The Tall Street Journal

a raised height cutting board for tall cooks

I have a lot of lower back pain when I'm bending over the low counter in the kitchen for more than about ten minutes at a time. My friend Colleen has a longer way to bend.

She and a friend came up with a raised height counter top. It is much cheaper than having custom cabinets and counters put in. They found a manufacturer and a product will be announced in soon on her blog. Feel free to share it with tall or even just tallish cooks.

The length and width can be custom and the height is set by a measurement to your elbow.

If you're in an apartment like me or your budget is tight, this may be the best way to get some back relief. I'm going to get one of these.

Watch the outtakes video on her blog, she awesomely funny.

http://www.6footsix.com/colleenify/2010/01/the-first-colleenificati...

This is an edit now that it is an official project. Here is how you can measure yourself o find he right height. There is a link n that page to the company that makes it that has photos and more details.

Jheri out

oh

Her friend who helped out on this wrote about his, which is for someone who is 6'1

http://tingilinde.typepad.com/starstuff/2009/12/a-bi-more-on-collee...

Views: 1405

Comment by Jheri Olsen on January 4, 2010 at 6:28am
oops - I tend to add a comment and accidentally erased Cheyenne's great comment!

feeling stupid! Sorry Cheyenne, could you add it again?
Comment by Jheri Olsen on January 4, 2010 at 6:34am
Bending is a big issue for me too and I have a small cabinet with a cutting board glued onto the top. It looks awful and wobbles a bit because it isn't well made. I'm sure mine isn't the right height either, but it is still better than bending all the way to the counter.

I'm going to get one of these, or see if I can because I'm in Europe. If not I'll find how to measure and have one built here. This one looks really good because the wood is so pretty and the height would be perfect.

Cheyenne, in the video he linked, showed Colleen's final video that promotes it. You should see that, but I like the outtakes video best for reasons that you will see when you watch it. Colleen should use this one for the promotion I think:-)

Comment by Jheri Olsen on January 5, 2010 at 7:39am
Hi Danielle

Show him the video and threaten to use a knife like that. If you get one you need to know the countertop height that this would go on in addition to a another measurement to your elbow. I'm guessing the countertop at work may not be exactly the same height as one at home.

Seriously, all of that bending builds up and can cause damage over the long term. Fixing the problem before it happens is a lot better than trying to treat it afterwards. In my country there are some laws that cover ergonomics on a lot of jobs. So you have to have a desk and chair that fits if you are an office worker. They don't cover everything, but you can get creative. It turns out I fly a huge amount for my work. Having your legs locked up is a serious problem and I complained, so they have to get me an exit row or bulkhead seat or fly me business class now. It is a huge improvement.
Comment by Cheyenne Throckmorton on January 8, 2010 at 3:33pm
Ha! I can't even remember what that comment was but in any case in talking with Colleen on here she gave me the permission to colleenify the front page of The Tall Street Journal with her tall cutting boards video.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention Jheri. Its all very neat stuff.
Comment by Jheri Olsen on January 8, 2010 at 4:51pm
Our friend Steve is helping in this. He is just 6'1 but it helps him a lot too, so many of the women here might be interested. I can't hear him because I'm partly deaf, but here is his link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBP35_w01Jc

The important piece is they say these are custom made to match your height.
Comment by Jheri Olsen on January 11, 2010 at 3:23pm
OK I have word that the company that is doing the colleenified countertops is ready for orders. Go to Colleen's colleenify blog and read through the measuring instructions. They are in inches, so some of us have to convert to metric. There is a link that goes to AWP, who is making them.

They can cover a lot of different heights and they come in different lengths and widths too. The two people I know who have them rave about them. I am in Europe and it will be expensive to get one here, but I will probably do it anyway. You could make one yourself from the measurements, but this kind of wood is very expensive, so it is probably better to buy something nice.
Comment by Jack Swalley on February 13, 2010 at 6:02pm
I don't want to step on anyone's parade, but Drew, a professional carpenter of the San Diego TALL Singles, showed us how to make 2x4 boxes many years ago for redoing kitchen lower cabinets. Everyone, including regular sized people, loved the new height.
Comment by Jheri Olsen on February 13, 2010 at 6:31pm
There are a lot of solutions. Some of us live in apartments and others are couples with two cooks of very different heights. The raised cutting boards work well for us. Raising the cabinets will be the right solution for others.

You can use the notes notes on her measurement page to figure out the right height and build your own or use it to raise your full countertop if you are in a position to do so. Or you can buy a commercial product. The important issue is that you don't need to have bad posture when you are preparing food.
Comment by Dave 5'28" Rasmussen on February 18, 2010 at 3:54pm
I plan to order an AWP chopping block, but to date I have used an armless office chair to wheel around my kitchen, useful not just for using low counters but reaching low shelves in cabinets, oven and refrigerator. Last year when I was beat up by a cocaine addict and he broke both my feet when passed out, I was self sufficient (after hospital) to cook and feed myself upon returning home, thanks to using this chair technique.
Comment by Jheri Olsen on February 18, 2010 at 5:06pm
Dave - that is horrible. Are you ok now?

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