Bench Progress
Bob Rozaieski
>Well, after hearing differing opinions from my last bench question (about the stretcher size/position) I went ahead and put the 5" wide stretchers about 6" off the floor. Enough room to sweep under but also enough room to allow a sliding board jack or future drawers if I someday desire to add them. The stretchers are bolted to the trestles with 3/8" x 6" bolts, 2 per leg (4 per stretcher). The assembly seems super rigid so far and I am not concerned about racking at this point. I think with normal use and sharp tools, racking forces should be fairly manageable by this assembly. However, if my theory proves wrong, it will be a simple matter to unbolt the base assembly and add additional stretchers up higher in the future (not enough lumber right now).
The legs, feet and side stretchers are about 3" square, and the front/back stretchers are about 1.75" x 5". The legs and stretchers are laminated sweet birch and the feet and side stretchers are 12/4 mahogany (because I had some left from another project.
This pic is the "raw" base, before a coat of thinned linseed oil.
