Work surface heights: How many do we really need? Where do we compromise?

[Mike Holbrook]

I started making a post on another post about how high to make a second workbench. I have three or four workbench/surfaces and plans for at least three more, partly because I work in multiple locations still... I think a discussion of the various bench/work support needs, might be of use. I have no claim to expertise but I have gleaned some interesting thoughts from reading threads on this topic over the years. Maybe others would care to mention their specific needs or thoughts?

First, isn't the point of the knuckle high rule that the height, torso, arm length of different wood workers vary, making all this information dependent on each individuals "build"? Some people use the knuckle of the pinky which is a little higher...

There are two or three types of work that I most frequently find mentioned as benefitting from differing bench/work surface heights. Planing certainly works easier on a steady bench of appropriate height. Typically benches built for planing may benefit from a lower surface allowing the worker to reach arms over the top of the plane. A relevant consideration for a planing bench is the type plane that will be used. Some wooden planes put their users hands significantly higher than most metal planes. How and where the plane is gripped may also change the level the workers hands will work at and bare consideration. Festool tools like the skill saw, jigsaw and router may require one to "hunker" over the tools. My Festool MFT (Multi-Function Table) is 32" and my current "other" bench is 34". Yea, yea Festools may not be "hand" tools, but they are more "handy" than the big stationary tools and arguably as versatile, particularly with the "dustless" vacuum system, so I mentioned them. I do significant amounts of construction work and the Festool tools are part of my effort to eliminate a tablesaw and a chop saw in favor of more "handy" tools.

Some fine chisel and fine saw work may benefit from a higher bench top. Getting work closer to the eyes and more even with bent arms at the lower torso may be an advantage. This is where some woodworkers may elect to use a Moxon Vise on a "standard" height bench. Although some people may deal with some of these issues by working from a seated position. more people seem to prefer getting their entire body involved.

A third set of issues may benefit from a lower work surface. Cabinets and furniture are often large objects who's tops may be "out of reach" if placed on a standard or even short planing bench. Cabinet/Furniture makers may use benches or sturdy tables at much lower heights. Those who do significant amounts of sawing with standard length hand saws may also build benches at much lower heights which may allow them to secure pieces with their legs and arms.

One other consideration is working with sheet goods and larger lumber. Unless we have a very large, wide bench these materials will need some sort of support system. They can be placed on sacrificial 2x4 lumber on the floor. Working at that height was not comfortable even when I was a limber youngster. Some other bench/out feed table may be required to deal with these larger pieces of wood regardless of whether or not one works them with hand or power tools. I have several out feed stands, none of which is sturdy enough for me to be comfortable with.

There are adjustable height benches. I have a Norden Adjust a Bench with locking casters that I am torn as to how to put to work. I originally bought it with the idea of making a lighter bench top with plywood and MDF or hardboard for cutting sheet goods and providing out feed support. I was thinking about various sacrificial surface options that might be swapped out for different work. Then I found threads here in which people have made heavy duty more conventional benches with this system. I have also made plans to make a more conventional bench so I am stuck trying to figure out whether or not to build two work surfaces or one " Swissknife" bench....

Rather than getting caught up in another workbench thread I thought a discussion of what work people find benches/worksurfaces helpful for and why might be more to the point.

[Winton Applegate]

How many do we need ?

Great question. Here are my thoughts :

knuckle high

I say palm face down parallel to the floor should be flat on the bench top. I bend my knees a lot when planing and this is a pretty good height to sit at for fine work too.

but first

Starting with a floor level short planing beam. Really handy to carry around the house or put in the trunk of the car. Can add low horses and you have a handy sit down bench to work at and a step stool to stand on.

Then you need an assembly / finishing table (see videos and articles of Frank Klausz’s shop).

A glue up / clamping table. One that is vertical is handy as well as horizontal so make that two glue up tables.

Coming up from there a pair of Workmate folding benches and a long planing beam (or two side by side) very portable and doubles as a low scaffolding to walk along .

Next up the hand tool woodworker’s work bench heavy and stable and fairly low.

Then a power tool bench or a mini bench to put on top of your hand tool bench to get router projects up high enough to really see what you are doing without a lot of scrunching around. That doesn’t eliminate the router table but that is a machine table so we will skip that for this discussion.

Add to that what I call my TIG table. Merely a hight adjustable candle stand basically. Mine is all steel for TIG welding but it is nice to have something small and high that you can walk around it or turn it while you do some small projects also makes a handy work support for some longer work pieces. Mine is neck height when fully extended and about machine tool table height when collapsed.

Then there is the watch and jewelry bench. A sit down on a chair bench with the work surface high waisted and a pull out curved apron that fits right up to your waist so if you drop something the cloth ‘safety net” saggy cloth catch all keeps you from loosing tiny valuable components.

Then a welding / metal working station some where between the hand tool woodworking bench and the machine tool work bench in height. The top of the machinist’s vise should be at the bottom of your elbow. I actually prefer my vise at that hight but on a separate pillar in the middle of the room but the bench height is still a good one.

