Turned Legs for the Lathe-less

Whenever we include a project that has turned legs, bun feet or some other turned component, we inevitably get calls and e-mails from readers who don’t have a lathe or don’t have a friend who has a lathe, but want to build the piece as printed.

There are a number of sources online where you can buy stock legs and feet, and order custom turnings, in a variety of species.

Here are just a few of them that offer both stock turned pieces and custom work (and if you’ve used and can recommend other sources, please leave that info in the comments below).

tablelegs.com, in St. Johnsbury, Vt. (800-748-3480)

Adams Wood Products, in Morristown, Tenn. (423-587-2942)

Osborne Wood Products, in Toccoa, Ga. (706-886-1065)

Note that legs can also be “turned” by hand – a combination of chisels, rasps and saws. You’ll find step-by-step instruction on the process on his Woodworker’s Edge DVD “The Cabriole Leg.” You can also turn small legs on a drill press with some savvy, setup and shop-made jigs. We’ve not written an article on that, nor do I know of any videos on the subject, but you can find demos online.

 — Megan Fitzpatrick

p.s. The spice chest pictured above is by Zachary Dillinger, from our August 2013 issue.