I know this is opening a can of worms, but regardless, I’d like some feedback on this perpetual question.
I’m finally getting around to building a proper work bench for myself and and am getting hung up on the height issue. I can think of many reasons to maintain the height I am now accustomed to, or make it slightly higher, which seems to be more comfortable for planing. Too many little voices in my head nagging away at each other.
My current ‘work bench’ is about 34-inches in height and seems a bit low to me only because I have been thinking about it. When I have work to do, it has never bothered me. If I stand at my 36-inch kitchen counter top and visualize planing at that height, it seems much more natural and comfortable because I do not have to stoop as much I have been on my 2-inch lower work bench. I don’t have any back pains from this, but maybe higher will be better … or not. See what I mean?
I also know this is all tied to a person’s height, and most probably, what kind of work a person does at his/her work bench. The height is fixed, the work is not. I stand about 5′ 10″ and in addition, the work floor immediately adjacent to my work bench is covered with locking 24-inch square hard foam rubber matting which is about 1/2-inch in thickness.
I could go on and on, but I’d like some thoughts on this from the experience of others. My new bench will have sled feet which I could easily add stock to, but if I make it too high to begin with, then I’ll have to live with it and do my work on stilts.
Thanks.
Replies
Ideally, I think we would all love to have Hydraulic legs on our benches and assembly tables. Fit to match.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
You could probably get a Patent for that idea.
I think that the 34" height is a carry over from a long time ago, and peaple are (generally) taller now. So a bit extra height may be good (then again I am 6'5")
Doug
It could be done easily enough with a "port-a-power" and a manifold to four hydraulic jacks.
But way out of my budget range ;-(Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
My bench is close to 36" tall, and I'm just under 6'. While no height is optimal for every task, I've rarely thought to myself as I was working "I wish the bench was lower."
I built leveling feet into it that would allow some slight adjustment if I ever wanted it. If you have the Landis Workbench book, it's inthe Fortune/Nelson section.
You could also make auxillary trestle feet the addition or removal of which would change the 4" or so.
Another route to provide flexibility is build you bench high and then build a platform you can stand on to effectively lower the bench if you ever need it.
I'm 5'11" and my bench is about 34 inches tall. Lately, while working with wide stock or thick stuff, I've beeen thinking it;s about 2 inches too tall.
I feel like I can't get enough leverage on the planes to make them work well when i'm reaching over to plane the far side of a plank.
That being said, if I'm working something 3-4 inches wide, and not very long. the height seems ok.
HB
Get a dent and scratch solid core door - or reclaim one from a dumpster - and put it on the floor in front of your bench. Voila - your bench is effectively 2" lower.
Yeah, I definitely thought that building the floor up in front of the bench would be an easier thing to do than trimming the legs evenly.....
The door's a great idea.
Thanks.
HB
There's an article about an adjustable height workbench in FWW right now. http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/subscription/skillsandtechniques/skillsandtechniquesarticle.aspx?id=29052
Ideally you should have the workbench at various heights for various tasks.
http://www.adjustabench.com/
Edited 11/14/2007 2:58 pm ET by mvflaim
Get Chris Schwarz new book on this subject.
You can order it from Lee Valley http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=58401&cat=51&ap=1
I am in process of building my first workbench and I got lots of good ideas from his book. My understanding is that there is no "right" workbench height. It really depends upon two factors.
1. What is most comfortable for you so if it is 36 inch go with 36 inch.
2. What kind of work you do most.
I would strongly recommend going thru his book. It is a gem.
LB
LB,Thanks for your comments and the book suggestion.I've had Sam Allen's 'Making Workbenches' for many years and that has been a good guide. However, I could never find any reference in that book about the subject at hand. Perhaps I just missed that section. I also have Scott Landis's 'The Workbench Book' which is a wonderful book chock full of historical facts and data on this most essential item.I have to agree with you on your comment that there is no correct bench height. It all boils down to what you're working on at the moment, but there are many ways to solve height issues as they occur if this needs adjusting.One recommendation I remember reading, in regards to correct bench height, was to set it to match your hip bone. I tried that, but it seemed to me that the bench would be too high for my preferences. I think I'm just going to go for a height of 36-inches and get a move on with finishing this bloody project.Take care.Phillip
The latest issue of Woodworking shows how to make a workbench that can be adjusted as to height with a few pieces of the legs and some hinges. I tried the idea of building something to stand on in front of the bench when I wanted to have the bench relatively lower. I found it was always a problem and I was often either tripping on it or tripping off it.
