With the leg finger joints complete, I could trim the legs to their final shape. This could have been done more quickly on the table saw with a purpose-built tapering jig, but I have to use my table saw outside and it was a miserable day, so I opted to use a router template in the workshop.
The legs have the outer shoulders of the finger joint, so to simplify centering the template on the leg, I glued-on a finger from the trial scrap as a key to index into the center gap of the leg fingers.
On the lower end, I marked the center of the work and center of the template.
All the legs marked for rough trimming on the band saw.
Rough cut.
Trimmed to final shape on the router table with the template taped in place.
It’s interesting watching how you do things. To shape the legs, I would’ve drawn lines, sawn a bit oversize (probably on the bandsaw, but possibly with a panel saw if I was feeling energetic), then grabbed my fore plane and planed down to the lines. Get to the same place, but fairly different paths to get there.
Definitely, Ross. Mostly I like thinking about “how would I do this if I couldn’t do it with hand tools?” and seeing what I come up with. Your approaches often give me an alternative I hadn’t initially thought of.
This morning I needed to make a curved piece of oak for a fireplace screen for our curved fireplace. I took a steel yardstick and tied a piece of string between its two hang-holes, drew that line on the wood, sawed close to it with the bandsaw, and then got out the spokeshave to fair it. I imagine you’d be using a router. Different strokes.
I’ve pre-spent some retirement money to order the LN Boggs. I sense another rabbit hole to go down collecting spokeshaves. On my next purchase I’ll check out your recommendations. Thanks!
I probably also had just jused a table saw, and then hand planed to size+finish. But this method is probably closer to how the chairs were made in the workshop at that time - and i like that approach. Staying true to the original
"The good chair is a task one is never completely done with" Hans Wegner
