In my last post I showed how I created the template to cut the layers of the leg frame, in this post I will show how the cuts were made. The first step was to layout how the pieces will be cut from the plywood and trace around each piece. Since the legs are wider at the top then at the bottom you can get them a little closer together by alternating directions.
The next step was to rough cut them on the band saw to make the pattern cutting a little easier. I started by just cutting between them to separate each piece. I then drilled some holes at the bottom of the shoulder on each side to make it easier to make the rough cut and then cut close to the line on a band saw.
Once the pieces were rough cut I screwed the template to one of the pieces. The template doesn’t need to line back up perfectly with the trace line as long as there is wood sticking out all the way around. I attached the template with two screws. Since only one side of the outside pieces will be seen I won’t even need to patch these holes.
I made the pattern cut in a router table with a small pattern cutting bit. Before making the cut the height of the bit needs to be set carefully so that the bearing runs along the edge of the template and the cutter goes the full height of the plywood. When you are switching between cutting he 1/2” and 3/4” pieces, don’t forget to reset the height! I forgot to do this when switching from a 3/4” cut to a 1/2” and took a chunk out of both my template and the leg piece.
When making a pattern cut it is a good idea to use a starting pin. This gives you something to hold the piece firmly against as you bring it into the cutter. Without it the piece will tend to kick out when you first touch the cutter.
With everything setup the cuts go pretty quickly.
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