Having the right table saw height is essential for achieving accurate cuts and staying safe while working with power tools. It can be difficult to determine what table saw height is best suited for you, especially if you are unfamiliar with table saws and their components.
This article will provide a comprehensive guide on table saw height, including an explanation of why table saw height matters, information about commercially available table saw heights, how to adjust your table saw blade height gauge, and tips on finding the ideal table height based on your own individual needs.
Whether you’re new to woodworking or have years of experience in the craft, this guide will help ensure that your table saw is set up correctly so that you can make precise cuts safely every time.
The Ideal Table Saw Height
A table saw between 30 to 40 inches (76.2cm to 101.6cm) in height will be ideal for most people.
SawStop, which produces one of the best and most widely used table saws by professional woodworkers, manufactures them with a tabletop height of 34" (86.4cm).
34 inches is used to accommodate the height of most average Americans. The average American adult male and female are 5'9" (175.3cm) and 5'4" (162.6cm) respectively. Since power tool users are made up of more men than women, this 34" height is ideal for males. Females may want to have a slightly shorter work bench height, which is also dependent on other factors.
Other things you'll want to take into consideration are, the length of your arms, what type of work you'll be doing, and whether you'll use an outfeed table for other work (spoiler alert, you will).
How to estimate your best table saw height
Without getting overly technical, an easy way to figure out a comfortable table saw height is to try out different sizes. While local home improvement store is a good place to start, your kitchen and office are even closer places to start.
What's the height of your countertops?
What's the height of the desk you work at?
How do they feel?
Here's a good rule of thumb to estimate your best workbench, outfeed table, or table saw height.
- Place both hands, palms down, shoulder width apart on a table in front of you. Keep your elbows at your sides.
- Look to see where your hands are relative to your elbows. Are they above, below, or at the height of your elbows?
Your hands should never be above your elbows, indicating you are reaching up to access whatever you're working on. If the work piece is above your elbows, it's much more difficult to use your upper body as leverage to control and move the work piece into the saw blade.
Instead, your hands should be slightly below your elbows. The angle from your shoulder to your elbow to your wrist should form an angle slightly above 90 degrees. Most people will prefer something a bit lower as it gives some wiggle room to bend over the table. This will allow you to use your upper body as leverage against the work piece and better control it through the cut.
However you don't want it so low that you're constantly bending over. You'll realize for quickly that the table is too low if your lower back starts to hurt.
Different heights for different tasks
You'll only be doing one operation on the table saw - cutting material. However, if you're opting to build an out-feed table that doubles as a work bench, there's a few other things you'll want to take into consideration. These include:
- The type of work you'll be doing
- The size of the material you'll be handling
- How much space you have to work with
- Other tools in your shop
For example, if you will be doing projects where there's a lot of hand-planing involved, you may opt for a work surface that is slightly lower. Assume you regularly work with material that is 6" in height. If your work area is 34" height, this will put the top of the work piece at 40" - you may be reaching up to do a lot of planing.
In that scenario, you may want to drop the height of your work surface by 4-8" so you're not reaching up as much.
The second restricting factor for every hobbyist, DIYer, and woodworker is space. You may see these large, all-in-one tables online or on social media, but the reality is they're often bulky and not very practical.
The more flexibility you have with your work space the better. In this situation, that means separating the the table saw outfeed table and the workbench from one another. You'll probably want the table saw at a constant height for all cuts. However, like in what we discussed in the above example, your type of work or the material you regularly work with may dictate a different working surface height.
Lastly, if you have several other tools in your shop - a router table, jointer, and planer, consider standardizing the working surface height of all tools.
How to adjust the height of your table saw's working surface
For a jobsite or compact table saw these may be enclosed in a custom surround that elevates the table saw to your preferred height. Often times, these custom surrounds and platforms feature a built-in outfeed table or other features that improve productivity, like an upgraded fence.
With a cabinet or stationary table saw, the cheapest solution is to use some 2x4's or 2x6's placed securely under the base. You will need a second person to help tilt your table saw so the 2x4's can be slid under the base.
Alternatively, a torsion box can be constructed and placed under the entire base of the table saw. You'll want to construct the box to have sufficient space beyond the base of the table saw.
Why does table saw height matter?
Safety - Proper table saw height helps make the workshop safer
- Helps prevent overuse injuries
- Helps prevent worker fatigue
There's a reason major manufacturers spend significant sums of money for the advice and direction of ergonomic experts. Repetitive use injuries are a major issue for anyone that does any sort of manual labor - that includes DIY and woodworking projects.
Any experienced craftsman will tell you he or she has taken the risk and continued to work even when tired, hungry, frustrated, or otherwise fatigued. For some there has been a price to pay with injuries or worse. For everyone else, they can always attest to a time where they've had a near miss that could have been a severe injury.
When worker fatigue is combined with an overused muscle, poor decision making can and does happen. You may decide to overcompensate with another muscle that, at best, results in a strained muscle. Other times, especially when working around saws, trying to ‘muscle your way through it,’ results in severe injuries like severed fingers or deep lacerations.
While a number of things need to go wrong and several bad decisions have to be made before those injuries occur, a table saw at an improper height will contribute to the fatigue that ultimately results in a bad outcome.
Better Cuts - Proper table saw height results in better results
- More control over the material allows you to make more accurate and precise cuts
It’s easy to understand - the more control you have over the workpiece as it moves through the saw the better and cleaner your cuts are. You can expect finer lines, less tear out, and more accurate cuts.