Work Bench Height

[gmhill33]

Greetings,

What is a good work bench height? I am building a new work bench and the standard cabinet is about 34 1/2" from the ground making it 36 with the counter top. I think it would be nice somewhere around 40" or so. Would like to get the opinions of those that have done it and hear what you have to say.

Thanks,
Gary

 

[PaulR]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82889&highlight=Work+Bench+Height


Depends on your hight, and what you might have above you. 36 is the norm, some taller guys go up to 42.

 

[Hammerdown]

I say 40" inches or a scoash more. 36" is too short, especially for me.

 

[glntom]

I made mine the height I could write at without bending over, approx. 40 inches. Works well for most of my purposes.

 

[tjackson]

My old house had a bench that was about half way up my stomach. Thought it was odd at first but now that I have one that is at waist height I miss my taller one. Just food for thought, it feels a lot better on the back to not bend over to work on something on your bench.

 

[gmhill33]

Thanks to everyone for the link and the info. I am 6'2" and I think I'm going to go with 40", I think.

Thanks again,
Gary

 

[rickycobra]

42 is nice and you get alittle more storage underneath and find a taller stool to use.

 

[harvero]

You could use your kitchen counter hieght as a guide.

 

[bczygan]

Dummy it up with a piece of plywood and see how it feels. Your particular physiology is what governs (Not just height, but arm and trunk length etc.). Try some work operations and even set a vise and grinder on it to see if they work at this height. Do enough so you know you will be comfortable with repetitious work. Also consider if anyone else will be using it. You can also build two different heights or make it adjustable in one way or another. Consider a mobile workbench with lockable casters. You can never have too many work surfaces or too many surface types.

Bill

 

[SHELLFISH]

I made my workbench 35" high and 6 foot long, I'm 5'10".
I also made it 3 foot wide. Wish I had made it 2 foot wide.
My tool boxes are 18" deep.

I think I will narrow up the bench in the new garage so it doesn't stick out from the tool boxes.

 

[Tigwldr]

I am 6'1. I just built a bench that is 42 inches tall. I like to stand while I work so I made it a couple inches taller than the one I have to do soldering and stuff on where I sit at.

 

[rstaichi]

I put mine 2" lower then my arms when there at 90 degree to my body.(40") I find its easier on the back if not having to bend over so much...and this is coming from a short 5'5" guy

 

[Jack Olsen]

Lots of threads about this. 35-42 is pretty much the range.

 

[SweetD]

Dummy it up with a piece of plywood and see how it feels. Try some work operations and even set a vise and grinder on it to see if they work at this height.

I agree. Tools such as a vise or a grinder obviously increase work height. I've made that mistake before. My benchtop is at 37" and it works great for me. I'm 6 feet tall.

Dave

 

[Kevin54]

No real rule of thumb in a garage like there is with house cabinets. Build it ti what suits you and your needs. If you are a tall person, build it taller, if you are a short person, then build it lower. If you work on heavy items all of the time, then you may want just a portion of it lower so you don't have to lift the items up very high. Do you plan on having a stool at the bench or will you stand all of the time? Reason being is that stools come in standard heights, so you may want to consider whether the stool will set out or if you want to slide it in under a bench to get it out of the way sometimes. Then you have to consider whether your bench will have built in storage or whether you would want to roll your lower toolbox underneath for space savings. Your garage, no rules!!!!

 

[A29]

I've got 4 differant work services in my shop. They all seem to be at a different heights.

 

[bill9860]

This is really a personal preference. No right or wrong answer. I am 6'2" and went with 36". So far I am pleased. If you get something on it of any size, it is a good working height.

 

[ramairthree]

I say go tall.
But use a regular stool.

The extra height is nice when standing and you arms are working at a good level.

When sitting, you are close to looking right at your stuff like a watchmaker.

But its all just preference. I could see a guy that works on tall stuff really going for a shorter bench.

 

[dankicksass]

The workbench I shot together last weekend is 42in, 2-10in taller than the older benches in the garage. Everything is a different size, some stuff is very old and built by a tiny old carpenter for himself. It's just temporary, will be re-doing the floor and storage when it gets warm enough to do concrete, but I find it more comfortable. I'm 6'5".

 

[oldwino]

I'm 6' and my work bench is 42" It's actually a bit uncomfortable for most operations but I designed it to allow storage for particular tools etc. If I had more storage room and a "do over" I'd probably be around 36-38"

 

[strelnik]

I purposely made my benches 45" tall so that I could use a stool to sit to do some tasks or stand, depending on circumstances.

The other motivator to make the benches so tall is storage: all tools are stored in roll-arod bottom chests which are stored underneath the tables to optimize space and keep nthe place looking neat. Other tools are stored on peg board or in chests which would normally go on top of the roll-arounds.