New Project - Coffe Table

Time for a new project! This time around I'm going to be building a coffee table similar to the one pictured below. This is a photograph of one in a magazine.

From Coffee Table

Mine will not have the curved sides like this one, but straight sides. I will have the curve in the sides though so it's not so boxy. Also, the legs will not have that dramatic of a curve in them. This project is going to be several firsts for me. First, I've not done cabriole legs before. Second, the corners are scalloped and I've never done that before. Lastly, I will be using mahogany for the wood, I've not used it before so I'm looking forward to that.

My first order of business was to practice making the cabriole legs and finalize the design. I decided to practice on a couple 2x4 boards glued together. As usual, I didn't do a good job of documenting my procedures, but I will on the next test run. You can find a really good video tutorial on Charles Neil's website here: http://www.antiquesbuiltdaily.com/tips.htm I followed this basic procedure for my first attempt. Even before that, I had to go to Highland Hardware and get myself a smaller blade for my bandsaw. Once I had that, I was ready to begin. So following Charles's basic principles I created a template out of 1/4" plywood. The table is going to be 21" tall, with a 1" thick top so the legs need to be 20" tall. Also, I decided on 2 1/2" thickness for the leg blanks. Armed with that, I created the template, traced it to the legs and cut it out on the bandsaw.

From Coffee Table

I also used the lathe to round the foot and create the pad, that was pretty fun. I need a spokeshave to form the heel so I had to order one, can't believe I don't have one. I also need it to help clean up the marks from the bandsaw.

So, this is my first attempt, not too bad, but the design needs some work. First, the foot is way too fat. I can fix that easy enough by taking it down more on the lathe. Second, there is not enough curve in the leg; it looks a little too straight. Lastly, the post is too tall. I want the aprons of the table to integrate with the curve of the leg, like in the picture above. So, armed with that, I went to work to create a new template. In this new template the first thing I did was draw a line for my final post length and based everything off of that. Here is a shot of the new template.

From Coffee Table

This looks a little better, but the more I look at the picture I think i can make some improvements. I think I may move the curve behind the knee up a little and make it a little more dramatic. I do like the knee and the transition into the foot. The ankle may be a bit too thin, but this won't carry much weight so it may be alright. Also, I may need to push the foot and pad back about a half inch or more.