Workbench legs

[Wend]

My Sellers-inspired workbench now more-or-less has a top, but it is somewhat lacking in the leg department. My plan is something like this:

The legs themselves are two 2x4s, with more 2x4s and some M&Ts to hold everything together at the bottom, as shown on the left of the picture. Then another M&T across the short direction at the top (middle of picture), with a 'bearer' on top (right of picture).

The problem is, one of the M&Ts through the legs will have to be "between" the laminations of the legs, rather than "across" them. Am I better doing it as pictured, or would the other way be better? Or does it not matter?

I am also curious: I was surprised to see Paul use a number of screws to hold his bench together. Are the screws important, or are they effectively just clamps to hold the wood together while the glue dries?


Thanks!

 

[morfa]

It's fairly common to screw or bolt the legs on to the top/aprons. Mine sit in rebates and are also bolted to the apron. Also depending on the Paul Sellers videos you're watching, one of the builds is designed to be a bench you can take down.

 

[novocaine]

it doesn't matter 1 bit.
cut your mortise before you clue them together, saves all that hard effort of cutting it.

have you thought about wedged through tenons for joining the top to the leg?

 

[thetyreman]

the design with paul's bench has the large aprons on the side, so the screws just hold the aprons into both the legs and the worktop, and also for the worktop from underneath to attach the top onto the bearers. I'm not sure you'll need the drawing on the left out of those three imagines, it might be more work than is needed. There's nothing wrong with using screws in this case as it supports the structure and it doesn't have to look beautiful, make sure you countersink them though.

 

[MrTeroo]

He has just started a free video series on building his workbench:

https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com/videos/workbench-introduction/workbench-episode-1/

 

[Tasky]

Then another M&T across the short direction at the top (middle of picture), with a 'bearer' on top (right of picture).

In Sellers's video and blog, he has the bottom and top rails all going 'across' the laminations. The top rails are also in-line with the bearers, with the option of a spacer atop one lowered rail to create room for a tail vice.

I assume you have the two crossrails M&T'ed in the rails at the bottom for shelving or cupboards? Not sure why you'd need some up top, though?
If it's to brace the worktop, that's what the aprons are for.

 

[undergroundhunter]

Mine is more of a roubo style buy the theory is the same, cutting mortices through the glue line is fine s long as you did a good job gluing it up. I have ever had any issues with mine in 5 years anyway.

Matt