# slab table leg ideas help



## jkupcha (Jun 19, 2009)

So I'm now building the legs for my walnut slab table. Coming up with a design that compliments the beautiful walnut slab is challenging. I thought what I would do is build an idea using cheapo HD 2x6 wood and see how it works before milling some nice maple. I thought lighter colored legs would look nice setting off the darker top. I wanted to stay away from the legs made of smaller solid slabs most people use. Would appreciate it if anybody has pics/ideas out there. Thanks


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## oldsaw (Jun 19, 2009)

I'd double the thickness (to same as top) and increase the amount of sweep (make the top of the leg wider with more of a curve coming down), with maybe a live edge stringer going around the top of the legs in the same wood as the top, but using maple legs. Maple stringers would be okay as well. Possibly a bit more splay in the legs as well.

To my eye, those legs are far too dainty and out of scale with the table. But what do I know. Have fun with it, I like where you are going.

Mark


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## jkupcha (Jun 19, 2009)

Thanks Mark
All great ideas. Those legs are too thin mostly because they are just cheapo 2x4's. The milled maple I have is 3.5x6. Maybe that will make for a beefier look. I like your idea of more sweep/curve. Thanks!


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## Texas Traveler (Jun 19, 2009)

jkupcha said:


> Thanks Mark
> All great ideas. Those legs are too thin mostly because they are just cheapo 2x4's. The milled maple I have is 3.5x6. Maybe that will make for a beefier look. I like your idea of more sweep/curve. Thanks!


 I used to salvage old scrap pianos for the wood & most had some great maple 4x4s. just right for table legs.


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## jkupcha (Jun 20, 2009)

Cool!
Now what should I say to the wife when she sees the piano sitting on the floor with no legs?


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## Texas Traveler (Jun 20, 2009)

jkupcha said:


> Cool!
> Now what should I say to the wife when she sees the piano sitting on the floor with no legs?


 No kidding I have run across some beautiful highly figured walnut burl veneer in some of the old English made pub pianos.
I Found one in a garage sale that had gold scroll-work in the burl veneer on the most of the front.
It was bound for the city bulk trash if not sold.

The up right pianos have quiet a bit of hardwood 4x4s in the back of the frame.
I had a garage full at one time, most I ever paid for one was 25.00 .
Sold it all off one time, along with a collection of 25 beautiful working Victor, Brunswick & Columbia Victrola's to a private museum.
I had 6 of the models 15, 16 & 17s, the 17s were early electric models with nickel plated works in side the cabinet's.
I still have some empty cabinet's like Edison lab models, tall uprights in different woods .
And solid wood columbia's


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## jkupcha (Jun 20, 2009)

Hey traveller
I have the "sister" slab to the one you got from lmBeachy. Just wondered if you followed what I've done to her. She's destined for a blank wall I have in my livingroom. The floor is hardwood "tigerwood" and I have a natural stone hearth in that room so I think it will complement it nicely.


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## Texas Traveler (Jun 20, 2009)

jkupcha said:


> Hey traveller
> I have the "sister" slab to the one you got from lmBeachy. Just wondered if you followed what I've done to her. She's destined for a blank wall I have in my livingroom. The floor is hardwood "tigerwood" and I have a natural stone hearth in that room so I think it will complement it nicely.


I have watched what you were doing & I like it.
Any thing, :greenchainsaw: I could put on my brick wall would be a improvment on the looks.
I used to do a lot of wood refinshing, purely as stress relief from my work as a crane operator in heavy construction.
Some times it got pretty hairy in heavy lifts or long boom work.
I need time to remember & bring all the tricks back.

I thought about using a patchwork of small figured birch pieces as trim.


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## oxbow (Jun 21, 2009)

*Table leg idea*

When I make slab benches, I splay the legs 15° toward the sides and 15° toward the ends. I made a jig to hold the slab at the correct angle to locate and bore holes with forstner bits in the underside of the slab. The hole has to be inset such that the foot of the leg falls under the corner of the slab (doesn't stick out beyond the top). The longer the leg, the further inward from the side and end the hole has to be.
I join the legs to the slab with a blind foxtail mortise. I drill the holes with a forstner bit slightly smaller than the leg diameter. I shave the top of the leg with a spoke shave so it's a snug fit into the hole. Cut a slot into the end that goes into the hole, make sure the slot is not deeper than the hole depth, so the slot won't show when the leg is attached. Make a wedge slightly thicker, narrower, and shorter than the slot. Put glue in the slot, glue in the hole, put the wedge in the slot, and drive the leg into the hole with a mallet, put a piece of scrap wood on the leg to protect it from the mallet blow. Make sure the slot in the leg goes into the slab across the grain. If the slot is lined up with the slab grain, it could split the slab.
I drill the leg holes about 3/4 the depth of the plank thickness (I usually use 4" slabs). I use tree limbs of the same species as the slab for legs, but you could use this method for any shape leg.


