The arched legs are designed to attach to the pedestal via a sliding dovetail joint. I will attempt to describe how this is accomplished in the narrative below.
The first thing I did when making the legs is to create a pattern out of 1/4 hardboard. You can create a pattern out of copy paper, but you will need 3 or 4, 1 for each leg. The article in Workbench has a pattern there with directions on how to enlarge it for a full size pattern. It is basically an arched leg 3-3/4 wide at the top and 1-1/4 wide at the bottom and about 14 in. long. Making this pattern is very important as the grain orientation of the leg is vital for strength for each leg.
Next the boards to be used for the legs, I cut these out of Oak - Ύ x 5-1/2 x 15 long. Now to make the legs as strong as possible, you need to orient the pattern so the dovetail is at an angle to the long grain of the boards to be used for the legs. Now, you can proceed one of 2 ways: 1) You can trace the pattern onto each board using the pattern, or 2) You can attach the pattern to each board individually using some spray adhesive. I used option No. 1 and traced the outline of the pattern onto each board.
The first step in cutting out the legs is making the straight cuts at both ends of the leg. Since these cuts are at an angle to the edge of the board, I used my miter gauge with an auxiliary fence and the table saw to do this. You could also use either a radial arm saw, or miter saw, but I found the table saw to be much more accurate for the multiple cuts. I used my bevel gauge to determine the correct angle for each cut and transferred that angle to my miter gauge and then made the straight cuts.
You can cut out the rest of the leg shape using either a scroll saw, band saw, or jig saw. I used my scroll saw to cut out each leg, staying just proud of the line I had drawn. I cleaned-up each leg with my drum sander that is chucked in my small drill press. I sanded to the line on each leg individually and than stacked them in pairs and sanded out the high spots to get as close to the exact same shape as possible. There is a small notch, about 1/2 x 1/2 in the upper portion of the top of the legs straight edge. This creates a haunch that will overlap and conceal the dovetail mortise to be created in the pedestal in which the leg will slide.
Next, using just a portion of the 1/2 dovetail router bit thats still set-up in the router table, I made the tenons that will slide into the mortises already cut in the pedestal. I made several test cuts with scrap stock to make sure the tenons fit into the mortises, before making the final cuts on the legs.
Now is the time to ease the sharp edges of the legs, I used a portion of a roundover bit to accomplish this on just the top edges of the legs. I left the bottom edges straight and just use some sanding sponges on them to make sure there was no splintering.
Almost done, all that's left is to glue the legs into the pedestal via our sliding dovetail joint. I let that dry overnight and then I glued the pedestal into the mortise of the table top, making sure that the pedestal was plumb and that the table top was perfectly level
The article talks about applying an antique finish using a deep rich, reddish-brown Aniline Dye. In the magazine there is an entire article on just mixing up the dye and applying the finish along with shellac to protect it and a dark wax to soften the look and feel of the wood.
However, where the wood used in the article is curly maple, I made these tables out of oak, as you well know by now. My wife liked the deep reddish color, so I tested out a few different types of finishes on the oak and finally settle on a Red Mahogony stain. My wife like it as well and it matches our rocking chair perfectly, which worked out great because we put one of the tables next to the rocker.
After I had sanded everything down with at least 220 grit sand paper, I wiped all the sections down with a tack cloth to remove any dust. Before staining anything, I always put on nitrite or latex gloves to protect my hands. To started the staining process, I begin with the drawers and then moved on to the table and pedestal.
I used a paint brush and piece of cheese cloth to appy the stain, however any dust free cloth will work. I brushed the stain on the table in sections, and used the cheese cloth to wipe it down, to blend it in, and to eliminate any bubbles that may have developed from the brush. I applied a couple of coats of stain, with a light sanding and another wipe down with the tack cloth between coats.
After the stain had dried, I applied 4 coats of wipe-on polyurethane with a light sanding with steel wool and a wipe-down with the tack cloth between each coat.
(3) Leg Blanks
(1) Table Top
(2) Side Drawer Guides
(1) Center Drawer Guide
(1) Collar Block
(4) Drawer Fronts/Backs
(4) Drawer Sides
(2) Drawer Bottoms
(4) Drawer Slides
(1) Pedestal *
(4) Drawer Knobs
3/4" x 5-1/2" x 15"
3/4" x 22" x 22"
3/4" x 1-1/2" x 20-1/2"
3/4" x 3" x 20-1/2"
3/4" x 3" x 3"
3/4" x 4" x 6"
1/2" x 4" x 20"
1/4" x 5-1/2" x 19-1/2"
3/8" x 3/8" x 20-1/2"
2-1/2" Dia. x 20-1/2"
1"
1 sits next to our rocking chair and the other sits between my recliner and my wife's overstuffed chair. I hope you have enjoyed this walk thru "How I Made It"