The you will need a work bench for disassembling and assembling machinery. I like one with either a neoprene cover like my sharpening mat but the entire length of the bench, about eight feet, is covered with one role of the neoprene. The other option I like is a steel sheet metal covered bench for the same purpose.

Last but not least one or two drawing tables to make and hold plans. I like one flat that I can put my light table on and one up at an angle like the traditional drafting table. The light table is sit down height and the drafting table should be high enough you can stand at it and work and use a high drafting stool / chair which puts you at about the same height but you are sitting.

Ultimately you will need a chemical mixing bench for preparing finishes etc. kitchen counter / machine tool woodworking height.

A solvent tank and bench next to it to layout and dry parts washed in the solvent tank.

Sharpening station / bench kitchen counter height works well but for blade back flattening much lower is better.

So

Two sharpening tables one for backs and one for bevels and jig work.

Oh that reminds me . . . a jig table for welding. Full of holes of one kind or another for attaching jig component holding devises.

Oh that reminds me . . . a surface plate table for measuring and layout not for sharpening.

A carving bench, preferably one that is height and tilt adjustable.

A electrical and electronics work bench complete with oscilloscope and a few soldering irons and soldering guns, DC power supplies, lots of power strips with a switch for each plug . . .

Photography station with lighting and what not, I am not into photography really so I can only dream of what that would be like but I do know the way I go about it suuuuuuuuucks.

Snack and lunch table so you don’t have to endanger your work with food spills.

There are probably a few more but there you go . . . what the bare bones work shop dude needs to get by.

PS: yep a sheet goods cutting table, thanks for reminding me, I built one of those with a sacrificial saw kerf right into it top.
PPS: engine rebuild stand cheep to buy but I built mine extra fancy from plans from a welding book by Richard Finch; good stuff, good books. Can use the stand for all sorts of other work holding / rotating operations.

[Curt Putnam]

Interesting question. Since my shop is standard # 2 no-car sized affair, I have no room for a herd of benches. I'm also about to launch a new bench build so the question of heights is foremost in my mind. I have what I call my "parts" bench which I use for detail assembly, cleaning, disassembly, etc. - this is 42" in height to assuage my back (I'm about 6' 2"). I also have a conventional trestle table, about 30" high, that I use for glue-ups, assembly and finishing work. Wood laid on adjustable height sawhorses forms a useful table as does my Workmate.

For the moment, I've decided that my new, conventional neander bench will be 36" high. Quite usable for hand planing using my metal planes and somewhat sub-optimal for planing wide panels. It will be a walk-around bench so I should be able to deal with width issues. Moxon and bench-on-bench should help the back for the kinds of detail work that cannot be done while seated.

It's all a compromise, to be able to fiddle with wood is good.

[Jim Neeley]

FWIW, I have a Noden setup supporting my heavy benchtop. The top is 3.5" thick, 34"x84" with a LV Chain vise and an emmert (chinese) clone on opposite sides of one end. By installing Vulcan constant force linear springs as counterbalance, even that weight is easily adjustable.

I don't fiddle with the hieght often but when a particular significant effort would benefit from high or low, it's mighty handy and has minimized my need for other surfaces in my shop.

I picked up the idea by searching here for Noden and following threads until I found pictures of the spring modification. It's a deal-maker.

Jim in Alaska

[Dave Anderson NH]

My shop is divided into a bench room and a machine room. The bench room has 4 benches if you count my saw bench which also doubles as seat. The main workbench for hand tool work is 24" x 90", 3 1/8" thick and 29.5" high (I'm 5'9") It is left handed with a wooden twin screw face vise with 24.5" between the screws. On the opposite diagonal side is my Emmert K-1 patternmaker's vise with the inner jaw flush with the edge of the benchtop. I also have a 24" x 48" dedicated sharpening bench which is 36" high. The top is 2 layers of 3/4" plywood glued face to face and topped with a removable sheet of 1/4" Masonite type hardboard which is replaced when it gets too grungy on both sides. The final bench in the room is my original workbench modified to make it 27 or 28" high with a 30 x 72" top covered also with a removable 1/4" Masonite sheet. This bench has a large shelf underneath which holds clamps, my Lee Valley mini Anvil, and my saw sharpening vise. This bench is both my finishing and assembly table as the need arises. It is also an unfortunately convenient flat surface to collect all kinds of junk. With the exception of the sharpening bench, my other benches are arranged to be accessible from all four sides. As for the low height of my main bench, I do some work sitting down whenever possible to minimize bending and stressing my back.

[ian maybury]

I buy the need for differing heights. Solid and low for planing, almost sloar plexus height for close work like dovetailing, and maybe something in between for router work and the like. The other factor as Dave is how to link it all with machine tables if the shop includes machines.

