I’m building a bench from 3″ stock. Something based on the attached pic. The legs will be 3″ square. and the aprons will be 3″ w x 4″ h. Using the 1/3 rule, I gather the tenons should be 1″ wide, but I’ve seen lots of varying opinions about length and height. Lots of people suggest the length be 4-5 times the thickness which would put the tenons through each other and the legs. Any advice as to the length/height would be greatly appreciated.
Replies
dimensions vs stress points
The 3" width on the aprons strikes me as overkill - unless the bench is to be used at a Sumo training camp..;-) One inch stock would seem sufficient for the aprons. Also, I take the 1/3 rule to be more for the mortise, so there is plenty of stock left for strength. The tenon width can be almost as wide as the apron stock, again for strength. I'd go at least half the thickness of the legs for tenon length, perhaps 2/3, depending on location. You can always mitre the inside corner of the tenons. I'd give preference to the side-apron joints, since that is where I think the greatest stress will occur.
Bench strength
What a surprise. I am working on an almost identical project for my sister. (Mine has arms which complicates the issues.) To strengthen the leg-apron connection I would suggest glue blocks between the legs and the aprons - installed on the underside after your final glue-up.
Frosty
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