How High Is Your Table?

I want to get my table finished before I start assembling my XXL, and I am wondering what height table your machine is mounted on. I have built a 48x48-inch torsion box top that is 5 inches thick. I really like the Kreg Universal Bench as a base, and it comes in 17-to-23-inch and 31-to-39-inch versions.

Are you going to stand at the machine to work at it? Or will you sit on a table or stool?

What is the largest/heaviest stock you plan on using?

Are you going to stand at the machine to work at it? Or will you sit on a table or stool?
Honestly, I don’t know yet. That is why I am asking.

What is the largest/heaviest stock you plan on using?
I am getting it to use primarily on 1" thick to 2" thick basswood or jelutong. I do have some cherry.

Mine is about 36.5" including casters . It’s a comfortable height for me an average height guy. I rarely sit unless my toolpaths are short like under 5 minutes. Otherwise I will do other things while I keep an eye on it.

2 Likes

Lower if you’re going to be seated, taller if standing.

The stock you describe sounds manageable as long as you aren’t going to be using overly large pieces.

I’m 6ft tall. My table is at 39in and it is comfortable for me. I sit on a stool when watching if I’m not working in the shop.

Another consideration is are you going to add an enclosure to this later. If so you might want to give more height on the bench top for head clearance on the enclosure door like I did.

1 Like

My XXL table top was 29 inches from the floor. I recently added a 5" torsion box so now it is 35.5 inches from the floor to the bed of the Shapeoko. I like to sit in an office chair when operating my machine. I have a small table next to the machine with my laptop on it. The older you get the less I want to stand or sit on a high stool to baby sit the machine. My office chair is adjustable and I really like sitting and watching. I can reach most things from the chair but things in the back I have to stand up for. I mainly operate it with my project closer to the front. Having the chair puts the bit changing right at eye level so it is easy to change bits.

Even if you are going to leave your machine stationary I would add wheels. Sometimes you want to clean around the machine and you may want to locate it in the future. You can lock the wheels and I dont have any problem with table movement because I have a large drawer in the front for clamps, a middle craftsman tool box with bits and wrenches and so forth and on the left side behind the tool box I have a large drawer to keep spares, accessories and old parts in. So the table is plenty heavy and I have no vibration or movement of my stand.

I had mine at 36" and it worked perfect for me. I’m average at 5’8".

1 Like

Mine sits at 35". I tend to stand when I work, but I also have a tall stool that I can sit at while watching.
I’m 5’9".

3 Likes

…
:thinking:

2 Likes

I went through this exact same process when I bought my XXL and asked the same questions.
One thing I was also trying to account for was I wanted to try and get the spoil board the same height as an existing workbench so if I was feeding long stock through the machine the workbench could be utilised as an off feed table so as not to put a load of stress on the Shapeoko with a heavy overhang.

1 Like

@JMark Mark: Has it stayed “close enough” even after you’ve resurfaced your spoilboard a couple of times?

My XXL is on box that also serves as my table saw outfield table. The picture shows the XXL on the table with the top that lifts and is held in place with pneumatic supports.

3 Likes

When you operate the Shapeoko do you leave the lid up and attach your vac hose. I am currently trying to work out a support arm for an XL that will hold the vac hose above the table and shift front to back if required. I had posted about seeing the OneInfinity support arm from etsy.com Onefinity CNC Vacuum Boom | Etsy

yes, that is exactly what I do. You can’t see it in this picture, but I have a velcro strap in the center of the top that holds the vac hose up out of the way. there is enough hose to allow travel over the entire cutting area. When I’m done, I lower the top and it goes back to its original life as an out feed/assembly table. my whole shop is a single car garage, so everything has to be multi-purpose to get floor space. :smile:

I built mine kind of high…figured it will be easier to shorten the legs if needed instead of making them taller, but so far it works out ok.
41 inches to the table top with a so3 xxl.
5’10"

1 Like

I made my table with 2 x 4’s and MDO board and the table height with the shapeoko at 34". This is simular to a kitchen cabinet heights and works well if you have a bar stool you desire to sit at. Tom

Hi Gary,
Close enough so a few washers of fine wedges of wood make up the difference.
It is all about trade off’s though as at this height it is not easy to reach the back of the machine so if your access around the sides and back of the machine were going to be restricted then this would need to be taken into account.
There are definitely a lot of nice enclosures and tables people have built on the forum which constantly makes me think of things I would want to change in the future.

I have a XL so I purchased two base cabinets - Sink cabinet 30" wide and a drawer cabinet 18" wide. The cabinets are 35" tall. I put a 3/4" piece of plywood on top. The front edge is at the face of the drawers and door. I hang the top 5" over the back of the cabinet. I have my vacumn and dust collecter in the sink cabinet below and I use the drawers for supplies, etc.

1 Like

On the XXL it’s worth considering whether you can easily lean over the bed to reach the back of the workspace if you don’t have easy access to the sides. I built my table at 36" high which results in 38" to the bed which is just a bit too high to easily lean across to the back of the machine.

1 Like