Thread: workbench height

The short answer is the height that is most comfortable for you.

I am 183cm (6Ft) and my bench is 900mm. I find it quite comfortable for planing, etc, and not too high if I have to work on the top of something on the bench. This is also the height of Triton Workcentre and Router table and my thicknesser and jointer.

HI Mark,

Workbench height is really a personal thing - as it need to suit your height and also what you want to use it for. For a dedicated hand plane/hand tool bench they need to be lower than say a power tool users bench or a bench for mechanical work dismantling engines etc wher you want to be closer to what you are work on without having to bend over too much etc.

Christopher Schwartz recommends as a rough rule for bench height to be about level with the first joint of your little finger (where it joins your hand) when standing normally with arms at your side (hope you follow that). Rules for Workbenches - Page 2 of 4 - Popular Woodworking Magazine

My bench, I have had as a work in progress for a long time - but recently finished is about 34.5 inches high (~875mm) and suits me nicely.



Cheers
Steve

Stand with hands by your side, raise one forearm horizontally. The ideal height is 6" below the elbow, a little bit more if you are going to be doing a lot of manual planing.

you will find some more posts here

I am 6'2", and like the workbench higher than normal so my lower back doesn't ache. Ergonomics is a key factor in deciding what height is comfortable for you

by Dengy's rule of thumb based on my height - that is exactly our kitchen bench height (i just checked it). For me thats too high to be optimal for hand plane work but for other work its great, just means you can have a few benches at different heights.

For engineers vices as I always used, we had those so the top of the jaws were elbow height.

It is commonly said that for machine work the bench should be higher than for handtool work

so it seems that two benches might be what's needed!

the other option is a highish bench with a platfom which can be stood upon for handtool work


given your kitchen benches at 1m, can you plane at them for a bit to work out your preferred height?

It seems that it depends on what work I'm intending to do on this bench, and physical issues. As my lower back is not as good as it use to be when I was a younger man; I'll probably opt for a slightly higher than most use and if it seems too high at the time I can allways slip a small platform under the work area to stand on; (a tip I picked up from the vertically challanged guys I have worked with over the years)
Thanks for the input guys.
Mark

Mark,

I think it's one of those things that you need to "try before you buy" so to speak. Why not practice clamping some test pieces and planing, sawing, chiseling at different heights and see what's most comfortable and least tiring before you commit?

A fellow forum member recently posted this with a duckboard arrangement so that for planing your shoulders and therefore mass are more up and over the plane.

Just a few thoughts to add to the above.

Nick

Originally Posted by Chesand

The short answer is the height that is most comfortable for you.

I am 183cm (6Ft) and my bench is 900mm. I find it quite comfortable for planing, etc, and not too high if I have to work on the top of something on the bench. This is also the height of Triton Workcentre and Router table and my thicknesser and jointer.

Chesand
I also have the same tools you just listed and when I get around to it will make my bench at 900 for the out feed and in feed at that height. I am only 5' 10'' or so and never have liked to plane at the level where my wrist drop like the books all say is the proper height, much more at ease to plane standing with a slight bend to the knees. But whatever is the most comfortable position for the user must be the correct position.

Sounds like the perfect time to develop a height adjustable bench!

Hi Mark,
I made mine the same height as my Triton saw table, which was fine for my height.
I also did this so I could rest larger projects on the level, which proved to be a wise decision.
I can now support glue ups for large items like frames etc.

Cheers
conwood

I'm 6' my main work bench is 1m summary benches in the workshop are 850mm great for collecting clutter on but a REAL pain in the back to work on.


Cheers

Steve

I have decided on a bench top height of 1030.
Now that the decision has been made I'll have to go fishing for a couple of weeks to relieve the stress of all that
I'll get back and start on the bench top. Plan to have it out of laminated oregon; picked up about 10 lenghts of 140X50 at 2.1m.
It may take a while to complete but it will be worth it; probably worth more than my time
Thanks for the input.
Mark

I'm 6'1" and my main bench is 1040mm. It gives my back way less trouble than lower benches.

For some jobs though its just too high so I have other lower benches I can use as required.