Table Leg Angle Calculator
Splayed Legs Need Trigonometry, Not Guesswork
A table or chair with splayed (angled outward) legs looks more visually dynamic and can be more structurally stable than straight vertical legs, but building it means cutting each leg at a precise angle rather than eyeballing a "lean." Given how far you want the leg's base to spread from directly under the top, and the leg's length, basic trigonometry gives the exact angle to set on a bevel gauge or tilting jig.
The Formulas
Slanted Leg Length = √(Offset² + Leg Length²)
Offset and leg length form the two legs of a right triangle, with the angle from vertical given by the arctangent of their ratio. Because a splayed leg travels diagonally rather than straight down, its actual cut length is longer than the vertical leg length alone — found using the Pythagorean theorem.
Worked Example
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Splay angle from vertical | 8.13° |
| Actual (slanted) leg length needed | 28.28 in |
The slanted leg length is only slightly longer than the vertical leg length at this offset — the difference grows more noticeably at wider splay angles or shorter leg lengths.
Where This Matters
- Setting a bevel gauge or tilting jig — the splay angle is what you dial into a saw or jig before cutting the leg's top and bottom angled ends.
- Ordering the correct blank length — because the slanted leg is longer than the straight-line vertical distance, using the vertical leg length alone to size your lumber blank leaves the leg too short once cut at an angle.
- Matching a design reference — when replicating a splay angle from a photo or existing piece, measuring offset and height off the original and running them through this formula gives a precise angle to reproduce.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the Desired Leg Spread/Offset in inches (how far the foot sits outward from directly under the top).
- Enter the Leg Length in inches (the vertical height).
- Select Calculate to see the splay angle and the actual slanted leg length needed.
Related Calculations
Work out matching miter angles for a tabletop frame with the Miter Angle Calculator, or check joint strength for the leg-to-apron connection with the Wood Joint Strength Calculator.