Work bench width and height - any recommendations?

[Dr PR]

I am planning an addition to my garage for a workshop. I have looked at commercially available work benches and they vary from 20 inches (50 cm) wide to 36 inches (91 cm). Height ranges from 30 inches (76 cm) to 39 inches (99 cm).

 

I am planning for a variety of small tools including a lathe, milling machine, sander, metal press, etc. I have dimensions for a variety of these tools and all will fit on a 24 inch (61 cm) wide bench.

 

But I would appreciate advice from those of you with experience with such tools as to how wide and high the benches should be.

 

I will likely be building all of the benches with wood myself, so I can make any size and height.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Dr PR

[vaddoc]

I used the design of the fellow in the link bellow. Heavy and super solid bench, cheap to make too. The selves underneath are very practical.  I made a large one and then I made an even larger one. Go big, longer and wider than you plan. I think my benches are 90 cm high but I like to sit in tall stools.

 

 

[Srodbro]

I highly recommend this book as a great guide to deciding what works for you, whether a fine piece of woodworking, or a true WORKbench. 

You don’t mention if you are contemplating a freestanding bench or a wall bench. My freestanding bench is roughly 3ft by 6 ft, and stands about 39” high. The height was determined by the height of my table saw ( my bench servers as an extended runout) and the runout of my power miter saw, the complementary heights having been useful at times. 
 

The other characteristic I’d highly recommend is build it really ROBUST!  Mine is made of pressure treated 6x6’s and 4x4’s. The top is a series of laminated 2x4’s, with a 1x6 oak skirt run around the top.  With the exception of the top ( which has three threaded steel rod running thru the laminations), all joinery is held together by mortise and tenon and half dovetail joints, wooden pegs and wedges. Pressure treated lumber is 50% heavier than kiln dried, and shrinks very little. The bench is heavy, and without being bolted down, doesn’t move. 

 

I generally build solid hull models, several have been large half-hulls, and when attacking a stack of glued together laminations with planes, rasps, gouges and chisels it is nice to have all your effort go thru the tool and into the wood, and not into moving the bench or fighting wobbly joints.
As mine is a WORKbench and not furniture, I don’t hesitate cutting right into the top, or drilling holes into it to secure a piece or an auxiliary light source … I fill and refinish the top every couple of years. 

 

While I love my shop, I envy anyone who is setting up a new one. 

Edited September 21, 2022 by Srodbro
Added pic

[Jaager]

If it just going to be for ship modeling,  a bench top that is robust enough to stand up to a ball-pene hammer or need to use a full size hand saw is not likely to be necessary.

 

Will you be always standing or sitting on a bar stool?  If yes, then knee room is not a factor.

 

Bench top depth is very helpful.  Determine how far back you can comfortably reach and make it at least that deep.

A 4"-6" high back splash helps  stop loss over the back. 

110V outlets that are above back splash height - and more of them than you think you will need.  If you want to splurge, make each of them have their own individual ON/OFF rocker switch.

 

Longer is better.

 

Drop down - foot locking castors - 4 of them  - the back ones - give a thought to how to get at them - if you do not have them, there will likely come a time when you wish that you did.

 

A provision for shop vac hoses makes life easier.

Life is easier if the machine in use is the only one on the bench top.

Strong sliding out shelves under the bench is a handy place to store them.  Being able to lift them straight down or up allows for easier storage. 

There is significant weight so the shelf support strength may make this impractical.  But in any case,  being able to easily park tools not in use under the bench is helpful  

For my Byrnes saw, I bought a wooden box from Michaels to store all of the wrenches, blades, etc.  I PVAed a wooden block under the lid and drilled hole to hold all the the needed Allen wrenches.  No digging for the often needed tools.

 

Even though you may never have a need to hand plane the edge of a 6' -8' board,  an under the bench top vise has uses.  A quick release  feature may be frivolous - but going economy leads to frustration.   Poorly made one tend to rack when they are tightened.   

I bought a 2x12 plank and cut it up to be a series of bases for various full size tools that are usually fixed to the bench top.

