Slab Coffee Table Legs Help Needed

[Steve Friedman]

I want to make a family room coffee table using a free-form wooden slab as the top, but can find very little guidance about building the legs for it. The slab is around 4' long at its longest and 3' wide at its widest. Since the slab is not uniform, how do I know where to place the legs to get the top balanced? Any design ideas?

Thanks

[Jamie Buxton]

I suspect we don't understand your question. Perhaps if you posted a picture of the slab, that might help.

[Billy Chambless]

There may be an elegant mathematical approach, but personally, I'd just cut some blocks to put under the slab to simulate legs, and move them around until the whole thing looks good and feels stable.

[Tom Sontag]

Nakashima came up with several elegant and stylish answers. Look for images of his work (i.e. search Google Images for "nakashima") to get aesthetically proven answers from the originator of the form.

Three legs, "T" shaped form on edge, or a trestle style all can work if you get angles and proportions right.

[Steve Friedman]

Thanks. I'm not sure my skill level is up to the challenge, but Nakashima's leg styles gave me lots of ideas. My instinct is to finish the slab (flitch) first before deciding on the legs / base style. Does that make sense.

[Gary Max]

See if this helps-----I build and sell a bunch of these every year.
The legs are set in 4 inchs from the end and the 2x6 is 2 inchs narrower than the table.

[jim carter]

here is 1 i built. you cant see the legs but its 1 piece that is 1 trunk with 4 thick branches coming out to form the legs. i used manzanita but any wood will do.