Although the Shaker pedestal table design has been around for 150 years, its clean lines have a contemporary feel. Inexpensive to build, the table requires only six wooden parts and a handful of screws. The only construction problem is cutting the sliding-dovetail housings for the legs. The jig shown here solves this problem.

To use the jig, first build up a hexagonal turning blank for the table’s stem, chuck it in the lathe and turn the lower 5 in. of the stem to size, leaving the remainder of the blank hexagonal. Now remove the blank from the lathe, mark out the centerlines for the dovetail cuts on three sides of the stem, and mount the jig in place on the workpiece.

The jig has two halves that mate with the hexagonal part of the workpiece, thereby positioning the turned section under the router guide slot. Be sure that the marked centerline on the blank is correctly positioned in the alignment window.

A bench vise holds the entire setup. Start by hogging out all three dovetail slots with a 3/8-in. straight bit. Use your router’s guide bushing to guide the cut. Next, dean out the slots with a dovetail bit. After the dovetail slots have been cut, return the stem to the lathe to complete the turning.

Bernie Maas, Cambridge Springs, Pa.

Fine Woodworking Magazine, June 1984 No. 46

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