A grinder,  a machinist's vise,  a bare one for pounding on.  an old B&D drill press that is actually powered by a hand drill motor - it is an inheritance.  all are occasional tools.   I used lag screws to attach a piece of 2x4 or 2x6 at a right angle under the front of the 12" deck so that the under the bench vise could hold everything as though it was directly bolted to the bench top.

 

Under the top drawers - I used wire basket rectangles - for sandpaper sheets and big boxes holding small boxes of screws.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Jaager

[Landlubber Mike]

2 minutes ago, Jaager said:

 

 

Bench top depth is very helpful.  Determine how far back you can comfortably reach and make it at least that deep.

 

Definitely consider depth.  Some of the workbenches out there are 20" deep and that's not very much if it's going to be your primary workbench for building larger ship models.  20" may be fine for smaller power tools, but that's about it.

[Dr PR]

Thanks for all the ideas.

 

I am planning an extension to the back of my garage for the work shop. It will have a "L" shaped shop area, with an inset storage closet with an outside door for storing a lawn mower and gardening tools. The space will be insulated and have its own heating and possibly air conditioning and dehumidifier (this is Oregon and it can rain for months on end). Right now the garage gets too cold in winter to work out there, and pretty warm in summer. It wouldn't be a good environment for machine tools.

 

I am thinking of built in benches along three walls - a "U" shape - with plenty of room in the middle for moving around. I like Jaeger's suggestion to make the benches as deep as I can comfortably reach. As far as bench height is concerned, 36" - 39" (91 cm - 99 cm) is about elbow height and seems to be a comfortable height for standing. It is low enough to allow me to lean over a lathe or other tool for making adjustments. Steve's idea of making it the same height as the deck of the table saw is really good! I want to get a table saw on casters for large scale house work. It will be stored along the fourth wall along with a roll-around tool cabinet. I can roll it into the garage area for working on long pieces,such as making work benches. It also will be handy for cutting large stock for model work.

 

I will have some  shelves below the benches and maybe a space for a roll-around tool cabinet.These will be set back enough that I can sit at the bench on a stool.  I will definitely have drawers to hold accessories for each tool. Shelves or cabinets will be mounted to the walls above some of the benches, allowing room for taller tools like a milling machine. Lights will be mounted to the bottom of the shelves/cabinets.

 

I was thinking of having AC outlets along the back of the benches at least every two feet. Outlets and wiring are pretty inexpensive relative to the costs of the rest of the project. Each bench will have its own AC circuits and breakers - at least two per bench. I have 17 unused 15 Amp breaker positions in the house 200 Amp breaker panel in the garage close to the shop extension, so I can wire a lot of individual 15 Amp circuits and gang breakers for 30 Amp circuits.

 

I am also considering a vacuum manifold under the front edge of the bench. A shop vacuum will be stored under one of the benches and will normally have a hose attached to the manifold. The manifold will have openings under the front edge of the bench that normally will be covered. This will allow plugging an ordinary vacuum cleaner hose into the opening and into or near any tools that make dust or chips (sander, lathe, mill). The vacuum AC circuit will have its own power switch(s) on each bench section. I can still roll the vacuum out into the workspace or garage.

 

I have a fair amount of experience with lathes and milling machines - the large industrial machines. I will have the small "hobby" machines, but the rules for working with them will be the same. You need plenty of room for the table on a milling machine to move back and forth and for working on the ends of extra long pieces. A lathe should have lots of room behind the chuck end so you can feed long stock through the center of the chuck/collet.

 

I am designing the shop on my CAD system, and I have a 6 1/2 foot (2 meters) long 1:96 scale model of a 610 foot cruiser hull in the plan so I can make room for a big model. This is actually one of the things that made me decide to add on the shop addition. I need lots of room to build the real USS Oklahoma City CLG-5 model. Any other models will certainly be smaller than that!

 

****

 

Here is another question. What tools should be located near each other for working convenience. For example I can see where having a bench sander located close to a bench saw would save steps moving between them. A metal shear and bending tool probably should be near the milling machine. Any other suggestions?

