I am doing a table with large wedged tenons in through mortises, and have a couple of issues I would like to put up for disucssion. Each leg (4" x 6") will have 3 tenons, 2 at 1.25" square; one at 7/8" by 3". The longer tenon will be to the inside of the table. The legs will be walnut, the top 8/4 cherry (single plank, wane retained), the wedges in ebony.
The questions:
1. Is 3" too long/wide for a wedged tenon? Would I be better at 2.5". The top, at the point that the legs come through, are quartersawn. I have never done them this wide before. Shrinkulator says .05" of change, winter to summer.
2. Will I be OK if I angle the outsides of the 2 sqaure tenons, and both sides of the longer/wider tenon. I am giving thought to angling them so that they all "meet" at the centerpoint between the two legs. Since the top is a very wide plank, approx. 32", and the legs are set in from the sides starting at 4" from the edge, the midpoint of the plank to the midpoint of the legs would be about 10". I have never angled the tenon on a wedged tenon construction, and wondered if this approach might present any problems. Each wedge would be set parallel to the edge of the tenon, and in about 1/4". I know that I will need to angle the wedges a bit, but this is OK with me.
3. Is this a bad idea generally -- that is, the angled edges on the tenons?
I will have brought many power tools to bear on this guy, but there is a fair amount of neander work as well, thank goodness.
I should note that this is primarily the client's design, not mine. One of the functional requirements is that the table be suitable for seating a small crowd.
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