The Perfect Bench Height | what height should your Woodworking Bench
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- Опубліковано 30 бер 2022
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What is the perfect bench height? when building your first bench this can be a hard one to answer. there are a lot of questions that come with choosing the correct bench height. there are a few things to think about when choosing the height of your first bench.
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Join the Bench height study here: forms.gle/qZSn82Kw3dK7oouS8
See the results here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fjPm55sQw5n4AGqm3Uf5GvD08kSu2k78X-caO35AsAE/edit?usp=sharing
I’m 6' tall and benches at the “recommended” height (knuckle rule etc.) absolutely kill my back. 38" is right for me: pain free work. Some people insist that a bench should be low in order to push the plane down, and I’ve never understood that. Your explanation (forcing a dull iron into the wood) is the first that makes sense and/or is honest on this point: yes, a lower bench is good for laying into a piece of wood like a berserker, but I don’t see many other advantages.
You’re absolutely right, people need to figure out the ideal height of their individual workbench - and I was really glad when I saw Paul Sellers advocate for taller benches: every other source I had found until then gave the traditional recommendations, which don’t work for me at all. I think they’re bad advice.
P.S. People who plan to buy and restore an antique bench really should consider that on average, we were a good 4 inches shorter 100 years ago.
I was always under the impression that you shouldn’t have too much downward force while using a plane. It is the horizontal force that needs to be constant as the weight of the plane provides enough downward force.
@@Funknwanker Yes, that’s right. A sharpened bench plane will engage on its own and you will barely need any downforce. Depending on the wood, grain direction, knots etc., you might need some pressure, but if it feels like you really have to push down hard, it probably means your cutting iron is dull.
Slight difference when you use a scrub plane with a rounded iron: using more force to get the plane to engage will help shave off more material, and a low bench would be good for that.
But dimensioning rough lumber is not what most of us do all day, that’s why I think it’s weird to recommend a low bench. I’m convinced higher is better for almost all tasks.
Paul Sellers did an interesting video where he pulled a plane across the wood with a piece of rope, showing that absolutely no downward force is needed for planing IF you keep a sharp plane. The force is applied from the rear to the front. Given that, the height of the workbench should be somewhere below the elbow, for proper pushing with your legs and shoulders. The lower the bench, the more you engage your back in the pushing, which I don't believe is as ergonomically safe or effective. Just my opinion on that latter statement. I've got no proof it's true. My preference is to keep put extra work into keeping a sharp plane versus pushing it "into" the wood.
Agreed. I'm 6' also and if I need to get higher (say, to saw a piece of wood so I get the proper shoulder power and control) I just stand on a sturdy step stool (my preference is a heavy toolbox with a step surface)
I'm 5' 1" tall and am just finishing my first workbench, a Moravian. Cutting those legs off for a final height of 31.5" scared the crap out of me (it felt like amputations!) but you gave me much the same excellent advice in a comment that you just did here and that height seemed best. I like it! I am building a Moxon vice to raise the work for dovetails and will build a saw bench at some point, too.
VERY timely! I am in the middle of building a Roubeau bench and just about to decide on height. You are so right about the pitfalls of overthinking, which is something I do a lot. Thanks for posting!
Another tip for testing the height would be to glue up the bench top and set that on some adjustable height saw horses (assuming the person has those, I got mine at Home Depot for cheap for another project I did a while ago) and then try out different heights. Great video, James!
Also important to note: Given that you work on wood of various thicknesses, the exact height of the bench underneath it can't possibly matter to a specific inch.
In general use but probably around 90% of the work I do is on something around 3/4 to 1 in. But generally I won't notice much height difference plus or minus an inch.
After 45 years of woodwork, I can categorically state that the correct bench height is the one that doesn't give you neck and back ache, but allows your failing eyesight to see what the hell you are doing!
Awesome video! I love the idea of walking around the house with a board and plane. Putting a board on the floor to stand on is a good idea too, I was thinking of starting smaller and then gluing boards on top to raise the height
6'4"... My bench is 42" tall. Works well for me as my lower spine is manky and this height allows me to work with my back straight for 90% of my work.
