Friday, November 14, 2014

Walnut Dining Trestle Table: Legs Part 1



This table is all about the legs.  So thats where we start:


Sizing the blanks for the feet on the bandsaw


No 16/4 Walnut handy, so these are face laminations of 8/4 stock.

The foot features a colossal M/T joint where the upright meets the foot, I like to start with the mortise. If I can get a nice mortise cut with parallel walls, I find it easier to size the tenon.  

I hog these out on the slot mortiser , adjusting the z-axis as I go:

Put the upright right on the foot and pull your measurements directly.  This is a simple joint to cut. I am comfortable running the upright on the TS and finishing off with a sharp X-Cut handsaw.

With the bottom joint fitting properly we move to the bridle joint at the top attaching the upright to the upper support where the top will rest.  Again work piece to piece using centerlines always to line up and do the layout.

Its easy to miscut this joint because you are only removing half of the material from either member.  I chose to kerf the waste and finish up on the bandsaw.