Bench top dimensions, height & width

[Mike Holbrook]

I have been working for two days on a sheet of plywood between two HD metal sawhorses. The sawhorses have a place for two 2x4 s that support the plywood. I have been having to rest after 30 minuets due to back issues. My standard bench is a Compact Hoffman & Hammer, now at my new home. I believe it is around 32” tall and maybe 20” wide. I have not had these issues with my regular bench. I am wondering why? I am about 5’10” tall.

I read Derek Cohens Blog regularly, incuding the history of his last bench build. As I recall Derek built his bench lower based on suggestions that a lower bench might allow the user to use legs better. I believe he later raised his bench height, maybe because of similar issues? The plywood I have been working on is about 29” off the ground, which is about the height Schwarz suggests, based on the pinky last knuckle measurement.

The other thing is I am reaching further than I normally would, across a 4’ wide table, clamping shutters I am glueing up. This may be the reason or one of the reasons.

I am working on bench builds and I am particularly concerned with how wide and tall to make them. One bench is a Noden adjustable height bench/work table, still I am wondering about the minimum height.

[john jesseph]

What do you make? What tools do you use?

[Steven Mikes]

Mr. Sellers has some opinions on this subject as well: https://paulsellers.com/2013/05/the-...bench-heights/

I agree with him. I am about 6' 1" tall and at first built my bench about 36" high, but after reading Paul's post I raised it on blocks to 40" and found it much more comfortable.
I think a lot of traditional wood working benches were shorter mostly because a lot of traditional wood working men were shorter. Average heights in Europe a few hundred years ago were not what they are now.

[steven c newman]

Bench for me is 32" tall, can be up to 19" wide. Length is 52". IF I have a LOT of plane work done flat on the benchtop.....back soon gets stiff. IF I am jointing a lot of edges, I keep things higher than the top of the bench....back seems to like it there.

Someday...I may add a 4 x 4 under the leg's feet. Thinking is..to get things up to the level of my elbows...less bending over to work on flatwork items.

BTW, I am 5'11" tall....

[Philipp Jaindl]

An old saying goes that if you stand upright and leave your arms hanging the Benchtop should be at Wrist Level, works perfectly fine for me that way, rather then fixing on numbers body measurements are often more practical.
That being said the only job where it could be higher is layouting/Marking and the like, though its not really a problem to glue/screw/joint together 3 boards to make a raised shelf to sit ontop the bench for that. Or depening on construction just use a chair/stool instead.

In terms of width I'd say at least 600 mm not counting Tool well, i think thats about 2 foot imperial not sure though.

[Mike Holbrook]

Thanks for all the fast replies. I am in the process of moving, most of my tools are at new place now. I am gluing up & fitting pieces I made at the other location. Raised pannel shutters, trying to match existing shutters. They are semi functional, have hinges but do not cover entire window opening.

I like making things from green wood or wood I have processed. I have: a plane collection, heavy on #5s. I have green wood tools and Festool tools too. I am planing two benches. One will be a heavy Rubo type. The other will be a work table/bench, made with a Noden Adjust A Bench base. The work table will be 6-7 feet, as it will serve as an outfeed/extension for machines and my other work surfaces, including my workbenches.

I have worked for years on the Hoffman & Hammer Compact, so I am use to working on a narrower bench and prefer not having to reach too far. I am thinking 22 wide for the Roubo and 24” wide or a little more for the work table. I may cut sheet goods on the work table with a Festool saw, 5-600MM I believe.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Mike

It was Chris Schwarz who suggested the "pinky rule". I started out with this, but quickly recognised (during my build) that it was not to my liking. I raised the bench by 2" during the build. After a year or so, after it was built, I raised it by another 2". So, what would have been a 28" high bench became a 32" high bench. I am roughly 5'10" (when I remember not to stoop, when my wife nags me).

Bench height is a compromise. High is needed for chiselling and fine sawing. Lower for planing. That's why Moxon vises and bench-on-bench fixtures are around.

Regards from Auckland (for a few more days)

Derek

[Noah Magnuson]

It is definitely up to the user, but here is something to think about. There is a reason countertops are 36" standard. This is a height that works for many people doing varied upright tasks on a surface. Planing is really the exception and many find a bit lower is more effective. You can always stack a couple of 16 x 60 or so pieces of ply to get the same effect. My advice would be to start somewhere near there and go up if you are tall or down if you are short and test a few procedures on your sawhorse bench at these heights.

FWIW, I am 5'9" and 35 is just right for most of my work, but planing anything thick could probably be done better an inch or so lower. The Schwartz would have had me at 28". I tried that once and it was extremely awkward. Ideally, I think a person should have two or three benches--tall, medium and short.

[steven c newman]

Main reason I'd want mine a tad higher...Spinal Stenosis Lumbar....back gets very sore if I work very long slightly bent over....that is why I cut some work sessions in the shop a bit short....then it takes a day or two to get back to normal.....I may just add that 4 x 4 under each end of the bench....Joinery work? I sit down at the bench for that.

[William Fretwell]

I am 6' 1" in bare feet, with work boots 6' 2". My bench is 38 & 1/2" high. I have no need to push down when I plane just along. When I chisel or saw I want to see what I'm doing!

[Brandon Speaks]

I am 6'2 and have longer than average arms. My main bench is 38' and i would not really want anything much lower than 36, maybe 34 at a stretch. As said before it is a compromise, even at this height I wanted a moxon or bench hook on top for sawing, planing might be best around 34, or 32 with wooden planes.

If I were building my bench now I would do 36 although it has not been enough of a challenge to make me cut mine down. Building a few more for dedicated operations is more likely.

[Mike Baker 2]

Newbie here, so there's a lot I have yet to experience.
That said, I tried to follow the advice on a video that was linked here when I started thinking about building a bench. Don't believe it was Chris Schwartz, but it was a fairly old video, and I'm certain the guy knew a ton. But...
at the height that his philosophy worked out to, my back was screaming after 5 or 10 minutes. I believe that was around 32". I'm 5' 8.5". I raised it 2", and it is a bit over 34". It is comfortable, and I agree with William; I don't bear down, but push the plane. I have zero issues with heavy planing, which I do a lot of, since all of my wood is reclaimed. It's usually warped, bowed, twisted, been exposed to the elements, and I need to make it flat, square, and clean, and many times to rip it and bring it to a dimension I can work with in that regard as well.
I agree it is personal preference. The advice to use your saw horses and plywood to work it out before hand IMO is spot on.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Bench height is a compromise. What's best for planing, isn't necessarily best for dovetailing or chopping mortises in wide boards. This is why some like a Moxon vise for dovetailing.

I'm 5' 10" and find that 34" is great for most planing. I don't have a Moxon vise, so I use a stool when cutting dovetails. Sometimes when chopping mortises into a wide board, I might set the board on a saw bench and sit down to chop the mortise. Using a jointer's mallet to hit a chisel head that is much higher than your elbow can be a bit awkward.

In terms of width, most conventional designers are in the 18" - 24" range.

[Ron Patrick]

Jim Tolpin (By Hand and Eye) has a video about this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBS5-AV81lg

[Zach Dillinger]

When I built my first hand tool bench, I followed the advice in Roy Underhill's book "The Woodwrights Apprentice", where he mentions that the benchtop should just brush your knuckles if you make a fist if you use wooden planes. I'm 6'5" and this gave me a 33" bench, a height I have used on two (and soon to be three) benches. Works beautifully for me. That said, I do tend to sit down to cut joinery.

My short bench does sometimes lead to hilarious looking photos such as this one from 2012:
small giant.jpg