Cabriole Legs Session 3: Select and Prepare the Leg Stock

Our practice legs are what they are in terms of grain pattern and direction. But on the real leg, we want to use a riffs on blank. Now a riffs on blank will have the grain running at a 45 degree angle across the cross section of the leg, like this. So note how the grain does travel at a 45 degree angle. And this produces a nice, straight grain, on all four faces of the leg.

And this in turn, will yield a pleasing grain pattern on the finished leg. Now here's an example of a leg made with a plains on blank. Note how on one side of the leg, the grain is straight. While the other side, shows the sweeping arches of the flats on surface. And here on the end you can see, there's the flats on where the grain runs parallel with the face, and here the grain runs perpendicular.

That's our straight side, and our curved side. So let's compare the plains on leg with the riffs on leg. Here we have the two. And riffs on, as you can see, gives us that consistent pattern on both faces. Where as a plains on changes from straight on one face to the cathedral pattern on the other.

So take the extra steps it takes to make a riffs on blank. You'll have much nicer legs when you're done. To transfer the template onto the leg blank, simply lay the template on the blank in the correct orientation so the back edge of the template is on the desired corner of the blank. And then trace the outline with a sharp pencil. Next we give the blank a quarter turn and pivot the template using it's back edge like a hinge, and trace that template again.

Make sure everything lines up the way you want it. Now your blank should look like this with the leg profile traced out back to back on two adjoining faces. And at this point you can mark out the finished top of the leg and cut the extra length off the top and set it aside. We'll be using that stock later to create the transition block. So before we run to the band saw, we'll add a couple bridges.

And you can just mark those out right here at the ankle. They don't have to be anything precise. But this will help us guide the blank on the saw. And the other one will be right at the top of the leg. Now we're ready to release the leg from it's block prison.