Hello all,
I’m making a long dining bench with under-seat storage. The main construction is sheet goods, but the top will be made of solid white oak. They will be used as seating for dining.
Currently, the top is drawn as being 3/4 thick. But I’m questioning whether I need to go thicker. the span of each lid is 36″ and depth is 19.75″. I’ve attached a drawing for reference.
Was wondering if anyone had any thoughts?
Thanks!
Replies
I'd go more like an inch.
I agree with John C2 1 inch would be better at that length. I wonder if you might think of making them a bit shorter. I did a window seat with three lift up sections for storage, each one 26" made from poplar because it was painted. Very sturdy when sitting on it. What I did was put strips of wood under the frame to support the lid on all three sides except the hinge side. This gives the lids extra support.
This comment doesn't address the OP's question but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway.
36" of width isn't enough to accommodate two people so there will be a fair amount of wasted space around your table. If, as your drawing implies, several of the bench sections will be grouped together it will make getting seated and unseated very tough.
Thanks, I'll play around with the design!
Which direction are you running the oak? 20" boards will be quite rigid, 36" will have some flex. Either way it will be safe for the sitter.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled