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Home > Archive > Home Repair forum > May 2006 > Ideal Workbench Depth & Height
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Ideal Workbench Depth & Height
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| trbo20 2006-05-25, 11:21 am |
| While at HD recently, I found a large bin full of 4' premium 2x10s in
their culled lumber for $0.51 / piece. I've been meaning to build a
basement workbench, and figured these would be perfect for the work
surface. My plan is to lay them down side by side like a deck and
cover them with a piece of 1/4" oak ply.
My question is, given 4' boards to work with and no floor space
limitations, how deep would you make the bench. At 4' I won't
really be able to reach the peg board in the back, but I would have
that much more surface on which to work.
My other question is, how high would you make it? Is there a rule of
thumb such as x inches above the waist?
Thanks in advance,
-T
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| I used to have a peg board. Stuff always fell off. Personally I like using
the metal drawer units at Sears for about $200.
"trbo20" <Boward@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1148565273.961139.130560@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> While at HD recently, I found a large bin full of 4' premium 2x10s in
> their culled lumber for $0.51 / piece. I've been meaning to build a
> basement workbench, and figured these would be perfect for the work
> surface. My plan is to lay them down side by side like a deck and
> cover them with a piece of 1/4" oak ply.
>
> My question is, given 4' boards to work with and no floor space
> limitations, how deep would you make the bench. At 4' I won't
> really be able to reach the peg board in the back, but I would have
> that much more surface on which to work.
>
> My other question is, how high would you make it? Is there a rule of
> thumb such as x inches above the waist?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> -T
>
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| Decals 2006-05-25, 12:21 pm |
| 36 inches
"trbo20" <Boward@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1148565273.961139.130560@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> While at HD recently, I found a large bin full of 4' premium 2x10s in
> their culled lumber for $0.51 / piece. I've been meaning to build a
> basement workbench, and figured these would be perfect for the work
> surface. My plan is to lay them down side by side like a deck and
> cover them with a piece of 1/4" oak ply.
>
> My question is, given 4' boards to work with and no floor space
> limitations, how deep would you make the bench. At 4' I won't
> really be able to reach the peg board in the back, but I would have
> that much more surface on which to work.
>
> My other question is, how high would you make it? Is there a rule of
> thumb such as x inches above the waist?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> -T
>
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| trbo20 2006-05-25, 12:21 pm |
| Yeah, that's a problem. I'm planning on attaching it to the bluestone
wall, not the bench. That should help. I would do slot-wall, but that
stuff is expensive.
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| trbo20 2006-05-25, 12:21 pm |
| Thanks, Decals. What about height?
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| Decals 2006-05-25, 12:21 pm |
| 36 inches
It works great.
"trbo20" <Boward@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1148568256.181207.81180@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com...
> Thanks, Decals. What about height?
>
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| Tip.. I did the same type top on my bench.. I ran threaded rod through
it and cinched it up tight.. It will last longer than my house.
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| trbo20 2006-05-25, 12:21 pm |
| Nice, Jack. I hadn't thought of using allthread. I'm guessing it
creates a very rigid surface and takes some of the bounce out. Did you
lay a ply top over the boards? I ask because I'm not sure how to
proceed.
If I use finish nails it will eventually come loose, but gluing it down
with liquid nails seems a little too permanent.
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| trbo20 2006-05-25, 12:21 pm |
| So you're saying 36" high by 36" deep?
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| Height= distance from your hands to the floor while standing with your
arms slightly bent.
Depth=1.25 times the length of your arm
It is your bench, build it for you not according to some standard
fitzall dimesnions.
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| trbo20 2006-05-25, 12:21 pm |
| Awesome, that was exactly what I was looking for. I knew someone had
to have done this analysis before.
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trbo20 wrote:
> While at HD recently, I found a large bin full of 4' premium 2x10s in
> their culled lumber for $0.51 / piece. I've been meaning to build a
> basement workbench, and figured these would be perfect for the work
> surface. My plan is to lay them down side by side like a deck and
> cover them with a piece of 1/4" oak ply.
>
> My question is, given 4' boards to work with and no floor space
> limitations, how deep would you make the bench. At 4' I won't
> really be able to reach the peg board in the back, but I would have
> that much more surface on which to work.
>
> My other question is, how high would you make it? Is there a rule of
> thumb such as x inches above the waist?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> -T
If you really have no floor space limitations, build the thing twice as
wide as the 1.25 times your arm reaches the guy suggested, put it in
the middle of the floor not against the wall, so that you can get to it
from both sides, and you can build really mammoth projects.
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| trbo20 2006-05-25, 1:21 pm |
| Great suggestion, z, but I guess I do have *some* limitations. My
table saw goes in the middle of the floor.
