Best workbench height

I am just about to build a workbench as part of my new workshop, what is the ideal height? I seem to have come across some that are significantly lower than others but I am not sure why. I seem to remember that there is a suggested relationship between the users height and the top of the vice for sawing, are there any other recommendations?

Baldric

Rule of thumb is the top of the vice is elbow height, I prefer a little higher, but each to his own.

If you are planning to file in the vice I understand that the top of the vice needs to be at the same level as your bent elbow when your upper arm is vertical. So work from that. If you are doing a lot of work seated it needs to suit your chair which ideally can be adjustable. If you think about posture you wont go far wrong. You don't want to be bending too much.

Martin

The rules of thumb above are a good starting point, if you're going to deviate from those make the bench higher rather than lower as it's much easier on both the back and feet to use a duck board to stand on than to stoop slightly. Also bear in mind the thickness any floor covering that you'll be putting down as I find even an inch out on the bench height can make a difference if you're standing there for 2 or 3 hours with a fiddly job. Bar type higher than normal chairs, as well as "draughtsman's" type adjustable are readily available and easily adjusted to suit the bench so that you can work sitting down as well as standing. The over-riding principle is be comfortable!

I set my main bench just as Martin says. I then set the lathe & drilling machine bench, which buts up to the main bench to the same height thinking that I could then slide stuff from one bench to the other. That never happened, but what did happen was that once the lathe was set up with adjustable feet, I had to use a 110mm step-up in order to use the lathe comfortably. The drilling machine was satisfactory until I extended its column vertically by 100mm: I now occasionally have to use the step-up.

Height of top of vice jaws above bench top: 175mm,

Height of lathe cross-slide top above bench top: 235mm

Height of centre of drilling mean quill handle: 525mm.

The milling machine is, by accident, set slightly lower than the other two benches. The machine stands on 48mm spacers to allow the Y axis handle to be easily used. The table top is 185mm above the bench top.

Regards,

Peter G. Shaw

I would 2nd the elbow height or maybe a touch higher but not lower. At one time people used to fit blocks under vices to get them to the correct height for filing flat. Too high is probably better than too low 'cause if you push your elbow out it also goes up. A good thing to do when doing high precision fitting while seated.

When I started my apprenticeship it began with a long period with a file. On the first day one instructor said shall we get the rising blocks out to the other who said no, Never did get on with that bloke. The other tall one who asked was ok, If some one is trying to file a surface flat to mic levels the height is important and when it's low there is a tendency to rock the file.

John

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Baldric

Have a look at these...

**LINK**_

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCgQFjABahUKEwjU9qSbqffIAhXIshQKHULJCb8&url=http%3A%2F%2Forigin.autospeed.com%2Fcms%2Ftitle_Bench-Vices%2FA_112908%2Farticle.html&usg=AFQjCNGIVWg8l3xIovZZzI_dLBgUJ1efnA&sig2=JCzj9jy1Tii9Yi2a3nav_A

plus some other useful stuff ... any more cunning plans...

Edited By mechman48 on 04/11/2015 17:50:54

Edited By mechman48 on 04/11/2015 17:54:59

When I built my first workbench, I went along with the rule of thumb mentioned above - top of the vice at bent elbow height, this turned out ideal for filing and sawing in the vice, but the bench top itself was too low for anything else.

I subsequently made a second bench with the top of the bench at bent elbow height, I find this is very comfortable in use, especially for marking out as well as for operating the little Unimat lathe which I moved to this bench.

Clive

Edited By clivel on 04/11/2015 18:19:57

Thanks for the replies, as it seems all the responses are basically the same that makes life easier, hopefully the bench will be built in 2 weeks time, other jobs permitting .

It is quite difficult to add height to the legs after the fact but easy to make duckboards. Following what Clive said above I suggest making it 4 to 8 inches higher than you first thought of and making a step up to go by the vice. Wish I'd thought of this 25 years ago.

Another angle you might consider is the heavy duty shelves in Costco. This is the same design as available with more options in Bunnings and Home Depot in other continents and being rated at several tons looks to be firm enough to act as a bench for only about £110 including shelves. You can't buy angle iron this cheap to make a steel bench.

Basically if your arms hurt its too high if your back hurts its too low, sorry if that sounds flippant but machines and vices can be raised quite easily if bench is too low, if its too high then shorten the legs

Mick.

I have a bench with a vice at the recommended height to stand at and ,opposite that, a smaller one about 6" lower to sit at, on a comfortable swivel chair, for assembly and planning. This allows me spin the chair to either bench and is the best set-up I have ever had. Colin