my back hurts

[superchute]

Working on my last pair of chinks I was cuting on a folding table that is way to low and kills my back. So here is the question for every one that cuts or tools. How tall of table to you like and how tall are you . As the hight of the man changes the hight of the the table needed. IF you would like pls feel free to post pics to if you would like . thanks ever one for there help here . if you have table now that has some thing wrong with it please tell us about it and how you would like to fix it to make it better

thanks for you time

Russell

[Tkleather1]

Personally I like my cutting table just below waist high. My tooling bench is about 48 inches high and I sit on Bar type chairs when I tool.

Tim Worley

TK-Leather

[tonyc1]

I'm just a tad over 6 feet and my main work bench table height is 3' 4" off the floor. I like the height as I don't have to bend over very often.

Tony.

[superchute]

thanks guys for your in put

Russ

[bruce johnson]

Russel,

I am attaching a picture of the leg of my cutting table. In a former life it was a homeless desk sitting by the road with a "Free" sign on it. The leg extensions look amazingly like sections of PVC pipe slipped over them to raise the height. (Rundi saw that tip on Martha Stewart or Rachel Ray). It is 40" to the top and then I have a 5/8 particle board and then 3/8 HDPE cutting board over that.

[bustedlifter]

thanks guys for your in put

Russ

Another thing to consider is how thick is your wallet? If you're like most men their wallet can become pretty thick and it, believe it or not, can cause your hips to be uneven when sitting. This can put undo strain on your back.

[Windom Leather]

If you're like most men their wallet can become pretty thick and it, believe it or not, can cause your hips to be uneven when sitting.

But its not from cash! The wife has all of that!

[steve mason]

I am 6'1" and my bench top is 44.5" tall, In my opinion most work benchs are to low.

Steve

[barra]

I'm with Steve on bench height. I'm 5"9" tall and my bench just happens to be 4 inches shorter than Steves.

My rule of thumb with my benches is I want to be doing all the work standing upright with no stoop. When planning my bench I stood upright holding a commonly used tool like a creaser or edge tool with my forearm parallel to the ground and then measured from the tool to the ground. Our main sewing table at work was way too low causing backache when marking out all day. As it was too cost prohibitive to get a completely new bench made, we solved the issue by adding a false top to the old bench. This was done by laying a series of battens on top of the old bench surface (like a horizontal wall frame) and then adding a new surface. The space between the old top and the new means we can slide rolls of material in between the battens. I have done something similar to my bench. It is made from hammer lock shelves which I use as the frame/legs and also for the shelf space. I then added a false top to get my desired height.

Barra.

Edited October 2, 2009 by barra

[superchute]

Thankyou all Im going to add the pipe to my table for know and see if the 44 or so inches is my magic number. I that number works ill build my other table thank all for you the in put.

Russ

[MADMAX22]

Yep ditch the wallet even if it isnt that thick. Same thing while driving and so on whenever your sitting for some time.

One thing I recommend is get a stool or chair that is adjustable in height so you can change the height accordingly. Kind of like a barber has a adjustable work table which is a little hard for us to do.

Oh and do some stretches before you work, sounds funny but stretch your back muscles for a good 10 minutes before you start working, will help with blood flow and loosen your muscles up a bit.

[jimsaddler]

Yep ditch the wallet even if it isnt that thick. Same thing while driving and so on whenever your sitting for some time.

One thing I recommend is get a stool or chair that is adjustable in height so you can change the height accordingly. Kind of like a barber has a adjustable work table which is a little hard for us to do.

Oh and do some stretches before you work, sounds funny but stretch your back muscles for a good 10 minutes before you start working, will help with blood flow and loosen your muscles up a bit.

Hi Guys

An old rule of thumb for Benches is to measure the height from the floor to yr Hip and add one inch. This should alleviate the Back ache. I've got one of those backs that Give Hell if stretched or strained. So an Occupational Therapist prescribed a "Stand up Stool" which has helped enormously to relieve the strain. Basically the Stool is Gas filled and fully adjustable. When standing, as in Cutting out. The Stool is at full height, with the Seat tilted forward to support my Buttocks and take strain off my back. When sitting I lower it and put the Seat level. The Gas creates a softening effect and takes the jar out of movement. Cost a lot (over A$500.) but well worth it. Oh and I use those Pressure Glued Pine Kitchen Bench tops you can buy in Hardware Stores as the top for cutting on. Less wear on Knives and tools. Look good too.

Kindest Regards.

Jim Saddler.

Edited October 3, 2009 by jimsaddler

[gtwister09]

Russell,

Jim mentioned one starting point for benches but there are actually two ergonomic starting points for designing benches

(1) Measure from the floor to the bottom of your elbow. Subtract the height of material and such you are working on and this becomes the working height of the bench. This is generally for things that are a certain height and are worked in close to your body where you don't reach out to the end of or near the end of your arms reach...These benches are not intended for long projects.

(2) The other one for longer projects that you extend your reach with or for "generic" workbenches, Jim's number is spot on. Measure to the hip joint and most of the time add 1". However I have had several people who were taller and had short arms that wound up adding 2" to make an ideal workbench for them An easy way to determine if you fall into that category is if your pant inseam and sleeve length are significantly different. One of these guys had 40 inch inseams and 35 inch sleeve lengths.

One of the things that I do for those people with "non-standard"measurements when setting up workbenches is to get it at the genericheight and then have them add 1/2" blocks and test it for a week ortwo. A couple we have added 1-1/2" to 2" inches to.