The elements of my mostly implemented solution are: (a) low but not very low traditional style Roubo (starting construction any day now) , (b) four IKEA Bekvam 580 x 500mm small kitchen trollies http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/catalog/products/30240348/ (cheap and very solid) to group 4x to function as an assembly table (with drop on tops/link together fittings for the various options) 2x to function as outfeed and/or infeed tables and supports as required, or 1x as a mobile occasional work tables (for tools etc), (c ) a small roughly 6 x 2 ft floor deck about 2in high for use when extra height is needed over e.g. the bench when planing heavily (could be wood, or some commercial type TBD) - normal stood against a wall, (d) clamp-on Moxon vise on the bench for dovetailing etc (raises work height as desired), and (e) set bench/trollies and machine tables as far as possible at the same height (using feet etc) to facilitate ad-hoc arrangements.

My basic orientation as a result of a reviously injured and dodgy back is to keep work surfaces and machine tables as high as is reasonably practicable. The shop is small, so space saving is important. Hence the trollies...

ian

[Scott Stewart]

The first thing I was taught about working height was in surgery. "Patient height should be just below the elbow." I built my first bench to those same ideas. Works great for detail work standing up, not so much for planing or sawing. The more the larger and lower muscle groups are involved, the lower I like the surface. The older I get, the higher I want the surface. Sitting at the bench obviously changes the calculation as well. I am going to build a roubo soon a bit higher than every one else, and I think I am going to rework the first bench to be a joinery bench a couple inches lower.

I think this is such a personal decision that the only right answer is trial and iteration.

[Matthew N. Masail]

I only have 1 bench so far, it's a good height for planing but much too low for chopping and chisel work. I simply made a "mortising block" and slab of softwood 7cm high that I can clamp to the bench when I need to chisel a cavity or something.

[Curt Putnam]

I think this is such a personal decision that the only right answer is trial and iteration.

I first read that as trial and irritation. I think my version may be more accurate.

[Mike Holbrook]

I currently work and live on the same property, 12 acres, far enough apart to need two work locations. I do construction and woodworking at both locations. I am moving my original 2x4 and plywood bench to the work location. I also have a table made from water pipe and plywood that I use to cut sheet goods.

At my real shop at the house I have one small compact (Hammer) workbench and a Festool MFT work table. My small Hammer bench 51 1/2" x 20", two simple wood screw vices and one row of square dog holes, with metal dogs. There is a dog hole in the end vise, so I can clamp work to the top. This small bench is 34" tall. I plan to make this my high bench. The base for this bench is bolted together with stretchers and long threaded rods. I plan to raise the height of the base and add more weight by enclosing it. The enclosure will house most of the hand tools used at that bench.

I have the materials to make one or two more benches. My current thought is to make a simple plywood/MDF/hard board top for my Norden Adjusta bench base. I see this as an adjustable extension/outfeed table for both hand tools and machines. I am thinking about making this table large enough to handle sheet goods. I am also thinking about using the Norden system with the Festool MFT table to create a big enough surface to handle full sheets. I have plans to make a number of cabinets using plywood and hardwood, so i need a surface large enough to handle larger pieces for sawing.

The hardwood I bought planing to build something similar to Bob Lang's 21st Century Workbench. I plan to make a few changes based on a few suggestions Bob himself made here on SMC and a few to adapt the bench more for low planing work.

[jamie shard]

Here's my answer. Make a chunk of bench and raise it to the desired height.

DSCF1996.jpg

[paul cottingham]

I have 2 benches in my 9x20 no-car garage shop. One is set up as an out feed table for my table saw. I also do assembly work, shooting, and sawing with my Roubo vise there. I prefer sawing with the wood closer to my eyes without having to crouch. it works also for shooting, sharpening (honing, really,) and sawing with a bench hook cause i can leave it set up; my table saw doesn't get used much. So it's about table saw height.

My second one is against a wall under the window in my shop. I have a removable 2.5" high floor "pad" in front of it. My vises (face and tail) are on this bench. I do planing, chiseling, etc on this bench. The pad is for my knees and hips, and to "lower" my bench for planing. This works very well. Clearance between the benches is a little tight, (I'm not small) but the convenience more than offsets that. This bench is the same height as the other one, I just trick my body with the riser.
I prefer all this to be about the same height, it adds to flexibility if I need to move anything. So everything is about table saw height.

I used the same principle making a stand for my drill press, it is the right height that I can feed wood off of it into my jointer. A happy accident, I didn't plan it that way, I just realized one day it was a good height for it.

[Shawn Pixley]

I have to compromise a lot. There is a General workbench against the wall with the top at 36". I generally don't do woodworking on it. I have a bench top that I lift onto sawhorses. It weighs ~130 lbs. The sawhorses are a bit low. Most of my woodworking gets done on this. I have a moxon type bench-on-bench that I use for sawing dovetails or working on inlay. I used veneer press screws and scrap oak. I chisel on it using a sacrificial scrap piece.

Since the shop is in garage mode during the week, I have to move everything to make it work. It would be nice to have an adjustable height bench, but I don't think that is ever going to happen.

[Chris Parks]

It can be looked at from floor as well. The bench can remain static but you can use platforms to stand on to raise the operator.