Cutting Table Legs for Dummies - The Freelance Files MMCXXXVII

sawing a table leg

The freelancers who wrote for eHow.com were required to write a short (75 to 100 words) "introduction" for their posts; a demand that often revealed the writer's utter lack of knowledge about the topic at hand. After Google's Panda II update took the metaphorical wind out of many a content farm's sails, only the most desperate freelancers were left scrounging for "titles to write to" at eHow.com. That apparently includes Kate McFarlin, an insurance agent with "extensive experience in covering... home improvement." That's hard to believe, given McFarlin's mishandling of the HomeSteady.com post, "How to Lower the Height of a Table."

According to Kate, you might need to do this because 

"[The] chairs for the table sit too low. Instead of buying new chairs to fit the table, lower the height of a table. You can lower the height of any table, provided the table has wooden legs."

That's easy for Kate to say; but following her directions might be a little tougher for the average table owner. One of the things we found most interesting, however, was that McFarlin – required to supply a reference – claimed to have gotten her information from a web post entitled "A Circular Saw in the Furniture Shop," even though the author of the piece said nothing whatsoever about cutting the legs of tables.  Kate must have gotten her instructions somewhere (probably DoItYourself.com or Instructables.com, both blacklisted for eHowians [mainly because they were just as bad as the mother lode of misinformation]), because she used the time-honored "mark with masking tape" suggestion. Where Kate's instructions were most lacking, however, is in this claim:

"Remove the legs from the table. This makes it easier to cut them to the desired size with a table saw or a circular saw."

It's easy to spot eHow writers who have no idea what they're talking about, because they almost always specify cutting wood with a circular saw and turning nuts with an adjustable wrench. Only a fool would attempt to modify furniture with a circular saw... a fool who would use eHow in the first place, we suppose.

One of three possibilities: 1) McFarlin didn't read all the way though her instructions, 2) Kate's (real) reference was written by someone as incompetent as she, or 3) she didn't understand the instructions. Kate told her readers to,

"Mark the legs where you need to cut. Using the measuring tape, measure how many inches need to be removed from the legs... Work slowly, and make sure your tape is level before proceeding."

We aren't sure why the tape needs to be "level." Hell, we aren't even certain what a "level " tape would be. Whatever the case, McFarlin says to cut the legs individually, even suggesting a "hand saw" at one point.

No, you idiot! To get the legs as close as possible to the same length, you use a miter saw or a table saw and set a stop block to control the position of the cut. If you don't have one of those tools, you have no business attempting this job! That's especially true if the legs are tapered, because you'll have to compensate for the angle of the taper. 

If you're as clueless about how to do this as our Dumbass of the Day, we suggest that you just buy a new table the height you want. Otherwise, you'll be doing the same thing anyway, and won't be able to sell the old one at a garage sale.

DDIY - FURNITURE