I am 6 3” and all my benches are around 39”. Best decision I ever made. Standard kitchen counters at 36” do a number on me after awhile.
@@Aaron-nj4ou Yep. I want to build our new kitchen counters at 42". However this is a contentious issue as the War Office is 5'2".... Guess who will lose that argument even though I do most of the cooking🤣
James
One of the most thoughtful discussions of the topic I have come across. Thanks for your synthesizing of so many disparate considerations into a cogent and flexible whole. I also note as my back gets older and my eyes get dimmer, I do even more work at an elevated level provided by an auxiliary bench-ette.
Agree, would be nice to have a planing bench and everything else bench. My latest bench is hybrid Paul Sellers style, and followed his advise about making taller than previous bench, but after trying standing on board, as suggested here, it was obvious that it was too tall for planning , but great for everything else.
I had to look around for an inches ruler to fill in the form. I have my work bench at 37”but I also have an assembly bench at 29”.
I'm 5'-10", I built mine at 36" which was the height of a cabinet I used first out of necessity. It felt comfortable so I went with that number figuring I could cut it down if I had to. It's fine so far!
James, your survey is a great idea! I find your videos interesting and engaging, THX brother!
Age plays a part for a work Bench. when I maid my Bench when I was 30 years old it was 38" high, now I am 74 and the Bench is 36" high. boy that Red Oak shrink's a lot.
My number is 34”, bench, table saw, out feed table,assembly table, saw horses, miter saw cabinet amazing how handy it is to be able to use one to support the other.
Thanks for the video, James! 😊
And I did the thing there... With the form. 😬
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
I recently lowered my bench to 32-1/2", and I love it. Planing is way more comfortable, but the lighting is better at the bench also. I have used my brace a few times since lowering it, and find it way easier to keep it straight and downward control...
I'm only 5'7" so it fits.
Thanks for the vid. I have five benches to make one for planing my bamboo strips for rods, one for reloading, a stool will be used. One for my 2x72 metal grinder for my knife making and one for finish work. SO!! Each should be at a different level and the light went on while watching your vids. Thank you for that great info.
I'm 5'11" (shrunk from 6' LOL). My bench is about 38"... Actually I don't think I measured... Just set it where I wanted it.
I haven't built a full size workbench yet. I have been working on a Roman low workbench.
I have seen a lot of writings that focus to the fraction of an inch on the proper bench height. Being that precise seems silly since the height you work at will ultimately depend on the size of the wood you are working on. You will be working 1.25 inches higher on a 2 inch thick board than you would be on a 3/4 inch board.
Great advice! Thank you.
At 71, I don't think I will be building too many more benches. This video is excellent. But remember, the older you are the shorter you will become. I started at 5'11.5" and am now 5'7". One idea is to build the bench low and use spacers between the frame and the top of the bench. Maybe use a couple of 4X4 bolted to the top of the frame with the top bolted to these beams. As you lose height, if need be, you can shave down the 4X4 beams to fit your height. I find I am fairly flexible with bench height, anything from 28" to 38" I can handle. Currently my main bench is at 34 and I have a bench matching the height of my table saw, I believe 35". I also have a Franklin work station, I love the vise, that is quite a bit lower. If I get tired at one height I move to a different height. At my age working on the floor is not going to happen.
It depends on the work you are doing. Planing height and joinery height are different for the best ergonomics and visual acuity, along with everything you said.
A bench that is right for planing can have an add-on, or two, for additional tasks; like dove tail and joinery cutting. There are plans out there for bench top mini-benches for joinery work.
All in all, make your bench tall, as you said, you can always cut the legs a little shorter.
Great video, James.
P.S., my prefab bench from HF is 34" high, I believe. I am 5'8 1/2" tall with back and knee issues. The HF bench is way to light for serious planing, but with a modified nightstand and adjustable legs under my table saw, it works double as an outfeed for my job-site table saw for processing sheet goods. My main issue with the HF bench isn't so much the light weight as the dog holes being right over the drawers. It gets hard to find things in drawers full of dust and shavings 🤔😆.
