Thorne showed his designs to a structural engineer, who said that all the elements should be much thicker for stability, but he was confident that his design would be strong enough to support weight, even if it twisted slightly in use. He chose to use American ash because of its high strength and flexibility.

This design is extremely economical in its use of materials and, because the legs can be removed for transport, would pack into a small space. The question mark is over its durability, which could limit its lifespan.  If this were a solution for commercial manufacture, it would be subject to some repetitive testing to see how it behaved over time.