MJM Woodworks - How to make Ogee Bracket Feet

...and here is the finished product. As you can see, making
your own bracket feet isn't that difficult. In the end, you'll be
rewarded with a very elegant piece to add to your next project.

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On a typical custom furniture build, I'll
often buy and install pre-made feet or
legs from one of my suppliers. After all,
they make a quality product which saves
me time and in turn saves my customer
money.

For the cherry jewelry cabinet project, I soon realized that I designed
my feet much smaller than what is commercially available. Therefore,
I couldn't "buy" Ogee style bracket feet in the size I needed. Unwilling
to compromise the lines and elegance of my design, or re-scale my
project to fit what's available, I decided I had to make my own
feet...from scratch.

Many years ago, a friend taught me the basics for constructing these
beautiful components and how they'll add to just about any piece of
furniture they're used on. In 2003, I was thrilled when Woodsmith
Magazine published this article showing step by step instructions for
making your own bracket feet. Although there are several methods
for constructing bracket feet, and I've tried them all (that I know of),
this is the method I prefer. So, with my previous learnings in mind,
and my Woodsmith article in hand, I gave it a go. And now, without
further ado...

First, I started by creating a hardboard template based on
dimensions from my design drawings.

The blanks are rough cut and glued together. Each blank will
make one foot as shown above.

The blanks were then milled flat and square. The first profile
was traced on the ends using the template I created.

Next, I set up guide rails on my tablesaw to cut the major
cove. The rails are held down with carpet tape. The angle of
attack (to the saw blade) and placement of the rails are
dependant on several factors; depth and width of cove, blade
diameter, etc.

With everything ready to go, I raised my blade by 1/16", and
with each pass slowly begin removing material.

When I reached the line, the cove was complete.

The bulk of the remaining material was removed with a stacked
dado head set at 22.5 degrees.

The remainder of the profile was shaped with a block plane.

This is what the four blanks look like after roughing out the
first profile.

Here are the same blanks a little while later after being
meticulously scraped and then sanded to 220 grit

Each blanks was then labeled and cut in half.

It's back to the tablesaw where the corners are mitered and
splines slots were cut.

The first dry fit with the spline in place. Everything is looking
good so far...

The second profile was traced on the back of each piece and
then cut at the bandsaw.

Here's what you end up with after roughing out the profile on
the band saw and smoothing with an oscillating spindle sander.

Everything is ready for glue up.

How to make bracket feet