# Table Height



## sisterblue (Jun 19, 2012)

Can anyone help me with table height? I am a 5'7 woman and I am also recovering from a 2 Level Lumbar Fusion. I can not bend over nor can I reach very high, so I am trying to find help with the height my Router & Router Table should be. I am also a very very new beginner and any help would be welcome !!! Thx


----------



## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Starr, I hope your recovery is successful! I have 7- fused vertebrae and know how it feels to be hurt in that region. My prayers will go out for you. The answer is "what ever suits you best". Many factors control what is or is not comfortable for you and nobody will be able to give you an authoratitive answer without some testing. You can do the testing for yourself - with help from someone to provide stands and surfaces of different heights for your consideration. One factor is "line-of-sight" with consideration given to lighting, 20/20 or whatever, we with back ailments can hurt in the lower back by simply craning our neck in certain ways. I, personally have to be very careful in efforts such as this. Another factor will be if you are sitting or standing for long periods of time - will you need a leg or foot rest? I have learned that in my shop if we are all somewhat close in height it makes there be much less need for height adjustments. I am 5'-8" and I have had a couple of guys that were 6'-4" - what a pain it was to be constantly adjusting for different people to use things - even as simple as a sawhorse! 

Find something that is too tall for you, then measure it. Find something too short for you, then measure it. Eventually with old phone books, boards or whatever is handy and someone that can do your heavy lifting - you will settle on what works best for you!

In my shop, we even have adjustable heights for the lighting and a dedicated splinter-removal station - complete with tweezers, a magnifying light, paper towels, etc. Splinters happen daily to someone, and it pays to simply be prepared. 

Try to not "paint yourself in a corner" with your router table height - even if you need to make it adjustable in height via layers of underlayment such as plywood. Good luck!


----------



## GulfcoastGuy (Feb 27, 2012)

If bending is a real problem try this.

Place your forearms in front of your body palms down one on top of the other. You should look like one of the old cigar store wooden Indians. Measure from the underside of your lower arm to the floor and use that as a starting point. Mock up something (nothing elaborate, something on a kitchen counter will do) and test for reach and the ability to hold downward pressure as if you were holding your work piece to the fence and down on the table top. This should give you an idea.

You may also need a stool *at the right height* to sit on while you adjust bit height.

Just my $.02

GCG


----------



## papawd (Jan 5, 2011)

I agree with a comfy height for You, My router table is a little lower than one of my work tables and another work table is a different height from those 2 because I sit at that one (with my favorite stool) and do most of my drawing and planning of projects .... A good starting point is roughly between Your belly button and waist height if You really do not want to bend over


----------



## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

it seems to me a height many people find good is little lower than the elbow

if you have a drill press, you can get a feel for the different heights by putting a piece of plywood on the drill press table and raising and lowering it.

that might give you a pretty good feel for your preferred height.


----------



## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Chris Curl said:


> it seems to me a height many people find good is little lower than the elbow
> 
> if you have a drill press, you can get a feel for the different heights by putting a piece of plywood on the drill press table and raising and lowering it.
> 
> that might give you a pretty good feel for your preferred height.


1+ with Chris.

I'm also 5'7". Just like Otis and you, (abbreviated list) I have 3 fused vertebrae in lower back, residual hairline fractures lower back, 2 fused vertebrae in my neck, (all different injuries), torn muscles in lower back from 2 more injuries...

Classical cabinet workbenches height were at the pinky knuckle or the at middle of the hand. That's way too low for me. I build my anvil stands so the top of the anvil is a little below my elbow... But on work tables where I have to reach across or sometime have to twist while feeding stock--> I have my workbenchs and such set about halfway between my wrist and elbow. Seems to work out better on my back.

Chris'es idea sounds great to find what's comfortable for you.


----------



## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

you might also consider this: you may find that your preferred height for a table that has a router built into it might be higher than you like if you were to use the same table for free-hand routing.

so how you will be using the router with the table might also be something to keep in mind


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Yep, what you feel comfortable, and safe, using. However. Always a however. I have arthritis of the spine, and it really is bad standing in one place. So, my table is low enough I can sit and use it - can't use it standing, period. The top is a bit higher than my elbows, so I can spread my arms and rest them on the top - much easier on me, really extends work time. Scroll saw about the same, except no place to rest my arms, but I don't use it for too long at a time anyway.