I am 72" tall (and the same age!). My first (and still current) bench was built about 1978, when we were in our first "stand-alone" house. I was young and stupid and just starting in woodworking. I had also just purchased a new radial arm saw from Sears. (I still use it, and I still have all of my original body parts.) (I won't have a table saw: I've witnessed two amputations on them and, IMO, they are far too dangerous to be sold. Except for the recent coming of the Sawstop, of course.) I made the bench 40" tall, the same as the radial arm saw table. My only experience at that time was memories of wood shop classes in high school, back in the mid-1960's. The bench is made of 2x4 and 2x6 lumber, and 1/4" tempered hardboard. After four moves it started to loosen up, so I added more screws, and some 1/2" plywood to the back and sides. Then I started drifting toward more hand tool use. That made me realize the shortcomings of the bench. I have decided that the next bench will be 36" high, and will most likely be a Rob Cosman bench, modified because I am left-handed. The next task is persuading my wife of 50+ years that yes, it IS necessary!
I am 6'1" and I am still in the process of building a bench; however I have an existing bench/cabinet that was in my garage when I bought the house. I have found that it is the perfect height for me when planing stock and it is 900mm (~35 7/16") tall. I am planning on building my bench at this height; however I do like the idea of increasing the height 1" so that I can reduce the height if I wish.
Thanks for the videos and the channel, they are great.
6'3" and bench 43 1/2". I agree, if it starts chattering/skipping, I know it's time to sharpen- which I'm fine with as I hate sanding. Also works well for dovetails at that height. However, my dad was also 6'5" so I grew up with high benches.
I am 5' - 9" I have made (as you stated) 3 benches. #1 - 32", #2 - 34", #3 - 34-1/2". OK I know that a 1/2" doesn't seem like alot, but, I did notice a big difference in how I stand. I'm 65 years old and that little fraction of an inch felt more comfortable on my back. OK now for the caveat. I don't use my shop bench for power tool use. I modified 3 sawhorses that I can raise from 36" to 42". (UA-cam is littered with these plans) I use them for circular saw, routing, etc. They fold up and can be hung on the wall. I didn't size my main bench for those purposes. Hopefully this helps in your research. EXCELLENT TOPIC!!
I've built my bench 15-17 years ago. At first it was 34" (I'm 5'8") and my sharpening technique wasn't great, a lot of downforce was required. As I got better at sharpening I raised the bench to 35" for a few years, then I raise it again to 36" and it stayed there for a long time. Two years ago I began fabricating my own wooden planes and this raises your hands by ~ 2". At the time I tought that I should lower my bench again but didn't do it. Today I'm very happy to work on a 36" tall bench with wooden planes.
I had to store some stuff underneath so I made it taller than Rex Kruger told me to make it 👀 works fine
I'm 6ft tall and I'm at my bench 5-14 hours a day as I do it for a living and my bench followed the Paul Sellers idea and it came out to be 39 1/2" tall. It instantly cured my back and knee pain that I'd been suffering with for years. My bench is also my out feed for my table saw and I had to build a riser for it which was interesting with it being cast iron and very heavy but I'm now leaning over the saw less when running long rips and it's safer.
“As soon as you’re done, you’re going to start to think about things you could do differently to make it a better bench.” Yep. Truer words were never spoken!! 🤣
As an apprentice plumber said when asked what height a sink should be “piss height he told his boss”then went on to demonstrate what he meant .
Answering only two questions determine the height of a personalised workbench in my opinion: the type of activity you do most on that workbench and the user's height and phisical particularities (like very long/short hands)
A workbench for planing wood should be at the height of your wrists, while a bench used for fine luthier work should be higher because it gets the workpiece closer to your eyes.
You should not put strain on your back or shoulders while you work, and your work should be efficient.
If you try to plane a hardwood pole at the height of your elbows, you will see that you need much more effort and the wood will 'throw' you backwards if your hand plane hits a knot.
A person's center of gravity is usually near it's hip line, so if you need to 'put your weight' into your work, lower the bench closer to your center of gravity but make sure your back is not arched.
Hope this helps.
Funny enough on the whole 'taller bench' thing, built the frame for my bench with the intent of chopping off some of the legs to account for the thickness of the top (nothing crazy, ~2.5-3" IIRC). Mounted the top to the frame and found out that I'm totally OK with it being higher.