Edited September 21, 2022 by Dr PR

[mtaylor]

From my perspective....  look to the future for what models and scale you'll build.  I have 3 benches.   On one is a lathe with a shelf above and one below and two drawers.  Another has the mill and my small circular saw and with drawers for accessories. There's also a freestanding scroll saw and laser cutter.  The third one is for building though it's actually dual purpose.  For the other tools stored (belt sander/disk combo, thickness sander and odds and ends) I do move the model and use that one.

 

If you have the room, go for as much depth as others have recommended and as much length as you can.  Do set up the lower surface for storage and also consider drawers as we tend to have a lot of small tools   For these and wood storage, I have smaller cabinets and even book shelves I picked up over the years.

[Jaager]

2 hours ago, Dr PR said:

with an inset storage closet with an outside door for storing a lawn mower and gardening tools.

You are missing a real opportunity in not taking full advantage of this separate room.

Put your shop vac in there.  Add a radio controlled On/Off.  The 4" or 2.5" hole in the wall for the vac hose can also take the power cord for the vac.  In place of the vac under the bench, put a Dust Deputy cyclone trap -  or whatever brand or type you like.   A vac with no noise is a luxury that most of us can only dream about.   My only annoyance with the Dust Deputy is that the 5 gal bottom trap does not play nice if a kitchen 22 gal plastic trash bag is in it.  Dumping a full 5 gal bucket into a plastic bag is messy - an outdoors job that gets flocculant mess everywhere - no matter how tightly closed the bag is during the dump.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Jaager

[Bob Cleek]

2 hours ago, Dr PR said:

I was thinking of having AC outlets along the back of the benches at least every two feet. Outlets and wiring are pretty inexpensive relative to the costs of the rest of the project. Each bench will have its own AC circuits and breakers - at least two per bench. I have 17 unused 15 Amp breaker positions in the house 200 Amp breaker panel in the garage close to the shop extension, so I can wire a lot of individual 15 Amp circuits and gang breakers for 30 Amp circuits.

Might I also suggest AC outlets in the front of workbenches just below the bench top?. These make it very easy to plug, unplug, and use hand-held corded power tools like Dremels and soldering irons at the bench with the cords hanging down in front of the bench rather than running across the bench top where they can foul on stuff on the bench top.  Each power outlet circuit should have a ground-fault interrupter on it for those occasions when you inadvertently lay your hot soldering iron across it's plastic power cord.  

 

15 amp service is fine for lighting and small power tools, but I'd suggest you provide 30 amp service to all outlets for when you may need it. (Like when your electric coffee pot, microwave, and portable space heater are all running at the same time.  )  As you anticipate doing full-size woodworking in your shop, I think you'd also be wise to run 220 VAC to power outlets in appropriate areas. You may well come across a really great deal on a used stationary power tool that requires 220 VAC power, as all the best ones do. Having 220 VAC available, will greatly increase the number of available quality used tools for sale to pick from and if you are going to spring for a new 10" table saw or other stationary power tool, the 220 VAC will enable your stationary tool to operate at its full potential

 

In addition to workbenches against the wall, I suggest you also acquire a free-standing workbench on locking casters that can be rolled around as the job requires. It should as big as you can make it, 8'X10', if possible, and be the same height as your table saw + router table (in the saw table extension) so the bench can serve as an extension table if needed. I've found a free-standing, solid, heavy, rolling table is necessary for working on things that are too large to fit on the wall-mounted bench, like furniture and model cases. Since you are planning on doing full-sized work, your rolling workbench should have a decent below the bench top woodworking vise mounted on it (preferably one with a raising bench-dog bar on it) and your wall-mounted bench should have the biggest machinist's vise the bench can handle (4" jaws minimum) very securely mounted on a corner of the wall-mounted bench. (Think in terms of something that will hold a workpiece rock steady while you really put your back into a pipe wrench with a breaker bar.) A large rolling workbench can have drawers and cabinets installed in the body of it for tool storage. The added weight of the tools contributes to the stability of the table.

