Synopsis: Eric Schramm explains in this concise article how to cut elegantly tapered legs on a jointer. He fits the jointer with stop blocks that are set to the length of the taper and regulate the slope of cut, and explains each step of the process. He offers advice on how to taper the leg from end to end without kickback. He adds information about cutting spade-foot legs and other forms requiring stopped tapers.

If the turned legs on the pine table shown on p. 52 don’t suit your fancy, you might want to build the piece with elegant tapered legs. I cut them with several passes on my jointer, which I fit with stop blocks to set the length of the taper and regulate the slope of cut. This method is fast, accurate and produces smooth surfaces. You could also taper the legs with a bandsaw or tablesaw, then finish with a smoothing plane, which is what I do with very short tapers rather than trying to pull small pieces over the cutterhead.

For a table like this I begin with 1 -in. stock and taper it on all four sides to in. Before you begin cutting, draw the taper on all four faces of the leg and carry the guidelines onto the bottom end of the leg so they remain visible after you start cutting. It’s also easier to cut the leg mortises above the taper in the square stock before you begin shaping.

If you’re tapering stock that’s shorter than the length of the infeed table, set up the jointer as shown before starting the machine. Lower the infeed table to make a -in. cut. Place the stock on top of the infeed table and against the fence with its top section resting on the edge of the outfeed table. Butt a stop block against the end of the leg and clamp the block to the infeed table.

Now, remove the leg and start the jointer. Place the bottom end of the leg against the stop block, carefully open the blade guard wide enough for the leg to slide by and lower the leg until the top end rests on the outfeed table. Setting the top of the leg on the outfeed table like this will hold the end high, so that the cut will be tapered toward the other end of the stock as you push the leg through the jointer with the push stick. Be very careful. Don’t use the jointer without a push stick. Mine is a 6-in. by 4-in. block of wood notched on one long edge to fit over the leg. Continue cutting each side in turn, until the end is tapered to the guidelines you’ve laid out. Then plane or sand to smooth the transition from the square stock to the taper.

From Fine Woodworking #54

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