All About Table Legs

Table leg materials

Sitting on a nice piece of lumber that is itching to be made into a table of some sort?  Maybe that old solid door would make a unique dining table when topped with a glass pane.  Or, how about a cross-section of an old tree with a pedestal leg?  These tables can be built rather easily, especially when considering the singular appearance they will lend to your home.

Fortunately, for those do-it-yourself enthusiasts who don't have the training or access to proper wood-turning tools, table legs are available online in a variety of styles.  Whether you fancy Country French or the more ornate rope turnings, you can have the difficult work done for you at a modest price.  Most wooden table legs are unfinished, leaving staining decisions up to the buyer.  Some woods will be difficult to find, but persistent searching will reveal that you are limited only by your bank account.

Authentic original

Should you feel the need to completely author your table's design, turning squares come in every wood, from walnut to curly maple.  Best of all, the wooden table legs are cut to the proper dimensions so you can take out your skew and start spinning that lathe.  It may be wise to buy a couple of extra legs for when you "skew" up. 

While carving and designing a wooden coffee or kitchen table may appeal to those with lots of time and who are bent on classic design, metal and wire table legs are also individually sold.  Obviously, they are sleeker and better suited for the office than the dining room.  And, at the prices offered, you would not have much trouble mimicking the outrageously expensive computer desk with a glass top for half the cost.  However, once you arrive at more complicated shapes with casters or folding options, the prices can get as high as a set of nice wooden table legs. 

How to make table legs

Furniture economics

Making table legs is a broad topic.  To get started, you must seriously conduct the cost benefit analysis between the sense of accomplishment derived from doing it yourself, and ordering from the vast selection of affordable table or bar legs available online.  Self-fulfillment and price notwithstanding, you should also consider your timeline.  Carpentry, traffic, and life in general, usually suffer when rushed. 

Before you start deciding on wood, make sure you have the following tools:

Lathe

Skews

Roughing gouge

1/2 inch detailing gouge, tapered like a fingernail

Parting Tool

Calipers, at least four inches capacity

Carpenter's square

Pencils

Sandpaper

Nice legs

Assuming you are making 4 table legs, you'll need four pieces of identical size.  Usually 3 and one-half square by 30 inches will do the trick.  Be sure the blank pieces are nice and square, especially if you intend to leave a portion of the leg uncut.  Blanks equal in length make leveling your table much simpler.  Many beginners think they want to complete each leg in stages, simultaneously putting the finishing touches on all four legs.  Don't do this.  Complete at least one prototype before moving on.  Having a finished table leg to work from is invaluable; not to mention the importance of seeing the finished design before committing to a whole set.

With one leg finished, prop it behind your lathe as a visual cue.  For the time being, it is good to look at while you work, but as your skills improve, your eye will be as trustworthy as good measurements.  But ignore that thought and mark all the important details and diameters of your remaining legs.  As you work, remove the table leg in progress for a vertical examination.  Different angles will expose imperfections that may have gone unnoticed. 

Measure twice... or once, whichever

Final notes before you jump in.  The talk about the importance of measuring may be a bit overrated when it comes to wooden table legs.  The distance between legs is often enough to compensate for similarities where you would prefer replicas.  And, if you are not willing to live with, or even welcome, some human elements in your woodwork, you might be better off purchasing the machine-made legs. 

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