table saw height?

[Jason White]

I'm 6'4" and use a "contractor" style table saw (RIDGID TS3650).

I trashed the metal stand because the saw was just too low for me to work comfortably. So, I built a wooden cabinet on casters to get the saw up to about waist high (for me about 40").

Now I'm thinking this might be a little too high. Anybody got any opinions on what a safe, comfortable working height for a table saw should be?

TP

[Brian Dormer]

The "standard" height (which I think is derived from some bio-mechanical studies done by the military) is 34" - 38". I'm 6'2" and all my shop equipment, benches and countertops is in the 36" neighborhood - which is easy to build (my TS was 36 1/4 when I putt it on a mobile base - and standard kitchen cabinets/counters work out to about 36") comfortable for me and lets me use just about any horizontal surface as an outfeed, infeed or outrigger support for anything else. My bandsaw and drillpress are higher (for precision - and because it "feels right") and my jointer is lower (because I use the top of the jointer fence as an outrigger support on my TS occasionally).

If I recall the military study - it had something to do with a tradoff between ability to do precison work (higher bench height) .vs. power (lower bench height) - and I believe they used a "normal" height of 5'8" - 6'0" as their model - so the 36" +/- 2" is therefore a one-size-fits-all solution which won't work as well for people of 10th or 90th percentile height.

Of course, you can do whatever if comfortable to you. To me - 40" seems kinda high - but if you like it - no worries.

If you want to see what 38" would feel like - set some 2x4's flat on the floor and stand on them to use the saw. If you like it... well, you'll have to figure out how to "shrink" your cabinetry by 2 inches.

[Rich Person]

I'm 6'1" (normal height, 6'4" NBA height) and I set up my shop at 36". If you like 40" it's probably okay, but I would guess that 37"-38" would be more standard for your height.

[Jim Thiel]

I trashed the metal stand because the saw was just too low for me to work comfortably.

Anybody got any opinions on what a safe, comfortable working height for a table saw should be?



Your personal comfort is a good working height. If the TS is stable, and you like it, so be it. At 6'4" myself, I had added feet to my saw just to get it up to bench/outfeed table height.

Jim

[Von Bickley]

If 40" works for you, That's where I would leave it. All of your shop equipment should be built to fit you.