How high is your work bench?

A

Adam Reese

Joined
Nov 4, 2010
Messages
400
Hi guys,

I have a question for you all. I just bought a kmg and I am going to completely change my shop layout. This is going to require me to build new workbenches to set everything up on, so I just wanted to know how high is your work bench?


-Adam
 
a comfortable work bench height probably has more to do with how tall you are, as opposed to a standard height

I'm kinda short 5'7" and I prefer my buffing wheels and bench grinders on a 32" bench, but for sitting on a stool and working I prefer a 36" all the tall guys I have worked with over the years complained about my short saw horses 32" and I had to agree they were stooped over a bit when they used them
 
I use mine mostly for filing, and so I wanted it just above where my elbows hung. I measured that to be 40 inches, so that is how tall I made them.
 
I have 4 I just set up. I'm 6'2". My grinding bench is 36". It puts my 8" wheel, and flat platen on my GIB as well as my 9" discs at the perfect height.

My handsanding bench is 44" high. I also have my tempering oven, mini-mill, benchtop drill presses, portabandsaw, (eventually a kiln) on a separate 44" high bench.

I have another 36" bench for misc work.

My finishing bench is nice being higher. I placed the lower shelf do it's a foot rest. The higher bench allows me to work without stooping. And it allows me to sit on a barstool. Plus I have the 36" bench directly behind it for when I need to get above something I'm working on. I have my pantograph on the 36" bench.
 
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My KMG is mounted at 37", I am 5'10". It is the PERFECT height for me. My grinds are way better. The platen and wheel line up around my solar plexus area so its all hip movement now when I grind, elbows locked in. Workbench height really is critical.
 
Thanks for the quick reply guys, this will give me a good place to start.

Brian, I hadn't even thought of making several different benches at different heights, I was just thinking of making a single bench that wraps around my shop. hhhmm...you may be on to something...

-Adam
 
I have 3 different hights.
I stackes boxes, crates etc on top of eachother to try out different hights. I found that just half an inch higher or lower makes a difference
 
There is no sense in me giving you my bench heights, since we are all different.(some more than others... Ha!) For the most part, I keep my benches at a height where I can work over them without having to shrug my shoulders up or hunch over the work. Depending on what I'm doing, I need different heights, so in some cases i have movable tabletop platforms and for other tasks, a completely different bench. Keep your task, ergonomics and efficiency in mind and let your workspace evolve. It is often easier to build up than lower a work area. Some folks use standing platforms but 14yrs in a commercial machine shop taught me that they are more of a hazard than a helper.
 
My benches don't get high,I try and keep tham on a 12 step program:D:p
But one is 42", one is 37", and one is 24" tall.
Stan
 
Thanks for the reply Rick,

It is always a pleasure to get advice from those you admire. You have a very valid point and I havn't even thought about having moveable platforms in the shop. My main concern is getting the kmg at the right height the first time around, and not having to rebuild the table. I want to thank everyone else who has replied so far too. My purpose for this thread was to get a good starting point forbuilding the benches. I thinki will stack something up and put the kmg on it, measure and get my height from that, then draw my plans up and hopefully build these things sometime over this long break (off work until next friday night!!)

-Adam
 
2703adam said:
My main concern is getting the kmg at the right height the first time around, and not having to rebuild the table.

think i will stack something up and put the kmg on it, measure and get my height from that, then draw my plans up
-Adam
Click to expand...

Don't worry about getting it right the first time.

As you work with your grinder, maybe hours, maybe months later you may develop a different feel for how it should be than now.

I say build some adjust-ability into your bench.

You may need to level it anyway, I say put a 3/4" threaded rod in the foot of each leg.
Then adjust and set the level with nuts and fix them with jam nuts.

big changes? Put a block under each leg and fine adjust with the nuts.

If you change your mind, change the level
 
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All my work surfaces are set to 35". Since I have a small area (10'x14'), I can lay something long across all my power tools & everything is level. Work bench, Scroll saw, Drill press(base), rooter table, table saw, chop saw work surfaces all at 35". The grinder sits on a 35" platform.
 
Rick Marchand said:
There is no sense in me giving you my bench heights, since we are all different.(some more than others... Ha!) For the most part, I keep my benches at a height where I can work over them without having to shrug my shoulders up or hunch over the work.
Click to expand...

Rick and the other respondents are absolutely right... build it so it suits YOU. I'm 6'3" (or 6'8", depending on which bank/convenience store I'm walking out of, ho ho) with long scrawny ape-like arms... my benches (both the sitting and standing ones) are remarkably uncomfortable to most normal human beans. Normal folks' benches give me a backache just looking at them.

In any case, you want to be able to keep your back straight and your shoulders square when working. This will prevent a lot of unneccesary fatigue and long-term damage.
 
40-43" spindle height-grinders and buffer, discs set lower so I can look down on them.
Ken.
 
You might want to keep in mind the height of the boots you will be wearing, 3" high heels? Flats? Try to wear one pair for grinding, I happen to have some steel toed boots for the shop with heavy leather, maybe 1.5" heel.

My equipment is on individual stands that are adjustable (Sears, Lowels etc) 2' square tops. I can move them around and adjust as needed later, so am not locked into a bench height.
 
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