Building a Router Table

[THyman]

I an thinking about building a router table and it will be on locking casters. My question is how high should I make the table. I am 6' 3" and would like to have it a little taller or should it be the same height as the table saw so that is could be used for an extension to the table saw.

I am also looking to build a workbench so how tall should this be as well? I may also make this mobile (on locking casters)

I am interested in your comments. Thanks

[SARGE..g-47]

The correct height for an Auburn fan living in Cobb County (what will Ga. county goverment allow next?) would be to stand straight and have someone measure from the floor to the bottom of your chin! :>)

For anyone else, my formula would be to stand with a piece of wood stock in your hand and simulate running it across the top of a router table. Freeze.. and have someone measure from the floor to the bottom of the piece of stock.

Same with work-bench. Just simulate what you do most on it and measure. If you intend to use it as a secondary support table, I would do this. Get your height and compare to the TS height. Say the TS is 37 and your comfort height is 36". I would adjust the top to 36 1/4" so you can place a piece of MDF on it to match the TS height.

Caution... trying to get it the exact height is not easy. Go find two idenical areas in you shop (if it is a garage) that have level concrete floors. Good luck in your search! ha.. ha... The good news is the MDF I mentioned can be shimmed with 1/16" washers if the table height is a bit shorter than the TS height.

Don't forget to allow for the height of the casters. They don't teach stuff like at agricultural schools in Bama! he.......

Regards... and just kiddin' ya of course

[final_t]

Having just built one and done a little research into workplace ergonmics, the general rule is the table top should be at the height of your elbows, so that you don't have to lean over.
Also suggest that you try to make it the same height as your main workbench so that one becomes an extension of the other; at the very least, the main WB could be about 1/2" lower so that wood coming off the router table can skim onto the WB.

[onedash]

Elbows would be pretty high for a general purpose...
I seen something Maybe on here...Moving from Heavy Duty to everyday to precision type work going from lower to higher...Have it at chin level might be ok if you are painting rice with a magnifying glass on your head and having it ankle high when your tool of choice is a chainsaw or sledge hammer.
If you plan on using your router table for hours a day everyday then I think you'd want it where ever you will be most comfortable.
Mine is a little lower make that a lot lower than I would prefere but it works just fine....(used a stand I had to slap the table top on)
I first had it on an old work bench that was an ideal hight but got rid of that to make more room in the garage...

[messmaker]

I would make it higher than your TS top. Mine is about 40".

[kwgeorge]

Well something really to consider here is finding the balance between comfort and usability. You have to keep in mind that you will be doing many different types of processes on the router table so with that the ability to control the piece you are manipulating is extremely important. Too high and you sacrifice control but too low and you suffer from back pain. I am currently rebuilding my router table and this factor was taken into consideration. For me being 6’2” I found a good height to be 34”. This allows me the best control of the piece being worked on and also allows me to reach all over the table without extended bending over.

Ken and my .02

[LCHIEN]

I have found that for smaller things/more delicate operations higher is better and for larger, heavier items, lower is better.
For my Planer I like it lower, it's easier to lift and run large boards thru it. Likewaise the jointer's base is relatively low.

OTOH, the BT3 table is 38" high, higher than most. I used this height for my router table, most things are smaller and operations more detailed. Extensive router setup and routing are eased by being closer to hold and see, its easier on my back and eyes (Progressive bifocal prescription safety glasses.)

[Tom Hintz]

Years ago I noticed that I was most comfortable working on my RAS table that was just over 40" off the floor. I have a couple herniated disks in my back that let me know when I am working stooped over too much and they also liked the RAS table height so I built everything from that point on to that height. In addition to being easy on my back, that height just feels right to me in terms of being able to see things clearly (50-something eyes also, I'm a amess....) and working in general.

[Ken Massingale]

Everyone's different. Experiment for what feels right and go with those heights. I have taller friends who prefer, to me, a too short height, and shorties like me, who use tall RT's and workbenches.
k

[THyman]

Don't forget to allow for the height of the casters. They don't teach stuff like at agricultural schools in Bama! he.......

Regards... and just kiddin' ya of course

Nice comment Sarge. Fortunately, they do teach this stuff in their engineering school! I hope we do better against Arkansas then Bama.

[SARGE..g-47]

I thought you would get a kick out of that, THyman. I am aware of the engineering school also as my ex-wife ( 24 years ago) married a grad of that engineering school. One of my best friends (B. Freeman) is a professor at the extension in Huntsville. Etomoligist (sp.. bug man) by trade, but I do believe most of his work is in the field excluding seminars he has to speak at.

They are getting better each week. They should hurdle Ark. if no let-downs even if they have been a bit "iffy" so far. They are better than Bama, but... like any in-state rivalry, throw out the talent match-up and add the desire to brawl it out for braggin rights.

Good luck to War Eagle fans, whereever you are...

[vaking]

I know I will get in trouble for this but I find this subject somewhat blown out of proportion. BT3 has a table height of 38" - the highest of all sold saws I know, most other saws are at 34" - 4" spread. If you upgrade from BT to Unisaw - will you put Delta on a pedestal? Most workbenches you can buy are around 35". Some people here claim that they prefer 40" and up. This is not an exact science, everything is approximate, you can get used to any height as long as it is reasonable. Forming a habit is more important than catching 1".
Compare it to a standard kitchen counter height - 36". Every professional chef works at that height. Who ever heard of a chef building custom-height counters at his/her kitchen? Even at home, where they certainly can customize - they match the height they are used to at work.
I built a mobile base for my BT3100 and my workbench so they are both standard for the countertop 36". I find it comfortable. I think the work of a chef is not that ergonomically different from woodworker (I am not a chef).

[JimD]

I am 6'2" with long arms. I found the BT3100 on the stand it came with to be pretty comfortable - more so than my previous saws that were about 36 inches tall. When I built my base, I made it so that the saw was at the same height (I forget if they are 38 or 38 1/2 inches). I then made my worktable, which is on the outfeed side of the saw, and my router table, which is on the side of the shop where the infeed of the table saw is, about 1/4 inch lower. I did not want them to be in the way but wanted to be able to use them for support of large pieces. It works pretty well for me. If I need to cut up a full sheet, I normally still cut it to rough size with a circular saw but I have used this arrangement to cut a full sheet by myself. The uneven-ness of my concrete floor would make alignment of these surfaces difficult if I tried making them exactly the same height. With the work-table and router table 1/4 less they end up not exactly this much less - it depends on exactly where they are setting. I mention this because this feature may be somewhat dependant on your floor. If it is more even, it might make sense to make them all the same height. If the floor is less even, you may want to make the infeed and outfeed a little shorter.

Jim