"Charles Krug" wrote in message

Finished table top will be 14" tall. Too tall for a coffee table?

Too short for me ... I think you will find 16" to 17" a better height for a
coffee table in this day and age.

First, is a 2 1/2" apron deep enough to support a table that's this long?

Your long side aprons will span about 45" and be about 47" long (2" for the
tenons) ... shoudn't be a problem.

My aprons are usually 2 1/4" to 3 1/2" wide for the coffee tables I build.
Too thick an apron and you can't get to the shelf easily and it looks bulky
(visually, your 3" overhang may allow a thicker apron if you wish).

Second, is a 1/4" mortise going to be strong enough in this application.

3/4" stock? Sure.

Finally, how deep to I mortise?

A lot depends on your leg stock size. On 1 1/2" - 3" legs I usually mortise
1" with the tenon a bit shorter (1/16").

I often miter the tenons on thin leg stock because your mortises may meet ..
no problem with a miter saw, and you can eyeball the mitered tenon lenght
anyway.

Assume an energetic child will be regularly attacking the piece.

What else is new ... the idea is to make it so that three year olds can use
it with no damage to the table, that takes care of most other stress
situations.

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Last update: 9/21/03