Bench Height

[dankeenan]

What work bench height is most commonly used. I am getting ready to build benches for the garage and have gotten numbers from 32" to 44". I think it might come down to what feels the most comfortable, but I wanted to get some pros and cons.

Thanks.

 

[z28snksknr]

Well, it's completely up to you, but kitchen counters are set at 36". It's not a garage, but that's an average "ideal work height" for most people.

I set mine a little higher (38") to be able to get more leverage on tools since I'd be fighting automotive parts and bolts. 36" also enables you to utilize pretty much any cabinet underneath since that's the standard height.

I honestly stood where my bench was going to be and put my hands out at a comfortable "work level" and measured it. I made the counter about 4" lower than that.

 

[zmotorsports]

I have seen them from 33" up to around 40" and everything in between. The ones I work on at work are purchased workbenches and are right at 34". I made my ones at my home shop 38" due to the fact I am a little on the taller side at 6'2" and they are perfect for me and luckily my son is tall also at 6'4" so they work well for him. My roll-around welding table is at 34" because I vary between sitting and standing while welding and I can also roll it up next to my stationary workbenches and use it as another workbench such as when building transmissions and such. Mike.

 

[rieferman]

I originally built at 42 inches by deciding that 6 inches taller than my kitchen counter would be perfect (I'm also 6'2"). Got it all built, cracked a beer, was ready to be very pleased with myself.... and the first 3 people through my shop that day were like "woah, that's too high".. I scoffed at them.. I'm tall after all! Lived with it for a few days... only to finally agree with them that it was indeed too tall (especially when sitting on my stool).

Painstakingly cut 3 inches off each of 6 legs on the bench, rebolted to the wall.. Perfect at 39 inches.

edit, and then I had my beer and was pleased with myself

 

[porschedude996TT]

The kitchen counter height was extablished when a tall women was 5 foot. The kitchen counters in my house are about 36" and my back is killing me after 20 minutes of leaning over and preping food. The same is true with an ironing board. When I was single I modified my ironing board by clamping on two 4" x 4" x 16" pieces of lumber to the bottom legs to get it to a comfortable height. When I built my new shop work benches I choose 42" which is just below the bottom surface of my forearm when held out parrell to the floor. I may be a little high for leaning the most body weight into you work that may be sitting on the bench top, but time will tell. I use Griot's garage stools when I am sitting and it is fine. The stools put me at about the same height while standing or sitting.

 

[babzog]

Use what's comfortable for you, not anyone else. I'm 5'11" and I use around 38".

 

[kf4zht]

I usually hold my hand out flat with a bend in the elbows, where it is comfortable, it usually ends up near my belly button. Drop a tape from there and base off of that, it almost always ends up 36-68 (I'm 5'9")

 

[Falcon67]

It's all over, eh. I'm 6'+ and like 36". Might try 38 or 40 when I build some new benches.

 

[CenTex52Chevy]

Depends on what is comfortable to you. I'm 6'4" and my bench is at 39", my wife if 5'7" and the benchs on here side of the shop are at 36".

If you make them to tall you can always cut them down later, might be a PITA but it is easier than added to them.

 

[Ray-CA]

Here is some good info.

"Woodworking Tips
Woodworking Tips Index

Workbench Height
Does your back start to ache after you've been working at your workbench for a while? Have you ever tried to hand plane a board and decided it was just too much work?

The height of the work surface of your workbench can make a difference. It should be the right height to fit you and the way you work. If you already have a workbench, you can use these guidelines to modify your bench height to make it more comfortable. If you're building a new bench, use these guidelines to determine how high to make it.

On most benches, the working surface is somewhere between 33" and 36" high. If you're average height (between 5'9" and 6'0"), that's usually a comfortable height. But even a change of 1" up or down can make a big difference in how easy it is to work at the bench.

We've used a lot of methods to determine the best height for a bench. But one simple method seems to give the best results. Just measure the distance from the floor to the crease on the inside of your wrist. When I did this, the measurement was 34". So that's the height I used on my bench.

Increase or decrease the length of the legs on your workbench to adjust the height of the work surface to match your wrist crease measurement. If you're 5'10" or taller, you may find a wrist crease measurement of 35" to 37". This may seem too high for a bench -- especially considering the old standards. But those standards were developed and valid when the general population was shorter than it is today.

Go to Tip #3

Woodworking Tips Index ©August Home Publishing Company"

Ray

 

[jmack]

You could also look to standards seen in what's available to purchase since those companies probably spent good money doing consumer research to determine what's best. For example Gladiator workbench surfaces are 38" from the floor.

Agree with others to do what is best for you, but you'll probably wind up with something slightly above kitchen height. 37"-39" is likely optimal.

