Attaching legs to a round table with a curved apron.mortise
pdoor
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I am planning on making a round table with four legs. The apron is curved. I have seen table projects like this but only where the legs are morticed to receive a tenon from the apron. The legs are then fixed to the apron and table and cannot be removed. I need to design this table so that the legs can be removed for moving purposes. Are there any articles or does anyone have a possible solutions for this type of design?
Replies
Will the legs be inside the apron, or do they need to project through it and look like they were M&T'd? A sketch of the leg/ apron junction would help.
You really don't want to be disassembling mortise and tenon joints. Your table will be very wobbly in short order. It's better to make the table in two halves, similar to a table that opens up to accept extension leaves. The legs would be permanently attached to the aprons.
I attached a screenshot of a similar design. However, the legs on this design are permanently attached. This would be ok for a small table but not for a larger table.
This is from my bible, you could have a notch in the apron as in the lower left drawing in which the leg slides and is kept in place by a bolt from behind.
Thanks for the tip and the picture from your bible. This should work. Much appreciated.
Hey Gulfstar, What's the title & author of that bible?
It’s a French book called le traité d’ébenisterie , google translate defines it as : All the technical, decorative and historical knowledge to know, design and realize the main style furniture. I brought it back from Paris when I was 20 and it’s still available online, often used.
How useful do you think will it be for a non-french speaker?
This is how the book is written, each double page is text on the left refering to the images on the right (there are 260 pages), except for the part on the origin of the styles and their evolution, I never read the left page since the drawings are self explanatory. This is essentially a design book, there is a large chapter on geometry, perspective and projection, the chapter on joinery is extensive but only adresses the joint design, no reference to wood or techniques and so on.
The Festool domino system has these internal locking tenon devises that are designed to do just that, hold tight and come apart. I went to a Festool event and they gave me a hat! They demonstrated their system to me --those devises seemed like a really good solution to some situations that I have had in the past. The things weren't prohibitively expensive each until I calculated how many would have been required on set up and take down things I have made, things like traveling show displays and such. I made a mental note of them and realized that I don't need their machine to make a mortise and if i were to ever need something like that i know where they can be found.
I did build a couple of demilune end tables which followed these needs. Link to the build here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/A%20Pair%20of%20End%20Tables.html
Regards from Perth
Derek
Thanks for replying and the attached link. I need all the help I can get.