Period Bench Rest
By Rick Emms
OK, let’s get started. This is really a period “looking” bench rest, but is very functional. I have seen a few home made versions, but the real problem is making them adjustable.
I’m going to do this with narrative and photos. Sorry for no real “blue prints”, but I’m an old fashioned engineer that learned on drafting tools, not on computer.
Materials:
Hardwoods are the best. Any kind will work really. I used white oak and something in the teak family, only because I had it all available already from other projects. I can recommend of course oak, maple, or even poplar, (poplar and maple make the best precision cuts).
1) Base board, 1” oak, 5”X9”.
2) The rest is 1X2 stock, (as I said I used some sort of teak for this). You’ll need 53 inches total of this stuff.
3) 5/16 carriage bolt 3 inches long.
4) 5/16 washer
5) 5/16 wing nut, (5/16 X 18 to fit the carriage bolt).
6) 8 wood screws, (I used drywall screws because they’re very strong, but you might want to use traditional straight slot as dry wall screws are Phillips developed in the early 20th century).
7) Any good quality wood glue.
8) Weldwood contact cement, (I recommend just getting a small bottle of this, at either Home Depot or Dixieline, as any large quantity will dry up and go bad before you can use it all).
Narrative, Cutting:
1) As I said, the base is 1X5X9 inches. (Whatever wood you choose.)
2) Cut two pieces of the 1X2 stock, 9 inches long for the legs; this gives it a stable base.
3) For the “pivot” piece, cut another piece of the 1X2 stock 5 inches long.
4) We’ll need a spacer on the pivot, so cut another piece of the 1X2 2 inches long.
5) For the legs, or uprights, cut two pieces of the 1X2 14 inches long.
6) Draw a small pencil line along the exact center if the wide face of each of the uprights.
7) Drill and countersink a 3/16 hole, (or what ever for the size of screws you use. I used a regular drywall screw drill with a built-in countersink), ½ inch from one end of the upright on one end of each. This will be the pivot hole.
8) I used a saw to knock the corners off, and then a belt sander to round them around the hole you just drilled, (OK, the uprights won’t move if you leave them square).
9) Measuring from the end you just drilled, drill a 5/16 hole along the same centerline 5 inches from the end. (This is the start of the adjustment slot.)
10) From the same reference as step 9, drill another 5/16 hole 8 inches from the end. Now you should have two holes 3 inches apart.
11) Now connect the two 5/16 holes on each of the uprights. You can do this anyway you like. I drilled a series of 5/16 holes between them close together, then connected them with a router. It’s a good idea to draw two reference lines along the edges of the holes to guide you. You can also just wiggle the bit and finish the slots with a file, rasp, or really coarse sand paper. As long as the carriage bolt fits in it’s OK.
Assembly:
I always glue all of my non-moving joints. This adds greatly to the strength of the finished item. I figure if you throw it down the stairs and it’s still alright, that’s good enough.
1) Align the legs centered at the edge of the ends of the base board. Mark them with a light pencil mark and drill and countersink two screws from the top surface to hold them. Apply glue, and screw them together.
2) Make a pencil line across the base board 4 inches from one end. That end will be the front from here on.
3) Here again, drill and countersink two holes from the bottom of the base board, keeping at .7 inches from the edge of the base board as not to interfere with the pivot screws later. Apply glue and screw the pivot onto the base board.
4) Glue the spacer to the backside, (opposite the side you already designated the front), of the pivot board on the right side, lining it up with the edge of the baseboard, and pivot board. Allow this to dry for minimum 4 hours, or overnight before final assembly.
5) Hold each vertical upright and align the edges with the edges of the pivot board and spacer. Install screws, but not too tight.
6) Cross the verticals and install the carriage bolt with the wing nut forward. Now you are pretty much assembled.
7) Cover the inside surfaces of the verticals to cushion your gun from the upper ends down about 7 inches with whatever padding you like. I used black leather because I had some.
OK, all this is a little wordy, but remember I am used to writing maintenance instructions for aircraft. If you follow the instructions though, you should end up with exactly what I brought to the range last weekend.
Keep your powder dry,
Rick Emms
Pennsylvania Rifleman
