Positioning your work bench

Over the years I've had my bench in various locations in the shop:

• Against the wall under a window
• Against a wall with no window
• Bolted to a wall
• In the middle of the shop
• Adjacent to a wall near a window with space between the bench and the wall.

I've found that the best place for my bench is the last one, with a gap of around 10" at the back of the bench to the wall, for the following reasons:

• My tool rack is across the window so I don't want to stretch too far to get tools
• The bench is heavy enough to stay put without the extra help from a wall when planing for instance
• The window casts natural light onto the bench
• Anything that falls off the back of the bench can be easily retrieved
• I can use the rear apron of the bench to clamp onto. The space gives access to get the clamps in.

The bench is also on a mobile base that can be jacked up so I can pull it out further if need be.

This arrangement works well for me and I've arrived at the solution by trial and error.