Ideal saw for cutting thick table legs to length & square

[Jacob]

Practice, Practice!

 

[Trafalgar]

Thank you. I have been looking for a good book that will take me through all the steps in detail. The books i've read before are all very basic, despite being around 300 pages long they're full or rubbish like explanations of what each tool is, which isn't the type of thing I need. So I may try this book you've recommended.

The first table i'm doing is just a workbench so i'm not really too worried about getting it spot on but I'd like to try a real table after at some point.

The Wearing book will take you through the steps in detail and in correct order. Get it. You won't be sorry. It's available old and newer in a fairly recent reprint.

With thick legs you'll generally be cutting in from all four sides so spelching out the backside of a cut won't really be an issue. The issue is marking lines in the correct place and cutting to the lines so that the table will sit and not rock (assuming flat, level floors). Wearing illustrates a couple of ways to mark the legs with a knife or a shop-made gauge with pins. He also illustrates in logical fashion how to pack out and mark the legs so that you can be assured it will sit flat with the first set of cuts and finish at desired height from floor to top. Note that this is illustrated as taking place on a very flat reference surface.

With a table (not a workbench) destined as an article of furniture a common dodge is to bore holes in the bottom of the legs to accommodate wine bottle corks which are inserted and trimmed to make the table sit steady on less than flat floors.

For workbenches and large tables there are oodles of different leg levelers that can be installed, a more industrial looking solution, but perfectly fine for shop furniture.

You may not have an assembly table large and flat enough to serve as a reference surface. If so, put the bench in place where it will live and cut the legs to fit that part of the floor (the floor in that spot becomes the reference surface). It likely will rock if you move it elsewhere and at that point shims will be required. It might make sense to split the difference and locate the flattest surface you can conveniently use and cut the legs to fit that area. It's a comprise, it might rock elsewhere, but you will have found a 'middle ground' in which rocking is minimized everywhere. Again, shims will stabilize everything in its ultimate resting place or use leg levelers.

 

[Jacob]

..... The issue is marking lines in the correct place .......

Actually this is where Wearing is weakest. He doesn't seem to know about the rod and instead describes some amateurish ways of marking and measuring - not least the over use of a knife.
I always get the impression he is self taught - good in parts but with some major omissions and diversions. The best thing is get a lot books and compare/contrast.

Levelling a table is easiest upside down - sighting through with a straight edge diagonally across will show any three legs to be in the same plain and also the fourth if it is level. If not, one has to be trimmed. But if you leave a rocky table in situ, perhaps loosen the buttons, it may well settle down after a few days without any further effort.

 

[Trafalgar]

You may be able to see which leg needs trimming but it still has to be marked. That legs will need to be trimmed is usually a given - one leaves a little extra length for just this purpose and to protect the ends until construction is finished. Even if it's sitting dead flat on a great reference surface it will be a little too tall due to the extra length. Cutting the legs to exact length before assembly will result in a table that is shorter than planned if it goes up with a little twist (almost a given unless the bottom of the top that registers to the apron is dead perfect and the aprons dead perfect) and therefore must be trimmed.

If the OP gets anything out of this thread it should be to avoid cutting the legs to finished length before assembly and attachment of the top.

A rod is just as good a way as any to measure final height and trimming allowance. A yard stick with a tick or two works well too. The rod a better choice for multiple copies of the same article of furniture -- e.g. "here's the stick, build a no. 161 hall table in cherry."

 

[Jacob]

....
A rod is just as good a way as any to measure final height and trimming allowance. A yard stick with a tick or two works well too. The rod a better choice for multiple copies of the same article of furniture -- e.g. "here's the stick, build a no. 161 hall table in cherry."

I meant the "rod" in the sense of full size sectional drawing (usually on a board) from which marks are taken directly, without measuring and without transferring marks from one component to another.
It doesn't get mentioned in many of the popular books and beginners miss out on this fundamentally useful process - for one-offs as well as multiples.

 

[Trafalgar]

Totally agree.

 

[Mr T]

I think that the advent of Sketchup has meant a move away from rods etc with people taking measurements straight from the screen. This is a pity as the rod was a fool proof (hopefully) method and also helped one think through the project before picking up any wood..

But that is a million miles from the OP!

Chris

 

[Jacob]

I think that the advent of Sketchup has meant a move away from rods etc with people taking measurements straight from the screen. This is a pity as the rod was a fool proof (hopefully) method and also helped one think through the project before picking up any wood..

Sketchup replaces the drawing board (pity!) but IMHO you still need a rod when you are getting around to making the thing.

But that is a million miles from the OP!

That's OK all the best threads wander off in all directions!