Enlarger table height

[bmikiten]

I'm 6'0 and setting up a Durst 1200 enlarger. I have plenty of height above but wondered what people were using for enlarger table (easel) heights. My last one was 36" if I remember right.

[Jim Jones]

That's close to most of my enlarger supports. However, a 5x7 Elwood enlarger under a fairly low ceiling made setting that enlarger on the floor necessary. Ouch!

[Drew Wiley]

With one massive exception, where the big vac easel is at 36 inch height, all my other enlargers have adjustable height baseboards on long columns.

[Doremus Scudder]

For countertop style enlargers like the Omega D or the Beseler 45MX... or the LPL enlargers, if you have enough headroom, make you countertop height one that is most comfortable for you to work on. Mine are standard 36" countertop height and work fine for me (5'10"). As long as you have enough headroom, you get all the enlargement potential the enlarger has to offer.

That said, if you want to make larger prints, the only ways to do so with many of these enlargers is to switch to horizontal projection mode or to be able to remove the baseboard and project onto a surface lower than the original baseboard position. Some enlargers have the capability to turn the head on the column and project onto the floor. Beseler made (makes still?) an enlarger stand that allows the baseboard to be removed and the image to be projected onto surfaces lower than the original baseboard.

I have removable baseboards and then adjustable shelving below my enlargers so I can make up to 20x24" prints without swiveling the head to horizontal and projecting onto a wall. These, of course end up being significantly lower than countertop height. I focus by repeatedly sitting down in a chair and then standing up to make adjustments. If I had to do this a lot, I'd get an extension for the focusing knob so I could operate it sitting. Still, one needs to stand up adjust the height of the enlarger head and to dial in filtration, etc.

Best,

Doremus

[Eric Woodbury]

At 6'2", I like 36" counters. -e-

[Drew Wiley]

I'm only 5'7", but like all my countertops at 36". An exception would be workshop tables for sawing and routing applications, which I prefer to be a little lower, at 32 inches instead.

[ic-racer]

I used 36" because that is what was available when I went cabinet shopping. No complaints other than if I were to do a custom build, I'd make the counters a little deeper.

[nolindan]

I have my enlarger table surface at 28", which I find to be about right for working when seated.

[Drew Wiley]

For wall-mounted enlargers with limited column length, it's advisable to install them above a three-sided cabinet structure allowing for the shelf/baseboard position to be placed at optional different heights. That's no more difficult than doing something analogous for deep kitchen cabinets or bookshelves - an elementary shop project, really.

[Barry Kirsten]

I have two L1200s, one with Multigrade head and the other with condenser head. They have 1200mm and 1400mm columns respectively and sit on a common 750mm (30") bench. The condenser head unit with the longer column just clears my 8' ceiling.

I have just finished refurbishing a magnificent 5x7 Meopter "Magnetarius" enlarger but because of its huge size (it stands at 8' fully extended) I'm building a low bench for it 500mm high. I'll have to put up with the compromises of low bench height and restricted enlargement size. I should be able to do 20x24 prints, which I'm OK with.