# How to create small bracket feet ?



## cdnstudentwoodworker (Feb 16, 2014)

Hello all ,

I have been working on a small clock project recently and decided it deserved some nice feet , while ive made bracket feet before i am struggling to find a way to do it safe and efficiently. they need to be one inch tall and 1.25-1.5 inches long. Originally i tried scroll sawing away the details and cutting the miter on the mitersaw and it worked well but found i couldnt safely get them shorter than 1.75" and 1.5" tall , then i tried cutting the profile using routers and a saw on the end of a board and then ripping them into strips lengthways and cutting them off. Ive also tried using a pattern bit to trim the profiles but found its not safe on such small pieces. Any tips or tricks ?


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Hand tools.


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## IowaBeauty (Nov 27, 2016)

I do this with a jig on the router table. I start with a square of 1 1/2" thick MDF (or two 3/4" pieces glued up) 6" on a side. Cut a rabbet 3/4" X 3/4" on all sides so you've got stacked, concentric squares of 6" and 4 1/2". I then glue up 3/4" square stock I want to use for the bracket feet into a square frame with mitered corners that tightly fits over the smaller square and into the rabbets. Double sided tape is useful to make sure the fit stays tight.

I then use the router to create the face profile of the bracket feet I want by routing the four sides of this, and then flip the piece over in the jig and create end profiles by routing through the jig. Simple profiles are best for the latter - I typically use a plain round nose, but you can get a plunge ogee bit from Infinity that will do a fancier end profile. These through cuts need to leave at least 1/8" of the original mitered square uncut in order to hold the entire square you're routing together and to the jig. After all the cuts are made, you can saw out four feet from the 4 corners of your square using a coping saw or whatever works best for you.

Using the dimension above you get feet that are 3/4" tall, and about 1 3/4" long, depending on the width of the bit you use for the end profiles. Adjust the initial dimensions of the jig to get longer or shorter feet. Adjust the depth of the rabbets to get shorter/taller, and thicker/thinner feet. I've made feet as small as 3/8" tall by 3/4" long this way.

To control the jig while routing, I use a bigger piece of mdf with a 6" square notch in one side.










The one in the image is 5/8" high by about an inch long.


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