Making a Workbench: Calculating the Stretcher Lengths

HI!

I have the legs cut and labeled, and I need to calculate the overall length of the stretchers (front to back of the bench). The legs and the stretchers will be held together with mortise and tenon joints.

Question .... Do I want a "tool tray" at the rear of the top of the bench? A tool tray is basically a small open, fixed tray that can hold small parts, sawdust, etc. while working. I can make one by extending the undercarriage of the workbench and adding a tray on top of the undercarriage. Some workbenches have a tool tray in the center of the bench; some have on at the back of the bench; and many have no tool tray at all. Pros of a tray - you don't have stuff laying all over the workbench while work is in progress. Cons are that building the undercarriage larger that the top may make the workbench unstable; the strongest part of the workbench is directly over a leg; stuff collects in the tray and gets cleaned out infrequently. I don't think I need a tray ..... and not having one will make me clean up more often and stay organized.

Here are the working dimensions I'll use to calculate the length of the stretcher ...... Leg 1 is 2-3/4" wide and 3-1/16" thick. The top is 22-3/8" wide. T-1-I is the leg piece that will have the tenon in it, and it is (calculated) 1-17/32" thick. I'm not skilled, and I don't usually deal with 1/32" increments, so I'll stay with 1/16" increments and use my joiner to shave the final assembly as needed.

I decided to inset the legs 2" from the ends of the top, but I can't inset the legs 2" along the front because the rail needs to be flush with the top face for work holding. I can inset it slightly at the rear of the bench if I need to. So, my working dimensions are going to be ....

Width of the top = 22-3/8" wide
Thickness of a leg = 3-1/16"
Distance between inside pieces of legs 1 & 2 = 22-3/8" - (3-1/16" x 2) = 16-1/4"

Stretchers are then 16.25" + 1.5" + 1.5" = 19.25"

Please, check my math. Dad always said "Measure twice and cut once!" I always lived by "I cut it off twice and it's still too short!"

CHEERS!

Phil