making a portable bench

[M. Demetrius]

she complained that since the Lecticarii were of unequal length she rocked too much for good comfort...

How utterly Roman!

[P Sertorius Scaevola]

Well, here it is; the Mk. I version of our new Lectica. The pine parts have now all been stained to a nice dark tone and new legs are in the making.

Greetings,

Paul

[P Sertorius Scaevola]

And another view copied from a newspaper article;

[M. Demetrius]

How much does that weigh, without the cargo?

[P Sertorius Scaevola]

The weight of the whole construction is around 25-30 kgs. Including the 50 minus passenger we could carry it with two people ( underarm, like a wheelbarrow), although the beams are in fact too wide apart for a comfortable grip. If lifted to shoulder height it really takes four to be carried for a longer stretch. We carried her over the Amsterdam cobbles and bridges on our caligae and managed well.

I found that the use of beach wood -although beautifull by itself- isn't the likeliest option for portable purposes and the whole structure could be made in pine to reduce the weight by 5-8 kgs; a welcome 'enlightenment'!

The reason for the use of beach is in the present dual function of the bed; if the cupola and supports are removed, as well as the encasing and carrying parts, the Lectica changes into a Lectus. In it's cloacked form the nice grain of the beach isn't visible and hence serves no purpose. However, when stripped the true beauty of the lectus appears.
I will probably build a second bedframe from pine so I end up with individual items; a Lectus in beach and a Lectica in pine. Both very welcome additions to our civilian related inventory.

Hope this helps,

Paul

http://www.gemina.nl