 

[ihredo4]

I am putting my workbench in an old milking parlor in the barn. I have a built in height adjustment of about 3 inch's just by moving around the bench. The floor has a 3" maybe 4" deep manure pit down the long side of the bench. I will be setting the bench up at 36-38" height but have it on screw legs to adjust the height. Hopefully this will be enough to take the stress off my back. Broke a vertebrea 2 years ago and am having a bad time with it.

 

[nate379]

Also consider when something is in a vice, it makes it that much taller. Or if you use the bench for tear down of larger items, such as transmissions/T Cases, etc.

 

[e-tek]

i originally built at 42 inches by deciding that 6 inches taller than my kitchen counter would be perfect (i'm also 6'2"). Got it all built, cracked a beer, was ready to be very pleased with myself.... And the first 3 people through my shop that day were like "woah, that's too high".. I scoffed at them.. I'm tall after all! Lived with it for a few days... Only to finally agree with them that it was indeed too tall (especially when sitting on my stool).

Painstakingly cut 3 inches off each of 6 legs on the bench, rebolted to the wall.. Perfect at 39 inches.

Edit, and then i had my beer and was pleased with myself

beer?? Where's the reefer - man?!!

 

[e-tek]

Also consider when something is in a vice, it makes it that much taller. Or if you use the bench for tear down of larger items, such as transmissions/T Cases, etc.

GOOD POINT!
I've also heard to use the height of you elbow, minus 2inches.

 

[dankeenan]

Thanks for all the good info as usual.

Dan

 

[nissan_crawler]

Mine is at 41", let's me work at a decent level with everything, no bending over, I wouldn't want it any shorter. My mother, the experienced home person reminded me all the time how big of a mistake it was...nope. My kitchen I compromised and went with 37"...I really wish I had done at least 38".

 

[jj3]

I have a couple different benches. One 8' x 2' x 36" and the other is 6' x 3' x 42". I'm tall (6'3") so the taller height bench gets more use overall but I use each of them depending on the project.

 

[rieferman]

e-tek wrote:

beer?? Where's the reefer - man?!!

ha ha, I was wondering how long it would be until the first comment of this nature I know every possible pot joke ever invented as a result of my last name.. Now my sister... my parents just had it in for her when they named her Mary Jane.. poor girl

 

[Richard Givan]

Wood working benches are a different breed of cat. A classic wood bench is a fixture for holding wood steady while you hand saw or plane it, or chop mortises or dovetails in it. It needs to be lower so you can lean into it with your body weight (think pushing a scrub plane for hours on end). If it were higher, you would be doing all the work with your weaker arm and shoulder muscles instead of involving your back and legs.

I think of using a mechanic's bench to place a component like a carb on it while you disassemble/assemble it or jigger with the settings or clean it or such. It should be a bit higher so you can work with smallish items on it and simply see what you're doing with more precision and clarity. Any filing, grinding or such will probably be done with the part in a vice. Still I wouldn't want to go higher than the height of your forearm with your arm bent parallel to the ground so you can comfortably work on it without elevating your arms at the shoulder.

My point is that a metal or mechanical bench probably should be higher unless you are working on something like a transmission that stands pretty tall itself.

I'm exactly six feet tall and my personal sleep numbers, so to speak, are these: my third generation wood working bench is 35", which seems right to me. My recently-built mechanical bench is 40", which also seems right.

Best of both worlds might be to have a split level bench, both with good lighting overhead.

 

[s_morrison57]

I have 2 different hieghts in my shop and use both depending on what i'm working on. I'm 6' tall and the standard hieght is good for bigger stuff and I use the taller bench for smaller projects as my eyes are bad so getting it closer helps, where I do my computer stuff is at a stand up bench due to eyes and back. I'm not at home or I'd give you the hieghts of each. Most of my stuff is automotive in nature so it helps to have the varying levels, work on a lot of Porsche engines and raised my engine stand up about 7-8 inches and that made a big difference on my back as well.

 

[sjsfire]

I'm 6'5" so I need a tall bench. The last two I built is "belly button" high. They came out just right.

 

[TonyMazz]

I took the approach to have 2 stationery benches and 1 moveable. The stationery benches are 44" and 40" and I am 6'1". My theroy is that the higher bench is more of a counter and close up work...cleaning parts, disassembly...where I don't have to bend over.

Second stationery bench is more for vise work, hammering, wrenching work...again hate to be in the slightly bent over position with torque...I like to stand up straight...easier on my back etc...

The moveable bench is more for wood working, and is 37" high...use it for sanding, painting, staining..... it's small 24" x 48" and moves around easy...

The stationery benches are 30" x 7' and offer plenty of room for me...

 

[ddawg16]

By now you have most likely figured out that it's personal preference....

I like 38" for my work bench.

My Radial arm saw is at 40"....

