Workbench Dimension Recommendations or Regrets

[Brian Vaughn]

Mine was 34"x8', and I am now building a new one. Like has already been said, 30" is too wide for getting to things on the wall. My next one will be about 28" deep, to see how that goes, but I will do as has been stated and put the top on sawhorses first, to see how it does for me. I also tend to make mine a bit higher than most, as my back can't take bending over for any extended period.

[Greg Portland]

Mine is 24x84. There have been a few times where it would have been nice to have it longer, but I've never needed it wider.

The intent of the narrower top is to allow you to hang assembled carcases over the overhang of the bench. This lets you plane the exterior surfaces without worrying about stressing the carcase joinery.

I agree with this comment + the one about skipping the tool trough. My bench is quite large and wide and it is great for assembly, dovetails, and joint prep. However, it is not great for carcass finishing. I try to do all my finishing on the boards prior to assembly and then touch up the corner areas.

I built my bench using torsion boxes (grid of cheap 2x4s & plywood faces + screws and glue). It is very flat and rigid. Two 2x6's surround pieces of 1x6 to create the dog holes. The legs are 3 torsion boxes held together with threaded rod. If you keep the plywood edge slightly proud on the middle section then the entire assembly will tension together into a very solid base. Total cost for the bench (minus vise HW) was under $100. It's not pretty or traditional but it works.

My next bench will likely incorporate elements of the Festool tables (grid of holes, not just 2 rows) -or- a vacuum clamping system. The goal is to be able to clamp any sized piece @ any location on my bench. I'm still mulling things over but I think this will afford me greater flexibility. Some form of height adjustment would also be a plus. I use my bench with electric tools so it's important for it to be versatile.

[Jim Koepke]

My thoughts on a tool trough is that it would come in handy for the way my work progresses.

Usually a piece is cut and then the ends are cleaned up on the shooting board. This keeps all the tools used close at hand.

If all the pieces were cut first and then cleaned up, it would be prudent to use a tool put it away and move on to the next step. This method is used sometimes when making a lot of similar pieces.

It is all in the manner of how one does their projects. In a batch process method, a tool tray may not be a great advantage. In a piece at a time method, the tools laying all over the table can get in the way. Having a tool tray to keep them out of the way may be better than putting each one away after each use only to have to walk to the cabinet to retrieve it in a few minutes.

This also gets us back to how the tools are stored. If they are right over the bench with the bench against the wall, a tool tray may be an excess. If like my shop, the tools are stored all over the place, wiping them down and putting them back in their proper place after each use may be more extra work.

Different strokes for different folks.

jtk

[Kirk Poore]

I have one cheapo Sam's Club bench and one I built myself. The tool tray on the Sam's bench collects lots of junk, dust, and shavings, and rarely tools. On the home-built bench I nailed a 1x2 on the back edge, sticking up about half an inch. This keeps me from pushing stuff like tools off the back and onto the concrete floor (learned this one the hard way, as you can imagine). With no tool tray I can brush off the whole bench in seconds.

The home built bench is 27 x 48 and is not a thing of beauty. 4x4's for legs, 1x4's for bracing and shelf support about 10" off the floor, 1/2" plywood shelf, 1x4 diagonal braces from front down to back legs, 2x4's mortised into the legs to form the horizontal top support, top made of flattened 2x6's screwed down to the 2x4's, with a sheet of hardboard on top of that. Everything except the top is painted white. The shelf holds sanders, sandpaper, and a 50 lb bag of playground sand (for weight and keeping with the theme). Big Craftsman cast iron wood vise in the center of the front. In other words, I'm breaking about every convention on fine workbench building except it's heavy and flat, and does a great job. When I build the next bench, the Sam's bench is the one going out the door.

The 48" length has never been an issue for me. I think that will vary by user.

BTW, the problem I see with lots of holes in the bench top is that a lot of dust goes down them, either jamming them up or getting into the stuff below.

Kirk

[Dave Anderson NH]

My old bench was 28 x 72 and was free standing and accessible from all 4 sides. It has been lowered and with a 1" wide banding all around is now 30 x 72 and has the top covered with 1/4" masonite to cover the dog holes. It is relegated to use as an assembly bench and also used for finishing and any other really dirty or messy operation like saw filing.

The new bench built to replace the old is 24" x 90" though it was originally built as a 96" bench. Because of my desire to be able to use all 4 sides I needed to cut off 6" to make it fit better into its alloted space. I almost cried (slight hyperbole). After 2 years of use I really appreciate the extra length compared to the old bench and if I had the space I would have built it even longer than 8 feet. I do not have a junk hole (tool tray) but rather keep everything hanging on a wall one step away. It means that tools get put back where they belong as soon as they are used and it has saved me many a potentially damaged cutting edge.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Stand at your dining room table. Without leaning too far forward, reach out and put a spoon or fork down. Now measure from the edge of the table to the fork. The bench shouldn't be wider than that; anything wider than that will accumulate stuff (not that I am guaranteeing that the rest of the bench won't accumulate stuff...).

Bill this test pretty much confirms the 20" width. Do you have a rule of thumb for the length?

[Jeff Wittrock]

Mines 24" X 5'. The size is limited by available space and the fact that I need to be able to drag it away from the wall when I want to access all sides.

Seldom do I do anything that would need a wider width, but there are times when I would definitely like it longer if I had the space.

-Jeff

[Bob Easton]

What kind of work will the bench be used for? How much space is available? Where will the bench be used (against a wall or not)? How far can you reach?

The answers to those give you a bench size, and I think you already have some good answers. For one that's a bit different... my bench is 24 x 144 and is not long enough! That's because the first question is answered by "boatbuilding." There's a lot of work on long lumber and that long bench is delightful. Would be better to be a few feet longer, but the answer to the second question placed the limit on that. It sits against a wall, with most tools stored on that wall, at a very convenient reach.

more: http://www.bob-easton.com/blog/?p=223

[Steve Costa]

I built my bench about 6 yrs ago. 30"W x 84"L. The width & length are great. After it was completed I layed out a grid of dogholes 4 across the width & 13 down the length. This gives the ability to clamp almost anything anywhere on the bench. I use a LV twinscrew tail vise and a quick release vise on the left end. I cover the top when I do glue ups and finishing with a HD tarp. This has kept the top stain & glue free. Obsessive - Complusive --- absolutely!!!