ShapingCabriole LegsCareful layout helps make graceful legswith smooth curves

B Y L O N N I E B I R D

During the 18th cen-tury, cabriole legswere integratedinto every form of furniture-chairs, casework, tables andeven beds. Today, nothingsymbolizes 18th-century furni-

ture more; the cabriole leg hasbecome the icon that distin-

guishes furniture of this periodfrom all other styles. It is also

rather simple to make.Surprisingly, cabriole legs exhib-

it tremendous variation in form. Infact, furniture historians can often

determine the origin of an antiquebased solely on the form and detail ofits cabriole legs. Regional furnituremakers sculpted legs with featuresparticular to the region in which theylived. For example, Pennsylvania legsare robust with a pronounced curve,while legs of New England origin oftendisplay a slender, subtle curve.

The feet of period legs also vary inboth style and execution. The pad, orspoon, foot is most common. It's alsothe least time-consuming to make be-cause its circular form is easily turned

on a lathe. The slipper foot is a slen-der version of the pad foot. Be-

cause it's elongated, it must becarved rather than turned.Pennsylvania furniture often

features the unique trifid, or

three-toed, foot with a relief-carved stock-ing that begins at the toes and terminatesmidway up the ankle. Like many elementsof 18th-century furniture, trifid feet canvary tremendously, from ill-formed tobeautifully refineddifferences that mostlikely illustrate the skill and training of thecraftsman who carved them.

Undoubtedly the most familiar design is

the claw-and-ball foot, which first emergedin the mid-18th century and quickly be-came popular as a sign of status andwealth. A careful examination of antiquefurniture shows that the claw-and-ball footreflects regional differences more so thanany other style of foot. Newport furniturestyles, for example, have feet with longtalons that are often undercut; the feet of

WHAT MAKES A WELL-PROPORTIONED LEG?

It is easy to make cabri-ole legs that are poorlyproportioned. Whenmaking templates andshaping legs, be surethat your curves neverdevelop into flat areasor appear overstated.After the curves on thetemplate have been re-fined and established,make a practice legand double-check yourproportions, before it'stoo late.

18TH-CENTURY

FEET

Trifid foot

New York pieces are square and boxlike;Philadelphia claw-and-ball feet appeartense and powerful. Additionally, a closerstudy reveals numerous variations of the

carving within a specific re-gion. No doubt this is a re-flection of the skill andinterpretation of individualcarvers.

Even though the com-pound curve of a cabrioleleg can appear difficult tomake, in reality making acabriole leg is quite easy.That's because the curve isbandsawed on the stock ontwo adjacent surfaces. Aftersawing, the curve issmoothed and refined withhand tools.

In contrast, designing anddrawing a leg with balance,proportion and a graceful,flowing curve can be quite achallenge. A visit to a majormuseum will reveal numer-ous outstanding examples ofcabriole legs, but in fact,many antiques have cabriolelegs with disproportionatefeet, ankles or knees. Otherlegs simply lack a refined,fluid curve. For these rea-sons it's important to studythe best examples whenlooking for inspiration and

Pad foot direction.

Establish the general proportionsBegin by establishing the parameters of theknee, foot, ankle and post block. General-ly speaking, the width of most knees arewithin a range of in. to in. It's mostimportant to size the knee so that it's pro-portionate to the piece of furniture onwhich it will be used.

The foot is proportional to the knee (orsometimes slightly smaller). Ankles typical-ly range in size from in. on a slender legof a tea table to in. on a tall chest. Thepad of the foot is in. to in. high, andthe height of the entire foot is in. to in.

Remember that these are guidelines for apad foot. Trifid and claw-and-ball feet are

DIFFERENT TEMPLATES FOR DIFFERENT LEGS

Slipper foot

larger and heavier than pad feet, and con-sequently they require a heavier ankle toappear proportionally correct. The postblock is typically in. to 1 in. smaller thanthe knee. Sizing the post block is critical; ifit's too small, the knee will appear swollen.If the post block is too large, the knee mayhave a weak appearance.

It is very helpful to study good examplesof cabriole legs from the numerous books

available on period-furniture collections.Study photographs that have been taken"straight on"; isometric views can misleadyou into thinking that the leg is heavierthan it actually is.

The finest leg examples have smooth,continuously flowing lines that lead youreye from the post block to the foot withoutirregularities. It's best to avoid exampleswith stiff, straight lines. The lines, including

those on long, slender legs, should alwayscurve, even if subtly.

Make a templateWhen designing a cabriole leg, begin bydrawing a full-sized template for tracingonto the leg stock. I use in. birch veneerplywood for making these templates be-cause the plywood is stiff and the light col-or and smooth texture make a suitablesurface for drawing.

Once the dimensions for the foot, ankle,knee and post block have been estab-lished, concentrate on drawing the curvesthat define the front and back of the leg.These curves are the most essential to asuccessful cabriole leg.

The post block intersects the knee at anangle of approximately 45. From there theline travels in a convex curve throughthe knee. Below the knee is a transitionpoint, where the line curves inward to be-come concave. A cabriole leg appearsmost graceful when the transition point islocated just below the knee. A leg with alow transition point tends to appear awk-ward and less refined.

