# Attaching tree stump legs to a live edge slab



## kryptix (Oct 8, 2014)

I'm planning to make a live edge coffee table from a slab of thick black walnut. For the legs I'm planning to use a log split in half. Does anyone have advice on how to attach them?

My current plan is to notch out a dado on the top of each half log and to glue and screw in a cross piece on the legs then to use lag bolts into threaded inserts or t nuts in the top through the overhanging portion of the cross pieces. This thing will be super heavy so I think it needs to be taken apart sometimes and also I need the joinery to be strong enough that people lifting the top won't make the legs fall out. I honestly don't feel like mortise and tenoning then wedging a 10/4 slab and a 12 inch stump together though.

I would make the cross piece run with the grain of the walnut and notch out a channel in the cross piece rather than a hole to try to account for wood movement.

Any suggestions?


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## AndyL (Jun 3, 2011)

Sounds like an interesting project, please post pictures when you're done!

My inclination would be to make a complete four-sided frame to support the top, attached to the legs similar to how you've described, and to the top through slotted holes, also as per your plan. I think the top may want to cup if there's no cross-grain support, and if the legs aren't all connected to together independent of the top, they'll go with it, causing a wobbly table. This is just a hunch though, I don't have personal experience of working with slabs.

How are you treating your edges - leaving the bark on, or removing it? If so how? One of my local timber yards has lots of great slabs and I've always fancied making something with one, but never really been sure how to deal with the bark.


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## phillip.c (Aug 9, 2012)

I saw an article in Fine Woodworking with similar needs a while ago. The legs were seated inside of dados. Inside the dados were several mortises. I think this should give you the needed stability.


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Just my thoughts...

There are some specialized bits and tooling for log furnishings that might fit what you are shooting for. On the joining side, there are tapered hole saw type bits, male and female mates, that they use for mortise and tenon type jointing.

What I have also seen is a regular hole saw used to create the mortise. The reason this would be of interest, is to create a cup underneath the slab, to locate and be support of the heavy slab onto the legs. You could roughly trim the tops of the legs so they go into those cups.

Making those joints as "removable" adds another interesting factor into that. I think if you cut those cups for the legs with a hole saw, then it isn't tapered and it won't lock in tight, thus be removeable. But since removability is desired, then you would have to brace and create a lock. I like the idea of adding a crosspiece in a dado, to screw the legs onto... I thought with the cups, a cross-piece with a sliding dovetail (glued).

On a 4 sided frame on rustic furnisings- If you try to do that, then you have either to create 4 interconnecting dado's for that frame to seat into, into a surface the starts out as not resembling any kind a flat plane.... Or trimming that square frame to follow the countours of the bottom of the log/slab. Would be a do-able, but challenging.

Thing is-- what is going to keep it in the tradition (design-wise) of rustic? If you add 2 flat pieces of stock as a support, how does that fit with the look and feel of the rustic slab top and legs? (Your call.) What may look better is trimming a rough branch to mate with each underside end, trim it to mate, lock and support the legs. Harder, but adds to the design instead of detracting from it.

Step further-- I've seem 4 sided frames that were made from branches. Care was taken to pick out pieces that fit the underside of the log or slab... and lots of care taken in the fitting process to join them together cohesively.


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## kryptix (Oct 8, 2014)

This is giving me some ideas, I didn't want the cross pieces to be visible so I guess one thing I could do since the slab is 10/4 is to mortise in the cross pieces... This is the router forum after all. Since it is a coffee table only ~20 inches high, I guess the legs don't HAVE to be removable but I wanted the option since the thing will be 150-200 pounds I think...

To give you guys an idea... Here's the slab, I haven't taken delivery yet since I haven't moved in to my new place, I plan to use 4-5" of a 7 foot slab for the table, conveniently letting me square off the ends the way I want etc.

I guess I can make an I shaped frame mortised into the two legs from 2" stock and use that to attach the top as well in order to have support in both directions. at 2" thick you'd have to really lean down to see the frame I would think.


