The Technique of FURNITURE MAKING

Pedestal table or pillar legs

A typical mahogany Chippendale pillar or tripod leg is shown in 201:1; 201:2 shows a

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199 Carving mace stand leg. Coop)

Sheraton pillar table leg and 201:3 an early nineteenth-century tripod table leg with brass lion foot castor. All these legs were used in sets of either three or four according to the heaviness and type of table.

Methods of attaching shaped legs to cylindri­cal pillars or shafts are illustrated in 202. Figure 202:1 is the stopped slot dovetail method with either taper or straight dovetail and shoulders scribed to fit the shaft; 202:2 is a simpler method using dowels, where the shaft is flatted to receive the leg and any chamfer or moulding round the shaft is returned across the top of the leg. The dowels should be 3/8 in (9.5 mm) or 1/2 in (12.5 mm) spiral cut or fluted to enter not less than 11/4 in (32 mm), and 203 shows the gluing up of such a construction. An alternative

method which preserves the shaft moulding intact is shown in 202:3, in which the top of the leg only is scribed to the shaft which is flattened to receive the remainder. This does away with the necessity of scribing the dovetail shoulders. As there is always a tendency for these legs to spread outward in time, no matter what jointing method is adopted, all old tables have to be reinforced sooner or later with a brass or steel plate. This is usually very roughly done, for
most antique dealers are only concerned to have the job done as cheaply as possible, but a good plate should be set in flush and shaped as shown in 202:4.

Wood for shaped legs

Laminated constructions are often more satis­factory for curved sections, but if solid timber is used it must be carefully chosen if it is to be strong enough to support the load. Most timber

205 Curve of legs from curve of board

is cut below the first branch when felled in order to provide clear, straight logs and for conveni­ence and economy in transport and sawing. However, the craftsman and small user can often control the felling and milling of his timber, and should always be on the lookout for those likely logs and large branches which will naturally afford a ready supply of the curved boards required for chair and table legs and other curved work.

Figure 204 shows a dining-table where the four curved legs came naturally from the curve of the board (Figure 205). With more extreme curves one may have to compromise and aim to get the maximum strength from the grain only where it is most needed. However, in the long term, it is surprising what tight curves can be found in natural branches of trees such as oak or walnut—they just have to be rescued, along with those commercially less attractive logs, before they are reduced to firewood, usually on site when the trees are being felled.