Overthinking the bench again - how big to make legs?

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Still puttering away on my bench - sort of stalled after I got a top with dogholes and a vise made, because, well, I actually had a decent work surface. It's sitting on saw benches right now, so it's a bit frustrating to do a lot of work on, but compared to what I've had since I've moved, it's a miracle.

The bench is only 5 feet long (yes, I'd *love* longer, but I have to deal with the space I have available in my tiny house) by 20 inches wide and 3 and 5/8 inches thick. It's all maple though, so it's heavy as all get out. I don't know how folks make 8 foot maple "Roubo" style benches on their own - I can barely move this.

I need to go start picking stock for the legs and stretchers, and I start to wonder how big I realistically need to go. I mean, it's probably going to come down to what stock I get, more than anything else. At the lumberyard the other day, it looks like I could make a laminated leg 4"x3" (probably a bit thicker on the 3" side, depends on the final thickness after I surface the lumber) out of some poplar they just put out for pretty cheap. I've also seen a fair amount of reclaimed 4"x4" locally, mostly old-growth doug fir. I'd probably have to let this acclimate for a while - the stuff I've looked at is pulled from old barns and house, but it's been stored outside since being reclaimed. The nice side of this is I don't have to deal with yet another glue up. (There's another place not far from me that specializes in reclaimed vintage lumber, but it seems like last time I looked, everything was either a plank, or an 8"x8" - which seems a bit more massive than I need. )

I figure either of those measures would probably be fine, but the part I start to wonder about is using a leg vise. I'd like to use a wooden screw, like the ones from Lake Erie Toolworks - putting a hole at least 2 1/2" in diameter through a 4 inch wide leg would just leave 3/4" on either side - (less actually, because the hole needs to be bigger than the outer diameter of the screw . . . ) but that 3/4" would be as long as however deep the leg is . . .

So I guess that's the question, and why I'm wondering about the size of the legs - if I'm putting a big hole like that through my leg, how much do I want to size it up?

[Dave Anderson NH]

One thing to consider about the old Doug Fir Joshua is that unless it was stored under water it will only pick up 2-5% more atmospheric moisture. Once the stuff has been dried thouroughly once any moisture absorbtion should be easy to "cure" with a couple of weeks or so in a dry outdoor place followed by about 3 weeks in the heated place you intend to use it. Most of the moisture it would have absorbed would have been towards the endgrain and the outside surfaces. Remember that New England winters have very low overall relative humidity and actually aid the drying of wood.

[Wilbur Pan]

Make the legs as wide as you can. Not so much for the hole for the leg vise screw, but for the larger clamping surface for your leg vise.

The legs on my Roubo bench are 5" wide.

[george wilson]

Mine are 4" X 6",but some think that such large legs are ridiculous! I like mine because they add weight and stability. Tears ago,I had a beechwood log custom sawn to make my bench. Then,after several years of drying inside a heated and cooled room,I made the bench. It is far heavier than any commercial bench could be,and does not shake at all.

[Sean Richards]

I think if you made the leg 3x the size of the hole for the bench screw you would be somewhere in the ballpark. That might sound like a big leg but its a pretty big hole you are wanting to bore in it. If it was my bench I wouldn't be worried about making the leg vise leg oversize and the three others 4x4 or similar.

[Rob Luter]

I went with some pretty stout legs (4 1/2 x 5) even though my bench is on the small side like yours. Pic below.

[Mike Holbrook]

I am about to dive in too guys, got to get at least a half day to drive a ways to my lumber supplier. I am planing on working from Benchcrafted's Split Top Roubo plans. The Benchcrafted plans use 3 1/2 thick x 5 3/8" wide legs. My Hardwood supplier had a good deal on 8/4 Ash that I hope is still there.

Rob, is your bench made of yellow pine, with maybe Maple edges & vise jaws? Interesting vise you have there. I was studying it in the LV catalog I just got. I was giving some consideration to putting that vise on one end of my bench instead of building a Moxon. I wonder how long yours turned out as I am not sure I want to make my bench wide enough for the 24" capacity vise I want. I am planing a Leg vise for the long side of my bench. How do you like yours? We must be kindred spirits as I was just using the Millers Falls Langdon Miter Box I just restored, which looks like the Mitre Box on the table behind your bench.

[James Owen]

Beautiful bench!

[Paul Duckenfield]

I'm working on my first bench and was wondering about leg size. The bench will be about 6' 5" long and about 3 1/2" thick. All made of Douglas Fir from the Orange Box. The legs I have at the moment are 4 1/4" square, but they could be repurposed as stretchers. I plan on having a leg vise with some maple I have (about 7" or 8" wide). I could pretty easily make wider legs with the 2x8s that I have if necessary.

Any thoughts you guys might have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Steve Voigt]

I agree with Wilbur; wide is more important than thick, esp. if you're using a leg vise. I laminated 3 pieces of SYP to get legs that are 5 x 4. I think if you could get some rough 8/4 stock that is closer to 2" than to 1 3/4", you could laminate 2 pieces and make a nice leg.

[Jim Matthews]

You might want to move this to become a new thread.
The OP is nearly four years old.

The legs on my benches are 5-6" wide on the front plane.
You'll not regret having wider legs.

Skinny legs lead to all sorts of racking and twisting problems.

[Patrick Harper]

My legs are 5x5 and I think they're perfect. You'll definitely appreciate wider legs if you plan to use a leg vise.

[Mike Allen1010]

+1 to what George, Wilber, Jim said– IMHO bigger is better for the mass/stability and clamping surface. I found some 6 x 6" Doug Fir at my local BORG. it was soaking wet, but I didn't really give it much time to try out in the construction process and they haven't given me any trouble.