Dave Ronyak said:
That is a very beautiful stool! Elegant design, and excellent execution.
Please tell us more about those joints for the legs to the top. How did you cut them, and what does the hidden corner look like before assembly? And what is the finish?
Dave R.
Thanks for the high praise, Dave. The joints are not really that complicated. On the table part you cut out a rectangular portion at each corner that is 1/4 inch smaller than the dimensions of the leg (or at least the part of the leg that attaches to the top). Then take a rabbeting bit that has a 3/4 inch diameter, and cuts a 1/4 inch deep rabbet. Set the depth of the cut so that when you rabbet the top of the table, and the underside of the table, you're left with a 1/4 inch (thick and deep) tenon protruding into the leg socket. The inside corner of the leg hole will have a 3/4 inch radius rounding.
Cut the legs to the right dimensions, and then round over one edge, starting about 2 inches from the top of the leg, toward the top of the leg. Use a 3/4 inch roundover, so that this curve on the edge of the leg matches the curve on the inside corner of the table cut-out. Now lay the rounded-over legs side-by-side, and cut a 1/4 inch deep, 1/4 inch wide dado across the legs. This dado will accept the tenons you cut on the table top. So you have to cut the dado at the correct distance from the top of the leg. You'll cut two dados on each leg - the dados will meet at the rounded edge.
At this point, if you've done everything carefully, you should be able to put the legs onto the table top, and have them stay (without glue). Now take it apart, and glue it up.
To shape the legs (before glue-up), I used a cardboard template and my bandsaw to rough them out. I did one cut-out at a time, and then rounded that edge over with a 3/4 inch roundover bit. Then I taped the cut-out scrap back on, and did the opposite surface. The only edge you can't rout is the inside edge. I did those by hand with microplane rasps and sandpaper.
I sanded everything from 120 - 600 grit, going through each grit sequentially. At about 200, I wet the entire footstool down to raise the grain, and sanded again. I did this about 3 times at successively higher grits. By then it looked almost like glass. Then I used steel wool, alternating with about 5 coats of tung oil. A final coat of wax, and it was done.
You can see the leg joint in the Sam Maloof DVD that Rockler sells. If my explanation didn't make sense, I'll try to scan in some sketches. Let me know.
Poto
