How tall is your bench?

[Glen Johnson]

I am 6'3" and my bench is 36". I have a 7 inch high moxon that raises work more when needed.

[Judson Green]

I'm 6'3" and my bench is 34". When I was first using it it seemed too low and was getting a bit of back pain and I was planning to do something to raise it up a bit. I decided to just use it for a while longer and for whatever reason the back pain has subsided. I feel that the height is right for more bull like tasks but for delicate tasks its a little low. Am planning sometime to make a moxen type vise or maybe another smaller taller bench.

Should mention too that I like sitting to do somethings.

[Hilton Ralphs]

I'm planing a new one right now that I'm thinking will be about 36", maybe even a hair taller.

if you carry on like this your bench will actually be shorter

[Leo Graywacz]

Guess I got the lowest bench. Mine is 29". Originally designed to be the same height as some foldable saw horses that I use so I could use the horses as extensions.

I made them from 2x4s for the legs and stretchers and 3/4 plywood. I made them 2x8', I made them so they could be pushed together to make a 4x8 or a 2x16 for various purposes.

Yes, it is low, but it does work for me. 5' 9"

[Kees Heiden]

34" bench and I am about 6'2". It works allright, just not perfect for fidly stuff. I am planing to make a Moxon vise, but haven't get round to it yet.

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, a Moxon vise would probably help for bigger pieces. If you build your own they aren't that expensive. Just a thought.

My plans are to build a Moxon vise. Actually already have some wood for it. Just haven't gotten the round tuit.

On jobs like my most recent project the idea passed through my mind of pausing the project to build a vise, but then the Jorgesson clamp came into view.

jtk

[Jim Matthews]

Two of those, connected with a board on each "jaw" - the newfangled floppy Koepke-xon vise!

I made my first version with pipe clamps, just to see what all the fuss was about.
Were I to do it again, I would just buy from Mario Rodriguez - his version sells for the cost of my materials.

[Adam Cruea]

I'm 5'8" and my bench is about 34".

As of right now, it's been about a year or so and I haven't wanted to rebuild it. For me it's the right height to plane easily, and the old rolling chair my wife put in the basement works well for when I need to pound out/cut some dovetails.

[Leo Graywacz]

One of the reasons for my lower bench is I make lots of cabinets. And placing a 36" cabinet on a 36" bench makes it taller than I am. I really need a taller sanding bench. Maybe something with a fold down top and wheels to save space.

[Zach Dillinger]

I am 6'5'' and I use a 34" bench. I tend to sit down for most joinery work and other 'fiddly' stuff.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I was 5'9" and am now rapidly approaching 5'8". We won't talk about girth folks.

My bench is 29.5" tall. My previous bench which is now converted into an assembly table is even lower. I arrived at my most comfortable bench height by progressively shortening the height on the old bench. 24 years ago it was 34" tall and over the years as I moved more heavily toward hand tool use it got lower 1" at a time until its final height was 30.5". The evolution was one of both my work habits and the appropriate bench to perform them.

[Prashun Patel]

I would make your bench a little taller than you think it should be. You can always cut the legs down; it's tricker to extend them.

I tend to follow the pinky rule. However, that results in a bench that's good for planing but feels to me a little low for most other operations.

For me, I'd prefer a higher bench that is better suited for precision chiseling.

You have to make your own judgment on what feels right. I will tell you that over time, a suboptimal bench height can cause chronic pain.

[Curt Putnam]

I currently have a Sjoberg's entry level bench which is 34". The only time it feels right is when I'm reaching across a 24" panel with a plane. Don't know what the optimal height is but I suspect that 36" would be closer. I have a 37" bench that I use for nuts & bolts type work and that feels OK. I used to be just under 6'4" and now I'm just under 6'2" - probably due to girth expansion and arthropathy.

[Pat Barry]

I hear folks saying that you can cut a bench down if need be but that sounds pretty difficult given benches are heavy and the cutting position would be sub optimal unless you flip the bench on its side. I would think adding extensions to the legs would be much easier to do if needed. You could use a jack or prybar to lift the bench and slip in some spacers pretty easy. just my 2c

[Jamie Bacon]

I'm 5'8" in shoes. My bench is 31.5" tall. I do all hand work and it's great for planing. Obviously a little low for dovetailing, but overall I really like the low bench.