My workbench height was decided by my table saw height, slightly lower, and it happened to be comfortable for me to use. I am planning to make a sitting bench so I can step on it and sit on my work piece on bench to chisel mortise.
I planned to use my workbench as outfeed table. Because my garage floor is not flat, they are not parallel. I now have a foldable outfeed table on my table saw.
Great Info: thank you.
Hi James, great topic! I'm 6'1" with a 36" bench, which I've found over the past 25 years to be the best compromise for most hand tool tasks at the bench. For sawing I have a dedicated sawyer's bench made specially for my knee height.
As for anyone making a bench the second consideration is bench mass, no matter what the height, if the bench moves, sways, or shakes, its not a bench.
Your comment on the English benches being lower is because the wooden planes will add 3" to the height for planing unlike a metal plane, so a 34" bench is really a 37" bench, so the 36" I use is a good compromise for using metal and wooden bench planes.
So bottom line... The side of bench - it doesn't matter.
Whether it's hand tools or power tools - it doesn't matter.
Whether something is hand planed or sanded - it doesn't matter.
So what does matter? IT DOESN'T MATTER! =D
Thanks for the great videos seriously though. Enjoy watching them.
You can always experiment by sliding a board under the legs at each end to raise the bench, or stand on a plank to lower it, once you know what suits you best either cut a bit off or glue and screw some blocks under each leg, or if you prefer different heights for different tasks make a nice looking piece to easily achieve the changes. No need to build a whole new bench, fun as it will be.
5'9" with a 33" bench height. I had been planing atop a piece of 3/4" ply resting on my table saw for several years. I found it to be exhausting at 37" tall. New bench allows me to plane for much longer with less fatigue.
6'6......I have my table at 49 inches. My reasoning was wanting to set my forearms on the table with only a slight bend of the back. Makes doing chisle work easier and more stable. I never gave a thought to planning/sawing ergonomics but just so happens the angle of my elbow is in a nearly perfect position for each.
Great common sense information as always. Great video!
I think one of the implications to bench height changes is that the average height has increased over the years, based on a calculator I found online 100years ago I would have been 3 1/2 inches shorter than I am today.
A lot of our surface heights haven't changed to match the average height increase (why I hate doing the dishes as the bottom of the sink is low enough that I end up with a sore back as soon as I start washing).
Oh, they have developed a way to increase the length of green timber, if you place the board upright in a container of the nutrient rich liquid used in certain 'grow houses' with the same lighting system your board will grow in length by about 1/2 inch per week. Only works on green/fresh cut lumber.
I’m currently building a split top Roubo (video to come soon) and I did exactly what James suggested. I went around the house and tried holding and using a plane on different tables, counters, desks etc. I settled on the same height as the Benchcrafted plans at 35”. I am 5’7” and I may end up cutting 1/2” to 1” off of it but I doubt it. I have a hard time using my neighbour’s bench which I estimate to be around 39”-40” (he is 6’2”). Hope this helps some other shorter woodworkers like me out there!
I’m 5’7” and building the Benchcrafted bench. I settled on 34”, which just happens to be the height of my Sawstop.
I have two, one higher for assembly and machine tools and one lower for hand tools.
Nice discussion
I am 67" tall, I have 5 benches, 3 in the cutting area and 2 in the finishing/assembly area. 1 is 33" for hand cutting and planing. 2 is 36" for my lathe . 3 is 33" for chisel and dovetail work. in the assembly area 4 is 30" for assembly and 5 is 36" for finishing/staining/close work/ general paper work, any of the mid benches for sharpening. i use saw horses for bulky cutting either power or hand.
James, you said people will build more than one bench. You did not say some sooner than others. I built my first bench probably I 1992 or 3. My first upgrade was a vise, a metal working vise. I did add a woodworking vise several years later and drilled some holes for bench dogs. After the vice came bench clamps.
Now the plywood top is sagging. It is too high for me at 37” tall, I’m 5-6. I added some blocking to the cross pieces today which helped stiffen it up. Glad I did because I found one of the nailed in cross members had 3/4” gap between the it and the leg! Screwed it in.
I think I will do some more tweaking but I do not see a totally new bench in my future.
