Replies

1. 
   BG | May 08, 2004 02:44am | #1

   TXJon,

   I made a pine bench (no apron).....jointed pieces of 2x4...12x54x17...5/4 stock, 1.25 round legs - flaired, stretchers.....I weigh 300 and use it for weightlifting (benchpresses).  Sounds like your bench might be strong enough...if the top is thick enough...
2. 
   robkelly | May 09, 2004 04:11am | #2

   1. Yes

   2. I wouldn't go < 2.5".

   3. No.

3. 
   WayneL5 | May 09, 2004 04:27am | #3

   If the top is thick enough, bending or breaking of the top won't be a problem.

   The legs will hold the weight fine, so long as they are secure enough to the top that they don't rack when someone sits plunks down with sideways force onto the bench.  For example, if the top were a slab of wood 2" thick, and the legs were mortised in an inch and a half deep, they would be pleanty secure enough to not fall over.

   If you use aprons for support, I would make them deep enough to use doubled metal corner leg brackets, one above the other, and buy heavy duty brackets.  Secure the brackets with farily large (say, #10) hex head sheet metal screws in pre drilled holes at least 5/8" deep.  Use flat washers under the nuts which secure the legs to the brackets and use nuts with nylon locking inserts.  I've done a piano bench this way (which can get a lot of side to side motion) and it came out quite solid.

   You will need furniture cups under the legs so that legs with tips that small don't damage the flooring.