Workbench height and width

[Dennis McCullen]

I built a moxon vise using the shafts of screw thread dumbells ($15) and it works great to quickly add a few inches so close work becomes, well, close. It clamps to my bench top and accommodates work up to 24-1/2 wide.

I am about your height (192). FWIW, my current bench is 35 5/8" and this is a comfortable enough planing height for me. It's not comfortable for close work, but the height is good to sit and work. My top is 24" x 65(ish)" that I built for a smaller shop. My next bench will be closer to 30" wide, since I can easily reach.

[Dennis McCullen]

Good luck, Gene, sorting through all this information and making a decision! Given all that was written here from various-sized individuals, I submit the notion that we all generally work with elbows bent, forearms sloping down to our hands and just a little less than parallel to the floor, and not at "knuckle height". The business end (saw teeth, plane iron) of tools we use may be a couple of inches below our grip on that tool (grip factor). Disregard other folks' height, bench height, etc. and simply measure how far your elbow is off the floor. Subtract 4" so your arm has a comfortable drop from the elbow to your hand and subtract another 2" to allow for the grip factor above. It may have been mentioned already since I'm late to this "party", but you should also consider how you will hold work to the bench. Can you drop a board far enough down and support with a sliding "deadman" so that edge planing an 8" board, for example, is an operation carried out just above bench height and not sticking up 3-4". In short, it's not just bench height but work height. Consider vise styles, leg, woodworking almost flush with the top, etc. Where will the tool meet the wood?

- I built a moxon vise that quickly clamps to the bench top if I need to work close. The most fun was modeling it after an article where someone used the threaded shafts and spin-on keepers from a set of dumbells ($15 ) for the hardware. It absolutely rocks! BEST OF LUCK!

-I bought a metal coffee table frame and added a top and shelf of plywood. I put it on casters and it's the handiest assembly table at 16" off the floor. It's also great for working on my bike. BTW, I recently converted a well-preserved 29-y.o. Marin mountain bike with 21 speeds to an upright cruiser with 5" riser sweep handlebars (cruiser-bike style) and a wider gel seat. It required longer cables so those are new and new brake pads. I got about two inches of room when I standover the frame and I'm not in a bent over posture. Obviously, I'm a bike rider for fun and fitness (age 69) and not an off-road racer.

Thank you everyone for your advice, and for sharing your own bench dimensions. The advice still a bit conflicting, but I think I'm getting a bit closer
I've tried taking my biggest plane (a 26" wooden jointer) and assuming positions similar to the photos in the article Derek had posted earlier, and also described in Steve's post.
The plane's bottom was 100 cm (39 3/8") off the ground. If I just stand upright with the plane in my hands and my forearm parallel to the ground, it would be a good 4" higher (~110 cm). That does suggest a 39-40" workbench height?

About the width (depth)... It was mentioned that the extra width will come in handy for assembly (I only have space for one bench so it has to multi-task). 30" wide shouldn't present problems with regards to reach. Would it have any other drawbacks?

Mike, good that you mentioned bicycles. I like mountain biking a lot and if I believe all the articles I've read, I should have a slightly bigger frame and much lower handlebar. However I hated riding a bike that was set up like this, and am enjoying a slightly smaller frame and a tall handlebar I am pretty flexible though, when it comes to yoga etc, so leaning down is not a problem for me. Good luck with the rats!