JUST A HELPFUL HINT 👍🏼...
When you are testing different heights around the house etc; you can shrink any surface height by just standing on a know size board or brick! If you want to test 4 inches shorter, put down a 4x4 and a 1/2; thick plywood price of scrap.... Bc 4x4post really=3½ inches. And the ½ makes it 4" total!!!! Stand on that my friend and you've made the surface 4 inches shorter to test out how that feels etc. 👍🏼✌🏼✌🏼✌🏼
I have 2 adjustable benches
At 5'-2" I almost need Lil tykes ones.
My wood bench I used metal adjustable staging wheels
On my metal bench
I used trailer adjustable jack wheels on each corner
Both work well
5’5, wrist hits about 30” from the ground when arm is straight down; current bench is 34 inches high. I’m building a Moravian now which will be about the same height, but I’m keeping open the option to drop it an inch or two. My current bench racks a bit (and is somewhat light), so my technique will definitely change when I don’t have to brace it by standing on the stretcher. 32 is the absolute floor, though; it already feels too low when I’m sawing in the vice. Perfect for chiseling, though.
After figuring out the conversion from metric at 6'3" my bench height is 1.1m (sorry 43") and that height came from a comfortable kitchen bench height and prior to me really doing any wood working but I haven't found it to be too tall for any hand tool woodwork I do.
Hello from Perth, Australia
I'm just under 6'0" tall and my bench top is 34.5 inches above the floor. The best I can say is that it's a good compromise. I'd like it a bit lower for hand planing and higher for dovetailing, but overall it works well. There is or was a workbench at Hancock Shaker village that was very low , about mid-thigh which was great for a lot of hand tool work because that's how they did everything when it was made. I think it would leave me in terrible pain if I used it for a few hours.
I'll take sharpening over back pain.
I’m 5’10” and made my bench 35.5 tall. Same as the kitchen counter in my house. Figured it was comfortable for cooking on for hours so should be good for wood work. I’ve had it for years now and I’m happy with height. I don’t do much saw work, but do plane and chisel often. Tend to use power tools for sawing.
Good topic. I’m feeling better with my decision on 41”. I’m 6’4”
I'm 6', my bench is 32" high. I needed it to work for my wooden jointer plane, as well as for my metal Stanleys, not to mention all the other tools.
When I built my bench, 35 years ago, 38 inches high, I was 5'9". Now I'm 76 years old and am 5'7". I don't recall the thought process (assuming there actually was one) that let the bench end up at that height. I also use my Black and Decker Workmate, which is much lower.
One other thing to consider is if you are using metal body vs wood bodied planes, makes about 3" difference!
Years ago (many years ago), I made work benches for other factories. The standard height bought was 30". Personally, I am 5'5" and I like a 35" high bench for woodworking. I don't like pushing down on tools - only pushing forward.
Timely video! I was just about to cut a few inches off my 40" bench because all the conventional wisdom told me it's too tall for someone my height. I think I'll just build some furniture instead now.
I got lucky and found my perfect bench height by chance.....I bought a festool MFT3, and the 900mm (35. 1/2" ) top is fine for about 95% of my work. I'm a whisker under six feet tall.
When someone asks me about bench height, I always recommend that they build it to the height of their belt buckle. It seems to be a good mix of hand planing and sawing, for me....... but not everyone is shaped as I am, some have a longer torso, some have longer arms, its not a definitive thing. Still, I reckon around belt buckle height is about right for the hand tool worker :)
But as you said; its easier to make it shorter, so if someone is not sure then build it a little tall........ it can always be cut down shorter :)
Once I turned 40, my near-field vision began to deteriorate (and continues to do so). A taller bench brings the work closer to my eyes, which helps a lot...
Same problem, but I did not modify my bench. Instead I made a french cleat support for my magnifying glasses 🙃
@@pierra4716 Yeah, my prescription safety glasses help also.
would be nice to have another layer of data analytics on the graphs to show bench height relative to person height.
would also be interesting to have some data about usage (fine, gross, general, etc.)
I will put those graphs in soon. Just collecting data right now.
I'm 6' and 37.5" inches high works so far. The Moxon vice will be around 6 inches higher yet, once I finish it.
