# Making workbench legs out of 2x3's



## notdan (Aug 12, 2014)

I came across some white oak 2×3s (1 1/2×2 1/2) for cheap and I'm building a work bench out of them. I'm going to make the top as well as the legs and stretchers out of these. I'm planning on making each leg out of 4 boards. They will be about 31 inches tall, 5" wide, and 3" thick (minus a bit lost from planing but they are pretty straight as is).

1) Will 3×5" legs be sturdy enough? I've seen 3 1/2, 4, and 5" thick recommended but thinking oak should be plenty sturdy at 3×5? This would make for a 1" thick tenon and 1" shoulders. Does that work ok? I think I have enough wood to make the legs out of 6 boards (4.5×5), but that would be a lot of gluing and planing (using a hand plane for all of this…)
2) Would it be better to edge glue 2 boards together, then glue the faces to the other 2 edge glued boards? Or would it be better to face glue 2, then glue the edges to the other 2 faces?

As always, I appreciate the advice.


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## Iguana (Jun 22, 2011)

1) 3×5 oak is plenty sturdy. Can't answer your question about the tenon thickness without more info - what style of bench and/or what is the planned joinery?

2) I'd face glue first. Easier to get a 3" wide surface flat enough for glueing than it is a 5" wide surface.


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## notdan (Aug 12, 2014)

Building something almost exactly like this:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3082/2636118709_478f20c6b3.jpg?v=0
http://lumberjocks.com/kem/blog/5155

Will be 6' long top, about 32" tall total. Tenon in the leg going into mortise under the bench.

Also had another question… most people's stretchers are about 4-5" tall. Does it need to be that? Could I have a 2 1/2 inch stretcher or if that is too thin? Would edge gluing 2 of them together work better?


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## Iguana (Jun 22, 2011)

A 1" tenon for that application is fine.

The taller stretcher helps with anti-racking. A 1" wide x 2 1/2" tall stretcher would certainly hold the base together, but not be large enough help much with racking. I'd go with the glued-up stretcher.


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## notdan (Aug 12, 2014)

Thanks Mark! I appreciate the help. 1 more question… if the stretcher is 1 1/2 thick and I made a tenon out of it into the legs, would I do 1/2" shoulders and 1/2" tenon? Is that sufficient?


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## Iguana (Jun 22, 2011)

Yes, that's the way to do it. The glue surface is the same regardless of the tenon thickness. So you want to ensure there is enough thickness in the walls of the mortise as well as the tenon. If you follow the 1/3 rule, you make the tenon thickness the same as the mortise wall thickness as well as leave a decent amount of shoulder area to help with resisting racking.


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