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General Upholstery Questions and Comments => General Discussion => Topic started by: evanbever on April 08, 2014, 09:06:37 am

Title: Changing sofa leg
Post by: evanbever on April 08, 2014, 09:06:37 am
<a href="http://s101.photobucket.com/user/elsavanbever/media/Wildwood-20140408-00105_zps592f6fd4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m42/elsavanbever/Wildwood-20140408-00105_zps592f6fd4.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Wildwood-20140408-00105_zps592f6fd4.jpg"/></a>

I would like to change the leg on this sofa to a different style leg, but 1/2 of this leg is a solid piece (the part that is not layered plywood) that goes up into the sofa rail, do I have any options here? Can I saw the leg off and replace it with another one? If I have to keep this style of leg I can always change the stain color on it, but I would rather change it to a different style of leg altogether, if thats possible
Title: Re: Changing sofa leg
Post by: sofadoc on April 08, 2014, 03:29:58 pm
To replace built-in legs with hanger bolt legs, I saw the legs off. Then add 1/2" plywood with the Tee-nut already installed in the proper position. Then I add a 1/2" lip all around the bottom of the frame to even it up.
Title: Re: Changing sofa leg
Post by: Darren Henry on April 08, 2014, 04:32:18 pm
while not as strong as the way Dennis does it, there is a quicky fix. You can install a tee nut upside down from the outside. use a spade bit slightly larger than a tee nut to drill a hole just deep enough to bury the head of a screw. Drill the centering hole out to the size of the threaded portion of the tee nut [19/64ths for a 5/16 tee nut].Seat the tee nut , and screw a wood screw into the wood in the four notches where the teeth of the tee nut are formed. You can also add a washer if you aren't sure that the shoulder of the screw's head has enough overlap.

Sometimes there isn't enough fabric to wrap the extra 1/2" of frame, other times it's a matter of minimizing lost time on an "OH, EXPERLATIVE"
Title: Re: Changing sofa leg
Post by: sofadoc on April 08, 2014, 04:40:24 pm
Quote from: Darren Henry on April 08, 2014, 04:32:18 pm
Sometimes there isn't enough fabric to wrap the extra 1/2" of frame
Yeah, I should've said that I do it this way when I'm recovering the piece anyway. Probably wouldn't work with existing fabric.
Title: Re: Changing sofa leg
Post by: evanbever on April 13, 2014, 11:10:32 am
<a href="http://s101.photobucket.com/user/elsavanbever/media/Wildwood-20140413-00111_zps89b5ecbc.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m42/elsavanbever/Wildwood-20140413-00111_zps89b5ecbc.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Wildwood-20140413-00111_zps89b5ecbc.jpg"/></a>

The new leg that I want to replace the existing leg has a  wider and deeper base, the center of the new leg where the bolt is, measures in from the sofa railing 1-3/4", the piece of wood that is there now (in the photo it goes beyond the existing sofa leg) measures 1-1/4" in from the railing. Can I add a piece of wood so that I will have something to drill into?

The exisisting leg at the base is 1-3/4" wide x 2-1/2" deep, the new leg is 3-1/2" square at the base 
Title: Re: Changing sofa leg
Post by: MinUph on April 13, 2014, 02:04:49 pm
I would add a 1" piece of HARD WOOD to the existing leg section eith glue and screws placed away from where you will drill. Allow it to cure over night and then drill into it. If you will not have support under the whole ne leg add thicker than the 1" piece I mentioned. You don't want the new leg hanging over with no support.
Title: Re: Changing sofa leg
Post by: evanbever on April 14, 2014, 12:10:11 pm
Yeah, I don't think I can get a thicker piece of wood to hold the entire base of the new leg because the cross brace that is in the photo will get in the way, looks like I'm stuck with the existing leg and maybe changing up the finish on it.
Title: Re: Changing sofa leg
Post by: byhammerandhand on April 14, 2014, 01:27:34 pm
Three other options, preceded by sawing of the leg as flush as possible first, and drilling a pilot hole in the stub that's left.    Any of these enable a screw-on leg.

1.  A dowel screw, sort of like a hanger bolt, but with wood threads on both ends:
(https://forum.upholster.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usifaz.com%2FWeb%2520Site%2520Pics%2FScrews%2FDowel%2520Screw.gif&hash=c0930fc7e16becab8859bd7b3b823851)

2.  Screw on T-nuts (@ Rockler)
(https://forum.upholster.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fassets.rockler.com%2Fmedia%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct%2Fcache%2F1%2Fsmall_image%2F80x%2F9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95%2F6%2F8%2F68379-02-1000.jpg&hash=b32a6e6905293ce27003e00f1716abaf)

3. Cinch nut plates @ Rockler aka Table leg plates @ Lowe's
(https://forum.upholster.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fassets.rockler.com%2Fmedia%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct%2Fcache%2F1%2Fthumbnail%2F65x65%2F9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95%2F2%2F4%2F24265-01-1000.jpg&hash=e2a837f22c23b3105c3bd9ec8b86610f)  (https://forum.upholster.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.lowes.com%2Fproduct%2Fconverted%2F038453%2F038453027510sm.jpg&hash=e98128c6893c1afd85cf0613640b498a)