# Recommended work table hight



## Evangogh (Oct 4, 2014)

It's about time to get rid of my old POS work table and I was considering making it myself. The problem there is I'm pretty tall and I've never quite found a working height that felt comfortable.

Since I am thinking of making it myself, I was wondering if there was some golden rule for how tall the table should be for better posture, etc?

Thanks!


----------



## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

A lot depends what you intend to build and what you mean by "work table". Myself, I have a workbench and an assembly table, both are different heights. If you build tall cabinets you might want a lower assembly table, if you build small boxes you might want a higher one. Start with your kitchen cabinets. Standard base cabinets are 36" from the floor, is that a comfortable height for you? If not adjust up or down from there. My old workbench was 36" and I found that to be too high for comfortable hand planing. I'm 6' tall and I found that 30" is just right for hand planing and that is the height of my new workbench. Posture is important in planing and I find that if I bend at the waist I can put my back and legs into the work and it is a lot less fatiguing than using the higher bench where mostly just my arms come into play. My assembly table on the other hand is at 36" which in most cases feels right, but when I am working on larger cabinets I wish it were a bit lower. It is always a compromise, but think about how you work and what you build.


----------



## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

36" is standard as is 5'9" for men. If you are taller than 5'9" bump it up, shorter drift it down.

M


----------



## DirtyMike (Dec 6, 2015)

I just built a 4×8 work table and debated the proper table height for a while. 38.5 inches is what i come up with and it is perfect for me. This is my main table and not a hand tool bench, For that i would go 6 inches shorter off of my table height. I have since built a base for my table saw at that height and it is perfect for me. and my shop is not sideways by the way


----------



## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

The rule is that there is no rule. I am tall and have a bad back and like my work surface high. You may also want to match heights with a saw so can use it for out feed.

You might want to make a temporary table and try different heights. You could get or make some adjustable saw horses and try different heights. Also, the height my vary depending on the task.


----------

