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9th December 2018, 12:21 PM #1Senior Member
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Suggestions needed for joins on table legs.
Hi All,
Making a table currently its American Oak 1900x1100x45 are the dimensions of the table and the legs I want to make for it are timber like in the attached picture, I'm after some suggestions as to what sort of joins
I should use on the bottom section of the leg for best strength. Would simply cutting the uprights and bottom section to desired angles and glue joining them at those angles using the largest size Domino's be sufficient?
Or would I just cut the angles on the bottom cross section and butt join the uprights to it using dominos then cut the bottom of the upright to match the angle of the cross section (if that makes sense)
Normally I would use steel legs but in this case they want timber.
Thanks in advance.
Joel
Table Legs.jpeg
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9th December 2018 12:21 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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10th December 2018, 11:01 AM #2
With that design I'd be a tad concerned about the legs wanting to pull away from the bottom rail and 'splay out' with weight on the table.
Any of the traditional joints that'd inherently overcome that would show some of the rail's end-grain, which wouldn't look right... leaving a choice of either mechanical fasteners or overly complicated cuts.
Personally I'd probably opt for a simple butt joint, using dominos or dowels for positioning, then once the glue has gone off flip the whole thing upside down and screw a plate or pair of figure-8 fasteners into a routed recess across each joint, so the screw-heads don't mar the floor.
Because the screws would be perpendicular to the joint, they'd be much more secure and less likely to pull apart.
- Andy Mc
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10th December 2018, 05:18 PM #3Taking a break
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The dowel/domino and figure-8 idea would work. Another option is to mitre it and drop some long screws in from the bottom once the glue goes off, I've done that plenty of times.
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13th December 2018, 07:38 AM #4
A bridle joint would be more than strong enough.
But you could add dowel pins if you're belt, braces and suspenders minded.
perhaps the quickest joint is a pair of large dominos, pinned with a contrasting coloured dowelregards from Alberta, Canada
ian
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13th December 2018, 09:05 AM #5
The customer is always right, but I'm glad I'm not faced with making this table. It certainly looks neat & elegant, but from what I can see of its undercarriage, it's not a robust design. There are several ways of achieving an adequate joint between the legs & bottom rail - I'd be tempted to use through dovetails & make it a 'feature' but if you want to keep it minimalist, dominoes & pins should suffice - at least include some way of resisting lateral spread other than relying on glue alone.
But your real concern, imo, is how you are going to join the leg assemblies to the top. I'm assuming the top rail of the leg assembly is screwed to the underside of the table top, & that's it - there is no evidence of any sort of skirt or bracing between those leg assemblies. There's going to be some movement cycles in that top, unless it's destined for a climate-controlled environment. A wide, thick top like that will develop a lot of power if it decides to move, so the screw joints need to allow for expansion/contraction, reducing the rigidity of the leg assembly & top. That, to my mind, is going to be the major concern over time; tables do get dragged & pushed around in the best of families. Don't put a long guarantee period on this one......
Cheers,IW
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13th December 2018, 09:32 AM #6
It's a bit of work, but the top leg brace -- for want of a better description for the top member of the trapezoid legs -- could be screwed to dovetail keys inserted into the underside of the top.
The keys could be inserted via a pocket routed into the center of the top.
This would (1) hold the top flat, (2) allow for movement in the top and (3) give a rigid connection between the legs and the topregards from Alberta, Canada
ian
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13th December 2018, 10:22 PM #7GOLD MEMBER
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If the top you are doing is anything like whats in the picture then why would you want to spoil/degrade the top with disgusting leg frame like that. I doubt the table would be very ridgid lenght wise... one wobble and it would fall into a heap.
Experienced in removing the tree from the furniture
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13th December 2018, 10:42 PM #8Taking a break
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1) Looks are subjective
2) Threaded inserts and demon bolts are an incredibly strong way of attaching them. Yes you will get a bit of wobble, but the legs are certainly not coming off without some serious effort.
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13th December 2018, 11:02 PM #9
The strongest joint for the leg construction is a finger joint, as this maximises the glue area. I would avoid butt joints and fasteners, such as screws, dowels, biscuits or dominos. They are limited in glue area. Through dovetails come second to finger joints - less glue area (on a face-to-face or side-to-side) but better mechanical connection.
Regards from Perth
DerekVisit www.inthewoodshop.com for tutorials on constructing handtools, handtool reviews, and my trials and tribulations with furniture builds.
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19th December 2018, 10:48 AM #10Member
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what about pocket hole screws from the bottom with some glue? No-one would see them
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22nd December 2018, 05:12 AM #11Senior Member
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Thanks guys I think I will just put some screws in from the bottom as they won’t be seen.
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12th January 2019, 02:27 AM #12Senior Member
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Hi All,
Thought I would post my finished table on here it turned out pretty nice. American Oak finished with Osmo Polyx and Matte Black outside legs.
file-24.jpg file2-6.jpg file1-6.jpg
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