Workbench height

This is one of those never ending debate issues. My answer is: whatever is comfortable for the user. I'm stretching it to say I'm 5'8" tall but my bench is almost 36" to the top. I know guys 6'4" to over 6'6" whose benches are only about 31" or 32" to the top. I don't know how they work. I jacked my lathe up four inches from standard (whatever that is) because I don't like to work bending over. Standing normally is much less tiring for me. Thet's my tuppance.
 
Don't make the mistake I did. I did the old "stand there, hold your arms at the side, put your palms flat, and how ever high your palms are, make it that tall" trick.

Well, it's too high. Subtract a 2 or 3 inches. That way, when you're planing, you can lean into it, and there WILL be times when you'll want to pull up a stool and sit to work on something. You can always make it higher, but it's hard to make it lower...

Thanks,

Bill
 
Dennis,

Welcome to Family Wood Working! :wave:

I don't know the measurement off the top of my head (I'm not in the shop now), but I made my 2 benches the same height as my table saw so I could use them for run out tables if necessary. Plus the height of my table saw is a pretty comfortable height for me to work at.

Edit I'm 5'11" and don't do much planing.
 
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Mine is whatever height I want it to be, between 27" and 44". Adjust-a-bench leg sets are awesome and solid. When I first got mine I had no idea how much I'd actually use different heights, but I probably set it to a different height 3 or 4 times during any one project. Highly recommend them if you think you can swing it.
 
I'm 6'0" but have long arms. I was going to go for 33" and set a top at that height to play around with for awhile. At this point, I'm back to 36" as I do minimal hand planing, etc. and was getting a sore back from hunching.

I may lower it again before the final build as now I find anything of reasonable size setting on a 36" high platform gets too tall to work on. If you want to hand drill or do chisel work on the top face of a 10" box setting on a 36" tall bench top, you're almost 4 feet off the ground.

I agree with Matt's rule of thumb and that's why I started testing a low. Maybe 31 1/2"??? Decisions, decisions.
 
My main bench is around 30". It is used mostly to refinish furniture so lower is better. I am working and a new one that will be around 34" for general use. I am 6'4".
 
I'm 6'3 and in my old shop I had my benches all the way up in the stratosphere at 42" HOWever I have a lab stool as my seat of choice, and I rarely did any hand planing. In the new shop, I'm going to lower those down to about 37" for the aforementioned tablesaw height. (36"??) I too like things to be taller, but I think I over-did it with my old bench. John, you were right it was too tall!
 
get taller

well i have my bench-assembly table as my out feed table as well and its around 34-35 but i find that when assebling i wish it were shorter so i get a old milk crate and get taller but the new shop will have shortend bench like steve has. used his awhile and it was very comfortable and it held my lard butt for the never ending conversations we had:thumb: :rofl:
 
Workbench Height

Don't cut any expensive lumber until you read the Christopher Schwarz essay on workbenches in this month's Popular Woodworking. He says the only sure method is to start with the generally accepted forumulas, but then experiment using the WW procedures you'll use at the bench.

A bit lower for hand planing. A bit higher for detail work demanding close visual inspection. Do this with a cheap kitchen table supported on small blocks from which you can add or subtract.

I'm 5'10 and I know that the 34" height of my tablesaw would kill me. the 32.5" height of my store-bought cheapo workbench is too high for planing. I'm zeroing in on something close to 30 inches.

Rather that worry excessively, I had the European Beech top laminated to 8'4" length. I'll be lopping off about 20" of that, and I can use that to make a mini bench that I can plop on the main bench any time I need to do work at nose height. It will even have a face vise.

Gary Curtis
 
I would have thought that the correct height for a general purpose bench was such that if a router is knocked out of your hands by a rogue piece of grain it will do maximum damage to your fatherhood aspirations!:)
 
I'. 6' 2" so my bench is fairly high. My Bench height is 39.3 inches

In metrics that is 1879.6 mm tall and bench height of 1 metre.

It sounds fairly tall but I find working at this height very comfortable for assembly or planning or just general jobs. I find that with my good sneakers on things work out really nice. A good set of trainers lifts me about 1 & 1/4 inches.

My son is almost as tall as I am and he also likes the added height.

I dont think there is such a thing as the perfect working height, but rather the perfect working height for you.

The theory that you should be able to stand at the bench and have your arms resting on the top to me seems kinda silly as I also have long arms and this theory would suggest that my bench should be about six inches above my knees. Somehow I dont think so :p

I guess its a case of each to their own.

I should also note here that I have in my shop a second bench thats 4 1/2 inches shorter which I tend to use for belt sanding and for more prolonged period of hand planning, although this is rare as I am not a dedicated darksider :)
 
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Dennis the height of your tools and bench is an individual thing. I'm 5'11" and all my tools and bench are around 41" high and is very comfortable for me to work on.

DK
 
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