Thanks for your comments. I will check out that issue of Woodworking magazine.This is such a crazy problem that everyone has. This seemingly never bothered me until I decided to make myself a 'real' work bench. The old 'work bench' was just thrown together so I would have a surface to work on, but now 'correct' height has become a major issue. This is ridiculous. I've decided to just make it 36-inches in height and move on to the next problem. If I don't do this, I'll never get the bloody thing built.Thanks for dropping in.
Excellent! Go for it big guy!
So, I went out to the garage and checked the heights. My table saw is 35" and I use it to sand things. It is an extended table with the router on one end. I use another table for putting things together and it is 30".
Tuff call! Someday I am going to build an all inclusive cabinet for the table saw and jointer and the height question will come up. I need every bit of room I can salvage. A few extra inches will allow me to put my shop vac under the table and build a few drawers too.
good luck!
I'm going to give this a try.
I have a small block and tackle. I'm going to make a "workbench sling" and connect a central point of the sling to the block and tackle and lift the heavy bench up and place chunks of wood of various heights under the legs. 6" X 6" chunks will prolly work. What do ya think??
The only problems I can anticipate is that the bench might fall off the chunks when aggresive side forces are being done to a workpiece clamped to the workbench top.
Sounds "Shock and Awe!" Might even end up on the local evening news. Man crushed by workbench, wife didn't notice him missing for three days. :)
You're ahead of me. I am using something the wife bought for having company over to sit at while eating our food. I like what you are attempting to do. Might want to make sure to secure the bottom risers with some anular support. Something like a draftsman 45 degree plastic angle. Some one x fours in that shape should give you a chance to get out of the way when it goes! :)
good luck!
I think that the "correct" workbench height is as individual as a fingerprint. Most of us are probably most comfortable with a work surface at around 36", but that can easily vary depending on what we're doing and how long we do it. Even if we're comfortable working at X" for a while, changing to X+2" can change our stance, posture, etc and be more comfortable.
My workbench also serves as my TS outfeed table and is ~37.5" high. No particular reason for that height, that's just how it all came out. Fortunately, that seems to be the perfect height for me - most of the time.
I'm in the process of making two roll-around cabinets for my benchtop tools (shaper/router, planer, jointer, and oscillating spindle sander). For the past couple of years, I've used these tools on my workbench (always too high), or on sawhorses (a little too low). I'm shooting to get the work surfaces of the benchtop tools at about 35" - 36" which I think will be just about right for me. If I find that I need to, I'll make temporary tops to "tweak" the working height.
Why not think of making the legs of a square box with a central core that the feet attach to. Drill holes at some interval and set the height with wooden or metal 'pins'..
Sketch it out for yourself or make a prototype for you current bench.
Just a thought. There are many ways you could make the height adjustable.
You have some good ideas. I will give them some thought before I get too far along on this project.Thanks for your comments.
I hope to make one using the Noden Adjust-A-Bench legs.
http://www.adjustabench.com/
For the OP -- Try shimming your present bench to the height you think you'll like your new bench to be and see if you like that height.
I've done just that. It took a bit of patience but it was worth the effort. Thanks for that good suggestion.As to your dream adjustable bench ... man, that's going to be one expensive bench. I would like to see a few photos when you get it up and running.Take care.
I bought some adjustable feet (leg levellers) from Woodcraft, they give me about an inch of adjustment. My first workbench was too low so I just cut a couple of pieces of treated 2X4 and put one under each end. Cheap is good :-)
Ray,Thanks for your comments.A few years ago I had to add adjustable feet to some cabinets I built in my work shop/basement because this floor goes every which way but level. So, yes, this sounds like a good idea and very doable.
Phillip,
To be honest, my wife has a really heavy china cabinet with adjustable feet. That's where I got the idea. I asked at Woodcraft and they have a set that is adjustable from the top with a screwdriver through a hole you'll have to drill in the workbench foot. I put a removeable plug in the hole to keep sawdust out. Used the tapered plugs from a screw-hole repair kit. They're pretty unobtrusive.
