Which leg thickness looks best to your eye?

chose No. 3  because it best fits the depth of the apron.  It the apron was a little less no. 2 would fit.

No. 3 looks best 4-6 look fat, 1-2 are skinny.

It depends on the length of the apron.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Impossible to answer with the information provided. How large is the overall piece of furniture? Is it a 12-inch square nightstand? Is it a 12-foot long dining room table? What are the surroundings and the style? Overall I tend toward thin tapered legs which refer back to the most delicate of the Shaker pieces so I would probably lean toward 1 or 2.

When full representation is missing, I tend to look for proportions, as that can do the job where the rest is not known. How many widths of a leg match the apron depth? 1:2? 2:3? I will take that measurement from the portion at the apron. But like others mention, mass and design intention impose variability. I think the top helps limit leg scale choices; but each leg might work.

[I thought this was a Walker-Topin lesson! I just peeked.]

Does the golden ratio or rule of thirds apply to any of this?

Just as a quick followup. I took a few minutes to actually measure some of my furniture with straight tapered legs, five pieces in all.

1) 1" -> 3/4"
2) 1 1/8" -> 3/4"
3) 1 1/8" -> 3/4"
4) 2" -> 1 3/8" (my chunky cherry desk)
5) 1 3/4" -> 1 1/4" (a 40" round cherry table)

The latter has double-tapered legs while the others have single taper.

It's a good exercise. I often do something similar in Sketchup. I'm a fan of Walker and tend to start with proportions rather than measurements because of that. Then go on to seeing how it looks in 3D and a mockup.