Thread: The right size

Somewhere between 800-900mm is a good start. There is no 'rule' as such, just use whatever height is good for you. I'm 5'10" and I find that 850ish-mm works good for me.

Thanks, i am a little taller so i might go with the 900mm.

Give it a bit more thought. Depends on what you will be doing with it mostly. If you are nailing a lot of stuff or leaning over to reach the other side then go lower. You can always add height with timbers across.

If you have plenty of access all round then go higher.

Main thing is make it suit yourself, I tend now as I get older to use higher benches, less ache in the back, but also less power when planing something by hand.

Make it SOLID and make it in twist. Make a good well.
Cheers
Bill

Thanks Billbeee, what do you mean by make it in twist

What Bill said. Height is a function of the user, the purpose of the bench and the jobs you're working on.

Example, I'm 5'9" and have one bench at 950mm. This one was intended as a basic wood working bench, to which it was reasonably well suited. However, when I started using more hand tools I found it too high. That said, I'm currently using it to build a malemine cabinet for the laundry, an endeavour to which this benches height is perfectly suited. So the high bench will probably remain as an assembly bench.

Now, for hand too work I'm building a bench at 850mm with the intention to cut it a little shorter if I feel the need. Planing , sawing and chiseling all require you to get your body over the tool at times (I don't necessarily mean weight either) and a lower bench is better suited to these functions.

If you have the opportunity to try some out do that before you decide. I looked at three before I decided on a starting height of 850mm.

I am 5' 8" and built my Ruobo at about 790mm. I plan on making some fixtures to clamp to the top to raise the working height of certain other tasks, since the 790 is good for planing.

BH

Mowman
"in-twist", means the opposite of "out-of-twist". That is something that is not twisted.
Get the bench true then the frames that you build on it will be true. (hopefully).
Have a look at this page on doing it using winding strips.
Cheers
Bill

Thanks all for the advice, as you could probably tell I am a newbie, no training or experience, I rely a lot on this forum and the odd Wood working magazine. I do not really have the opportunity to try out different benches but I was thinking, I might start off high and can always cut down the legs until i am happy with the height regarding assembly work, for times when i need a lower bench, i might make a platform that I can stand on, raising my body position rather than lowering the bench. Do you guys think that will work.

I am also building a bench and read or heard somewhere the sage advice that if your planning on making the bench for hand tool work then when standing upright your knuckles should just brush the bench top. Seems to be a good rule of thumb for me based on my kitchen benches which, in essence, is a place where one also uses hand tools.

As has been said, for predominantly hand tool wood working its best to have a lower bench ( I am building one and it will be about 34 inches) if you use mostly power tools then a higher bench is better as it saves you bending over so much.

Having said that, with a low bench you can make certain wooden vice fittings that attach to your bench to bring a working height up higher such as Meet the Etaux from Old Salem which is something I am going to make.

I also have a high bench for engineering type work or jobs I dont want to bend over much for.

Originally Posted by mowman

... i might make a platform that I can stand on, raising my body position rather than lowering the bench. Do you guys think that will work.

I'd be reluctant to say this is a good idea. For example when you're planing there are times when you need to exert some pretty serious forces on a plane which could make a platform unsafe. I think a platform to raise a lower bench would be better.

If the bench is heavy enough it's relatively easy to make the bench height adjustable by +/- 50 mm using a large (3/4") bolt inset into the bottom of the legs.
Like this.