Stretcher (furniture)
Appearance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Windsor_Georgian_Double_Bow_with_cabriole_legs.jpg/220px-Windsor_Georgian_Double_Bow_with_cabriole_legs.jpg)
A stretcher is a horizontal support element of a table, chair or other item of furniture; this structure is normally made of exposed wood and ties vertical elements of the piece together. There are numerous styles of the stretcher including circumferential, double and spindle design.[1] This term is sometimes referred to as a stretcher beam. A very common pattern for chairs has each front leg connected to the back by the lateral stretchers, which in turn are connected by a medial stretcher. In the William and Mary period chi (from the Greek letter chi - Χ) stretchers were common, connecting the legs diagonally, frequently with a finial where the stretchers crossed.
See also
Notes
- ^ Genuine Antique Furniture, Arthur de Bles, Published 1929, Thomas Y. Crowell