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Turned leg design help

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chuck

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Nov 24, 2007, 1:19:44 PM11/24/07
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Iam a furniture maker with limited turning experience. iam looking for
a 32" turned leg design. The bottom must be 2 1/2" to fit a round
base. The rest of the column can be anything under 2 1/2". The top
will have a threaded insert and have a speaker screwed to top of
column. Any design help would be appreciated with some beads and coves
that a begginner turner could do.

Barry N. Turner

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Nov 24, 2007, 1:46:12 PM11/24/07
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Probably your best bet is to look at some magazines or books that have
furniture designs (Colonial Homes, House Beautiful, etc.) and find something
with a turned leg that can be adapted to your needs.

All turned legs consist of combinations of some very simple elements:
coves, beads, fillets or shoulders. There are also tapers and ogee shapes.
Almost every turned leg design is a combination of some of these shapes.
Since you are turning only one leg, you don't have to worry about making the
other legs match the first one. Don't try to use too many of these elements
on one leg. Keeping it simple is usually best.

Barry


"chuck" <hen...@rcn.com> wrote in message
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John Siegel

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Nov 24, 2007, 3:05:30 PM11/24/07
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There are various companies that sell turned legs. Take a look at their
catalogs on line - they can give you some good design ideas.
John

Leo Lichtman

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Nov 24, 2007, 3:49:50 PM11/24/07
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"Barry N. Turner" wrote: (clip) Since you are turning only one leg, you
don't have to worry about making the
> other legs match the first one. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Since this let is going to support a speaker, I can see the possibility that
the OP needs a pair (stereo.) This copuld pose a real learning problem for
a beginner. If this is true, that is another reason to keep it simple. My
suggestion would be to do both legs in stages, rather than doing one to
completion. That way your hands will have an easier time "remembering" how
each part was done. Another thing many beginners don't realize is that they
don't have to be perfectly alike to look alike when they are in place.


Arch

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Nov 25, 2007, 6:53:44 PM11/25/07
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Hi Chuck, If your design turns out to have what some say a "pommel",
some say a "pummel" (since I'm no furniture maker I say a "square
section") at the top, I offer one bit of advice from sad experience.

Probably advising a furniture maker to measure carefully is preaching to
the choir, but just in case:

I usually center spindles by eye, figuring the piece will be brought
into round & be concentric when turned between centers anyway. Not so
with pommels and pummels. If the blank is not square and centered
accurately you will never get the square section centered on the rest of
the leg ...and that's neither art nor craft. :)

I suggest that a leg with a simple short square section at the top
ending with a cove or an ogee then a long plain tapered cylinder without
coves or beads to the foot looks good, is easy to turn, sand and finish,
and not as difficult to duplicate as fancy coves & beads. Just remember
to 'KIS' & 'KIC' (keep it simple & keep it crisp). :)


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

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