displacedhillbilly Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 I'm planning on building some "floating" top end tables for my brother. He likes the design of the floating top table from Wood Magazine #206, Sep 2011. Here is the image from woodmagazine.com. http://ep.yimg.com/c...e_2195_31704310 Per the magazine, the leg/apron attachment is mortise & tenon and that's where my issue lies. My brother and I live almost 2000 miles apart, and I can't for the life of me figure out how to make the legs detachable for shipping. I'd prefer to keep the outside edges clean, I don't want to use screws and plugs. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Hmm, maybe ship a clamp with it all and have your brother glue it up; I don't know what parts are needed for the floating top but if all you're concerned about is the leg-apron joint, that may be a solution. With one clamp, he can glue 2 legs with 1 apron board, repeat the next night, then everything together. If that's not a viable solution... First thought is to put a sliding dovetail on the ends of the apron boards and a dovetail slot in the legs so you insert from above. The consideration there is that the top of the legs look angled. Without a better enlarged picture of the top of the legs, Im not sure how to address that. But, maybe that's easier for you to address with a possible design change than the issue of detachable legs. You also wouldn't want the dovetails to be big and centered. Shallow and wide will work, but off-center to keep as much meat on the inside corner of the leg or it will snap off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 I know it's really nasty, and I hate to be the one to suggest it, but there's always stuff like this: http://www.woodcraft...ble-Leg--1.aspx -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 If you HAVE to break it down, pocket screws may be easier to hide. Keep in mind the completed table may be lighter than you expect, and with some foam reinforcement / protection, may be easier to box than expected. You could use blue or pink foam to create corner protection, as well as a "spreader" insert between the ends of the legs. Alternatively, could also screw a 1/2" plywood square into the end grain of the leg bottoms, for removal at destination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 I'd assemble and glue each pair of legs with one apron and leave the glueup of the two subassemblies to your brother. You can then pack the tables into a flat package that UPS or Fedex would accept. A small bottle of TiteBond and a band clamp would be all he needs to complete the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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