For what it's worth, I don't think I use my router at all except with patterns/templates.


----------



## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Starr, I've been rereading your thread here and it appears to me that several of the fellow members have offered some really good suggestions. I don't know how long you have been recuperating, but hope very much that you're able to find what works best for you. With my situation, it took quite a while to regain strength and endurance. It took 25 months before I could do heavy lifting, because my injuries were quite bad to begin with; but I knew that the last thing I would ever want to do was to have that surgery a second time - so I took my doctor's advice on the physical therapy - and it worked amazingly well. CONCERNING YOUR SPINE, IF YOU HAVE EVER HEARD, "NO PAIN - NO GAIN" - THAT IS WRONG! IF SOMETHING IS HURTING YOUR SPINE PLEASE STOP DOING IT IMMEDIATELY. GIVE IT AMPLE TIME TO HEAL. RATHER THAN GETTING YOURSELF DISCOURAGED ABOUT THE TIME OFF - THINK OF THE BENEFIT OF STOPPING THE AGGRAVATION. I still have occasional "downtimes" when my back is telling me to take time-off, I very often find myself having to prescribe "low impact days" and it is these times that I often use to plan ahead for future projects. We all wish you the best of recovery, and be safe. Routers can provide a vehicle by which some really nice work can be accomplished - but with all that speed and power, dangerous things can happen.


----------



## sisterblue (Jun 19, 2012)

Wow, thank you all so much for some really good information and suggestions about table height. As I have said, I am brand new to the world of Routing and I ran a piece of scrap through and almost immediately knew it was not gonna work as it was way to high and I was having to really push and work way to hard. I am grateful to have found this forum, which only happened because I was looking for height info. So glad to be here! 

Bending is not an option at all right now. I am only just under 7 months into a 18-24 month recovery from the 2 level lumbar fusion, but also have extensive damage at the levels below and above. They only fixed the worst or so they say ) HA So I am done with my career due to the injuries per the Doc's and I have always loved playing with my tools and building things. So before the surgery I started putting the shop in order to begin a hobby I have always been interested in...Wood !!!

I am not doing anything heavy for awhile, but went out and bought the lumber and have made my plans to build new trellis for growing some grapes, replacing that cheep 3/4in x 3/4in you spend way to much money on only to replace it a few years down the road. This is how I got on the table height subject, because I thought it might be nice to put some character on it ) My shop is big and I think I am only a couple 2 or 3 tools away from having just about anything you would need to build anything with, so this gal thinks she just found the perfect place to settle in with all of you and do some learning ) I do thank you all again so very much and would like to end friend requests if that would be alright !!! I can use all the help I can get and it is so nice to have a few here that know my injury/repair who can also help me make adjustments that will let me continue down the new journey I am on )


----------



## Neil Tsubota (Mar 20, 2010)

Hello Sister....
The word "ergonomics" comes to my mind.

The "best" height for a working table height is depended on several factors. To me the number one issue is height compatibility. Look at your current shop and measure the height of your table saw, miter saw stand, and drill press. ( I also forgot about the height of the back of your vehicle....very important..in my book...) Unless you are having the wood delivered by UPS, Fed Ex, or the US Postal system.

Did you know that "most" of the above three delivery services limit the maximum weight of one "single" item not to exceed 75 pounds.

Also it is not only weight, but also girth. Find out what the maximum, height and depth.

IMHO, the "best" height for a woodworking for hand plane-ing, or scraping is different if I am using a table saw, or miter saw, radial arm saw, or drill press work. (Make it adjustable !)

Did you mention that you wear glasses ?

Ask your "eye-technician" what is the range of these glasses ?

Do you wear prescription safety glasses ?

I just purchased these safety glasses from Woodcraft:

Buy FastCap Magnifying Bifocal Safety Glasses 20 Diopter at Woodcraft

How did I know + 2.0 ?
Because I looked at my last exam test results, and I noticed that my bifocal prescription was 2.0....(smart..?... no just smarter than the average bear..._Yogi Bear- cartoon character, not the baseball player)

more information.....


----------



## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

If you are in physical therapy, ask your physical therapist. They know your case and your limitations. They have studied the muscles, ligaments and bones. They can recognize something that may just need additional strength before it feels 'right'.

Show them the movements needed to do the work, and they can suggest what heights will work best. Maybe it is as simple as one foot resting on a step.


----------

