TECHNIQUES:
Making Tapered Legs on the Jointer
by Linda Haus

Issue 163 February 2004

The first time I saw someone setting up to taper legs on a jointer, I was amazed. I felt like I was watching a car race: I didn't really want to see them lose a finger (crash a car), but the apparent danger absolutely held my attention. When the task was done, it became clear that, not only was the technique safe, but it let you do things you just can't do when forming legs on a band saw or table saw tapering jig.

The key to the technique is a wooden wedge clamped to the outfeed table of the jointer. The wedge becomes a ramp for the leg to climb as the cutterhead shapes the face of the stock. The leading edge of the leg forms the geometry of the cut as it climbs the wedge and the forward edge of the infeed table: the leg stock gets dragged through the cutter in a gentle arc and provides the unique style of a jointer-tapered leg.

Four Tapering Variables
The taper of the leg is affected by four variables. First; the incline of the wedge: the steeper the incline, the more acute the taper. Second; how close to the front edge of the outfeed table the wedge is clamped: the spacing sets the flat (or apron) area. Third and Fourth, the length of the leg and depth of cut set by the infeed table: as you increase the leg length in relationship to the wedge, the taper becomes more gentle. As you increase the depth of cut, the taper becomes more acute or pronounced.

A shop-made plywood push stick is a must from my point of view. It gives you superior control and completely protects your pushing hand as you move the stock across the cutter (no crashes!). Your lead hand is always held past the cutter, as shown in the photos and illustrations below. The whole operation is also done with the guard in place, for additional safety. (Jointers, like all power tools, are inherently dangerous. Use common sense and protective gear.)

After the wedge is made and clamped in place, the cutting process is simple. Place the "top end" of the prepared stock (cut to length and surfaced exactly square) onto the outfeed table and bump it gently against the end of the wedge and tight to the jointer fence. Hold it in place with your left hand (with gentle downward pressure) as you grab the push stick and hook it onto the other end of the leg. Rotate the infeed end of the leg toward the table, and when you make contact, move it slowly forward. (The front end of the leg will lift and start riding the incline.) Because you've lowered the infeed table by 1/8" or more, you won't really start cutting until you’re near the end of the leg on the first cuts. If you are tapering more than one face of the leg, spin the leg and repeat the cut. (For symmetrical tapers, you need to duplicate the same number of cuts per face.) Repeat the process until you’re pleased with the taper. If you are leaving a little foot on the bottom of the leg, you’ll need to incorporate a stop block on the wedge after the first or second pass on the each face of the leg.

You can make a variety of leg shapes and styles using this basic setup. One real benefit to tapering your legs on the jointer is, if your knives are sharp, sanding is held to a minimum.

Easily tapered legs and virtually no sanding ... simply amazing!