[Zarathustra19]

So I recently started watching antique shows on BBC America (yes, I have spare time) and I was introduced to the concept of a Monk's Bench (Monk's Chest?). I looked around on the internet for places to purchase said item, but it turns out that they're either not what I'm looking for specifically (some are designed without the ability to flip the back of the bench down onto the arms to create a table), or they were too expensive for me to afford right now. So, I started looking for plans on the internet to build myself one.

I have a fairly good idea of how to achieve the storage under the bench, but the mechanism (hinges, or what have you) that allows the back to fold down is beyond me, so plans seem to be what I need. My question is, does anyone know of a place that would have plans for something like that, or has anyone built a Monk's Bench? Any help from you guys would be much appreciated.

 

[breakfastchef]

There are a few monk's benches on ebay.co.uk. I have never seen a plan for one, but it looks like it would be fairly straightforward to desgin one. The most important aspect would be to properly scale the piece. If one dimension is off, the finished product ight look odd. Study the photos on ebay.co.uk carefully and look for dimensions.

 

[Zarathustra19]

yeah, the one's featured on ebay.co.uk are pretty impressive for the most part and the dimensions are fairly straightforward, as are the bases, but the swivel/hinge that connects the table portion to the arms or base looks somewhat complicated. I'm studying the pictures as much as possible, but any tips that anyone has would still be helpful.

Thanks for the response though, breakfastchef.

 

[utilisateur]

Looks like a simple hinge to me, i think the back or tabletop simply extends beyond the hinge and rests against the rearpart of the box/bench when folded up. I cant remember i ever saw one in real live though

 

[breakfastchef]

For ease of disassembly, you could use a recessed bolt and nut inside of a ferrule for each hinge. Use a decorative plug to cover the recessed holes.

 

[Zarathustra19]

Thanks for the input guys, I'm going to try to puzzle it out and use your suggestions. Fingers crossed*