The line at the back of the leg begins at apoint behind the knee. It somewhat fol-lows the line at the front of the leg, al-though the curve is less pronounced. Asthe lines flow downward, they convergeat the ankle, then quickly broaden at thetop of the foot.

When sketching the curves I find it help-ful to sight down the line to examine thetransition point and check for smoothnessof the curve.

When you're satisfied with the drawing,bandsaw the template exactly to the lineand smooth the edges with a file. Thenmodel the leg on a piece of inexpensivestock, such as poplar. This allows you toview the design as a three-dimensionalform. After viewing the model, I oftenmake further refinements, first to the legand then to the template.

Experience has taught me not to makequick decisions when judging the model.In fact, I usually stand it on the bench andleave it there for a few days while workingon other projects. Occasionally I stop andview it from various angles. Sometimes Imake two models, with minor variations in

Diagonal grain is best for legs. By orientingthe end-grain patterns along the diagonalof the blank, you are left with straight grainon each face.

the size of the foot or ankle, and standthem side by side for comparison.

Choose leg stock wiselyOnce you're satisfied with the model, se-lect stock and begin working on the legs.Avoid using glued-up stock; the opposinggrain, color and gluelines distract from thecompleted leg. In fact, stock selection canplay a major role in the overall success of

LAYING OUT STOCK

1. Lay out the leg. With the template held inplace, draw out the pattern on adjacent facesof the leg.

2. Transfer the pad width. Use a square setto the widest point of the pad.

3. Mark out the leg at both ends. Transferthe pad dimension to both the top and bottomof the blank.

4. New centers are off center. Use thesquare to locate the centers of the pad width,not the center of the blank.

the leg. If the annual rings on the end of thestock run from front to back, the grain onthe face of the stock will complement thecurves of the leg. Rings that run side to sidecompete visually with the leg contours. Forthe greatest strength, especially at the an-kle, use only straight-grained stock.

The next step is to joint two adjacentfaces of the stock 90 in relationship toeach other. Then plane the stock to a thick-ness that allows room for tracing the tem-plate. Finally, cut the leg stock 1 in. longerthan the final length. The extra length pro-vides room for the drive center of the lathe.

Transfer the layoutand bandsaw the stockAfter milling the leg stock to size, trace thetemplate back-to-back onto two adjacentfaces. If the length of the leg exceeds thetop of your bandsaw, leave a square sec-tion above the ankle to support the legwhen you bandsaw the adjacent face. (Icall this area the support block.) Also, leavethe top of the post block square to positionthe drive center of the lathe.

Leave the foot square, too. Remember,the foot is circular and can be shaped easi-ly on the lathe; leaving it square facilitatesthe turning process.

When sawing the first face, save the off-cut at the back of the leg because it has thedrawing for the second face. It can berepositioned with masking tape.

Before bandsawing, mount the appropri-ate blade on your bandsaw. For a typicalcabriole leg, a in., 4- or 6-pitch, regular-tooth blade works well. The narrow widtheasily follows the tight turn at the ankle,and the tooth pattern cuts cleanly.

Begin by sawing the short, straight cuts atthe intersection of the post and supportblocks. This way you can saw the curvewithout trapping the blade at the end ofthe cut. Next, start at the foot and saw thecurves of the leg. If you follow the layoutlines precisely, you'll avoid extra hand-work later. As you reach the end of thecurve, reduce the feed pressure and easeinto the corner to avoid overshooting theintersection and ruining the post block.Tape the offcut at the back of the leg intoposition and saw the second face. After-ward, saw off the support block.

Turn the foot on the latheBefore mounting the leg in the lathe, you'llhave to locate the centers precisely on the

BANDSAWING THE BASIC SHAPE

1. Bandsaw theleg. Begin by cut-ting to the line onparallel faces ofthe leg, makingsure to leave afull-width bridgeon the outsideface.

ends of the stock. If the foot is the samesize as the leg blank, you can simply markdiagonal lines on each end. However, thefoot diameter typically is slightly smallerthan the knee, and the foot is positioned sothat it lies toward the front of the leg, whichgives the leg a more pronounced curve. Tofind the center, lay out a square on eachend of the leg that corresponds to the footdiameter, then mark diagonal lines withinthe square.

To avoid striking the drive center with aturning tool, mount the leg in the lathe

2. Save the off-cut. After band-sawing the insideface, be sure notto throw awaythe offcut.

3. Tape it up.Reposition theoffcut and usemasking tape tosecure it inplace.

4. Bridge fendssupport. Thebridge helpsguide the cut asyou finish theleg.

5. The last cut.When the leg hasbeen cut toshape, trim awaythe bridge.

with the foot at the tailstock. Then positionthe tool rest and turn the leg by hand tocheck that it clears the rest.

