Reply by JRPortman

Ben- my first attempt was what you suggested, but i was wasting all my lath strips to build what was essentially plywood, thus the strips on plywood idea.

So, thicker plywood and more support underneath and I’m good to go, it sounds like. I would eliminate the ply all together and just add battens underneath, except i think the 1/4” thickness would just look a little out of proportion by itself as a top and needs a little beefing up.

Speaking of proportion, is there a nifty skirt width to top thickness ratio I should know about? I always just do it by sight for lack of a better way, but i’ve always wondered how others do it.

-- J.R.Portman, New Orleans, http://www.jrportman.com