A:BECAUSE 16/4 MAPLE is
hard to come by in your area
and you’ve already found
8/4 stock, go for it.
If your 8/4 stock is 8 in. or wider, I would
flatten one face, rip it down the middle, and
reglue the faces. Because the 8/4 stock is
most likely flatsawn, regluing, like a closed
book-match, will result in at least one very
nice quartersawn face on each leg. Also, if
the grain is relatively straight, the glueline
will be hardly noticeable.
—Christian Becksvoort is a contributing
editor to Fine Woodworking.- With the jointed face
on the saw’s tabletop, rip
the slab in two. - Glue the flat faces
of the two pieces to
make a closed book-
match.
The glue-up results in at
least one quartersawn
face on each leg.Are glued legs OK?
A:SECONDARY WOODS USED IN PERIOD FURNITURE
typically were local woods, so they vary from
region to region. Poplar often is less expensive than
maple, and it’s easier to use because it is softer.
These concerns influenced woodworkers in the
past, and they still do today.
However, if you are willing to do the extra work
and pay the difference, there is no reason why you
should not use maple as a secondary wood.
—Chairmaker Mike Dunbar runs
The Windsor Institute in New Hampshire.Q:I plan to build a desk
with mahogany as the
primary wood. I have
noticed that a lot of
traditional cabinets use
poplar as a secondary
wood, but I prefer the
look of maple. Which is
a better choice?
— DAV E B ROW N ,
San FranciscoChoosing a secondary wood
Single tenon for a wide apron?
Make this
mortise and
haunch a
tight fit to
keep apron
flush with
top of leg.HaunchLarge
tenonStub
tenon
keeps
parts
flush.No glue
from here
down
In this
mortise,
allow
an extra(^1) ⁄ 16 in. for
movement of
wide apron.
Leg Apron
Shoulder
Q: I plan to build a large, end-grain butcher-
block table out of maple. I’ve been told that legs
made from 16/4 stock would be better than
glued-up legs from 8/4 stock. However, I am
having no luck finding 16/4 maple nearby. On
the other hand, 8/4 maple is readily available.
It’s not quartersawn, but it is dry and stable. I’m
inclined to glue up this 8/4 stock for the legs
and hope for the best. What do you think?
— O L A F G E R H A R D T, New York, N.Y.
A: AFTER MULLING OVER THE INTENDED PURPOSE OF
THE TABLE and the heavy duty it will likely serve, I
recommend a double crenellated tenon: two large
tenons with a shorter stub tenon in between.
One of the large tenons should be a bit loose
in its mortise, allowing it and the full width of the
apron or panel to move. In a table apron, the top
tenon should be tight with the lower tenon loose,
so that movement is directed away from the
tabletop. For a 7-in.-wide apron, make the tenons
about 1^3 ⁄ 4 in. wide each with a^1 ⁄ 2 -in. haunch at
the top and a^1 ⁄ 4 -in. shoulder at the bottom. This
leaves 2^3 ⁄ 4 in. for the central stub portion. Leave
about^1 ⁄ 16 in. of space in the lower mortise to
allow the tenon to move.
—Mario Rodriguez teaches woodworking at
workshops around the country.
Q: I’m building a hall
table with a large
drawer (for a District
of Columbia phone
directory). The apron
is 7 in. wide with
mortise-and-tenon
joints where it meets
the legs. Will a single
tenon make the apron
crack?
— B I L L L I N DAU,
Vilas, N.C.
114
Q&A continued
F I N E W O O D W O R K I N G Drawings, this page: Vince Babak
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