5’10” with a 38” bench. Fairly functional height for me, though I use both Eastern AND Western saws and planes. Looking to build a Low Roman Bench/saw bench to try that out.
My "bench" is fixed on a wall so changing it's height is not really possible going up or down. That's said I kinda did what you suggest running around the house and thus I'm pretty with its height as is. In order to try a higher bench what is possible is to I have a 4cm thick piece of MDF (with dog holes that line up with the bench holes) and with dowels underneath that allows to locate it securely on the bench top. Kinda like what you did to make your sticking board but wider if that makes sense. The main problem is that it does not raise the vice, but to plane surfaces with plane stops it works great. Its primary use was to have a surface that I can put on saw horses to have another working surface but I build it so that it can also go on the bench and be secure way to raise the work. That's at least a way to raise your bench. If with use you find out you never remove this top surface then its probably the right time to build a higher bench.
I’m 5’10” and I built my bench to match my old pseudo bench which was an old drafting table with plywood on top. 37 1/4. About to start using the new bench soon and I’m curious how I will like it. A taller bench for me with some back issues makes a lot of sense. My new table saw is 34” and it feels very low comparing to my old saw.
Height 5'11"
Bench Height 35"
Love from India ❤
I've come to the conclusion that the correct height is whatever is right for most of your tasks because we work with thicker and thinner boards and so on. We have to accept that there will always be that piece that is not comfortable, so we have to go with the happy medium. Building a bench an inch or two higher is better than building it too low; it's easy to gradually take off half an inch each time until you arrive at a comfortable height for most of your work - and that's all you want; something that is comfortable most of the time.
just built my first proper ww bench. I am 5'9" and made it 35".
I'm 70. My height is 5'8.5" and my bench under construction will be 31". It is bench number 5. Every time we moved I ended up building a new bench (it was cheaper than transporting the old one). In my 30's my H was 5 10 and the bench 34". I don't use the more physical hand tools as much and my projects reflect that as well. If anyone is just starting out just use what ever you already have for a bit of time. You'll find after a bit you'll wish it was higher, lower, wider, narrower, etc. Than build it.
Wow, tried standing on 1 1/4 inch board, made planing much easier. Always have to put excessive pressure to start plane and end up with hollow, even with sharp plane. Guiding saw was off, but would most likely corrected with body geometry. Paring hurt my back right away, but might just take getting used too. Now I have to figure out whether to lower some. Dam, what a dilemma.. 67 inch ht.- 35 inch bench.
Or you could build specialized benches at different heights.
I love your bench the vice is really nice I'm going to buy your plane's for Sara's bench might use the vice in this video.
All My benches are 35", I'm 6'2", all based on my table saw height, if I was to build all again I would go 38"
I'm 5'8" I made my saw horses at 38"with room to shorten to build the bench, it worked fairly well but I made my bench 36-1/2" and it's seems to be the sweet spot for me.
As long as it isnt to low or high to reach your plate and the chips
6'1", bench is 40". You could have added a power tool dimension (the more power tool, the lower the bench, I'd guess). Curious to see if you'd be able to map the data to specific schools of thought regarding height.
In my ideal world I’d like a bench with adjustable height. That would enable the height to match the task.
I tried 36" then 38" and find 40" just right now at 6 foot with a bad back
Me: 6'0"
Bench: 37"
Hey James, I mis-typed my initial data. Toss out the data point that says 60" tall with a 37" bench. I resubmitted with the correct 72" height and 37" bench..
Im 5ft 8, and i made my workbench 37 ", mostly to be the same height as my ridgid table saw which seems like a pretty tall table saw.
I inherited my bench from my father in law, who inherited it from his father. So my bench is about 100 years old. The original bench surface is 32.5" from the floor, but the surface is so torn up that I put two layers of plywood on top to make it flatter, and that makes the surface 34" from the floor. I am 5'6" tall. This is the only bench I have ever had, so I have learned to work with it as it is. I have no idea if I have a preferred height or not.
I'm 5'7", 5'8" with shoes. My bench is 33-1/2" and the height works very well for me.
