Benchtop height

So I’m waiting for delivery of a new Shapeoko Pro and will be building a bench for it’s arrival. Any recommendations for bench top height (from the floor)??

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This depends on one’s own height and what sort of stock you will be cutting and if you need compatibility with an existing outfeed setup.

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Go to a table and bend over it. How far down do you want to bend. Then think of what you want to do under it, if you want to roll a cart then that has a height, that’ll be your floor + 2inches. Height is totally subjective. I didn’t want to bend over and I wanted to use it as a work surface, but not an assembly surface. So its like 64" or so tall (I’m 6’3) and I have a husky cart, a wood trolly, and a garbage can under it at the moment. I use the hybrid tracks to mount things like a router table. YMMV. Just back into it based on what you can envision yourself wanting to do and kinesthetically how you want to work on the surface. Worst case, you redo it at some point. :+1:

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As mentioned it depends on your comfort level regarding leaning over the machine and clamping your stock. For me that’s a 35" table. If you are tall you can do higher.

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Search this forum. There must be a hundred examples.

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For me I like a table top height because I have a comfortable office chair I sit in and can reach most things without having to get up. Some people like pub table height and some people put it on a lower shelf. Both of those have issues because you must stand up to do anything or be kneeling on the floor. Those things are ok to do if you are younger. I am 69 so I do not want to be standing up or crawling around on the floor. You will be watching a lot of paint dry so make sure you have a comfortable place to sit and watch. You must attend to the machine and be within ear shot in case something goes wrong. We have had people ask if they should video monitor the machine from a remote location and that can lead to fires in your shop. So stay close by because minor emergencies can become big emergencies. During long cuts I sometimes go into the house for an ergonomic break but I am only gone a couple of minutes.

So depending on your age and physical ability should be the primary consideration of the height of your table. The taller it is you get more storage space under it. The shorter it is the less you have.

Some people have bought the Rockler or the Kreg bolt together benches and open builds sells alum extrusions to make stands and enclosures. What ever method you pick for your table it has to be stable because there is a lot of weight on top and the machine has a lot of momentum. I would definitely have two way locking wheels because there is maintenance to do and cleaning and sometimes tiling jobs. Just dont box yourself in and make future maintenance or cleaning hard.

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Thank you so much for your time and effort in sharing your thoughts with me. I’m just a tad older than you (70) so your words make for very good logic I think. I will likely find “kitchen counter” height to be the ultimate comfort level I guess. Everyone’s responses here lead to the conclusion that comfort means everything. I have already obtained and will install locking “bench lift” casters that will lift a 700 pound work bench. Plenty adequate if they perform as advertised. I will be able to engage all four casters to put the bench on 360° swivel wheels or drop all four corners to floor level. Your points on being present at all times while the CNC machine is in use impresses me. I had the vision that you could set the task and let the machine “do its thing” without paying a lot of attention but your emphasis on fire in my shop from a tool spinning in wood at high speed serves to give me a lot of justified concern. Thanks for that - I’ll stay with the machine and watch it faithfully carry out my orders!! Take care and much appreciate your thoughts!!

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Here is a video to press the point. Don’t be afraid, just don’t take it for granted that it has worked 1 thousand times with no issues.

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