I’ve started to do more hand tool work lately and found that after an hour or two at the bench my neck is killing me. Does anyone else have this problem? Perhaps I need a taller bench? My bench is 34″ and I’m 6′. Any suggestions?
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Replies
i am so tempeted to say if you have a pain in the neck you should divorce her but I am not going to stoop to juvenile humor, I'm just not going to do it, besides you just might be a her. Instead I'll ask what kind of work are you doing during the hour or two? Can some of it be done sitting on a stool? 34 inches seems a little low. The three benches I use most are 37, 36 and 34, but the 34 is used mostly for assembly. If I have to plane I use the 36. The 37 is built into the wall and collects stuff. I'm 5'11'' and shrinking in my old age. Not sure if any of this helps. Try looking at the specs for workbenches and see what is being sold. good luck.
Haha. That's funny! I am a her, but my girlfriend is a her too, so it's still the right pronoun. The only way in which she's a pain in the neck, though, is that the project i'm hurting my neck building is a gift for her. :)
Anyway, lately tasks have been mostly things like planing, chiseling, and sharpening. I guess some of that I could do sitting down, but some I can't. Tonight I chiseled 4 mortises and by that point it hurt enough that I had to stop. Maybe I will get (or build) a stool and do what I can sitting down... that's a good idea.
Neck pain.
Well the six foot said him but the pixi said her so I covered my bases. I was always thinking about building a stool for the shop but one day I saw a SnapOn stool at Costco for the right price and bought one. SnapOn is the company that sells automotive tools direct to the mechanics and their stool had five wheels and a big range of vertical adjustment and I have found it perfect for my shop. That was a couple of years ago and I haven't seen it at Costco since.
It is strange that only your neck is hurting and not your back. I am doing a lot more hand tool work these days and at 72 years of age I expect a few pains here and there but I have never had one in my neck working in the shop. There are a few Drs doing woodworking out there and hopefully one will see this thread and give a little free advice. But it still just might be the height of the bench. Things have been a little slow on the FWW Knots forum so it might take time. The Burl is another site you might try.
It sure is more fun building something for a loved one but if the gift is for Valentine's Day, it's coming up fast... three days and counting. Have fun.
Yeah, maybe I should just buy one. At my pace it might be years before I get around to building it and I'm sure my head will fall off my shoulders long before then.
It does seem strange that it's my neck, but thinking about it I do find myself standing straight looking down quite a bit. Maybe just keeping my body a bit further from the bench and bending over more will help. Hmm.
Anyway, nice looking stool. (and nice looking shop!)
Experiment first
Since you have a bench I'd try raising it up on 2x4s or 4x4s or some combination until you get a height that feels good. Then you can come up with a permanent solution to keep the bench at the new height. I did that and ended up with the top at 42" from the floor.
You might want to try the bench top bench that Jeff Miller put together in issue 176. It will raise the height of your precision work like sawing and chopping DT's to a comfortable level. My primary vise bench is at 33 1/2" which is comfortable for planing, routing and the like but for precision work it's a pain in the... well you know. The one I made elevates my effective working height to 46" and has eliminated the need for acetaminophen after a dovetail session.
The article is in the plans & projects section, sorry I can't seem to get the link to work.
That's a good idea! That way I can work at a lower or higher height without having to choose just one. I'll take a look at it. Thanks.
Pains and the location thereof
At a height of 6' (I'm going to try to avoid making any tall pixi jokes ;-) ), I'd concur that your 34" bench may be too short for some operations. But, perhaps not for others. Posture, stance and movement can also make a difference in how the work will affect your spine. Arm length, in addition to height, can also play a role in what might be most comfortable for you, individually.
In addition to using a stool for some operations, you might also consider using an auxiliary vice to raise the work to a more comfortable height. If you do a search on the Moxon Vise, you'll see one approach to accomplishing this.
I'm only 5'8" (and, shrinking), so my experience may not translate well for you. My "bench" is actually an old 36" x 72" wooden desk that I've converted for woodworking. As such, I do a lot of work sitting in a secretarial chair, partly due to the fact that I injured my back some years ago. My make-do bench is OK for chisel work, but it's too low for planing, even for my stubby body.
That looks cool too. I'll take a look that vise as well and one way or another get my workpieces up a bit higher. Thanks for the suggestion.
I just saw a letter to the editor in the current Fine Woodworking mag from a six foot one inch guy having a problem with a 34 inch bench. If you don't have that issue I'll copy it for you, just say the word. His solution was to go way way higher.
Oh, if you don't mind copying it that would be great. I just subscribed to the printed magazine but haven't received my first issue yet. Thanks!
Letter to editor.
This was in FWW #225 March/April This is what D. Robert Wiemer of Houston Texas wrote:
"One work-surface height does not fit all. It was dissappointing to see once again (FWW #223), a number of projects that define a work surface at a particular height - most notably a rather low 34 in. surface in "Build Your First Workbench." A number of years ago, after a painful day over just such a bench, I realized that this height was rediculous for a 6-ft.-1-in. person. So I raised my benches, finding that heights of 40 in. or even 42 in. are far more comfortable for me. Your readers should be encouraged to find their own ideal working height when building benches that they will be using for many years."
