Thread: A great stuff up

Good save! Tapered mortises must be fun!

Now that you have told us it's sticks out like a sore thumb. I think it would be noticeable to fellow wood workers.

One thing comes to mind, what if the client wants more than one? Will you go the full taper or just part way.

Hi I cant comment on you tecnique for the table saw as I have never cut a tapered leg that way (dont have a table saw)

It is probably easier to cut the mortices first although if you stuff up the tapering you have wasted even more time.

Personally I never cut the taper right to the top of the leg, I always have a transition from parallel to taper.Saves you the problem of cutting tapered faces on the aprons too.
normally I start the taper further down from the depth of the apron.Usually taper mine with the router and a jig and fine tune with a hand plane.I always taper my square legs on all 4 faces but the tradition in the 18th century quite often was to taper off only the 2 inner faces of the legs, this saved a lot of work and looked very elegant.Don't be tempted to taper the outer 2 surfaces of the leg or your furniture will look like it's had a drink or 2.

Originally Posted by Ilya

Good save! Tapered mortises must be fun!

The mortices are on the tapered side of the legs.

I have a hollow chisel morticer which made that part easy. It was the taper on the tenon as I could not use the tenoning attachement on the router table.

So all the tenons had to be done by hand. Most of the angles were at 1.5 degrees but a couple were just under that.

Dry fit, check for square, check for gaps, a trim here a trim there, dry fit and check and repeat as necessary until all good.

Took over 1/2 a day just doing that.

Originally Posted by mark david

Hi I cant comment on you tecnique for the table saw as I have never cut a tapered leg that way (dont have a table saw)

It is probably easier to cut the mortices first although if you stuff up the tapering you have wasted even more time.

Personally I never cut the taper right to the top of the leg, I always have a transition from parallel to taper.Saves you the problem of cutting tapered faces on the aprons too.
normally I start the taper further down from the depth of the apron.Usually taper mine with the router and a jig and fine tune with a hand plane.I always taper my square legs on all 4 faces but the tradition in the 18th century quite often was to taper off only the 2 inner faces of the legs, this saved a lot of work and looked very elegant.Don't be tempted to taper the outer 2 surfaces of the leg or your furniture will look like it's had a drink or 2.

I didn't mean to cut it to the top of the leg. Just stuffed up in setting the jig. To cut a taper on a table saw you start at the bottom of the leg and cut to the top leaving a parallel at the top.

The tapers on this are only on the inside. I must admit it would be a lot of fun () to do a full taper on all four sides.

I usually leave a parallel on the top but ...... Murphy's Law kicked in.

Originally Posted by Christos

Now that you have told us it's sticks out like a sore thumb. I think it would be noticeable to fellow wood workers.

One thing comes to mind, what if the client wants more than one? Will you go the full taper or just part way.

If I never told you what would you have said.
Never again...... only ever part of the the way.

A while back I made a D-shaped table with attached spade feet and legs tapered on all sides

Originally Posted by The Bleeder

I didn't mean to cut it to the top of the leg. Just stuffed up in setting the jig. To cut a taper on a table saw you start at the bottom of the leg and cut to the top leaving a parallel at the top.

The tapers on this are only on the inside. I must admit it would be a lot of fun () to do a full taper on all four sides.

I usually leave a parallel on the top but ...... Murphy's Law kicked in.

Chances are your client won't notice and will be ecstatic at what you have produced

Nicely done