Tapering legs-ultimate solution?
While I enjoy shop tips and tricks as much as the next guy, I believe hand cut dovetails, router trammels and leg tapering fixtures have been flogged to death.
Having just made that argumentative statement, last week I was noodling around and had followed some links and ended-up at this page (URL below).
It featured Glen Huey working a leg taper, using only a jointer.
Folks, I thought I had seen ‘em all but, I tell you, if I was wearing a hat, I would have taken it off.
Although it is outstanding in both it’s simplicity and results; the only change I would make would be to use a clamped stop instead of sneaking up to the reference line.
Thought: An excellent time to use the magnetic dial indicator base, as a stop.
http://popularwoodworking.com/video/?showid=64822
Practice…’till you can do it right the first time.
Replies
The video in the link, while interesting, had nothing to do with tapering legs -- it's about a Holtzapple (Sp?) workbench.
'Sup?
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
One of the risks of too-fancy web site construction. All three of the videos on that site have the same URL. You need to click on the More Videos link and then select the one you want to watch.
-Steve
Edited 11/19/2007 2:30 pm ET by saschafer
Pretty cool. I'd have to unbury the jointer to do this tho'. LOL!
I usually taper legs with a hand plane on a simple jig I have. It's basically a wooden "U" channel a wide as my plane with a fence on one side to keep the plane running straight. Since the plane bottom is wider than the blade, the plane will ride on the jig without planing the edges away. I put the stock in the channel, with each end boosted up off the bottom by spacers of the appropriate sizes. Then just plane until the plane is stopped by the channel. Done.
I must admit, if I had 400 to do as mentioned in the vid, I'd plug in! ;-)
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Edited 11/19/2007 7:34 pm ET by MikeHennessy
Another method was presented in
Tapered Legs on a Jointer
by Eric Schramm
(Eric Schramm designs and builds custom
furniture in Los Gatos, Calif.)
Best of Fine Woodworking 2002?
I use this method. It will allow you to leave stock at the 'foot' of the taper if desired. Not sure how you could do that using the method shown in the Popular Woodworking video. Not that I'm knocking this video but I wonder about cutting that much wood in one pass (depending on the taper). I would suppose you could cut in stages using this method.
See this link for Eric's method.
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=2130
Edited 11/22/2007 7:01 am by WillGeorge
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