I am in the process of making 4 Shaker tables. After assembling the legs and aprons I realized that I mortised one of the legs backwards. Meaning that the leg is tapered on the inside instead of the outside. The legs have been glued and pinned, is there anyway to take it apart and add a new leg?
Replies
We've all done stuff like that.
I can think of two. One is to carefully saw them off, trying to keep the blade in the leg and not touch the apron. (Cut the leg off short to make it easier to handle, first.) Then clean up the apron with chisels. Another is to drill through from the outsides where the pins are with a larger diameter bit, drilling the pins away. Then break the glue joint holding the legs to the aprons. Since they're glued to end grain they may come away with all the damage on the leg and none on the apron. Then clean up with chisels.
Jeff,
I think I would change the other three legs. On all the shaker furniture I've seen any legs were tapered on the inside.
I once made a little coffee table and tapered the legs on the outside. To my eyes it made it look top heavy and ready to fall over. I wound up making new legs--fortunately I hadn't glued it yet.
Alan
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled