Yo Mirai Fam,
I’m about to build my first bench. It’s about bloody time. I’m going with sugiban cedar, 8 feet long. Does anyone know is the proper height and width I should go for? I say “proper” as I’m sure there’s an ideal height that matches the height at a bonsai show/competition.
Thank you!
Show table heights are maybe 2.5’ high, which is why many trees are displayed on stands to increase their height.
The benches should be low enough so that you can get heavy trees on and off it without too much bending or lifting. And high enough to see the trees.
I’m sure opinions vary but I think somewhere between 3’ - 3.5’ is ideal. Taller might work but at some point it gets too tall to be usable (not to mention possibly top heavy)
Plan ahead. If you want one or two perminant benchs, do a two tiered 24 and 36" high. Width could be anything. 16" bottom shelf and a 24" top. Size for your largest pot. 8 foot… you would want a center leg set for support. Gets complex. Way out of my skill set (Just kidding…).
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I went modular. Three cinder blocks high, and two 8 foot 2x8s with a 2x4 in between for the benches. Just fits. A third 2x8 would require a cross cleat and screws for support.
24" high. I can grab a chair and work comfortably at any bench end. Also, I can water from both sides. My setup leans toward comfort and ease of use, not viewing.
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Because; I tear them down and build a shelter against my garage for winter. Kills two trees with one setup… My bonsai area went from 18’x18’ to triple that. Two pergolas with covers and grew a maple tree for shade…
16 benches… I moved up here with 12 bonsai trees…
Plan ahead… Bonsai happens…
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Bonsai On!
It also depends upon your tree size. Larger trees can go on lower and wider benches and be a good height to admire and maintain. Smaller trees can go on taller and narrower benches for the same reason. Most of my benches are about about 36" (0.9 m) high and 22-24" (0.56 - 0.61 m) wide. I recall a Bonsai Wire podcast where Andrew Robson was setting up benches that were closer to 48" (1.2 m) wide, which allows you to have maximize the bench to walkway space for growing lots of trees.
Depends on tree size but also YOUR size. If you’re taller, you might like a slightly taller bench.
For garden benches, personally, I prefer a bit higher. 37 to 38 inches is the sweet spot for me.
very interesting! Its almost hard to believe that show stands are 2.5’ high! It seems so low! It makes total sense that the tree goes on a stand bring it to around 3 feet, and when the trees are home without a stand, the bench is then around 3 feet. Thank you for your input
man, tearing down the benches and re forming them sounds like a lot of work and must be hard on the wood! Good on you for putting in the effort!
Thank you, I havent factored my height into the equation yet!
I concur that smaller trees should go up higher than the rest. Its odd to me to see a tiered bench with smaller trees on the bottom. For mine, I plan on having an upper, smaller shelf where I’ll but my wee ones
Most of my benches are about 40" high. I use standard concrete blocks for the uprights, so 5 blocks high. This gives a good viewing height for most trees and makes watering, etc. easy. The tops are treated 2x6 lumber. Three 2x6 wide gives about a 17" wide top, which seems to be good for most things. If you have some really tall trees you might want to go a little shorter for them. I seem to remember Ryan doing a short video on bench height/construction. If you search the library you should be able to find it.
I split the difference between Kurt and Roger as I often do (we are in the same club). most of my stands are 4 cinder blocks tall with a cross member and a built up 2x4 based bench with slats that adds another 4.5 inches. Standard US cinder blocks are 7.625" tall (8" with a 0.375" mortar joint) so my benches are nominally at 35". I have a few that are on 3 blocks and some at 5 blocks. It is actually not that hard to set up and take down this type of construction. I do it every year and rearrange the benches in the greenhouse at a 90 degree angle to their summer configuration. This biggest issue is stacking the parts during the transition since they occupy the same area.