I'm 6' tall and I work will all sorts of material. Mainly wood. My main vice is a wood working vice level with my benchtop. All my benches are at 40"
I'm 6'0'' and my benches are 36" from the floor. It is the same height of my table saw,. So one is a good out feed table and my back says yes, my shoulders say yes and I can saw and plane a reasonably accurate board.
Unrelated question, purely out of curiosity, why wooden cloggs? Are they comfortable? I mean no disrespect. Thanks for your great content 💫
thanks. they are the most comfortable shoes to stand it once carved to your foot. there are no pressure points at all just prefect even pressure on the whole foot. plus they are protective. here is a video on why. ua-cam.com/video/CZETp7LvVOM/v-deo.html
My bench is 42" tall mostly because i had to mount my bench on my garage wall for space and that is what i could do with the cement foundation. I am 6' tall and it works well for me. could be an inch or two lower.
Unfortunately I'm 8 days late in adding my info to the survey. I just built my bench, still putting some final touches on it. I built it from plans, not very concerned about the proper height. I figured if it was different by an inch or two from my bench at work it wouldn't matter because I knew I would adapt to it and not really notice after a while. Coincidentally it ended up being the same.
Im 6'4" and i prefer my bench around 42"- 43" inches tall so that i dont feel like my back is always hunched over! I used to wok at a cabint and flooring shop and they were always around 36" and it used to kill my back!
I don't know buy the low bench being so you can lean in to avoid sharpening. The low "ideal" height for (English) planing works with the technique of bending the knees to dip/lunge into the cut, to recruit the larger muscle groups for power, endurance, and better control compared to mostly using the upper body. It depends what work you do most though since it isn't the ideal height for sawing though. If you're not sitting to chisel or adding a moxon to saw, it might not be YOUR ideal height. Eg. If you do mostly sawing at the work bench vs a saw bench, especially if you use machines for most milling, a higher bench might be YOUR ideal most of the time. Jim Tolpin's got a great article on ideals for the main types of work based on bio mechanics and strategies to take advantage.
I'm 6'7" and I have built the top of my bench, but not the legs. I'm planning on going with 42", which is about where I have the top temporarily set on a saw horse. I found it is too high for planing but too low for sawing. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do about it.
I built my bench to be 36" because I need it to double as an outfeed table for my table saw. I'm 5' 9" and the height of the bench is totally fine.
I'm currently working on an improvised bench on sawhorses, and I noticed that when I joint edges, I always tilt the plane to the far end of the board, out of 90 degrees. Of course it's not a problem if I edge-joint two bookmatched boards at the same time before gluing them, but I wondered if this could be fixed by raising the bench higher…
That's actually a very common problem for a lot of people. And if you raise the bench up then you'll just tilt it at a different point. It's usually just a body mechanic and stretching at the end of a step or stride.
I am 5'11" my bench is 36 " but it's a steel bench for welding I havent built one for wood working as of yet.But I am wanting to build it at 36 " also.
(Maybe) Relevant question: How do you handle uneven/sloped flooring? Every video or example of a shop that I have seen has been with level/flat floors. I rent and have an old 1940's garage was unevenly paved with asphalt at an uphill grade. I didn't want my bench to warp over time, so I got a level and shoved some wedges/splints under the legs till it read flat. It's been working fine, but one side is probably about 2" higher from the ground than the other. Is there a better way?
I have seen people make custom platforms to fix that. and if you are talking 2" from one end to the other that might be worth it.
What James suggested is the best way to go, in my opinion. If you make the platform big enough that you're standing on it when you're working at the bench, there's no risk of the platform itself skidding on the floor as you work.
I like your bench :)
I was a cabinet Box builder for a long time and I found my comfortable height being 6' tall for my work bench was actually 32 to 34" then building a complete cabinet Box I could see the very top of the Box when it was completely built made it a little easier you're working on really tall things you have a lower bench if you're working on really short things you have a taller bench
I watched your video and read some of the comments. My personal opinion is that there is no cardinal rule unless you are going to do the same thing all the time. Myself I did all different types of work. Sometimes I built cabinets and sometimes I did flat work or gluing. My bench hieght was the same hieght as my table saw because I had limited shop space my bench was also my out feed table. It worked or at least I learned to live with it.