 

Since this workshop area will be in the back of your garage, I'd suggest you provide a way to roll your free-standing workbench and stationary power tools out to the drive way or at least to the threshold of the garage doors and, if it's not a huge undertaking, that may involve running 120 and 220 VAC outlets closer to the doors. When this is possible, and with a large fan at your back, spray painting, powered sanding, table sawing, and other messy jobs can be done without resorting to an expensive built-in sawdust and shavings vacuum system. The fan will blow a large amount of the airborne fine dust outside and save you a lot of shop cleanup time. (This practice is subject to the circumstances however... Some neighbors take exception to late-night power tool operating noise and perceive a cloud of sawdust drifting towards their front porch like it was mustard gas.) 

 

As your new workshop in the garage is presumably attached to the house and not removed some inconvenient distance away, you will almost certainly encounter the problem of household members employing your shop benches and tabletops... indeed any available horizontal surface in your shop... as a place to dump whatever they don't want to be inside the house at any given moment. Alas, as hard as I've tried, I've never discovered a solution to this problem that didn't involve getting a divorce. If anybody's solved this problem, please share your secret!  

Edited September 21, 2022 by Bob Cleek

[Jaager]

I second Bob's rec. of having 220V.   It is expensive to retro fit.  and again with Bob over engineer the amps. 

Any proper 14" bandsaw will need 220V.   You being your own sawmill = big boy bandsaw.

[Dr PR]

Jaeger and Bob,

 

Excellent suggestions!

 

I had been thinking about a bunch of AC outlets below the front edge of the benches, alternating with the vacuum outlets. Your point about not dragging power cords across the bench top is well taken!

 

The idea of running some 220 VAC to outlets above the benches is also a pretty easy thing to add. There are already 220 VAC circuits in the main breaker panel in the garage. One thing to keep in mind before planning a lot of separate AC circuits - have you priced Romex lately? I recently installed a whole house fan in the attic and I needed about 150 feet of 14/2 Romex and it was going to cost a small fortune. Fortunately I discovered most of a 250 foot roll hiding in the back of the garage storage, left over from a wiring project long ago.

 

I planned to put the vacuum inside a cabinet to reduce the noise. I still wanted to be able to pull it out and roll it around so I could use it in the garage also. However, on the other side of the common wall between the shop and garage is a large storage cabinet that I could put the vacuum in! No need for the wireless on/off. I can just put a switched AC outlet in the garage cabinet. A hole can run through the wall from the vacuum to the vacuum manifold.

 

I do plan to have the shop floor level with the garage floor, with a 36" door between the shop and garage. I will need to roll some pretty heavy tools and boxes into the shop.

 

I had also thought about having a roll-around work bench so I could get at all sides of a large model without having to turn it around. One of the benches will be about 90 inches (228 cm) long. I suppose I could make it movable. It is the one closest to the door and is where I was thinking of putting the model. I would attach the AC outlets to the wall above where it would normally be positioned. I plan to put pegboard above these wall outlets. These would remain on the wall when the bench is moved.

 

The room isn't very large so I will have to plan the size of a moveable work bench so it can be turned around without having to roll it out to the garage to turn it and then back into the shop. I just tried it in the CAD model and an 84" x 30" (213 x 76 cm) table can be rotated 360 degrees in the shop if I champfer the corners about 6 inches (15 cm)!

Edited September 21, 2022 by Dr PR

[Bob Cleek]

35 minutes ago, Dr PR said:

One thing to keep in mind before planning a lot of separate AC circuits - have you priced Romex lately?

Oh, yeah! Copper is through the roof. The next time I need some, I'm considering going to my local scrap yard to see if they have any they'd sell me cheap. That's where the "tweakers" who steal wiring from unoccupied buildings fence heir loot. 