The editor replies that the task matters and that routing is best done at belly height and handplaning works better at hip height and that in plans they generally shoot for average height. Hope this helps a bit.
Basing a bench height solely on the height of the woodworker may be as bad as using "standard" heights. Doing so assumes that everyone has the same leg/torso ratio and the same arm length, which, of course, is not the case.
Contrary to the advice in "The Hitchhiker's Guide", 42 (inches) may not be the answer to everything. ;-)
Or, even, ANY-thing!
Thanks a lot. This weekend I mader some risers out of 4x4s that raise the bench 3 1/2 inches. I haven't had much time to use it yet, though so I'm not sure if it helps.
A sure cure for back and neck pain. When the bench falls off the 4x4s and lands on your foot you will forget about the neck pain completely. : )
Have fun, be safe.
Pain in the neck etc.
Yah that happens to me to. Always at work. I get a pain in the general area where I sit to. Again . . . always at work.
It is sooooo weird, to, because when I get home and I am on the couch with my lap top on my lap, usually talking to you people, it totally goes away.
Do you think it has to do with some field the lap top is emitting ?
Gosh ! I hope it is safe.
Life is so mysterious.
Buy or build?
Might I suggest that you buy first and build later? That way you will have the commercial stool to support you and alleviate your pain while you are being productive. While a stool is a cool project the reality is that projects for ourselves fall to the bottom of the list and remain there while your enjoyment for our craft dwindles. Please don't let this happen.
Chiz
PS If you are interested in a free opinion on your neck please contact me by e-mail through this website. I promise that it will be worth the price. (wink)
Do you sit or stand at your workbench?
I'm shopping for a workbench to use for small projects. One thing I noticed is that almost all of them have a bottom shelf that blocks where your legs would go if you sat at the workbench, unless you were using a stool or something that kept your whole body off to the side. The bottom shelf is nice to have, but it assumes you are standing. I don't need to stand unless I'm doing something very strenuous. What works for you?
I think you should buy new workbench,my uncle also used to work on bench of height 34".He is above 6".He had no problem.
I am a yoga coach if you want to know some yoga postures i can help you out.
Look into a bench-on-bench. One of the best things I have done for my hand tool and routing work.
I searched web sites for average bench heights before building a router table. The consensus was to make the tabletop height about wrist-high with your arm at your side. So, to me, there's no standard height.
Hope this helped a bit.
Mikaol
My bench is 36" and I'm 6' as well. It hurts my back. It's too low for you and me.
I have spacers for mine that I am going to install to raise it to 40". From reading a lot of what Paul Sellers writes, I think his bench is 39".
“[Deleted]”
I had about the same issue, my shop is small, so the bench has to stay at tablesaw height, 34". I am 5'10". My neck asked me to raise the work so I built a 6" tall moxxon riser. Handwork now sits at about 40-41". Problem mostly solved.
I'm 5'-6" and use a 36" bench. It depends what kind of work you do (mostly tables for me), but it's hard to imagine a 34" bench isn't too low for you. If I'm doing a lot of low work like inlay or hand-routing, even I will pull up a stool to lower my shoulders in relation to the benchtop.
@_MJ_ - Complements on the nice riser!
All of the comments above regarding height are excellent. I am a chiropractic doctor and would like to give you, and everybody else some other tips.
First: don't work for a solid hour without a break. Every 20-30 minutes you need to stand (if you are sitting) and stretch and move for one to two minutes.
Second: If possible vary your position from standing to sitting (and you should be on a cushioned mat when standing).
Third: Make sure you have a good light source, free of shadows that lets you be in a more upright position while you work (also wear your glasses if you need them).
Fourth: Vary the work you are doing, i.e. don't spend three hours only chopping out mortises. Intersperse with some drafting of plans, or clean up.
Fifth: Try to utilize your lower body (legs) when possible when you are doing work that requires effort like planing, card scraping, etc. This is when having a multi level bench comes in handy.
Sixth: utilize dogs, clamps, etc. to stabilize your work so your effort is going to the work, not holding the piece.
If you have persistent neck pain, headaches, pain going down the arms I would recommend an evaluation by a good chiropractor or orthopedist to rule out any underlying condition.
Good luck
I follow those recommendations and my body appreciates it.
Sometimes I take a break and hone my chisels or plane knives.
sometimes the break is a beer and a broom, other times a beer and a nap!
TY Macanbard.
I’m 6foot 3 and I made Jeff Millers bench for cutting dovetails it’s works wonderfully and I have zero back pain when using it cheers and if you need any pics let me know.
slip a couple of 2x4s under your bench and see how you like it.
I'm 6'6" so I have everything elevated to some degree. I also had bad neck pain for years and found it very helpful to use an over the door cervical traction device. Just Google it they're about 20 bucks and add it to the other suggestions.
The late Gene Landon had all of his students make a 12inch by 48 inch auxiliary bench out of 8/4 hardwood.Bolted to the center of the bottom was a 12 inch by 48 inch board creating a T. Placed in the vice it was an adjustable hite auxiliary bench.Mine is fitted with round dogs,a Veritas horizontal adjustable dog and flip up end stops
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