How to Make DIY Table Legs

Table legs aren't just functional elements. Well-crafted legs can make the look of the table. Wood table legs are simple and inexpensive to create from dimensional lumber found at your local home center.

Making Wood Table Legs

To achieve the appearance of a chunky, solid table leg, two boards are laminated with glue and fused with bar clamps. The clamps are left on for a number of hours: pressure and time equal strength.

Once the clamps are released, each leg is ripped (or run lengthwise) through a table saw to bring the leg to a uniform 3-inch by 3-inch size. An electric wood planer smooths down the sides. If you don't have a planer, you can substitute with a sander.

After cutting the legs to length, use a router to round off the sharp corners. Sand one last time with fine-grit paper, then paint or stain and attach to the tabletop.

Type of Wood to Use

Two-by-fours range in price and quality from softwoods like whitewood, yellow pine, or cedar to hardwoods such as red oak, cherry, mahogany, or maple.

Softwoods usually cost about $1 to $2 per linear foot. Mahogany, one of the most expensive two-by-fours you can buy, costs $15 to $25 per linear foot.

Choose clear wood. Avoid wood with knots, cracks, or imperfections. Do not use pressure-treated wood.

Alternative Materials for Making Table Legs

• Steel Pipe: Steel pipe is a popular table leg alternative to wood that fits well with an industrial style. Choose your desired length of pipe, then turn the pipes clockwise by hand into floor flanges. Screw the flanges onto the bottom of the tabletop.
• Metal Hairpin Legs: Originally designed for mid-century modern coffee table legs, metal hairpin legs can now be found in longer sizes for larger tables.
• Parsons Table Legs: Parsons legs are about as easy as table legs can get. These two-by-two wood legs come with a pre-attached bolt at one end. Simply screw four metal mounting plates on the bottom of the table, then turn the legs into the plates by hand.

Safety Considerations

Observe all safety instructions that come with your table saw. To avoid kickback, be sure that the blade and the gate are parallel with each other. Make sure that the table saw's riving knife is installed. Standard with most modern table saws, the riving knife helps to prevent kickback, too.