 

[Bob Cleek]

42 minutes ago, Dr PR said:

I had also thought about having a roll-around work bench so I could get at all sides of a large model without having to turn it around. One of the benches will be about 90 inches (228 cm) long. I suppose I could make it movable. It is the one closest to the door and is where I was thinking of putting the model. I would attach the AC outlets to the wall above where it would normally be positioned. I plan to put pegboard above these wall outlets. These would remain on the wall when the bench is moved.

Attach AC outlets below the rolling bench top and wire these to an extension cord that hangs from a hook on the side of the bench. You then roll the bench around and plug it in wherever's convenient like a big "power strip."

 

I have pegboard covering all the walls of my shop bench area which aren't already covered by hanging cabinets. I also should mention that architectural recycling outfits, places like Habitat for Humanity stores, and many kitchen remodeling contractors will have used kitchen cabinets available. (Some contractors will readily give these cabinets and bases away for the taking, because the generally have to pay to take them to the dumps.) I have kitchen cabinets hung above all of my wall-mounted benches.

[Srodbro]

All excellent suggestions. I’d add a couple more regarding electrical:

 

In lieu of duplex receptacles install quadruplex … seems like wherever you put them, you always need one more to avoid plugging/unplugging frequently. 

Also, consider a couple mounted at ceiling … you gotta do wiring for lights up there anyway, and having the outlet above is another way to avoid dragging the cord across the bench. 

Finally, if this is an addition, presumably there is a new floor. Consider running power under the floor to a recessed utility box with outlets (maybe even a compressed air terminal) in it. 

 

Ok, one other thing:  Consider something to keep your feet comfortable while standing. I have a 3’x4’ glued-up section of 3/4” thick T&G flooring to stand on at the workbench ( but not while feeding my table saw) … softer and warmer than concrete. 

Heck … this is fun: spending your money!

[druxey]

So much advice already, but ask yourself whether you'll be mainly sitting or standing. If sitting, what height is the chair? Is it adjustable in height? And, most important, what is you own height and reach?

[RichardG]

3 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

As your new workshop in the garage is presumably attached to the house and not removed some inconvenient distance away, you will almost certainly encounter the problem of household members employing your shop benches and tabletops... indeed any available horizontal surface in your shop... as a place to dump whatever they don't want to be inside the house at any given moment. Alas, as hard as I've tried, I've never discovered a solution to this problem that didn't involve getting a divorce. If anybody's solved this problem, please share your secret!

My garage is reasonably (aka to my wife as really. really) dusty. That keeps people at bay.

[rudybob]

20 hours ago, Dr PR said:

I am planning an addition to my garage for a workshop. I have looked at commercially available work benches and they vary from 20 inches (50 cm) wide to 36 inches (91 cm). Height ranges from 30 inches (76 cm) to 39 inches (99 cm).

 

I am planning for a variety of small tools including a lathe, milling machine, sander, metal press, etc. I have dimensions for a variety of these tools and all will fit on a 24 inch (61 cm) wide bench.

 

But I would appreciate advice from those of you with experience with such tools as to how wide and high the benches should be.

 

I will likely be building all of the benches with wood myself, so I can make any size and height.

I don't like bending over much so my benches are tall, long and not so wide I can't easily reach to the back. I don't like attaching saws, grinders, vises, etc so I attach those to wood then clamp them when needed. My primary bench goes around the corner in an L. I like looking out windows so I faced it that way. Have fun .

[RichardG]

When I moved into our home about 19 years ago, there were already 2 benches in an L against the back and side of the garage. Over the years I found these to be ok. There were 2 problems, I couldn't get to both sides and the depth at 28 inches was too far for me (I have short arms). This year I made 2 additional benches both smaller and on locking casters. I also made them different heights. A shorter one for heavier work, which also, by an odd coincidence, is the exact height of my 10" small table saw. This also has a wood vice at one end. The other is about 4" taller for detail work. I'm also planning to buy an adjustable height stool. 

 

Looking at the longer term, both benches are "portable" and only bolted together. We are expecting to move to a smaller home in a few years, so these should still work there.

[Dr PR]

Thanks again, everyone.

 

The floor will be reinforced concrete continuous with the floor of the garage. Who knows, someone may want to work on something heavy in there some day.