And I have a little portable table that I made that is at 24". What is good about that one is that the top is expendable...in other words, I can take out the screws, throw it away and put a new top on it....hence, it gets painted on and drilled into....and it's low height is just right when I need to bend over and put some fat into the drill....and when I put large objects on it, they are up where it's more comfortable to work with....

I'll have to take note of the comment about the vice....right now I have it at 40" and that is really too tall.....I'm thinking that maybe it needs to be on something where I can vary the height....mmmmmmm

 

[Griot's Garage]

We always recommend workbench height to be the height of your hip. As others have said, this is generally in the 38" - 40" range. This allows for comfortable position for your arms and plenty of leverage.

~derek

 

[mustangcrazy77]

I just recently built an "L" shaped bench in the corner and used both 36" and 42" heights. I figured I could use the lower height for larger objects or anything that needed a good beating. It's also where I keep my chop saw and where I feel comfortable doing any freehand drilling.

The high bench on the other hand seems to be far better suited for closer up work. Any soldering or finer detail work. Right now it's where I have my aluminum heads which I'm scraping off...as I can see every nook and cranny (and left over gasket material).

FYI, I'm ~ 6'2"

 

[FlameOut]

I just built my workbench today. I made it 40" and I feel now it's a few inches to high. I'm 5'8".

 

[babzog]

I just built my workbench today. I made it 40" and I feel now it's a few inches to high. I'm 5'8".

Better than too low... wood (assuming you built it from wood) doesn't stretch all that well. The red line in the following pic shows how I located my benchtop. Works very well for me.

(pic taken from this site.)

 

[dankeenan]

babzog,
What the heck is that? I looked around the shop and I do not have any tools that look like that.

 

[Mattlt]

That's the height I was going to suggest! I remember reading somewhere that the bench should be the same height as your "man tool."

Who knows, it might come in handy sometime...When your wife comes out to the garage for a visit.

 

[babzog]

That's the height I was going to suggest! I remember reading somewhere that the bench should be the same height as your "man tool."

Who knows, it might come in handy sometime...When your wife comes out to the garage for a visit.

A bit higher that that.. on me, it's about where the lower portion of the beer gut begins (you just know someone's gonna go into Free Parking and start a "Show us your Beer Belly" thread... sorry 'bout that folks!)

Wife comes out to the garage, she can hold onto the bench whilst I change the oil.

 

[bgott]

That's the height I was going to suggest! I remember reading somewhere that the bench should be the same height as your "man tool."

When it's hanging or standing?

 

[autowerks9]

Mine started at 36" and then I welded a set of casters to the bottom now its even more comfortable at 41".

 

[GDA]

I'm over 6' 3" and everything I read up about working height is that you have alot more dexterity with your arms and hands when your elbows have at least some moderate bend in them while holding/working with something. IIRC the good rule of thumb was to utilize the top height of your waist like where your belt buckle is located.

I built my bench at 41" working height from the floor since I do most work in the garage standing up. Its worked out perfect for me.

 

[storm]

i put sheet plywood on saw horses and played with varying heights and worked on some small jobs before I decided on 38''.

 

[NUTTSGT]

The workbenches on one side of my garage are the height they were when I bought the place. They will get raised when I pour a new floor in there. The work table on the other side I built is definately taller. Actually I think it's more comfortable for me, 6'1"

 

[Mart]

I'm a shortarse at 5'7". But when I was an engineering apprentice I learnt the ideal height for a vice is at or just below elbow height. This makes filing metal in the vice more natural.
ok, we dont do a lot of filing these days, but the ideal height for your particular workbench is probably at or near your own elbow height less the height of your vice. If you want the bench lower for any reason, the vice should be packed up to get it back up to elbow height.
Mart.

 

[RoofDude]

My Bench is at 40". Very happy with the height. Im 6'. My tables/counter is at 42". Again feels right to me.

Here's a half-azz pic of the bench:



Table/counter:

 

[Brad54]

What the heck, I'll weigh in.

For work surfaces, such as a vise, a hammer forming table or an anvil, the old blacksmiths used to set the top of the work surface even with their arm bent 90-degrees at the elbow. I have a dedicated vise table, and that's the height of the vise jaws, and it works great. I also have a hammer forming "station" for a shot bag, and that height works well.

For things that I'll be working AT, as opposed to working ON, I prefer it to be much higher. For instance, a floor-mount drill press, a hydraulic press or a bead blast cabinet. For all of these, I raise them 6 inches. (I'm 6-feet tall). This puts the work at an angle that doesn't require me to hunch over.

When I build my welding table, I'm not sure what height I'll have it... probably higher than the anvil height, because I won't want to bend over it. If I have a project that requires sitting, I'll pull up a stool.

For a bench, or counter along the wall (which you don't usually sit down to work at), I'd vote tall... belly button or higher, since you'll be standing there--and you don't want to stand there hunched over.

-Brad