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## ShoerFast (Jun 21, 2009)

jkupcha said:


> Cool!
> Now what should I say to the wife when she sees the piano sitting on the floor with no legs?




Take the legs off her piano bench as well and hope she don't notice?


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## Brmorgan (Jun 22, 2009)

jkupcha said:


> Cool!
> Now what should I say to the wife when she sees the piano sitting on the floor with no legs?



That kid from the Peanuts should be able to help her out with that. He seemed to do just fine!


Regarding the table, have you thought of using a trestle-style design? IMO they really complement a big, thick slab top and they can be built pretty much as heavy as you need to fit the top. Admittedly though some folks just don't like that style, and it sometimes isn't ideal depending on the end use of the table. Just throwing an idea out there.


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## billstuewe (Jun 22, 2009)

I did the tressel with double tennons held in with opposing wedges. This table top is 2"x50"x12' longleaf pine salvaged from a fire--you can see the burn marks fron the nails.Bill


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## jkupcha (Jun 22, 2009)

Great ideas! I'm glad I asked this question. The trestle picture is beautiful! Thanks for posting the picture. I think for this hall table a trestle look might be a bit too "heavy" looking. 
Hey Oxbow, Your work sounds very impressive. Would you have a picture we can all drool over? THanks everyone.


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## excess650 (Jun 22, 2009)

When making legs for a live edge, crotch slab cherry table, tried both 15* and 10*, and settled on 10*. Likewise, I thought the legs needed to be inset far enough that the splayed feet didn't extend beyond the top. My first attempt was with 3 legs, but with less stability than anticpated, I'm going to change that to 4 legs. I made the legs from cherry, but a different tree. Shaping was done by drawknife, and then smoothed by scraping with a knife blade. My wife thinks the scraped and sanded legs are too smooth for the live edge top.....

Trestle legs look fine on a retangular, and possibly even a square table, but would be out of place on an irregular, live edge table, IMO.


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## excess650 (Jun 22, 2009)

billstuewe said:


> I did the tressel with double tennons held in with opposing wedges. This table top is 2"x50"x12' longleaf pine salvaged from a fire--you can see the burn marks fron the nails.Bill




VERY nice! The trestle legs look proper on that table.


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## oxbow (Jun 23, 2009)

*Slab bench*

Here's a picture of a slab bench, and one of my bandsaw sawmill and an aspen log I cut the slab from.
Good luck with your project, I tend to agree that a simple leg looks better on slab furniture, but the stuff I make may be too rustic for some.


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## jkupcha (Jun 23, 2009)

Very Nice!
I love the finish and peel natural legs on that first bench.


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## SilverBox (Jun 23, 2009)

billstuewe said:


> I did the tressel with double tennons held in with opposing wedges. This table top is 2"x50"x12' longleaf pine salvaged from a fire--you can see the burn marks fron the nails.Bill



Nice room, I like the walls, but what happened over at the far end where you have fresher mortar?


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## billstuewe (Jun 23, 2009)

Thanks, but it is not my house--it's the clients--the room was a porch and it had been enclosed. The work had been done about two weeks when the picture was taken. The room and the table were designed for each other as a place for the whole family to gather and eat special occasion meals. It did turn out nice.
Thanks, Bill


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## BlueRider (Jun 25, 2009)

Live edge slab furniture can be one of the more difficult vernaculsrs to work in. For me the pinicle of slab edge design is George Nakashima, and one of his more sucsessful pices is a bench that is a large live edge slab with a widsor like bow back with delicate spindles and short plain delicate spindles for legs. It is a wonderful combination of delicate details with the live edge slab. the slab is the center piece of the design but it dosent hit you over the head with its dominance.

The design ideas pictured by the oricinal poster had a measure of that delicate ballance of detail and natural edge beauty. I did not think the those gracefuly tapered lags were too small visualy for the slab. If it were me I would make them curved more than they are or perfectly straight, but still tapered. I tend to prefer aprons as they stifen the legs on designs with out cross supports the can help keep the top flat. 

I tend to splay my legs a bit less than others. For tables 3* is often enough and for benches 5* to the front and 10*-12*to the sides and rear.


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