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| Edwin Pawlowski 2006-05-25, 1:21 pm |
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"trbo20" <Boward@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1148570540.556363.254340@j73g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Great suggestion, z, but I guess I do have *some* limitations. My
> table saw goes in the middle of the floor.
Sounds like my setup. Mine is about 36" and I can reach the pegboard in the
back of it. Any more is just too much for my at 5'10". Height is the same
as my tablesaw, about 1/2" below the router table. The reason for that is
so long pieces going across the router table don't hit the bench next to it.
You may also want to consider a large outfeed table for the saw so it can
double as an assembly table. Ideal is the width of the saw with extensions
and about 3" to 4" deep. I don't have the room for that either so I made a
smaller one that has folding legs for when it has to be removed.
Middle of the floor is best for a bench if you have the space. I don't.
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| Goedjn 2006-05-25, 2:21 pm |
| On 25 May 2006 06:54:34 -0700, "trbo20" <Boward@gmail.com> wrote:
>While at HD recently, I found a large bin full of 4' premium 2x10s in
>their culled lumber for $0.51 / piece. I've been meaning to build a
>basement workbench, and figured these would be perfect for the work
>surface. My plan is to lay them down side by side like a deck and
>cover them with a piece of 1/4" oak ply.
>
>My question is, given 4' boards to work with and no floor space
>limitations, how deep would you make the bench. At 4' I won't
>really be able to reach the peg board in the back, but I would have
>that much more surface on which to work.
>
>My other question is, how high would you make it? Is there a rule of
>thumb such as x inches above the waist?
>
>Thanks in advance,
>-T
It should be the same height as your sawhorse.
More seriously, it depends on what sort of work you're doing,
and whether yout expect to be doing it seated or standing.
If you're sawing on it with hand-saws, you're going to
want it low enough so you can get on top of the saw.
Likewise with heavy-duty hammering. If you're doing
a lot of fiddly detail work, you probably want it higher.
Build an adjustable sawhorse and try working on it
until you find a height that's comfortable for what
you expect to be doing.
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| On Thu, 25 May 2006 14:19:01 GMT, "Decals" <decals@whome.com> wrote:
>36 inches
>
36 inches above the waist.
>
>"trbo20" <Boward@gmail.com> wrote in message
>news:1148565273.961139.130560@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
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| I made the height of mine match that of my table saw: Makes a
handy "extension" sometimes. Actually I try to keep everything
at the same height and generally use the table saw as the
reference.
Pop
Decals wrote:[color=darkred]
> 36 inches
>
> It works great.
>
>
>
> "trbo20" <Boward@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1148568256.181207.81180@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com...
| |
| Nonnymus 2006-05-25, 3:21 pm |
| trbo20 wrote:
> While at HD recently, I found a large bin full of 4' premium 2x10s in
> their culled lumber for $0.51 / piece. I've been meaning to build a
> basement workbench, and figured these would be perfect for the work
> surface. My plan is to lay them down side by side like a deck and
> cover them with a piece of 1/4" oak ply.
Skip the Oak and go with 3/4" fir. It's about the same
price and you'll enjoy the added rigidity and ability to
scrape it clean frequently.
>
> My question is, given 4' boards to work with and no floor space
> limitations, how deep would you make the bench. At 4' I won't
> really be able to reach the peg board in the back, but I would have
> that much more surface on which to work.
IF at ALL possible, keep the bench away from the wall enough
that you have 360 degree access if you're going to build
casegoods or larger projects.
>
> My other question is, how high would you make it? Is there a rule of
> thumb such as x inches above the waist?
Measure up to your bent elbow. That is a great height for
most projects.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> -T
>
In a past life <grin> I had three workbenches in my shop and
all were at different heights. The one I used about 80% of
the time was the monster I built to be "elbow height" when I
was standing beside it. Just stand and bend your arm and
have someone measure the height to your elbow. It sure
worked for me. The second most popular bench was a small
one I built to be 34" tall. I'm just a tad over 6', so you
can adjust that to your own height.
That bench was perfect for assembly of casegoods, such as
cabinet frames, and also for furniture I was building.
Since I'm trying to put off having to go outside and trim
some palms, let me expand on my favorite workbench. Simply
stated, it was strong as a bull. I built it by starting
with a framework of 2X4's that I did lap joints on. There
was one at each corner and another at the center of each
long side. The top was 4X8, made with two sheets of 3/4"
plywood. The top overlapped the sides by 2". That was
important for the purpose of clamping.
On one corner, I mounted a wood vice so that it was flush
with the top surface. Each side was skinned with 3/4"
plywood over the 2X4 framework. You could park a Mack Truck
on the bench. When the top got funky with glue blobs, paint
build-up or similar stuff, a simple going over with a paint
scraper took it back to smooth as a baby's bottom.
