joinery help

[jimmykx250]

Have a look at the pics im struggling with a joint to join the massive table legs to the table. They are 5" square and 40" long. I need to keep these removeable (lag bolts). In one picture you can see i had one strectcher mocked up riding along side the legs but this needs to stay 2" tall which is the same reveal as the perimeter skirt board. I previously setteled on a single diagonal but im not comfortable with one lag in the big heavy legs. Thanks all.

http://photobucket.com/jimmykx250

[petersb]

Jimmy,

What about some pocket hole screws on the inside of the legs, under the top, screwed through the leg and into the top and maybe a lag on each outside skirt going into the leg and plugging the outside holes with a removable plug that is decorative at the same time? Just another thought.

Another idea is your diagonal and some additional pocket screw on the inside/underneath and nothin on the outside of the skirts.

Also, use the diagonal with one lag and one lag on each outside shirt with plugs. That is 3 lags and should hold well.

[dlamulle]

Have a look at the pics im struggling with a joint to join the massive table legs to the table. They are 5" square and 40" long. I need to keep these removeable (lag bolts). In one picture you can see i had one strectcher mocked up riding along side the legs but this needs to stay 2" tall which is the same reveal as the perimeter skirt board. I previously setteled on a single diagonal but im not comfortable with one lag in the big heavy legs. Thanks all.

http://photobucket.com/jimmykx250

Hey brother,

First, I would ask the size of the table. Second, if the table is big enough to allow you to set the legs in from the skirt I would build a socket for the leg that you could put a bolt thru and would be able to support the leg from all four sides. If your skirt on this table is only 2" wide the racking force of a huge leg like that would be more than it could possibly take. Perhaps I don't have the proper mental picture of the table but from the photos I looked at it's very hard to tell dimensions. If your skirt board is at least 4" wide you can use just a diagonal if the corners of your skirt can support the stress. It looks from the picture that the skirt is mitered at the corners, is that correct? How are the boards of the top connected to the skirt? I've built several tables but my skirt boards are usually close to 4" wide and the top overhangs the skirt by about 4" to 6".

Dave

[jimmykx250]

Dave

[Mike M]

I think you are missing an essential part of the structure -- an apron. Judging from the size of your legs and table, the apron should be at least 5" deep and meet each leg in the square top section. The deeper the apron, the more stable the table will be. Ideally, the apron would be joined to the top of the legs with mortise and tenon joints. Since you specified that the legs be removable, you could use angle braces and hanger bolts to snug the legs against the ends of the apron. The aprons are then fastened to the top with figure 8 clips or angle clips as needed.

[dryhter]

Jimmy,

That is one big Table and you have done a beautiful job on it so far, those legs are massive and beautifully turned. I think Mike was trying to make the point that the legs and undercarriage of the table needs to be constructed in such a way so that it is separate from the actual table. Essentially two separate components that are joined together to allow for movement. You seem to be heading in the other direction. If I understand correctly, you glued up the top with the grain running vertically to minimize horizontal expansion and epoxied a perimeter apron (kind of like a breadboard end) across the width and now you are planning to attach the legs to this apron.

This may not be the best design approach, The table will move with the seasons even in a conditioned space, just not as much, you can see in the picture that the grain on most of the boards runs kind of diagonal not really vertical, so there will be some expansion and in four foot that could be significant. You may want to consider a design change to accommodate. Another consideration for the future is that this type of glue up produces a washboard effect, over time as the wood moves the individual pieces never quite get back to level with one another, not necessarily unpleasing, just disappointing after all the time spent leveling.

I bring this up not to critique, but because I did a similar Table early on in woodworking and that was my experience, yours may be different. What I did learn was to always take into account the movement of solid wood. Just my .02 cents

Dave

[jimmykx250]

Thanks to you all for your replys and thoughts. I do agree I need to take expansion into consideration and by simply wrapping the top with the skirt board i seem to be pushing my luck. I am however confident that this will survive and I hope this turns out the way i intended it to. Originally i wanted stretchers at the bottom but the more i thought about it the more i liked the open look on the bottom. I intend to lag thru the two interior partitions shown in the pics and will use some hardwood dowles going directly into the underside of the table top from the top of the leg. These will remail unglued just acting as pins. Thanks again for all the replys.