on adjacent sides. This assumes the top part of the leg is left square.

Jim

Thanks Jim
I have a sawmill and kiln just down the road from me
I want to make some legs for a kitchen table
want to order what i can from him

[JohnC Lucas]

Be aware that the wood will be green and take several years to dry. You need dry wood if your going to put it in the house or it will crack. I would not turn 4" legs from green wood. You can get buy with legs the size of Windsor chair using green wood but anything larger than that and it will crack on you. Have them cut it a little large, seal the ends and then weight it. When it stops losing weight it's ready to turn. 4" legs will probably take a minimum of 1 year and probably longer. They typically say 1 year per inch but when you have that much side grain showing my results have been shorter. Cut them longer than you need because even with endgrain sealer you could lose an inch or more off of each end.