Joint question

[fudo133]

While i was wandering around aimlessly online last night i saw a picture of a huge kauri table with some very interesting legs (i'd credit the maker if i knew who it was). I'm just curious if there's a specific name for the style and for that matter, what sort of joint could have been used to do it whilst keeping everything stable? I'd have thought with such a massive slab on top it'd be a great challenge to support it safely?

AncientKauri.jpg

[rod1949]

Can't help with the question, but its a bloody nice table eh?

[fudo133]

Can't help with the question, but its a bloody nice table eh?

Agree 110% if i knew who made it i'd ask how much they wanted for it...then again, its probably considerably more than i'd make in a year

[Brobdingnagian]

Not sure on the style of the piece, but I do have a few ideas on the joinery, My guess is that the short legs are joined using a double half lap joint as these need to be the strongest and take most of the weight. The long legs could be done in a number of ways but I think mortice though the lap joint that way it could also be pegged.

One the strength issue, first lets estimate the weight, lets say the top is 3000mm x 1200mm x 50mm which gives us 0.18m^3 and kauri has a density of about 600kg/m^3 multiplying the two give us 108kg for the top. This gives us near enough to 60kg per each half of the frame. If the legs are 150mm X 150mm then the joint that I have attached would have a worst case scenario of minimum cross-section of 75mmx50mm which seems to me to be more than adequate to support 60kg.

-J