How To Build A "Flexible" Bench

[DerbyDad03]

My daughter saw these benches at a flea market and she wants me to build one for her:

The bench she wants will be 5' long. The problem I foresee is that she rents the first floor of an older home (1940) and the wide plank floors aren't level/flat.

Am I nuts to be wondering if there is a way to build the bench so the overall look is maintained and the bench is sturdy enough to hold 2-3 adults, but has just enough flex to not rock if the floor has a dip or sag?

Maybe with 2-3 adults it will flex on it's own even if fully glued and bolted, but what if only one person is sitting on it?

Am I, as usual, overthinking a simple project?

[pyotr filipivich]

DerbyDad03 on Sat, 29 Sep 2018 09:06:52 -0700 (PDT) typed in rec.woodworking the following:

Nice.

Not really.

Include a set of wedges / shims.

[DerbyDad03]

What purpose would a set of wedges/shims serve?

The bench will be used primarily at a dining room table, which means it will be moved to slightly different locations, some of which may have dips, humps, etc. That's why I'm asking about "flexibility", allowing the bench to find it's own solid footing.

[krw]

How about making it a 3-point base. Simply cut one side panel so it has one point in the center, rather than two at the corners. You could even hide the point behind a faux-panel, identical to the opposite end (just shave it down by 1/8", or whatever.

[DerbyDad03]

Interesting idea, although I don't know if that would work, even on a level floor. If a single person sat near the "pointed end" I imagine that it rock forward/backward until it rested on the front/back of the faux panel.

I'll be buying the wood in the next day or two and I'm not really going to worry about this. Heck, if it ends up rocking, I'll just buy her a nice thick rug to absorb any issues caused by the uneven floor. ;-)

[krw]

Right, that would catch them to keep them from going all the way over.

Put the rug on the bottom of the bench feet. Kill a couple of stones with the same bird.

[DerbyDad03]

Maybe I'll just buy the wood at the local Borg. The bench will end up twisted enough to compensate for the uneven floor.

[krw]

Murphy doesn't work that way. ;-)

[pyotr filipivich]

To fill the gap between base of table and floor.

Just how "potholed" is this floor?

You've got two basic choices: the table top is stiff enough to remain "flat", in which case one of the feet will not touch down, and the table will rock as weight on top shifts*. Or the table top is flexible enough to let all four feet reach the floor, in which case it will not be flat. Okay, two extremes, one doesn't flex at all, the other extreme it reflects every bump and dip.

The "simple solution" to a table as stiff as this and an uneven floor is a collection of shims. An elegant solution is to make adjustable feet that can be raised and lowered. Hmmm, wooden rack and pinion is one suggestion. Or just turn an Acme Screw thread and nut. Each foot will have to be independent of the others, so a central adjustment knob/crank is out. Although that could be fun.

tschus pyotr

• I have a solid door I'm using as a work-bench, and it is resting on the legs. The other day I looked under it, and saw an air gap between the one leg and the bench. "Hmmm," I says, "might want to shim that." Someday.

[DerbyDad03]

You appear to be missing a key point here - something I pointed out in my OP as well as my previous response: I'm building a *bench*, not a table.

Sure, a table could be shimmed or fitted with adjusters because once placed it's not going to move very often.

However, as I mentioned:

"The bench will be used primarily at a dining room table, which means it will be moved to slightly different locations, some of which may have dips, humps, etc."

The bench may shift left or right, in or out, depending on the size of the users, it's current use, etc. "Filling the gap between the base and the floor" is not a feasible solution for a movable bench.

[J. Clarke]

How about making it with three legs? I think that could be made to work with the design shown.

[hubops]

I say build it simple and see how it works. Often, in rustic restaurants, the annoying wobble in a table or chair can be corrected with just a slight move or rotation. You might be pleasantly surprised - that it isn't a big deal. John T.

[DerbyDad03]

...already been suggested. It's a possible solution, although at 5' I worry about tipping if a single person sits at the "one legged end" and the weight isn't centered over the leg.

Mid-20's crowd. I have to include beer and wine consumption as part of the design process. ;-)

[Spalted Walt]

I'd go with the inverted V cutout base which gives 4 contact points with the floor (as opposed to the flat cut).

At 5' long, there will be some twist in the finished bench. To prevent the bench from rocking it seems to me you've got 2 options, leveling feet or removing wood.

Yea, these aren't benches but same general principal ...

Leveling Chair Legs Gary Rogowski,

Get the Rock Out Charles Neil

[DerbyDad03]

Thanks for the research and the links, but none of those fit my situation.

I'm not trying to fix a bench that wobbles on a level floor or level a bench for a specific location on an unlevel floor. (BTDT)

I'm trying to come up with a way to prevent a bench from wobbling when moved from a level (or unlevel) location to a different unlevel location.

Only your comment about a 5' bench having "some flex" applies. That is something that I've already considered and I'll probably just hope for that as the solution.

[Spalted Walt]

Considering I said "some twist" I guess I'm batting 000! ;)

| | | | | | | | | /\ | | | |_/ \_| |______| GOOD BAD

[DerbyDad03]

The legs will either be notched flat panels or individual legs, so your Good/Bad suggestion makes your average 167 now. ;-)

[DerbyDad03]

P.S. Read my Wendell Castle post. Give it some traction.

[pyotr filipivich]

DerbyDad03 on Sat, 29 Sep 2018 17:31:15 -0700 (PDT) typed in rec.woodworking the following:

Nope. the twists in the boards will raise the leg where the hole is deepest.

[pyotr filipivich]

Oops, my mistake: I read that as "used primarily _as_ a dining room table." Does change things, doesn't it.