# Shallow Mortise to attach Table legs



## Sandy Man (Nov 15, 2021)

I have a 2 inch thick table top for a dinning room table(aprox 3.5ft x 6ft) and I am thinking of using a mortise(1/2 - 1 inch deep) to attach the legs. I will have a stretcher between the legs on the short ends of the table and a long stretcher between those two stretchers. My idea is to not have any aprons for a cleaner/minimalist look. I have used a similar design in that the legs are mortised to the top, on a few other smaller tables(coffee and end tables) and it turned out really well. For the smaller ones i have just glued the legs into the Mortise. Here I am thinking of using figure 8's to attach so I can take it apart if I ever need to. I can not find any examples of this kind of design so I am starting to question the validity of using it. Attached are a couple pics of an end table , instead of stretchers, there is a shelf that keeps the legs stable. 
















.


----------



## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

When we do so thing like this it will be a plate with a steel leg inserted into the wood leg them bolted to tge tabletop...


----------



## DrRobert (Apr 27, 2015)

Why not? They do it for Roubo workbenches.

You'll have to figure out a way to secure it.


----------



## Sandy Man (Nov 15, 2021)

DrRobert said:


> Why not? They do it for Roubo workbenches.
> 
> You'll have to figure out a way to secure it.


Thanks , I am thinking a couple of Figure 8's on each leg


----------



## AwesomeOpossum74 (Jan 27, 2017)

I like the style. Simple, clean look.

I'd think you could mortise to 1.5", and have enough grain/grain glueup area to make it stable for typical use. I'd think the bottom shelf doesn't really do much for rigidity as is, unless it's actually a half lap joint.


----------



## Sandy Man (Nov 15, 2021)

AwesomeOpossum74 said:


> I like the style. Simple, clean look.
> 
> I'd think you could mortise to 1.5", and have enough grain/grain glueup area to make it stable for typical use. I'd think the bottom shelf doesn't really do much for rigidity as is, unless it's actually a half lap joint.


In the example in the pic there is a dado on 3 sides of the legs and slots cut in the shelf so it keeps the legs from spreading out on the sides but does not add any rididity from side to side long ways.


----------



## Colosnoball (Oct 16, 2021)

I see I'm late to the discussion about this project. However, my insight is that you are on to a nice appealing creation that can be built to last a long time, using old fashioned simple techniques. 

I would plan to haunch all four legs tenons on all four sides approximately 1/7th of the thickness of the leg.

I would then make the 4 mortices in the top 4/7ths deep, measuring from the thickness of the top. If you're using a 2 inch top, the depth would be about 1 & 1/8 inch.

I would then size the newly haunched leg mortices, shrunk by 1/16" in both X & Y dimensions compared to the tenons for each leg, with a slight flare or taper widening to the deepest edges of each side of the mortices.

Next, I would saw cut the ends of the tenons with a slight V notch and cut a fox wedge to fit slightly oversize. (1/16") The wedge should be slightly shorter than the V-notch cut in the end of the tenon.

I would also mortice and tenon your stretcher ends into the corresponding stretcher surfaces. You can use the same fox-wedging blind mortices, or use full depth tenons that can be openly wedged.

Using a good grade wood glue such as titebond III or hot liquid traditional hide glue, grab a soft blow hammer and a square and assemble and clamp. 

Maybe you've already built this project?


----------



## 4DThinker (Mar 13, 2013)

I'll mortise legs into a thick table top only when there is no stretcher between the legs at the top across the grain. You don't want the top splitting when it shrinks a bit during dry weather. The desk I'm sitting at is four 4x4 cedar legs mortised into a 1.5" thick butcherblock 2'x4' slab. To maximize glue area I use a tenon array rather than a single tenon. I cheat a bit using a CNC to cut both the tenon array and the mortises, but the physics work. Example shown HERE.
Again, you don't want a top stretcher between mortised in legs running across the grain.
4D


----------