I think lower is better. I've been doing more and more work "English style" i.e. working into a single planing stop. You really need to be able to get your upper body over the plane when working this way. You provide downforce but also control of the board on the bench.
Now I use wooden planes and hold them in many different ways (just another advantage of wooden planes, imho) But they are thicker. So remember to keep in mind the thickness of the stock and the plane. That's a little different from a kitchen counter.
Adam
Adam,Thanks so much for your knowledgeable comments.As I said earlier, my current 'work bench' is slightly less than 34-inches and it's gotten me through thick and thin. Now I go to build a 'real' bench and I get stuck on deciding what height to make it thinking that the height I've used for years is too low. I need to put my head in a vise.I have had no problem planing - which I seem to do a lot of, at 34-inches and this should tell me that this height is ok for my working preferences. It's not too late for me to think about this a bit further. For certain, if the work piece is too high or thick as your call it, to plane properly, then I'll have to build a false floor to work it. You make some very good points here.I love and make my own wooden planes. I have a thread in the Hand Tools section of Knots entitled 'Fruitwood Plane'. If you have a moment, please give me your two-cents on my apricot wood plane. Nothing fancy, just a good working tool.Thanks for stopping by.
I'm 6'4" and my bench is 31". This is probably an extreme but is what works for me. (I do have other surfaces in my shop for doing things that require a higher surface.) Pretty much everything I start requires me sarfacing 16/4 stock. This would be brutal on a higher bench. I carve sitting down and I often saw with a painful back.
The only true mistake you could make would be to not clear off the kitchen counter and bring a board and plane up and give it a go. Stop imagining what it would be like. I think 36" is too high. No doubt that most people think 31" is too low. I wouldn't want to surface something at 40", however. I hate cutting dovetails at about 33", it's killer. I'm rambling...just try a few different heights. You probably won't end up with what you originally thought. The reason for height not being addressed in various books is for these specific reasons.
I have purchased the noden adjust-a-bench legs and casters but have not yet gotten my shop back to the point I can install them. Ill know how well they work pretty soon!Drew
Hello Mat,6'4" working on a 31-inch bench? I don't know what to say about that. Just kidding. This just goes to show that it all depends ... and whomever, can fill it the rest of the sentence. In regards to the kitchen counter top, I did as you suggested and if I were planing 8/4 stock, it felt a bit too high to plane comfortably. When I placed that same piece down on my current bench, I was good to go. So, yes, this height business all depends on what's on the bench top. All I can really add to this is that there is always a way to lower a table height (false floor), but it's tough sledding if you want to raise it. Sure, you could shim it up with 1"-2" stock, but most work benches aren't exactly a bag of feathers to move about. Anyway, you made your point quite well.On to another subject: dovetails. I made an adjustable height (how about that?) dovetail rig years ago that I thought I'd show you. You probably have something similar. Looking at the picture:A. The vertical member is cut first;
B. The freshly cut member is removed and replaced by the uncut member;
C. The cut member is place horizontally over the vertical member and the uncut member is scribed to match the cut member;
D. Then the uncut member is cut.There are darkly scribed marks to keep each piece oriented correctly with one another.Not sure how I came up with this rig, but it works very well. Each of the clamping pieces is lined with glued down 120x sandpaper to prevent any slippage of the membe as you work. The whole thing can be clamped into a vise or whatever.Thanks for your help.PhillipP.S. Don't know if you're aware of George Nakashima, but I just saw today that his straight-backed chair is now back in production. He made some awesome altars, tables, and chairs while he was alive. I think his daughter is now running the business. Not sure about that.
The way I came to terms with the height of my workbench was going with the higher choice....
With your arms down beside you, clench your fist. The lower height option is measured from the floor to the underside of the fists. I'm 6'1, and that felt like I had to bend over too far....
The way I went was to place my hands down beside myself and flex the hands/fingers pointing straight out, so the palms are facing down. For me, that's a good 2" higher.
I built my workbench in combination with being used also as an assemby bench. Sometimes, you need to just move your workbench to make room for resawing with your bandsaw, larger cabinet frames, etc. I put some 6" casters on the bottom. Two roll straight and two swivel. To keep this heavy bench from rocking at the swivel caster points, the casters have not only a brake on the wheel, but also a locking pin on each of the compass points to lock the two swivel casters at 90 degrees to the direction I'm pushing on the woodworking projects...
