I am 5'11" and I made 4 of the crib ponies referred to in Chapell's book. I laid a 4"x6"x8' beam across each pair of ponies and then laid the beams I was working with on top of the 4x6's. This was a perfect working height for me. I shimmed the ponies so the 4x6's defined a level plane. This arrangement gave me plenty of room to load 8- 8"x8" beams on the 4x6's and work them. jekbear