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Thread: Bench height for planing

  1. #16
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    It had slipped my mind, but when I designed my bench, I measured my elbow height from the floor and used that.

    I read somewhere to do that and it worked.

  2. #17
    Yes, the benchtop bench is quite handy. Steve Latta also has one a bit longer you may want to look at.

    I built the one in FWW but I incorporated a moxon vise into it.

    Moxon finished 2.jpg

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
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    I'm 6' 1" now, my work boots take me back up to 6' 2" and I prefer 38.5" to plane. I push the plane along far more than down. Paul Sellers has a good video just pulling a plane to show how easy it is with a sharp blade.
    The benefit is cutting dovetails and chiselling in general is so much easier to see. You can add a matt or have a false floor to 'lower' your bench very easily.

  4. #19
    I am 5'9" and built my latest bench at 35". I tried a lower bench and it just didn't work for me. It is ideal for most of the joinery work and I generally have no issue with it for planing even for a long time. There is no "correct" height, just the "right" height for what you do most often. Also, you can always laminate a few sheets of plywood together into a platform instead of blocking up a shorter bench.

  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Noah Magnuson View Post
    I am 5'9" and built my latest bench at 35". I tried a lower bench and it just didn't work for me. It is ideal for most of the joinery work and I generally have no issue with it for planing even for a long time. There is no "correct" height, just the "right" height for what you do most often. Also, you can always laminate a few sheets of plywood together into a platform instead of blocking up a shorter bench.
    My thought on this sort of thing is to build it a bit tall and then use a platform or layers of wood to find the ideal height and trim the legs accordingly.

    The OP has already stated they do not want to trim the legs after assembly, so that nixes that idea.

    Another way would be to cut tenons on the bottom of the legs and shim the bench up to a comfortable working height. Then build sled feet for the base with the new height incorporated into the design.

    Of course, it might be easier to use these or other methods on one's current set up to determine an ideal height before starting.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
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    I am 6' tall and built a bench 37.5" high. My thought was exactly like Jim said - start high, cut to low it. However, I also have stretchers at the bottom of the legs that now limit the amount for what I can cut. Otherwise, there would be not enough space for my feet when standing close to the bench.

    I think I made it a bit too high for me. 35.5" probably would be better. I usually plane something between 3/4" to 2" thick on my bench. But you get used to pretty much anything, high benches, low salaries...

    I tried to apply Jim Tolpin approach. But then my body doesn't fit in 8 times of my hand spans. My hand span is about 8" but my height is 72.5". That is 9 spans (I have long neck, long arms).

    Another constrain that I foresee is that bench on the bench has to be about 8" tall, if one wants Moxon vise to be installed in it. And resulting height plus material thickness should be comfortable to saw. That means, find optimal height for sawing minus a little minus 8" and use that for the bench height, perhaps?

  7. #22
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    I'm 5'-10" and my bench is 34.5". Planing height doesn't both me much until it gets too tall. For instance when I add my planing beam directly onto my bench it's pretty tall at that point and slightly uncomfortable.

    Don't forget that the material is going to take up some room as well.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Libertyville, IL (Chicago - North)
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    I like having a relatively tall bench. But I made my outfeed table (for the table saw) as a second bench with dog holes, holdfasts and planning stops, but no vise. It is much lower than my primary bench. This combination works great for me.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Missouri
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    I believe you have to experiment. Only you know how you work and what planes you use. I also know that small increments make a difference. An inch can be huge. I have physical problems and do a fair amount of cooking. I simply can not work at a 36" high counter top. I could in the past but now I need 2" more. I was also 5'8"" and now I'm 5'5". I finally went to an adjustable bench (smart move on my part). Experiment for yourself and get it right. It makes a huge difference. No one size fits all in this case.
    Jim

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