REMEMBER These are starting points that work for about 95+% of the population. ***** Another key to remember is that a pair of riding boots, a pair of ropers and a pair of athletic shoes will impact the hip measurement. Just something else to consider when taking a measurement.

Another design feature to consider is the addition of a foot rest. This helps rest your feet mainly as you stand. By switching legs and feet you can stand a little longer.

Consider the use of ergonomic mats on the floor as well. Usually what I have found in ergonomics is that the individuals gain a huge benefit by adjusting the height of the workbench and then they start having lower back problems as they stand more and more. So the use of a mat helps reduce this. ***** Of course this will impact your height also.

Sit-stand stations are the only way to go because you can switch between standing and sitting to help break up the positions. The stool that Jim mentions is a standard one that a lot of ergonomic practitioners recommend to help people in an almost standing position. It helps take the pressure off of their legs and back....this is used a lot for people who have physiatic problems also. However the drafting style chairss that raise and lower are excellent choices as well and they generally have a back with which you can change even more positions. However if this is only for a cutting station only you most likely will not need a back on a stool or chair unless it doubles duty at a tooling station as well.

Stretches sound simple and silly but many times these help during the day and at the beginning of the day to loosen the muscles up. This is especially true for long extended periods of repetitive motions, bending and so forth.

Regards,

Ben

[jimsaddler]

Russell,

Jim mentioned one starting point for benches but there are actually two ergonomic starting points for designing benches

(1) Measure from the floor to the bottom of your elbow. Subtract the height of material and such you are working on and this becomes the working height of the bench. This is generally for things that are a certain height and are worked in close to your body where you don't reach out to the end of or near the end of your arms reach...These benches are not intended for long projects.

(2) The other one for longer projects that you extend your reach with or for "generic" workbenches, Jim's number is spot on. Measure to the hip joint and most of the time add 1". However I have had several people who were taller and had short arms that wound up adding 2" to make an ideal workbench for them An easy way to determine if you fall into that category is if your pant inseam and sleeve length are significantly different. One of these guys had 40 inch inseams and 35 inch sleeve lengths.

One of the things that I do for those people with "non-standard"measurements when setting up workbenches is to get it at the genericheight and then have them add 1/2" blocks and test it for a week ortwo. A couple we have added 1-1/2" to 2" inches to.

REMEMBER These are starting points that work for about 95+% of the population. ***** Another key to remember is that a pair of riding boots, a pair of ropers and a pair of athletic shoes will impact the hip measurement. Just something else to consider when taking a measurement.

Another design feature to consider is the addition of a foot rest. This helps rest your feet mainly as you stand. By switching legs and feet you can stand a little longer.

Consider the use of ergonomic mats on the floor as well. Usually what I have found in ergonomics is that the individuals gain a huge benefit by adjusting the height of the workbench and then they start having lower back problems as they stand more and more. So the use of a mat helps reduce this. ***** Of course this will impact your height also.

Sit-stand stations are the only way to go because you can switch between standing and sitting to help break up the positions. The stool that Jim mentions is a standard one that a lot of ergonomic practitioners recommend to help people in an almost standing position. It helps take the pressure off of their legs and back....this is used a lot for people who have physiatic problems also. However the drafting style chairss that raise and lower are excellent choices as well and they generally have a back with which you can change even more positions. However if this is only for a cutting station only you most likely will not need a back on a stool or chair unless it doubles duty at a tooling station as well.

Stretches sound simple and silly but many times these help during the day and at the beginning of the day to loosen the muscles up. This is especially true for long extended periods of repetitive motions, bending and so forth.

Regards,

Ben

Hi Ben

Many thanks for your input on the Bench. You are quite right, some have longer Arms etc, some are shorter. I love the idea of putting Blocks under as a test, I'll use it for my Daughters Bench when I make it.

Many Thanks for that.

Kindest Regards.

Jim Saddler.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Russell,

Not sure if it helps, but; I am 5'8" and getting shorter all the thme. My cutting bench is 35" from the floor to the top. Because I like to cut a side while it is completely laid out, and also seem to have a bunch of extra "stuff" on the table at the same time, my table is larger than most, I think. It is 5' wide by 10' long. It started out life larger, but; I couldn't fit it in my shop and have room for anything else so I cut it down.

I like to be able to lay over it to reach to the top of a hide some times, and it allows me to do that.

As for my tooling table, it is adjustable up and down with a crank and screw jacks in the legs, and a laminated hard wood top, (it was a toolmakers bench that I picked up at an acution), so I just sit on the back of my stitching horse, and adjust it to a comfortable height fo me. After a while you find a spot that just works right for you.

Bondo Bob

[oldtimer]

Working on my last pair of chinks I was cuting on a folding table that is way to low and kills my back. So here is the question for every one that cuts or tools. How tall of table to you like and how tall are you . As the hight of the man changes the hight of the the table needed. IF you would like pls feel free to post pics to if you would like . thanks ever one for there help here . if you have table now that has some thing wrong with it please tell us about it and how you would like to fix it to make it better

thanks for you time

Russell

May years ago I suffered from a slipped disc in my back, and backtracking the problem led to a bench that was too low. I made a new bench and a new cutting table that were high enough to enabling me to work standing straight. I found out that the bench must be a bit above my belt buckle. When determining the height of my new benches I put a pile of books on my kitchen table til I found a suitable height. The only work I do sitting in my shop is sewing and stamping. Also I put a thick soft carpet in front of my bench which makes life more comfortable.

/ Knut

[bustedlifter]

But its not from cash! The wife has all of that!

I hear you, my friend,loud and clear!