Amature, using claw-foot legs with blocks

16 years ago

I am building a stand for my wife. It's actually a base for a large (36x36) lizard cage. She loves claw-foot legs, so I purchased these recently:

http://www.vandykes.com/images/products/02008576-lg.jpg

I expect to use 2x4's or the like to make the sides of the base, somehow attaching them to the blocks on the legs. The finished exterior pieces will then be attached to the 2x4s, hiding the 2x4s and the blocks completely. (To hide these parts, I plan to mount the exterior trim by countersinking some screws through the trim and into the 2x4s, then glue some pre-made "gingerbread" trim which will hide the screws, then stain and varnish the whole thing. For structural integrity I'll also use a pair of 2x4's as crossmembers, notched in the middle. That part I'm not too worried about.)

I'm looking for some input about how to go about attaching these base pieces running between the legs. Should I just put screws through the block and right into the ends of the 2x4s? That seems a little hamfisted and I'm afraid of cracking the wood. Things like "legs" and "blocks" are such generic terms that it's really difficult to search for anything here or on the web in general.

As I noted in the subject, I'm a rank amature when it comes to woodworking. (I'm more comfortable up to my elbows in grease and adjusting valve-lash...)

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Comments (3)

mcguirev10
Original Author
16 years ago
Doh. "Amateur." :)
abnorm
16 years ago
Legs like that are supposed to project into the room.....usually tenons would fit into the squared sections

Your end-grain screws are Ham-fisted.....the screws will not hold......

Let me suggest an easier "kitchen-table/legs" approach......take a look......wooden tables generally have removable legs held in place with a bolt/nut thru a brace in each corner

Start with a 36x36 inch piece of 3x4" plywood .....(or one sized to fit UNDER the cage)

attach aprons on each side.....the aprons could be simply square stock ripped to the leg's top dimension......screwed thru the tabletop with 1 1/2" screws .......the cage will cover any screwheads...........

The aprons would NOT touch each other but form a square "hole" sized to fit the purchased leg......The hanger bolt gets screwed diagonally into the inside corner of the leg

a diagonal board with a Hole is fastened inside the corner......Or purchase a metal corner.......use hanger-bolt, washer and nut to mount the leg.......

YMMV.......good luck

Here is a link that might be useful: Rockler.......metal corner
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mcguirev10
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes, I know what you mean about the diagonal bolts. I originally considered that (based on how a couple tables I have are assembled) but I didn't know how they got the hanger bolt into the leg, and I definitely didn't know anybody made handy brackets like that -- thanks for the link.

I was also kicking around a mortise and tenon arrangement, but my drill-press is currently MIA (we just moved) and in any case I was having some trouble imagining how I'd get that block stable and lined-up right with all the crazy protrusions on the rest of the leg.

The corner-bolted setup looks like exactly what I need. Thanks again.