Bill
Bill,Thanks for all of the great info.If I do as you suggest - with my hands/fingers pointing out, the palm of my hands are about 1/2-inch above the current height (34-inches) of my present work bench, so I guess that's a good height to have my new bench at. As I said earlier, I've been working at this height for a long time and never had any problems. The funny part of this height business (to me anyway) is that I just threw my current workbench together without any serious thought about the 'correct' height. But now I'm having this issue about making sure that the height is right for me and it's staring me right in the face.I was tooled up to go with a height of 36-inches, but it's no problem to back off to 34-inches, maybe 34-1/2 inches to bring it up to my palms.Your idea about putting wheels on a bench is an intriguing one. My workshop is in our basement and nothing is even close to level on this floor. I have my router bench on 4-inch castors (two straight, two swivels) and there are times when I have to re-position it so that all four castors are touching the floor. I can deal with that, but I think I would rather not have that problem with my bench. I am putting sled feet on this bench so if I have an issue with it, I guess I can shim it up to keep it steady.I appreciate all of your help. I'll post a photo or two when I'm done. BTW, I'm installing a Veritas Twin-Screw on my bench just as you have on yours. How do your like yours?Phillip
Phillip,
Sounds like you found the right height. I believe that's the correct height for planing, i.e. when it touches your palm when holding your hands out straight from your body, arms straight down.
The Veritas Twin Screw is a great vise and offers a lot of flexibility, at least that's my humble opinion. I have one mounted on the end of my bench with a traditional face vise.
Good luck in your pursuits of this fine craft, but most important, have fun.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,I'm glad to see that someone agrees with me. Grin.I think all of this is analogous to the following quip attributed to Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln, because of his height I suppose, was asked the following question by some wise arse pre-CNN reporter:Mr. Reporter: "Mr. President, how long do you think a man's legs should be?"Mr. Lincoln: "Long enough to reach the ground."In our case, I think (now) that our work benches should be long enough to reach the palm of our hands. No doubt there will be those who disagree, but that's what makes all of this so much fun, as you so succinctly put it.Have a good day,
PhillipP.S. My wife's daughter and son-in-law used to live in Laconia. I sure miss those hamburgers we used to get at the Black Cat restaurant. The beer wasn't too bad either.
Hi Phillip,
I live up near the Canadian border. Laconia is about ½ way down the state from me. You are soooooooooooo right 'bout them burgers at the Black Cat!
A while back there was an auxilliary bench that could be placed on top of the existing bench for those times when additional height is needed. I've never needed it as I have several benches on the walls around the shop at different heights. I also use the TS outfeed table as an assembly/downdraft sanding table.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I was lucky when I found the Veritas Vises at different times on sale at Woodcraft.
By the time you buy one, count on adding about $50 for the cost of the jaws if you consider using hard Maple.
When I built the workbench, I found in my research of antique European and Early American workbenchs, that they had tool trays. With endgrain cut off the ends of the glued together bench tops, I glued 1/2" thick sections on to 3/4" plywood. After drum sanding the endgrain, I put that into the bottom of the tool tray for a tough surface.
To carry the detail into the wooden jaw vises, I enlayed endgrain into the 2-1/4" thick jaws. Adding a 3/8"-1/2" thin contrasting wood into the jaws gives the thick jaws some "lady-like" appeal. You can see what I inlayed in the photos below.
If I had two phases of "wisdom" on installing the Veritas Vises it would be:
1. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY...and use the depth guage they show you how to make so your short steel sections used to hold the vise to the workbench with those long bolts will mate fairly easily.
2. Do plane the 3/32" taper on one of the jaws. It's not hard and it allows the jaw to grip almost any type of wood. I used "Waterlox" as a vise finish. It' hard, tough, and gives you vise a life of its own.
The only weakness to the vise is the brass shear pin. They give you an extra one, but if you'll tighten the vise's final 1/2 turn using both hands on both wooden handles, you'll never shear that pin....
Good luck,
Bill
Bill,
I have a question for you if you don't mind.
