Im building a dining room table out of some old tabbacco shack pine...I want to do 2 sided tapered legs..Ive done thinner ones before 2.5" to 1.25"....Id like these to be beefier 3.5" to 1.75"...My question is my tablesaw,10",cant make the full cut...Do I dare cut half they flip it and cut the other half?....Make a jig to do it on the bandsaw?.....Any ideas?
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If I can't make a 'finish' cut in one pass on the TS, I opt for the BS and clean up the cut.
For breaking down thick balks, I'll make 2 cuts on the TS.
For breaking down thick balks, I'll make 2 cuts on the TS.
I have done legs like that with my planer by mounting them to a piece of ply with a 1 3/4 block under one end You should be able to do two at a time and depending on the stiffness of the wood if the unsupported section flexes down under the pressure of the feed rollers, you will end up with a slight curve to the taper - I found that out by mistake:widea:. You can vary the amount of curve by controlling the amount of deflection.
phil
phil
Joe, have you ever used your tapering jig on the band saw? Seems like it would work if you had some sort of outfeed support.
How about an initial cut on the band saw, keeping the cut proud of the layout line. Then clean up the taper on a jointer or edge sander.
I second striker’s recommendation to use a jointer to taper you legs. I used the process on a previous project with great results. I simply clamped a block on the in-feed table to set the starting point of the taper and made repeated passes while keeping pressure on the back-end of the piece.
Many folks inadvertently taper pieces on their jointer by not transferring pressure to the out-feed end after the board is partially cut. In this case, you can use this to your advantage and achieve a nice clean taper.
Many folks inadvertently taper pieces on their jointer by not transferring pressure to the out-feed end after the board is partially cut. In this case, you can use this to your advantage and achieve a nice clean taper.
Sawing them with a rip saw, then planing the two tapers flat and smooth is a pretty quick operation. Start sawing at the bottom of the leg, withthe leg in your shoulder vise with the last foot exposed. As you get down the cut, raise the leg. Hold your hand across the offcut to keep it tight to the leg to give your saw cut support. When you get near the end of the cut,slow down. After you have made both cuts, begin planing from the top of the taper (near where the aprons will be joined). This is an easy job beause youare always planing down hill with the grain.
I made a dining table many years ago when the only stationary tool I had was a RAS. I cut the tapers with a sled and the saw turned 90° to the table (rip mode). Then completed the cut with a hand saw and finished up with a hand plane. The legs were 3 1/2 square at the top tapered on two sides to 2 inches at the floor.
If I were doing it now I would make the cuts on the bandsaw and finish with the jointer.
If I were doing it now I would make the cuts on the bandsaw and finish with the jointer.
Yes, I agree -- mostly. Not trusting my table saw or my ripping capability, I would use a bandsaw and then finish with a jack plane. Perfect task to exercise (or develop) those planing skills. Likely wouldn't take any more time than useing a jointer either. (Though if you're not much into plane tuning and blade sharpening, you may have a task there :gar-Bi .) Rich
I do all my tapered legs on the band saw using a jig. It is a very simple operation, especially only tapering two sides, and so much safer than using a table saw. Cut them about a 64th proud and clean them up on the joiner.
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