If I were to make these out of wood for an entertainment center (Legs would be 12" tall, 18" wide), would they be strong enough without a stretcher running between them?
EDIT:
To add some context…
Here is a picture of the entertainment center, hairpin legs as a temporary placeholder.
Will the legs be able to take the load? Absolutely. Will the entertainment center top itself need to be pretty sturdy due to not having a ton of support? Yeah. Is this fairly normal for things with legs? Also yes. To me the only thing that really different about this is the fact that you’re using three legs instead of two. This is of course assuming a wood top. A glass top would probably need more support in the center.
Depends.
What sort of joinery are you using? What sort of would are you using? How much weight are you putting on top of them?
Personally, I’d add some sort of extra reinforcement. With all the valuable, delicate, and expensive electronics on top, I wouldn’t risk it. You could do some tests first and see how you feel about it, though.
Here is a picture of the entertainment center, hairpin legs as a temporary placeholder. Made with 3/4" walnut plywood for the top. Wooden legs can be any species, but my intent is to dye it black.
I think it would be okay, but you would want to make sure the joints are glued nicely.
Wood species and joinery would be critical. A through tenon and an oak might be enough. Middle would likely be a bit “soft” , support would be coming from the three ends.
I can be flexible with the wood species for the legs, as the intent would be to dye them black. Can also use any type of joinery with the exception of a domino. The entertainment center itself is 3/4" walnut plywood, I’ll post a picture of it when I get home later tonight. Thanks for your input!
Here is a picture of the entertainment center, hairpin legs as a temporary placeholder.