I noticed that the chain on your TS is taught, with little or no droop in it. I'm having an issue with mine where it is skipping the teeth when I tighten the jaws. It does this as I'm winding the jaws closed. Mine droops a little but not to the point of them touching each other.
With your setup, have you noticed this happening?
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
BobGo get a Half-Link for your chain...OK, you will have to remove a link. Check if a half-link will work before removing the full link.
Edited 11/17/2007 8:31 am by WillGeorge
Will,
I did that, and thanks for the input. After seeing Bills I think mine is way too loose. But it looks like the pic. in the instructions so I'm a bit confused.
Thanks again,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Hi Bob,
On that Veritas vise, I had to notch the support beam running behind the rear jaw to let the threaded shafts pass in and out.
The spacing of the two threaded shafts probably were at the max recommended spacing in the instruction booklet. The other end of my "T-shaped" workbench has another Veritas vise. That one's chain isn't quite as taut and I found using those nylon rollers to handle the slight addition slack in that chain. You might consider running one of those so it runs the chain under it and provides a slight downward pressure, keeping the chain engaged on surface area of the sprocket...
I've cranked down on both vises as they've been used and never felt any type of spocket tooth jumping. I'd bet you could loosen those threaded bosses that the threaded shafts pass through, and bump them outward to tighten up you chain. After getting the chain tighten to your expectations, I'd soak the wood where those iron threaded bosses meet with some thin CA before tighten them completely.
I think the weak link in their design is the brass pin that allows you to disengage the sprocket drive to let you skew the vise jaws for a board/object that tapers. One revolution of one of the treaded shafts is all I can get as far as a tapered board going into the vise jaws....
I didn't know which way would be the best way to install the handles; both going the same angle or having one straight up/down while the other sets left/right. So, I did one vise one way and one the other; and don't really have a favorite...;>)
Let me know how you resolve the loose chain, will you?
Thanks,
Bill
Back to the first question, I'm 5' 8 (and a half)" tall, and I built my workbench to be 32". Fits me perfect for most tasks, and in fact, I've never felt uncomfortable doing anything at the bench, for hours at a time. Passing this on in the event anyone is running statistics.
I guess the most appropriate bench height depends on not only personal height, but body build etc. I went with the stand-next-to-the-bench-with-hand-at-90-degree-angle-and-measure-to-palm rule. It worked great for me.
jack
Bill,
Thanks for the suggestion about the nylon rollers, slap me right up side the head! Bob did a DUH! I'll try that also.
As an asidde, I took one of the handles to the parts store in search of some proper sized O rings and placed two one each end so when the handle falls, it doesn't whack the metal.
I wish you'd stop posting pics of that bench. It causes me to drool all over my keyboard! :-)
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
Using O-rings at the ends of the handle is a great idea. I'll give them a try.
On my other vises with metal handles, to keep down that usual "clank" sound, I use those Polyurethane washers found in 3/4" garden hose fittings. You can buy them in a flat pack and in different translucent colors.
Thanks for the compliment on the workbench. I collected all the materials over several years, making the actual cost spread over time, and as I found those materials at bargain prices....
Before I installed those Veritas wooden jaw vises, the whole bench, flea market/closeout Wilton and Columbian vises, metal frame, raised panel Oak doors and trim, I spent $450. The Veritas vise kits (bought on sale over a year's time), and the 5/4 Hard rock Maple for the thick jaws, cost an additional $400....
Bill
Edited 11/19/2007 9:33 pm ET by BilljustBill
The casters might be right up my alley. Do you have a source, specific ordering info?
Thx!GaKnotHeadnovice WWer, accomplished collector of WW stuff
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/horizontal-pod.jsp?id=0001696&navCount=0&parentId=cat21336&masterpathid=&navAction=push&cmCat=perf&parentType=index&indexId=cat21336&rid=
I use this pedistal base (with homemade top) to raise work up to desired height whnever required. The pedistal is designed to support a 350lb fisherman. It locks like a router bit in a collet chuck.
Don,Thanks for that info. I've seen something similar that carver's use for their bench tops. These are not that expensive either ... hmm..mmmTake care.
go to the top of you hip bone you can't go wrong there
I waffled on this and ended up at 36" as only some of my work is "handwork". It has worked out so far but the Noden solution is sweet if you got the cash.
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