My wife wants a very rustic looking kitchen table. Im using red oak
and Ive already finished the top. Im trying to figure out what kind
of legs to make. I dont have a lathe so they cant be round.
Originally I was going to make a pedestal style table but my wife says
thats too country. She just wants 4 plain legs, but I think that will
look amatuerish. The only thing I can think of is to just use heavy
legs (about 5" square) and slightly taper them. Any other ideas?

try using prefab staircase or porch posts.They are already tuned and usually
only require light sanding and finish

On 15 Aug 2003 18:33:57 -0700, (UTRECHT) wrote:

My wife wants a very rustic looking kitchen table. Im using red oak
and Ive already finished the top. Im trying to figure out what kind
of legs to make. I dont have a lathe so they cant be round.
Originally I was going to make a pedestal style table but my wife says
thats too country. She just wants 4 plain legs, but I think that will
look amatuerish. The only thing I can think of is to just use heavy
legs (about 5" square) and slightly taper them. Any other ideas?


5" square legs are huge, rather bulky. Tapering the legs will make
the table appear lighter--without the taper it might look a piece of
shop furniture. Generally, the inside of the legs are tapered. With
5" legs I'm not sure if your table saw can handle it.

How about some oak newel posts modified to suit your needs?

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
On 15 Aug 2003 18:33:57 -0700, (UTRECHT) wrote:

My wife wants a very rustic looking kitchen table. Im using red oak
and Ive already finished the top. Im trying to figure out what kind
of legs to make. I dont have a lathe so they cant be round.
Originally I was going to make a pedestal style table but my wife says
thats too country. She just wants 4 plain legs, but I think that will
look amatuerish. The only thing I can think of is to just use heavy
legs (about 5" square) and slightly taper them. Any other ideas?


5" square legs are huge, rather bulky. Tapering the legs will make
the table appear lighter--without the taper it might look a piece of
shop furniture. Generally, the inside of the legs are tapered. With
5" legs I'm not sure if your table saw can handle it.

I made an oak dining table that lives over in the Smokies now in a
cottage on the Hiawassee River. The legs were plain, about 3" as I
remember. To make them a bit more interesting, I did a stopped champher
on the outer corner from the floor up to about 3" from the top. The 45
degree champher was about 3/4 to an inch across.. The Lady that bought
the cottage liked the table and chairs I made, she bought them to stay
with the cottage.
Mike in Pelham, NC

UTRECHT wrote:

My wife wants a very rustic looking kitchen table. Im using red oak
and Ive already finished the top. Im trying to figure out what kind
of legs to make. I dont have a lathe so they cant be round.
Originally I was going to make a pedestal style table but my wife says
thats too country. She just wants 4 plain legs, but I think that will
look amatuerish. The only thing I can think of is to just use heavy
legs (about 5" square) and slightly taper them. Any other ideas?

In article ,
UTRECHT wrote:
My wife wants a very rustic looking kitchen table. Im using red oak
and Ive already finished the top. Im trying to figure out what kind
of legs to make. I dont have a lathe so they cant be round.
Originally I was going to make a pedestal style table but my wife says
thats too country. She just wants 4 plain legs, but I think that will
look amatuerish. The only thing I can think of is to just use heavy
legs (about 5" square) and slightly taper them. Any other ideas?

5" square is _big_. "typical" tapered square legs are on the order of 1-3/4"
sq at the top, and 3/4"-1" square at the bottom. Usually with some form of
minimal 'ornamentation' in the few inches directly below the skirt.

A very clean, simple, and elegant look can be accomplished by taking a
tapered cut off the inside _corner_ of a medium-large square leg. I dunno
what to call the design, but I've used it on big (42"x96") solid-mahagony DR
tables.

Using 3" sq. stock, I mark the base of the leg, at the middle of each of the
two 'inside' sides; and on the 'inside corner' a few inches (1x to 1-1/2x the
height of the skirt seems to 'look right') _below_ the bottom of the skirt.
Play 'connect the dots', and cut off the triangular piece so defined.

These are readily cut on a table saw -- 45-degree blade angle, plus a simple
taper-jig.

Shaving that insde corner of the leg makes a tremendous difference in the
apparent 'massiveness' of the table.