The timber is all Oak, though I could have used Chestnut or any other timber that is durable outside.
Crosscut block and some oak branchwood

First job was to cut 3 leg blanks.I tried to incorporate a crook to give the legs a natural outward splay

Next axe out a flat that will register against the side of the block

Next job is to carve out the tapered dovetails.Below shows the material that will be wasted pencil marked.(looking from the register flat)-note that the dovetail shoulders need to be straight because they will later engage in a straight sawn dovetail mortise.

Here's the chopped dovetail

..and the others done

Then mark out where the dovetail mortises need to be cut

Then offer up the leg with the flat side against the block and mark off. Remember this will be the bottom of the mortise, so sawcuts will start inside these marks and will splay out to the bottom of the mortise.

Cutting the mortise inside the marked line at an estimated angle

A central kerf is sawn to assist waste removal and the waste chiseled out to a flat bottom


Then the leg is knocked home with a mallet

Here's the last mortise being cleaned up

Took about an hour and just needs legs to be tidied up a bit



Hope this has been useful, any questions- see Rob Wood

All the best John