Guide · Workbench

Workbench Placement: Where to Put a Workbench in Your Shop

Good workbench placement starts with one question: what else does the bench have to do? In many home shops the bench stands behind the table saw as its outfeed table, close to good light and an outlet, with room to walk around at least one end.

A small 10×12 shop where the workbench stands behind the jobsite saw and doubles as its outfeed table.

The bench is the center of the shop

Why the bench spot matters more than it looks

A workbench is easy to move on paper and hard to move later, once it is loaded with vises, tools and a project. It is also the place where you spend most of your time: marking, chiseling, planing, gluing, sanding and fixing small parts. A spot that is dark, far from power or boxed in by machines makes every one of those jobs slower.

In a small shop the bench usually has a second job. It can catch boards behind the table saw, serve as the assembly table or hold a benchtop machine. That is why the bench is best planned right after the table saw, not at the end, when only a leftover corner is free. Our table saw placement guide covers the first step; this guide picks up from there.

This guide is for hobby woodworkers deciding where a workbench goes in a garage, basement, shed or small shop. It is not a guide to building a bench or choosing a bench design.

Rules of thumb

Where to put a workbench

Common planning rules for home shops. They are rules of thumb, not fixed measurements; your room and your work decide in the end.

Plan it right after the table saw, not last. Once the saw’s infeed and outfeed lane is fixed, check whether the bench can stand in that lane as an outfeed table.
As outfeed, line it up with the blade. The bench top must not be higher than the saw table, or parts catch on its edge instead of sliding onto it.
Wall bench or island? A bench against the wall saves floor space and keeps tools in reach on the wall. A free-standing island lets you work from both sides and clamp long parts, but needs open floor all around.
Leave a walkway around it. As a rule of thumb, about 3 ft where you stand and walk, and about 4 ft where you carry sheet goods past the bench.
Keep the vise end free. A board clamped in an end vise or face vise sticks out past the bench. Plan open floor at that end for the longest board you plane or saw by hand.
Put it near light and power. Good light helps with marking and finishing; a window can help in daytime. Plan an outlet at or near the bench for sanders, routers and chargers.
Keep it close to assembly and finishing. In the usual order of work, joinery and assembly happen at or next to the bench, so the bench sits between the machines and the finishing area.

Common setups

Four places a workbench often goes

Behind the table saw

The bench catches the boards and parts coming off the saw. A common space saver in small shops and garages.

Along a long wall

The classic spot. Tools hang on the wall above, and the bench stays out of the machine lanes.

As a free-standing island

Works from all sides and handles big glue-ups, but needs open floor all around. More common in larger shops.

Under or near a window

Daylight for marking and checking a finish. Keep long boards and clamps from swinging into the glass.

Whatever spot you choose, check it with your longest board: you should be able to clamp it in the vise and work along its full length without hitting a wall or a machine.

Height

How high should a workbench be?

Bench height depends on your body and on the work you do most. Measure your elbow height while standing in your shop shoes and work out from there. Hand planing and other work where you push down favors a lower bench; fine marking and detail work favors a higher one.

Ergonomics guidance points the same way. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) recommends different work surface heights for different tasks: about 5 cm (2 in) above elbow height for precision work, with support for the elbows; about 5–10 cm (2–4 in) below elbow height for light work; and 20–40 cm (about 8–16 in) below elbow height for heavy work that presses down. If the bench is also your table saw outfeed, the saw table height comes first, and a lower bench top is easier to live with than a higher one.

Before you build or move it

Test the bench spot on the floor

Mark the bench outline with tape on the floor, together with the saw lane and the walkways. Then walk a long board through the saw lane and check that it lands on the bench, that you can stand at the vise without blocking a door, and that a cord from the nearest outlet reaches the bench without crossing a walkway. If you need a new outlet or circuit near the bench, that is work for a licensed electrician; our woodshop electrical layout guide lists what to plan first.

Sanding at the bench makes fine dust, so keep a spot for a shop vacuum or a hose from the dust collector nearby. The workflow layout guide shows where the bench fits in the order from lumber rack to finishing, and the machine clearance chart lists the working space the machines around the bench need.

FAQ

Questions and answers

Should a workbench be against a wall or in the middle of the shop?

Both work. A wall bench saves floor space and keeps hand tools in reach on the wall, which suits most small shops and garages. A free-standing bench in the middle lets you work from all sides and clamp long parts, but it needs open floor all around, as a rule of thumb about 3 ft per side you use.

Can my workbench be the outfeed table for my table saw?

Yes, that is a common space saver. Put the bench in line with the blade and keep its top no higher than the saw table, so parts slide onto it. Our small woodshop layout uses the bench this way.

How much space do you need around a workbench?

As a rule of thumb, plan about 3 ft of open floor where you stand and walk, about 4 ft where you carry sheet goods past it, and enough free floor at the vise end for the longest board you work by hand.

Where should a workbench go in a garage?

In a garage the bench often goes along a side wall or the back wall, out of the car bay and the saw lane. If the bench is also the saw’s outfeed, it stands behind the saw and may need to be on locking casters so the car still fits. See our guide to setting up a garage workshop.

How does the woodshop layout planner help with workbench placement?

Draw your room with doors, windows and outlets, then add a to-scale 4 ft, 6 ft or 8 ft workbench or a 4×8 assembly table. The planner shows the operator zone in front of the bench and the infeed and outfeed zones of the table saw, which follow your “Longest board” setting, and warns when they overlap. If the bench doubles as outfeed, tick “Can stand in other machines’ zones” in its settings, so the planner treats it as outfeed support instead of a conflict. You can save copies to compare a wall bench with an island, print the plan to scale or share it by link.

Your turn

Find the right spot for your workbench

Draw your shop, place the table saw first, then try the bench behind the saw (ticked as outfeed support), along the wall and as an island. The working zones show at once which spot leaves enough room.

Keep exploring

Example woodshop layouts

10' × 12'

Small woodshop

Jobsite saw that rips through the door, bench as outfeed, tools on carts.

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24' × 24'

24x24 wood shop

Assembly table as outfeed, cyclone next to the big machines.

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12' × 20'

Shed workshop

Saw rips toward the double doors, bench as outfeed.

View layout →