How to join three legged table legs to table top

[Fergal]

Hi all

I'm building a small round side table with three legs that meet at the middle mitred at 120 degrees. The table needs to be able to be dismantled so I don't want to permanently fix the legs together or to the table top. I'm currently thinking of joining the legs together by burying a large (M20, or M25) nut in the centre of the joint which has three threaded holes in it's sides to accept machine screws drilled through the sides of the legs. There will also be dowels to keep the joint in alignment.

As for fixing the legs to the top, I can only think of three solutions, none of which I'm keen on. L brackets, pocket screws or cam connectors.

Are there any other options I haven't thought of?

Many thanks

Fergal

 

[Racers]

I made some 3 legged occasional table but they don't come apart.

post884437.html#p884437

Can't understand your buried nut idea.

Pete

 

[Fergal]

Hi Pete

I'll try to explain the buried nut idea.

Where the splayed legs meet in the middle I'll cut a slot in each to accept a large nut mounted horizontally. In every other face of the nut I'll drill and tap a small hole (M5 or M6 probably) which will accept a machine screw through the side of each leg. So the nut will have three screws sticking out of it at 120 degrees to each other which will pull the legs together when tightened.

I hope that clarifies it a bit.

Fergal

 

[Racers]

So the legs screw straight on to the nut? its the "side of the leg" I am having problems with, do you mean the outward face of the leg?

Pete

 

[Zeddedhed]

OK, here goes my attempt to explain what i've seen in the past to do this:

Turn a cylinder.
Attach the legs to this using sliding dovetails.
Chop a mortice in the centre of the cylinder.
Fix a corresponding tenon with a top flange to the underside of the table top.
Drop the table top into the mortice.
Voila.

Thats almost certainly impossible to understand but I know what I mean :roll:
Sorry, best i can do. I'm not yet good enough on SU to rattle off a quick diagram.
If you're interested (which I doubt after that sh**e explanation) I'll try a hand drawn sketch later.

Pete

 

[Fergal]

Pete Maddex,

Yes, I meant the outward facing side of the leg. Sorry for the confusion.

Zeddedhed,

Thanks for that, I get the idea. I don't have a lathe, but I could make a hexagonal cylinder which would work instead. It would also increase the mounting surface between the legs and the top, making it stronger.

Thanks

Fergal

 

[AndyT]

I think we now have two sorts of tripod tables being discussed.
I think what the OP wants is like you find on a camping stool. Chris Schwarz has written a lot about these recently on his blog and has even described using a large nut to join the legs.

http://blog.lostartpress.com/2014/01/08/make-your-own-tri-bolt-for-a-folding-stool/

You could use this approach for a table with removable top.

I think I would try and make some shallow angled holes under the top into which the tops of the legs would fit, then drill and screw through them.

Alternatively just cut across the tops horizontally, and screw through them up into the table top.

The other sort of tripod table would not be so compact when the top was removed, as the legs still stick out.