The best part of my favorite bench was that I had two banks
of three drawers on each of the long sides. The drawers
were 5" deep and about 32" long, as I recall. Beneath those
were little doors, What is important is that the drawers
began 4" below the work surface, so there was plenty of room
for a 2X4 stringer and plywood to act as a "header" for the
top.
I went to Harbor Freight and bought a lifetime supply of
parts bins, filling about 8 of the 12 drawers. Later, I
drove to Lynchburg VA to McFeeley Screw Company and bought
almost $500 worth of screws in 1000 screw boxes. I'd fill
the bins with about 200 screws, and keep the rest on a back
shelf for refills. Words cannot describe the luxury of
being able to just pull open a drawer and get out precisely
the screw you need for a job. Other luxuries included
buying one of every conceivable assortment of allen screws,
"O" rings, lynch pins etc. that Harbor Freight sold and
keeping them in a drawer. It was almost like having a
hardware store in the basement, since I had so many of those
little weird parts you need once every 14 years at my
fingertips.
Well, that's enough for now. The temperature outside just
hit 80f and is climbing to a predicted 100f today, so it's
time to go chop off those dead palm fronds.
Nonnymus
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| Nonnymus 2006-05-25, 3:21 pm |
| trbo20 wrote:
> Nice, Jack. I hadn't thought of using allthread. I'm guessing it
> creates a very rigid surface and takes some of the bounce out. Did you
> lay a ply top over the boards? I ask because I'm not sure how to
> proceed.
>
> If I use finish nails it will eventually come loose, but gluing it down
> with liquid nails seems a little too permanent.
I'd use liquid nails. When the top gets too old to scrape
clean, your grandkids can scab on a new piece of plywood and
it'll be good for another 30 years. <grin>
Nonnymus
>
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| Nonnymus 2006-05-25, 3:21 pm |
| hah wrote:
> On Thu, 25 May 2006 14:19:01 GMT, "Decals" <decals@whome.com> wrote:
>
>
> 36 inches above the waist.
>
Hmmmmm. . . nose height? <Grin>
Nonnymus
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Nonnymus wrote:
> Measure up to your bent elbow. That is a great height for
> most projects.
Most of my projects involve a lot of elbow bending.
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| bamboo@localnet.com 2006-05-25, 5:21 pm |
| If you are woodworking make it the height of your trouser pocket
bottom.
If you are rebuilding carburettors and such the height of your elbow.
Depth being limited by pegboard is suboptimal.
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| me@privacy.net 2006-05-25, 6:21 pm |
| bamboo@localnet.com wrote:
>If you are rebuilding carburettors and such the height of your elbow.
How come that height?
Can you explain?
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| trbo20 2006-05-25, 10:21 pm |
| Can I just simply come borrow your shop sometime? Sounds like an ideal
setup.
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hah wrote:
> On Thu, 25 May 2006 14:19:01 GMT, "Decals" <decals@whome.com> wrote:
>
>
> 36 inches above the waist.
Yow!
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| trbo20 2006-05-26, 1:21 pm |
| The bench is going to be around 14' long. The wife does stained glass,
I brew beer, make model ships, woodwork, and refinish stuff. I think
I'll just simply break it into three levels.
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| Bob M. 2006-05-27, 11:21 pm |
| "trbo20" <Boward@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1148565273.961139.130560@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
> My other question is, how high would you make it? Is there a rule of
> thumb such as x inches above the waist?
36" is too low. 39" is more like it. Go to a bank and note the height of the
stand-up teller counter - it is almost always in the vicinity of 39".
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| me@privacy.net 2006-05-30, 11:21 am |
| "Bob M." <no@nospam.com> wrote:
>36" is too low. 39" is more like it. Go to a bank and note the height of the
>stand-up teller counter - it is almost always in the vicinity of 39".
Agree
Question tho.... if the height was say 48" would that
be too uncomfortable as a stand up desk you think?
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| Goedjn 2006-05-30, 1:21 pm |
| On Tue, 30 May 2006 08:53:26 -0500, me@privacy.net wrote:
>"Bob M." <no@nospam.com> wrote:
>
>
>Agree
>
>Question tho.... if the height was say 48" would that
>be too uncomfortable as a stand up desk you think?
Not for gluing, or fiddly work, but it's too high for
hammering and sawing by hand.
Seriously, set a plank at the height you're
considering, and mime the things you
expect to be doing. If it's too high, that
will be obvious.
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| Bob M. 2006-05-31, 5:21 am |
|
<me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:lhjo7253pfodm7dsa3gsipdcm90enmkkv2@4ax.com...
> "Bob M." <no@nospam.com> wrote:
>
>
> Agree
>
> Question tho.... if the height was say 48" would that
> be too uncomfortable as a stand up desk you think?
Not for me - I'm 6' 1" tall. :-)
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