Side table construction

[rubus]

I am building some side tables and would like to place a lower shelf attached to the tappered legs. Just wondering what people think is the best joinery in this situation.

Thanks,

Shane

[rmac]

If your table is going to have stretchers between the legs, look here for one way to do it. I think the fourth picture in the little gallery shows clearly how the shelf is supported. Not sure how it would work with your tapered legs, though, unless they were only tapered on the outside surfaces.

-- Russ

[JohnnyNoName]

I am building some side tables and would like to place a lower shelf attached to the tappered legs. Just wondering what people think is the best joinery in this situation.

Thanks,

Shane

Shane -

The best joinery is almost always a mortise and tennon, tt will depend on the design of course. If you are going to put the shelf on some rails that attach to the legs, I would create the mortises before you taper the legs. They will be much easier to cut square to the shelf's plane then after the legs are tapered. Then it a simple matter of matching the tennons' shoulder to the angle of the leg.

Jonathan

==============================================

[Godet]

The way I've done it, is to start the taper just below where you want to have your shelf. Then, I add stringers with dowel joinery. 5/16 dowels should do nicely. Since this will be one of the last pieces of joinery you do, you'll want to be especially careful when drilling for your dowels--use nice sharp brad points and run them backwards to score the wood before actually boring in.

Photos of a table I built like this are here: http://www.godetfurniture.com/?p=275