 

I will need mats on the floor, at least in front of machines (mill, lathe) that I will be standing in front of for long periods. I'll use adjustable height stools or chairs that I can move in front of other work areas.

 

I like the way the bench was constructed in the video vaddoc linked to. There will be a "L" shaped bench across the end of the room and along the short side where the outside tool locker will be. I think 30" (76 cm) deep will be about right. This bench will be about 12 feet (3.66 meters) on the long side and ?? feet (?? meters) on the short leg.

 

Here is an overhead view of what I have in mind:

 

 

It is a small "retirement" house, with a single car garage. The workshop is an extension of the garage. The wall with the door is 13.75 feet (4.2 meters) long and the wall along the long side of the fixed bench is 11.65 feet (3.55 meters) long, inside dimensions. You can see the 6.5 foot long (2 meter) CLG hull on the moveable bench. The benches are 30 inches (76 cm) deep.

 

The "tool locker" is an outside accessible store room for a lawn mower and gardening tools. They currently occupy the space in the garage between the end of the cabinets and the upper wall in the picture. When I put in the doorway I will need somewhere to put all those things. I will put the vacuum and air compressor in the cabinets in the garage and plumb them into the work room. That way the noise will not be in the work room.

 

The shop isn't very large but it is a major improvement. Right now I do most of my work on the kitchen table with hand tools.

 

Now I just need to draw up 2D plans and get some bids from contractors. I'm sure there will be changes. I will need at least one window. I have been building and remodeling houses since I was a kid, and I suppose I could do most of this except the concrete work. But I'll have a contractor build the foundation, framing, exterior walls and roof. That's a caveat to my age (and my significant other). I can finish the interior myself.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Dr PR

[Jaager]

11 hours ago, Dr PR said:

The space will be insulated and have its own heating and possibly air conditioning and dehumidifier (this is Oregon and it can rain for months on end). Right now the garage gets too cold in winter to work out there,

 

1 hour ago, Dr PR said:

The floor will be reinforced concrete continuous with the floor of the garage. Who knows, someone may want to work on something heavy in there some day.

Ceiling insulation.  

It is not likely that the back work room will ever used for heavy machines, so under the concrete pour having a layer of 2" or more of solid foam sheet insulation  be between the ground and the cement.  makes heating easier.   probably a wash in summer since the 52 degree layer is a lot farther down.   

I would probably be happiest if all three outside walls had windows and the long one was more window than solid.  

For about six months of the year, having fresh air would make it less claustrophobic.

It is not really living space so looks are irrelevant so at night - in winter - instead of  Window Quilt barriers,  a push fit of solid foam sheet pieces will save heat loss. 

[Srodbro]

Don’t forget to obtain a building permit. Workshops are famous focal points for “ home inspectors” and code enforcement officials, which could affect your ability to sell the property some day. 

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

7 hours ago, Dr PR said:

Here is an overhead view of what I have in mind

The configuration I use: everything on wheels, this way I can set the tools as I need for every project.  Workbenches are massive and are made to build furniture. Electric height adjustable table is better suited for a modeler, one of its main quality: working at the good height as much for the hull and the rigging.

[Dr PR]

More good ideas! Thanks!

 

Steve, I will have a contractor do the main work and that will have to go through the city engineering department for permits, etc. What I have drawn is just a conceptual drawing. The city's inspectors are pretty thorough.

 

Insulation is important. We rarely get down to freezing here, and rarely over 90F in the summer, so it is pretty mild. But the uninsulated garage gets down into the high 30sF (~4C) in winter and into the 90sF (~35C) in summer. So I'll need good insulation to make the space usable year round, and for the benefit of the machine tools.

 

I had not thought of insulation beneath the concrete floor. I have never seen that used here. It might compress and allow the concrete to break. I'll see what the contractors recommend.

 

I think I recall reading in our building codes that at least one window is required since this will be an "occupied" space (as opposed to closets and such). Having a flow of fresh air when it is nice outside will be good.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Dr PR