Length of turned legs
#5
Afternoon All,

I build furniture (mostly Shaker and Arts & Crafts style). I have a client that wants a Shaker style blanket chest. Plans call for four legs for the lower piece (the top piece fits into a lower piece).
I do not turn (although I build everything I do with hand tools only). As I mentioned, I need four turned legs. I can supply a turner with the profile of the leg. My question is:
If I need a turned leg that is 13" long, how much extra do I need to make the leg blanks so the turner can shape the legs on his/her lathe?
I have not yet located a person with a lathe or I could ask him/her the question.
Thanks,
Harold
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#6
(09-13-2024, 04:24 PM)SmallTownUSA1 Wrote: Afternoon All,

I build furniture (mostly Shaker and Arts & Crafts style). I have a client that wants a Shaker style blanket chest. Plans call for four legs for the lower piece (the top piece fits into a lower piece).
I do not turn (although I build everything I do with hand tools only). As I mentioned, I need four turned legs. I can supply a turner with the profile of the leg. My question is:
If I need a turned leg that is 13" long, how much extra do I need to make the leg blanks so the turner can shape the legs on his/her lathe?
I have not yet located a person with a lathe or I could ask him/her the question.
Thanks,
Harold

I can't imagine any way a turner would mount a leg in the lathe that would require a blank that is more than an inch longer than the finished leg.  I recently made legs for a coffee table and plant stand out of blanks that were 1/4" longer than finished length, because the tops of the legs were exposed and the drive center marks needed to be cut off.
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#7
(09-13-2024, 10:04 PM)humanrace Wrote: I can't imagine any way a turner would mount a leg in the lathe that would require a blank that is more than an inch longer than the finished leg.  I recently made legs for a coffee table and plant stand out of blanks that were 1/4" longer than finished length, because the tops of the legs were exposed and the drive center marks needed to be cut off.

Many thanks for the reply. Just the info I needed.
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#8
Turned legs that long are kind of unusual for a Shaker style blanket chest. They are normally tapered legs or bracket type feet. If that's what the customer wants, then you really don't need blanks any longer than the 13" requirement, as long as the guy turning them uses a live center and spur center. Commercial legs are turned this way.
Still Learning,

Allan Hill
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