Feet with molded profile-Help!

[Steven Shelby]

I am in the process of building a new diningroom buffet and china hutch for DW's already lovely diningroom.

I want the feet to have a molded outer profile, giving them an almost clawfoot like shape rather than being boring and flat. My ability to communicate my idea in writing is falling short. But if you recently saw Norm build his "Media Press" on DIY, my idea is very much along the lines of what he did with those feet.

Norm used a molding machine with custom knives, neither of which I have or can afford. DW is often ok with me forking up cash for tools... but not that ok!

So I thought I could dado alot of the material away. But how do I do the finish work? I also thought about using the table saw with an angeled fence... did 5" cove molding on the table saw that turned out great. But it's alot of work. At one point, I even considered using the band saw to cut the profile. But the work peice will be 9' high, which won't fit in my bandsaw. I've been searching the web for potentially finding a router bit that could get it done, and I'd do it on the router table, but have come up empty on that idea as well.

Surely some of my fellow creeksters have been down this road and have the perfect solution. This is serious work, folks... it requires serious problem solving! This is why I leave it to all of you!

Thanks, in advance, for your input!

Enjoy!

[Dennis Jackson]

Could you build the feet up from separate pieces much like Norm does for moldings around the top of projects? You may not get the exact shape you have in mind, but you could use a lot of pre made moldings and easy to form parts from the router.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Steven, before molders and shapers, or those blender thingies in a melamine table, molding was made by using gouges, planes and scrapers.

You are one step up the ladder, you can hog out the majority of the material with a dado in a tablesaw, then a couple of carving gouges to refine the shape, completing the work with some sandpaper and some sanding blocks.

Try it out on some pine first, to develop some confidence, then make the moldings you need for your cabinet feet.

You don't have to make long pieces, just a bit longer than you would require for each foot.

You can make your own scrapers from scrapers, heavy bandsaw blades etc.

Regards, Rod.

[Robert LaPlaca]

Steve,

Norms 'Media Press' has bracket feet.. Tautons 'Shaping Wood' by Lonnie Bird describes how to build bracket feet that are shaped with a bandsaw and handtools.. I have made two complete sets of bracket feet using Birds method.. Not everyone has a Williams and Hussey moulder to mill bracket feet stock, like Norm. Bird's method works great and really is not that hard..

Additionally, you can buy either pre-made or pre-molded ogee bracket feet stock from Classic Designs by Matthew Burack at http://www.tablelegs.com/BunFeetAndOgeeFeet/ChippendaleOgeeBracketFurnitureFeet.aspx