Type of bench for painful joints
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- This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 5 months ago by Benoît Van Noten.
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20 March 2018 at 11:16 am #502994
Hello folks!
Nearly a couple of years ago I begun work on a Sellers type workbench, which was then interrupted by pregnancy and motherhood 🙂
I might find myself in the same situation again soon, but one can plan, right?I got as far as laminating and planing the two pieces of the bench top when I had to stop. (I also acquired a wonderful Record 53 vise for it).
And now I got thinking if perhaps a low workbench in the style of the ones in Schwarz’s new book (which I hope Dictum will distribute soon, or else just go for the PDF), or some other sort of unholy mash-up, would be more suitable for me, since those seem to work well for some disabled people.Now, I am not really what I’d call disabled, but I have very bad joints all over and sciatica problems. Sitting on top of my work sounds like a great idea. It could make some operations more difficult for me in other ways I am not aware of. But I have found the classical planing stance standing at the bench quite hard on my sciatica.
My projects will mostly be smaller things like boxes and lamps.
Your thoughts are very welcome!
MerMer, just one thing to offer. I have pain in my wrists when pushing a plane. I found that the discomfort is reduced by keeping my elbow, forearm, and wrist as close to lined up as possible. This meant using a taller bench. If you hold your plane and place it on a lower surface, you’ll see that you must bend your wrist because your elbow is above the level of the plane tote. As the plane comes upwards, the wrist bend reduces. I’m 5′ 11″ and used Paul’s standard 39″ bench (I think). I also work by flexing my knees a bit, which brings my shoulders a bit lower. This, in combination with the moderately higher bench levels out my forearm. Also, it means it is easier for me to push with my legs. Rather than flexing and driving with the back and moving in the lumbar region, my back is fairly immobile and stabilized while I drive with my legs and hips.
You can also experiment with pulling the plane rather than pushing the plane. It feels completely different. I use both pulling and pushing, although for woodworking reasons rather than mechanics. But, you may find pulling better. Try both. You don’t need a Japanese plane to pull. Just wrap a finger or two around the front knob and pull. A hand on the heel stabilizes and steers. The plane needs to be sharp. Which leads to my final point, make sure everything is sharp. Thin shavings will reduce the force you need. A scrub plane may reduce the force, too.
Let us know how it goes. I’m not a doctor, so you’ll need to be careful if you try these ideas. I don’t know if they are appropriate for you. You’ll need to decide. They’re just what I do and they work for me.
20 March 2018 at 12:32 pm #503076Thank you very much for your insight, Ed. Yes, I also found out that lining up all joints is best, but in the temporary setup I had not always feasible. It was particularly wrist-saving. And I also tried pulling the plane 🙂
I think both positions should also be possible in a very low workbench, but only when sitting on it of course. I see that I should probably go with either a rather tall one or a very low and narrow one I can sit on.
23 March 2018 at 3:54 pm #506554i am pretty stove up and cannot stand for long i use a reg bench and a rolling stool ,i cut plane and run chisels setting , i just adjust for the aches and don’t take large bites , takes longer but is doable. you learn to go by feel more this way I think also.
25 September 2018 at 12:37 pm #504056There are some other things to consider. Since you are focusing on small projects You might try using a n°3 instead of a n°4: and maybe a n° 5 1/4 instead of something like a 5 or 6.
The three makes a nice smoother that smaller folks find easier to use.
The 5 1/4 was made by Stanley for kids in woodworking classes.Both planes have narrower 1 3/4” irons, so you move less material
And if you are considering the “Roman” beck style, also consider the japanese style which is a low fininishing plank with a stop that rests on the traditional Japanese low sawhorses. The whole arrangement is only about 6-8” off the ground.
The Japanese also use a planing beam ( not sure the names of these things) that is on a simple bipod. The other end is usually placed against a wall on plucks or a ledge. You will often see them tilted downward to make planing easier. The planing stop often a headed nail or a small board tacked to the beam, and sometimes a small place is nailed to the side to turn the beam into a shooting board. Sometimes if I was in the field I’d use the method because it was so easier to set up with found materials. Works just as well pushing or pulling.
https://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/download.php?id=189&sid=42941cf90a1c71ea8cd69898ec91a284
8 October 2018 at 5:21 pm #552590Hi Mer
If you are looking for a low bench, here are pics of my bench (that is still work in progress…).
My workbench (work in progress…)
It will be viseless, so your vise would be wasted on this one. Instead I’ll use holdfasts for workpiece holding.
At the moment I’m working on legs for it. Mine will be a bit under 50cm high with legs, so it will double as dining table bench when not used for woodworking.
Maybe this gives you some ideas for your bench 🙂
-jukka
9 October 2018 at 7:15 am #552599Hi Larry and Jukka, thank you so much for your replies!
I had my eye on a #3 indeed, I do have small hands also (well, regular women’s I’d guess), but they’re more rare than #4s, and I suppose #5 1/4, which sounds great, are even rarer, but it is worth keeping an eye out for it 🙂 I do have a couple of #4s and one #5 which I can use when sharp and on a good day 🙂 The 4 1/2 is literally a drag for me.
I love how streamlined the Japanese approach is. Great for a workshop which is not exclusively dedicated to woodworking, looks like everything can be put away in very little space. I do have to do more research into it. From which book is that picture? what a fantastic resource, thanks!
Jukka your workbench is looking almost too good to work on, a very stylish dining bench indeed! I have to mull over what to do with the vise, it is such a great piece of equipment (and could also come in handy in my metalworking) but I have to think of sunken costs as well and not let it influence me too much.
Thanks again for your inputs!
15 November 2018 at 4:13 pm #553264The finer/lighter the work to be done, the higher the bench.
The height recommended by Paul Sellers was the lower height recommended for light work taking into account the worker average height in the 60’s.
I think now health and safety would ask a bench customised to each worker.
If you don’t plane a lot of rough saw wood with a wooden plane, the P.S. recommended height makes perfect sense.
I tried to find an universal criteria.
This 38” height for an average man corresponds approximately to the addition of the anterior superior iliac spine height and the shoe heel height.
It seems the recommended height correspond to what is pointed in the picture attached (when wearing your shoes)Now I am no medical doctor.
- This reply was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by Benoît Van Noten.
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