Shop Cabinet height

[Handy Al]

I'm in the process of building a garage workshop. How high form the top of the workbench would you hang cabinets? I have a section of t-track board I was going to use,but it's 40" tall. 40" seems too tall.

[LinuxRandal]

I don't know what is the standard height (garage built for models T/A with 6' ceilings, like woodshop) but would point out, consider what you will be building/working on.

Do you have an open bench in the garage? Gonna be doing any bench grinding/machine type work with large objects?

Just a woodshop? Gonna be working with any partially assembled stuff, or do you know of any upcomming honeydo's?


Do to too many varied projects, for me, (and ceiling hieght), I went open shelves, and closed storage below (changing in the garage, to move my mechanics tools out there).

[leehljp]

I think most people like floor cabinets and the resulting counter all the same height. However, the ideal for the back and for control is to have hand working items around belly to waist level.

For fine control on detail wood pieces such as scroll saws and routers, the work level should be at elbow height.

I use three different levels myself:

1. A table about 30 inches high that my bench top drill and 6 inch belt sander are on.

2. A 36 inch work bench, same height as my bandsaw and tablesaw and small lathe is on.

3. My router table is 40 inches high; elbow height and gives me fine control over my routing.

It is a matter of choice and for most people, it is what they grew up with or their likes in workflow: Consistency of height or ideal in work feel with a particular tool. Both are good.

[LinuxRandal]

Lee, I believe, if I read his post right, he is asking about the UPPER cabinets.

[leehljp]

Lee, I believe, if I read his post right, he is asking about the UPPER cabinets.

I read it from a Japanese language perspective! It is never what it seems in Japanese!

[gmack5]

Upper Cabinet Height

I got to thinking about your question and finally decided that the best place to find a good answer is in your Kitchen.
So I went into my Kitchen and measured the height from the Counter Top to the bottom of the Upper Cabinets. I found the distance to be 16.5", on a Cabinet that is 12" deep, front to back, while this may not be ideal, it does give you a place to start.

Let's consider for a moment: You need to be able to see your entire Lower Cabinet/Bench surface. There are several factors envolved, one, the individual's height (Line of site) has a bearing on where the front bottom edge of the upper cabinet is located. This in turn has to do with the front to back depth of the Cabinets (the deeper they are, the higher they have to be above the counter top)

As you can see, if you consider all the various factors, it can get really complicated. The thing to do is to cut a masonite plate the same depth as your cabinet and determine where the bottom edge needs to be to give you the Line of Site to the rear back edge of your work surface, as well as a good working height above that surface.

I wouldn't go any lower than about 16". The rest is up to you and your requirements.

HTH

[Hellrazor]

You need to figure out what is more important. It also depends on how deep the upper cabinets will be.

A. Easy reach of what is stored in the cabinet.
or
B. Heighth room on the work bench.

I would mount them high, store the items you rarely use in them and keep a ladder handy.

[LinuxRandal]

You need to figure out what is more important. It also depends on how deep the upper cabinets will be.

A. Easy reach of what is stored in the cabinet.
or
B. Heighth room on the work bench.

I would mount them high, store the items you rarely use in them and keep a ladder handy.

Hellrazor, you should have made your advice, to match your signature, LOL.

Looked at that one and had to laugh, really made a project more difficult then it had to be yesterday.

[Hellrazor]

WOW! there really is such a thing as a STUPID QUESTION!

Jay you are really making me consider petitioning our gov to make adult abortion legal...

[ironhat]

Personally, to avoid shadows and give ample overhead clearance I don't put cabs over the bench. Everything resides to the sides. I'm in the process of redesigning and plan to put floor-to-72" cabs to either side.

That's it from the peanut gallery,
Chiz

[LarryG]

Broadly speaking, residential uppers are about 18" clear of the countertop below (can be a little less, as in George's kitchen). When we design a work counter in a commercial building, we usually increase this to 24". In all cases the top of the cabinet is 7'-0" AFF, so the height of the uppers ranges from 30" in the residential application down to 24" in the commercial. (Remember, all these dimensions are guidelines ... they can and will vary a bit.)

Chiz makes a good point. Depending on the depth of your workbench, you might not want any uppers over it at all. And if you do have them, some under-cabinet lights might be a good idea.

[cabinetman]

This is not an easy question to answer. A lot of the decision comes from deciding what will be done on the bench. The variables include, ceiling height, bench height, bench top dimensions, what will be done on the bench, if it is the only bench, what needs to be stored, how often it is accessed, and the weights of items to be stored.

In working/assembly benches I don't install cabinets above the bench. You never know how much room you'll need above the worktop. Benches that I did install upper cabinets included a wall bench that had side and front access used primarily for grinding, sharpening, and tool type work, like tool or motor repair. On that bench I determined a minimum height for what the task might be. Architectural standards don't really apply in these situations IMO. I may start off thinking in terms of what will fit under them, or how easy is it to reach. If 18" or 24" seem like good measurements to use for starters, you may decide to go less, in between or more. It's a comfort and use decision.

Along with the clearance height, determining the depth in conjunction with the height will also play in to accessibility. It would be difficult to create an "air tight" cabinet with doors. So, thinking doors will keep out all the dust is wishful thinking, but they do help.

[Handy Al]

Thanks for your responses. I went with 30" from the work top. This gives me plenty of room to work and I can still easily see and reach the lower shelf in the cabinets.