The Family Handyman – August 2019

FAMILYHANDYMAN.COM JULY/AUGUST 2019 53

slightly beyond the edges of your tem-

plate marks. Polyurethane glue is water-

proof, and with tightly glued seams

there’s less chance of moisture working

its way between the boards.

Place a second board—marked side

up—over your glued board (Photo 2) and

align the edges. Install two or three

screws in the waste material area, and

then apply clamps—the more, the better—

around the perimeter (Photo 3). Add

more screws as needed. The glue will

foam as it goes to work. Keep your

boards clamped together for at least two

hours; I left mine overnight for good

measure. Repeat this procedure for the

other leg blank.

Cut the legs to shape. A jigsaw with a

long, coarse blade (Photo 4) works fine,

but a band saw means less sanding.

Whichever tool you use, make a series of

relief cuts as shown. These allow you to

remove waste material as you cut. They

also allow your blade to get back on track

if it wanders and begins making angled

cuts. If you have a jigsaw with reciprocat-

ing action, set it at zero; it will cut slower,

but your blade will wander less.

Build the leg

assemblies

Next, use a belt sander to smooth and

true up the curved sides (Photo 5). Begin

with a coarse belt, then progress to finer

grits. If you have access to a benchtop

sander of some sort, use it; you’ll get

better results.

Use a router with a 1/2-in. round-over

bit to soften the edges of the curved

parts. DON’T rout the tops and bottoms

6

CUT THE LEG BLANKS IN HALF

Mark the exact center of the leg blanks and use a circular saw—

cutting from both sides—to cut them in half. Use a belt sander to

smooth out any ridges or unevenness on the ends.

5

SAND THE LEG BLANKS

AND ROUT THE EDGES

Smooth the curves and eliminate blade marks with a belt sander.

Use a router with a 1/2-in. round-over bit to soften the curved

edges, but leave the top, bottom and stretcher areas square.

A

21"

14"

8"
5-1/2"

3/4"

deep

Center 9-1/4"

1" (approx.)

8-1/4"

Figure B Leg

Bottom

plate

Seat brace

Stretcher

opening

7

SCREW THE LEG ASSEMBLIES TOGETHER

Clamp the leg halves together and check the size of the

stretcher opening. Adjust if needed. Apply adhesive to the leg

ends and attach the seat brace and bottom plates with screws.