Thread: Attaching bench top to the legs. Why does everyone use mortise and tennons?

My bench is only 3' wide x 8' long. The top is a layer of 2x6. I did nothing, expecting that the Law of Gravity would hold it together. Until that gets repealed, so far, so good.

As an apprentice, one of our jobs at the end of each year was to plane the bench tops back to true. Since then I have always made a point of designing bench tops so they can be removed from the frame and run through a planer or sander to resurface them. So much easier.

Originally Posted by TimberNut

For my upcoming bench I plan on attaching the bench top to the stretchers between the legs using the equivalent of large table buttons (might even end up being recessed steel right angle brackets).

Most designs I see here have the legs mortised into the benchtop. I'm struggling to understand the benefit in doing this. It seems like an awful lot of work for no apparent benefit that I can determine.
One beneft of large table buttons (or similar) is that the top will be removable in the future if needed, should the bench need to be shipped somewhere other than my shed.

So, before I cut the legs to length and commit myself to one attachment method or the other, can someone enlighten me on the pros/cons of each approach?

TN

Originally Posted by TimberNut

Here is the plan for my workbench. Given the stretchers run front to back right under the top, I can't see that mortising will add any benefit.
Thoughts?

Attachment 181370

TN, the support frame for your bench looks pretty rigid front to back, but possibly subject to racking side to side.
Morticing the legs into the top -- maybe by using 25mm dowell -- you'll add side to side racking resistance
the dowells will keep the top aligned to the legs, gravity should do the rest

Timbernut, my bench is a rough clone of what is suppose to be a 'standard' European style. The undercarriage, which is similar to your design except that the botom stretchers joining the leg front to back form 'feet' instead of being placed a couple of hundred mls up the leg as on yours. My side-to-side stretchers are about 200mm wide, with a 60mm stub tenon that fits into the leg. The stub tenon is really only to make assembly a bit easier, and the joint is held by an 8"x 3/8" bolt. When assembled, the undercarriage is self-supporting & the bench just sits on this, and is located by a single coach screw through the centre of the top stretcher, into the underide of the bench. I think a similar rngement would work in your case.

This bench has been in service for about 25 years & I have never had a problem with movement or wracking (& I do a LOT of hand planing). I think the wide front & back stretchers are an importnt element in maintining lateral stability.

Cheers,