Bench height

OverUnder725

OverUnder725

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Next door to my neighbour
I was looking at the reloading room thread and noticed everything from desks to custom built cabinetry. I convinced the wife to rearrange the basement so I could convert the kids play room into my gun / reloading room and am now wondering how to configure it for benches. The room is 8' x 11' and finished but does not have a door. My plan is to do some research on what type of door etc. I would require to make it a "room that has been specifically constructed" to store firearms but that would come at a later date. Right now, just looking for input on bench height, what you have and would change if you could or what you have found works the best.
 
I like to be able to stand or sit, so I made my bench 41" tall. That way while standing, when bend my arms so my forearms are parallel to the bench top I have an inch or two below my elbow to the bench top. I use a barstool tall enough to be comfortable while seated.
 
Standing at a bench that is too low (or too high) for a long period of time is HARD on your back. I've found that a good height for a bench is about halfway between your bellybutton and where your ribs meet your sternum. Yuo can easily see everything on the bench without bending much, and if you're going to reload, the range of the press arm will be within the movement of your arm without bending. Bonus is that there's lots of room for shelves and storage underneath!

Anti-fatigue mats help too.
 
mwjones said:
Standing at a bench that is too low (or too high) for a long period of time is HARD on your back. I've found that a good height for a bench is about halfway between your bellybutton and where your ribs meet your sternum. Yuo can easily see everything on the bench without bending much, and if you're going to reload, the range of the press arm will be within the movement of your arm without bending. Bonus is that there's lots of room for shelves and storage underneath!

Anti-fatigue mats help too.
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+1 this is what I did. Get a tall stool, I have a pneumatic one from Costco.
 
If your bench is too deep it's hard to reach shelving, too tall and you knock stuff over while reaching, mine is 36" deep and has 10 shelving on the rear leaving 26" of top. I wish I had went 28" deep and 8" shelves.
 
Cleftwynd said:
I like to be able to stand or sit, so I made my bench 41" tall. That way while standing, when bend my arms so my forearms are parallel to the bench top I have an inch or two below my elbow to the bench top. I use a barstool tall enough to be comfortable while seated.
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Mine is 41" tall as well and that works well for me. My depth is 34" with 12" shelves and if I did it over I would go with 10" shelves. The 34" depth works ok.
 
You want it tall, so it's easier on your back, but not so deep you can't reach the wall behind it.
The higher it is, the shallower it needs to be so you can reach the back.
Mine is 41" high and 24" deep, and getting stuff off of the top shelf is a reach.
Shallower benches can collect less crap, too ;)
 
Mine is 36" tall, 6' long and 24" deep.
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We made a sore for the gun room today! Wife said I could take this out of another storage area and use it if I wanted. I waisted no time on that deal! It is 36" from the floor to the top, 8' long but is only 13" deep. I think It may get mounted as an upper cabinet once I get the bench built.

desk1.jpg
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OverUnder725 said:
We made a sore for the gun room today! Wife said I could take this out of another storage area and use it if I wanted. I waisted no time on that deal! It is 36" from the floor to the top, 8' long but is only 13" deep. I think It may get mounted as an upper cabinet once I get the bench built.

desk1.jpg
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Good grab! Although I don't like the look of that clock - my reloading bench is where I go to lose track of time... :p
 
Call this a prototype. Its made from some scrap wood. I may re-do it to make it from nicer wood now that I have the dimensions worked out. It is small and portable. Can move it in front of the tv, or to the range to seat bullets. Extremely stiff with the triangle three leg design. Quite stable as the legs are splayed out, and it doesn't rely on weight of table to remain stable.

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Might make it with a wider top piece and 2x4 rear leg.

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Totally depends your your size, if you are 5'5" shorter bench if 6'5" taller and deeper bench. Play around with differing heights and pick the one you are most comfortable with. If you plan on sitting, buy a good chair, they are a lot more valuable than folks think. Nothing like loosing concentration due to back pain. It really is worth getting right for you.
 
I went 36" tall, the same as my kitchen cupboards. I'm also a shorter guy at 5'8" so its the right height for me. I like to be able to stand for doing things like cleaning my rifles, and sit while I'm reloading. Mine is built in an "L" shape, with the loading portion 36" deep and 10" deep shelves. The other portion is 24" deep and I use it for cleaning and working on my rifles.



of course the bottom of my bench has turned into storage for miscellaneous crap. THe part I don't like is that the stuff on the shelves in the corner can be a little hard to reach. So I just put seldom used items there, no big deal.
 
I already had a work bench set up but since I prefer to have my presses higher up than normal, I ordered a couple of Ultramounts from Dan Clausen for my Lee and Redding presses. I prefer to sit on a stool and the mounts bring the press to an ideal height, for me.
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I went 38" high (I'm 5'10") so I could stand or sit at a "VLT" chair and 28" deep so it would fit through the door to be moved out. Then used Cdn Tire shelves.


Clint
 
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