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1. 
   joinerswork | Jun 18, 2007 05:56pm | #1

   ACT,

   I've seen two basic ways of making a spade foot.  One is to make the leg "all of a piece", by wasting away the wood above the foot, by bandsawing or handtools (drawknife) then cleaning up with plane, spokeshave, and scraper.  The foot is shaped similarly, and cleaned up with chisels, carving tools and scraper.  Laying out to bandsaw is similar to layout for cutting a cabriole leg:  Layout cut lines on two adjacent sides, saw first one side but leave the offcuts hanging with a short bit of uncut wood, or re-attach the offcut pieces with a bit of masking tape.  Then turn 90* and saw that side.

   Alternatively, you can cut out a simple tapered leg, then apply the foot, which is made up like a stick of molding and glued (and/or nailed) in pieces to the leg bottom.  Much old work done this way was lap joined rather than mitered at the corners, with the corners carved afterwards into a so-called "mason's miter".  Altho this might seem poor workmanship, it is a lot simpler than mitering around a tapered surface, and with a dark finish and at floor level, who's gonna see?  As momma used to say, "Anybody looking that close, is looking too dam' close!"

   Personally,I prefer to work the feet from the solid, as they are less likely to suffer loss from being hit by reckless housecleaners.

   Ray