I'm also attaching a picture of a table with half stump legs, but I think I would want the cut surface facing out to see some interesting grain... I don't have the stump though and I'm actually searching online for some stumps that would compliment the piece. I figure I can either try to get a walnut stump or go with something like curly maple or something else on the whiter side to compliment it, or go with the cedar since I have an end table in the room being made from this piece of cedar.


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## kryptix (Oct 8, 2014)

This slab is debarked already before it was kiln dried but I think the answer for debarking is a chisel and a spokeshave  For bark on, I've been told the only way to preserve it is with a thick film spray on finish like a laquer that basically glues it in place. I guess then you can sand it off the flat surfaces if you want a different finish on those?



AndyL said:


> Sounds like an interesting project, please post pictures when you're done!
> 
> My inclination would be to make a complete four-sided frame to support the top, attached to the legs similar to how you've described, and to the top through slotted holes, also as per your plan. I think the top may want to cup if there's no cross-grain support, and if the legs aren't all connected to together independent of the top, they'll go with it, causing a wobbly table. This is just a hunch though, I don't have personal experience of working with slabs.
> 
> How are you treating your edges - leaving the bark on, or removing it? If so how? One of my local timber yards has lots of great slabs and I've always fancied making something with one, but never really been sure how to deal with the bark.


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## Phil Dalton (May 12, 2009)

Ken, regarding your slab coffee table, if you have sufficiently large and stable stump legs, I would probably just put a deep hole in the legs, glue in a large dowel (as in 2"), put a corresponding hole well into but not through the top and rest it on there, un-glued. Of course I have never attempted such a thing and it would probably not work but with so much weight holding it steady, it looks to me as though it would be fine that way and you could take it apart easily. Good luck.
Phil


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Ken, I first read this thread a couple days ago and have been thinking about it... Two legs (as in your sample photo) will always work. Three legs will always work (think tripod), but with four legs - you're going to have a heck of a time keeping it from becoming wobbly. 

I'm also going to go-out on a limb (no pun intended) and say, if your "legs" are stable and vertical - and it is just at "coffee-table-height", why even tie the table top to the legs at all? It certainly isn't likely to get knocked-over! This way, your slab stays a uniform thickness - reducing the likelihood of eventual splitting and you have a bit more flexibility with appearance.

Just my thoughts,
Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## Billy Boy (Mar 4, 2012)

Hi Ken. We make live edge coffee tables and simply use pocket screws to attach the legs to the top.







We filnd this works well. You can also use a triangle shape base and screw it into the top and the legs. Billy Boy Bill Major


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## KomputerMan (Mar 3, 2014)

Ken, please post pictures as you make your table. I have this live edge slab of old growth redwood I want to do something special with too. After all this wood came from a tree that was alive when Columbus got off his boat in the Bahamas oh so many centuries ago. 
Pretty special wood that deserves special treatment!


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## kryptix (Oct 8, 2014)

I'll post updates as I go along, going to get everything shipped over to my new place in a few weeks then I'm basically going to repaint a few rooms and tackle this while waiting for paint to dry...

The pocket screws idea was pretty close to what I was planning to do anyway but I was going to tie the two legs together with a 1x4 strip of hard maple mortised into the middle of both, forming an I shape (always hear your not supposed to use the top as the only thing holding the frame together).

As for knocking it over, I was going to say its unlikely to happen too, but with two kids running around I'm not sure...

Don't wait TOO eagerly because I'm probably not going to be done with it before the holidays, especially since I'm going to finish it with tung oil/citrus solvent I think and that will take a while to fully cure in the north during winter. I might have to move it to the basement from the garage for that, but at least tung oil is non-toxic. Then maybe some carnauba wax to buff it a bit.


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## kryptix (Oct 8, 2014)

So just went to the lumber yard to finalize my purchases today (I ended up taking the slabs just before and after the one I showed before in the flitch.

The first three are of the slab for my coffee table, the big hole is actually part of a big scar on the other side so since its way long for a coffee table I'll probably cut it there and use the left over piece for two cutting boards or for an end table.

The fourth one is going to become my desk and the fifth one a shelf on top of the desk for monitors. The 6th one is the red oak stump thats split that will be my coffee table's legs. I think with the split side facing out it will be a cool contrast with the dark outside sapwood and then white to red in the middle.


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