Begin by rounding the foot with a gouge.Be careful not to spoil the curve of the legby cutting into the ankle when turning.Then make a shallow V with a skew at thetop of the foot. This provides a clear line towork toward later when shaping the leg.Turn the pad to diameter with a partingtool and gauge it with a spring caliper. Fi-nally, shape the contour of the foot. I use a

in. gouge and roll the foot contour as I

TURNING THE PAD

1. Blank is mounted off-center. Position theleg in the lathe using the pad centers you drewout earlier.

would when turning a bead. The foot con-tour begins at the V and ends at the pad.Before removing the leg from the lathe,sand it lightly.

Shape the legWith the turning completed, focus onshaping the leg. Begin by removing slightirregularities in the surface from bandsaw-ing; then remove the sharp corners andblend the surfaces. On a typical cabrioleleg with a pad foot, the ankle is round butthe remainder of the leg is square withrounded corners. Be careful not to removewood too quickly, especially at the ankle.You can gauge the ankle with a springcaliper to check your progress and to keepsets of legs uniform.

Secure the leg in a pipe clamp and mount

2. Forming thepad. A gougerounds the pad atits widest dimen-sion. Check fre-quently withcalipers until youreach final width.

3. Establish a lineat the top of thepad. Draw a pencilmark at the top ofthe pad, then use askew chisel to cuta shallow line atthat height.

4. Round from thebottom up. Work-ing up from the bot-tom of the pad, usea gouge to ease thetransition fromthe top.

the pipe clamp in a vise. I shape the legwith a #49 Nicholson rasp, but you can al-so use a spokeshave. I prefer the rasp be-cause it cuts quickly and will reach into thesharp curve at the ankle. As an added ben-efit, the rasp doesn't tear out difficultwoods, such as curly maple. Hold the raspaskew so that it bridges any high spots andcuts them away. Remove the leg from theclamp occasionally and sight down thecurve for dips or bumps. This first step will

progress quickly if you followed the lineprecisely when bandsawing the leg.

Next, begin rounding the leg corners. Tokeep the corners uniform, you may find ithelpful to chamfer each corner first, thenround off the corners of the chamfer. Startwith the front of the leg and shape theknee, moving upward toward the postblock. Then shape downward from theknee toward the ankle. As you shape, con-tinually alternate the surfaces of the rasp;

All 18th-century pad feet that I've examined are round, pre-sumably because they were turned on a lathe. But even if youdon't have a lathe, you can produce an attractive pad foot;

you'll just need to be prepared to spend a little extra time at it.

When you bandsaw the leg blank, go ahead and bandsaw

the foot outline as well. This will create a square pad foot that

provides a guideline for shaping by hand. Next, locate the cen-ter of the foot by marking diagonal lines. Then draw the cir-cumference of the pad with a compass or template.

To shape the foot, remove the four corners with a chisel andrasp. A carving gouge with a curvature to match the foot con-tour is also helpful in achieving a pleasing appearance. Finally,smooth and blend the surfaces with a file.

Templateshelp lay outthe pad. Use acircle templateto position thecircle at thebottom of thepad.

SHAPING THE LEG

1. Spokeshave cleans up bandsaw tracks. With the legplaced in a clamp and held in a vise, a spokeshave is used tosmooth out any rough spots the bandsaw may have left.

2. Rasping off the corners. Begin shaping the leg by easing thecorners with a rasp,

3. Shape the top of the pad. At the bottom of the leg, use arasp to smooth the transition to the pad.

4. Cut to the line. When shaping the leg, make sure you don'tround over the cup at the bottom, Use a chisel to build a smallshoulder along the line cut at the lathe.

use the flat surface for the convex areas ofthe leg, and the convex surface of the raspfor the concave curves of the leg.

To rasp away the corners of the leg, holdthe rasp at a skewed angle and follow theleg contour. After shaping the front corner,progress to the back and finally the twoside corners. Keep in mind that the cornersat the sides of the leg remain sharp wherethey intersect the knee block. Use a chiselat the foot to blend the curves of the leg in-

to the V cut you made at the lathe. Onceyou're satisfied with the shape of the leg,smooth it; first with a file, then with a cardscraper. A bit of light sanding completesthe process.

Remember that these are guidelines for atypical cabriole leg with a pad foot. Be-cause all legs have intrinsic variations de-pending on their origin, you'll want tocompare the leg you're shaping to a pho-tograph of one you're reproducing. For ex-

ample, not all legs have round ankles; a legwith a claw-and-ball foot typically has anankle that is somewhat square, with round-ed corners. If you take your time workingout the pattern, shaping the legs goessmoothly and quickly. Learning to makecabriole legs opens you up to a whole newstyle of furniture.

Lonnie Bird teaches furniture making at theUniversity of Rio Grande in Ohio.

Establish ashoulder.Use a carvinggouge to es-tablish thecurve on onecomer, thenuse a chisel tocut away thesmall shoul-der at the bot-tom of thepad.

Rasping around pad.Rasps andfiles helpround thepad down tothe bottomof the leg.Once the bot-tom has beenshaped, sightdown the legand cleanup the topprofile.

Lay out byeye. Thecircle at thetop of thefoot is pen-ciled in byeye.

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