Workbench Height

[Dallas Cowboy]

I am planning on building my workbench this weekend and need to know the ideal height. How high do you like yours? Do you like them taller and sit on a stool or do you prefer shorter and sit in a chair? My other bench is 36" tall and I sit at it on a stool but wasn't sure on how high is ideal for leather working and tooling

[Glendon]

I personally have a disability that makes it difficult to stand for any period of time, so my bench is standard desk height 30". A lot of people say that you get better control when standing, but if you are comfortable and have experience working on a stool, then I'd probobly stick with 36".

[Sylvia]

From what I understand you want to be able to look down on your work. My "temp" set up is actually one of those couch tables... the tall narrow ones that are meant to place behind a couch... For a long time I had my chair set at standard desk height which made the work surface of the table/slab combo just at my chest. I found I had a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders and I often "flubbed" when stamping because I couldn't see well enough. When I adjusted my chair to it's highest setting, I could SEE what I was doing and all of a sudden I have much less tension developing.

Here is a good video which shows a pro saddler's shop.

Here's another video... watch it for a bit.. you get to see him work at his bench carving.

Edited May 24, 2012 by Sylvia

[GrampaJoel]

My layout table , work bench and stone are all at 38" in height.

I am 6'1" bare feet.

I like to stand, but often I sit on a stool when I start getting tired.

One sewing machine is at the the standing height, and one at a sitting height as is my desk. I use a height adjustable swivel chair for the sitting work.

I have a hard time just sitting in one spot for very long, so I like to be able to move around as I work.

Hope this helps

Joel

[Rodw]

That's a hard question to answer. It needs to be at a height where you are comfortable and can see. My computer desk is higher than my jewelers bench. Depends on your chair, how long your torso is if you work sitting, or how long your legs are if you work standing. Just my $0.02.

[Cyberthrasher]

Another thing to consider if you're sitting (on stool or chair) is how much work you'll be doing bent over. I have a pretty small desk that I work at, probably between 30 and 34". If I'm assembling I can work on my comfy bar stool, but if I forget and start tooling there, my back will start killing me after an hour or so. I realized I spend a lot of time directly over the top of my work when tooling, so that's when i switched to my chair for extended times. The stool is ok for assembly because I'm not bent over keeping a close eye on detail at that point.

[hidepounder]

I like my bench height at 42" That puts my elbows in the same position whether I'm standing or sitting in my drafting chair......

Bobby

[Sylvia]

I like my bench height at 42" That puts my elbows in the same position whether I'm standing or sitting in my drafting chair......

Bobby

good gosh Bobby... how tall are you?

[JRLeather2]

My bench is 43.5 inches tall, I like to be able to stand without bending over and I have a couple of adjustable shop stools.....

[NoName]

42" here as well. Comfortable to work standing or seated on a bar height stool or chair.

[amuckart]

There are some good books on making woodworking workbenches that go into the ergonomics of bench height in quite a lot of detail. The activities aren't all that dissimilar in terms of where you want your work located relative to your body. Scott Landis' The Workbench Book is one of the best ones. The Workbench Design Book: The Art and Philosophy of Building Better Benches by Christopher Schwartz is another good one.

Lee Valley Tools has all the three best workbench books for sale.

[cem]

Mine sit about 36", I have a wrap around the room arrangement using kitchen cabinets, I'm short though 5"3' so need to use a drafting chair when sitting down.

Clair

[dirtclod]

Mine is 38 inches tall and i'm 4 foot 22 inches tall.

[Dallas Cowboy]

I built my bench today. After careful consideration and reading what most people like, I chose to make mine at 42" tall and 3'x6'. I love it!! It seems to be the perfect height for me. I can sit on my adjustable stool or stand and don't have to hunch over and hurt my back or my shoulders. This thing is solid and strong as a Rock. I usually over build stuff and you could probably put an engine block on it. The legs are 4x4's and the framing is 2x4's and the top is 3/4" mdf board I'll try to get some pictures to post.

Edited May 27, 2012 by Dallas Cowboy

[FHL FERG]

I am in the process of building a new bench right now. I decided to go 48" so I can use it standing or sitting on an adjustable drafting chair. I'm 6'1" and this puts my elbows at a nuetral 90degrees sitting or standing.Good luck and go a little taller with it, if ti's too tall you can always trim a little off the legs.....

[FHL FERG]

And then I read your last post, so it sounds like you made the right choice. Hunching over is what has been killing me too. I'm building mine out of cedar and hand scraping it to smooth and level the top as well as give it some character. fingers crossed that I didn't waste all that money on cedar......

[mikesmith648]

I am working the next 3 nights in the ER and then will be off for 5 days. Planning on going to work on my trailer and building the work bench in it so I can do my leather and not have to carry everything in the apartment wherever I go. Also will help keep everything more organized that way...I hope. Once I get it all finished I will post pictures. Planning on using a rolling desk chair with adjustable height and making the bench about 42" tall after reading the posts and suggestions. Also, I am going to wire the trailer for lights and a fan and heater so I can work in comfort. Just plug it in and go! This setup will also keep the neighbors from complaining about all the tapping as I work.

Mike

[Chief31794]

My Carving Bench, Dying Bench and Sewing Bench are all 36" high, the Carving area comes out about 39" after I place a rubber Poundo Mat then a Granite Slab on it. I stand some and set some on a work stool. I'm not as tall as some of the folks (around 5' 9") so it works pretty well for me.

Ken

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Well, I am 5'9" and currently my work/tooling bench is set at 34". Guess that this post has made me re-think the height, so next time I am working in the shop I think I will raise the bench 4" or so and see it there is any difference. currently I use the back end of my stitching horse as my stool, been doing that for 20 or so years now. Guess I'll re-think that also. We'll see.

Bob

[Neillo]

Hey guys, thought i'd pitch in on the subject after much research into building a bench for woodworking.

the way I planned mine was to make the height of the benchtop about 100mm/4" lower than my elbow joints

while standing.

This way, i have great control over my tools due to being slightly lower than my elbows. I'm working on a stool

that allows my hands to be at the same level when sitting so i can do more delicate work.

Oh, and a top thickness of 1 3/4" - 2" helps a lot! i do all my stamping over the leg joint of the bench corner,

works a treat.