Oak crotch table legs

[Eazyduzzit]

A friend of mine has an Alaskan mill. He and I are always swapping favors and he brought me this slab a couple of years ago. It’s been upstairs in my shop since then and I finally decided to flatten it out and do something with it. I think it will make a nice small table, but I’ve never made this type of furniture before and can’t decide what kind of legs to use. I’m asking for ideas. At first I thought maybe some natural tree limbs with the bark stripped off, but decided against it. What do you all think?
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0b0QDrpf...ztrzKYlNfA

[iclark]

That is an interesting piece of wood.

How big is it?

Appropriate legs would be different for a chairside/bedside table than it would for a coffee table, card table, or entry table.

If it is white oak, there is also the question of whether you want an indoor or outdoor table.

[Eazyduzzit]

It’s small 21” X 24”. I’m thinking about giving it to my aunt who has a cabin by a river. It will be coffee table height. It will probably be outside on a covered porch.

[iclark]

I am surprised that you have not gotten inputs from those better than me.

I am pretty much a simple-ist when it comes to style.

I would suggest round legs tapered near the bottom and going into blind mortises in the underside of the table. I would probably just make them vertical and set back from the corners far enough as to not weaken table top.

Round horizontal pieces (stretchers?) going into the legs for strength and stability. They would form a trapezoid.

If you wanted to, you could add a shelf sitting on the stretchers with cutout for the legs. I would just let the shelf float.

Basically, I am trying to describe the lower structure of the style chairs that I grew up with that had woven cane seats.

   

Adding the shelf would cover the stretcher that runs under the crotch gap.

[Bill Holt]

I like iclark's suggestion.  Given the setting, I would consider using limbs for the legs and stretchers.

[Eazyduzzit]

Well, I ended up getting some 2 1/2” thick oak from the same neighbor that gave me the slab. I decided to use thick rectangular tapered legs. I’m happy with how it looks. I think it’s going to be nice with a few coats of oil on it.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0947j7zp...jvZFn1LMJQ

[goaliedad]

Hair pin legs? On a coffee table the legs are fairly short, so I think hair pins would look great

[Bill Holt]

Your table looks great!