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How high is your lathe stand?

Michael Harmon

Michael Harmon

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11
Location
Tennessee
I have my new lathe set up on my workbench for right now, but I plan to build a stand specifically for the lathe with storage for accessories, tools and sharpening gear. I am just wondering if there is a good height that makes extended turning sessions more comfortable. My workbench is 34 1/2" which is good for hand tools, but feels a little low for the lathe.
 
Michael I set my lathe up by having my wife measure from the floor to my elbow. I drop my arms to the side and the bend my arms to 90 deg. I measured 45". I like my lathe slightly higher so I made the height at 47" which is comfy for me. Don't know if it is right or wrong but it is sure comfortable to turn for my tastes.
 
Build it lower than you think you need. Mine's too high.

Someone said it should be elbow height. Not the bench itself, but the spindle. I don't know. My bench is 36, which means the spindle is in the low 40s. Way too high!

Thanks,

Bill

(editing in, because I cross posted with Bernie, who knows way more than I do. Listen to him, not me! One problem I have with the height of mine is that the spinning blank is too close to my face! It scares me sometimes! ;)
 
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That is what I have heard the proper height should be. Bend your arm at 90 degrees to your body and that should be center of the spindle height. Or at least that is what all the books I have read say it should be. Mine is close to that by 1 1/2 inches. Need to rasie it that much to get the perfect height but I can just slouch and get the same effect. :rofl: Hope that is something of a help.
 
The spindle height of my Powermatic (on casters) is 47", which is about 1" above my elbow bone with the arm at 90º. It's comfortable to me (I'm 6' 2"), but for a shorter person it'd probably be too high. Even standing on a shipping pallet, Jim Bradley had to reach up to hold the tools on my lathe.

Bill, a height in the low 40s would scare me more than one in the upper 40s. I'm wearing armor on my face, but not down in the softer parts below. :eek: ;)
 
I have a bad back. Standing is okay sometimes, slouching/bending over, never okay. It is weird what will set my back to hurting. Anyway, I set my spindle height over my elbow, ended up the bottom of the lathe (JET mini) is at my elbow. I am going to split the difference and drop it a couple of inches and see if it is better.
 
Rule of thumb is the center spure should be at about the same elevation as your Elbow. Adjust your stand to accomplish that height. Lots of reason to long to type right now.... That is Industry Standard.
 
I started off with mine right at elbow height, but I've raised it a bit to make it more comfortable. I don't think there is a right or wrong height, whatever makes you comfy and safe.
 
My first lathe was a little low and hurt my back to slouch. I put 4" blocks under the legs to raise and that made standing for turning a pleasure. My current lathe is just right, the spindle is 44" above the floor.
I never paid attention to the 90 degree elbow thing but, just now, checking it I found that, indeed, my elbows are about 90 degrees holding a tool.
I am only 5'7". If you are much taller you might want a kinda high stand.
Customize for comfort, suit yerself.
 
I'll concur with all here... I have both a Jet 1014 and 1442... the 1014 is on a 2x4 wood dedicated stand on wheels...that I set at about 47 inches on the spindle height... it's just a hair high to me, but not so much as to be uncomfortable... the 1442 I set up right out of the box, didn't put the feet on it and it measured out at just about 45 inches at the spindle center... just about right height for me... though sometimes I do feel that I'm bending slightly when I hollow bowls... I'm just under 6'1", a little long in the waist so a lot of my height is in the upper body... these seem to work for me.
 
Ok, this was bugging me, so I just went out and checked. Boy, was I wrong! :rofl:

My elbow is at somewhere near 40". My spindle is at 52! :doh:

No wonder I think it's too high! :crazy:

I'm such a doofus!

Thanks,

Bill
 
Jonathan Shively said:
I have a bad back. Standing is okay sometimes, slouching/bending over, never okay. It is weird what will set my back to hurting. Anyway, I set my spindle height over my elbow, ended up the bottom of the lathe (JET mini) is at my elbow. I am going to split the difference and drop it a couple of inches and see if it is better.
Click to expand...

Jonathan, I have back problems when I turn. I recently changed my relationship to the lathe spindle center. I tried several "platforms" to raise my body (equivalent to lowering the lathe). The last, and by far the best, was to elevate myself 3/4". That does not sound like much, however it really helped.

Bench is 25 1/2 inch above the floor...24 3/4 inch above the floor mats I stand on. Spindle is 14 1/2 inch above the bench top. When standing on the mats this places the lathe spindle center 1/2 inch above the outside of my elbow which is bent 90*.

I hope that information helps someone.

My advice: Try standing on a piece of 3/4 inch plywood, try it with two thicknesses, try it with 1/4 inch thick plywood...in other words, play around.
I suggest using each height that you try for a few days before the final shorten or lengthen the legs routine.

I am glad that I tried two thicknesses of floor padding because one was not enough. Also 1 1/2 inch elevation was not as comfortable. At least for me the elevation of that spindle is fairly critical.

Enjoy,

Jim
 
I could not resist the HF 10" x 18" lathe, uses #2MT, 1/2hp and with 20% coupon was only $151.00. So it was necessary to build a stand. After reading al the suggestions on lathe height, my stand is 30 1/2" high, plus the 12" for spindle for a total of 42 1/2" I am 5'9" and this seems to be good for me. Started with a rough sketch and a few hours later it all came together. Pictures attached.2012-09-04_14-22-56_478.jpg2012-09-24_08-59-39_839.jpg2012-09-04_15-24-18_940.jpg2012-09-04_14-23-54_709.jpg2012-09-24_10-53-14_435.jpg Sorry photos are out of sequence - Bill
 
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That stand looks nice and stout, Bill. :thumb: Congrats on the new lathe, too. I'll be interested in seeing your feedback after you've used it a while.
 
Bill Nicklaus said:
I could not resist the HF 10" x 18" lathe, uses #2MT, 1/2hp and with 20% coupon was only $151.00. So it was necessary to build a stand. After reading al the suggestions on lathe height, my stand is 30 1/2" high, plus the 12" for spindle for a total of 42 1/2" I am 5'9" and this seems to be good for me. Started with a rough sketch and a few hours later it all came together. Pictures attached.View attachment 70580View attachment 70581View attachment 70582View attachment 70583View attachment 70584 Sorry photos are out of sequence - Bill
Click to expand...

Dang, a price like that it makes tempting to get one just to see if I can mount the motor on my Delta LA200! But I have PSI's VS conversion already on the way, so we'll see how that does. Bill, if the spindle is 42 1/2" from the floor, that sounds about right. I'll have to measure mine when I get home to be sure, but I'm the same height. The main thing is being able to turn comfortably without stooping or bending over too much.
 
My homemade stand is 33½" high giving me a centre spur height of 46" which allows me to stand fully erect when working. Bending forward even slightly for any length of time gives me a backache, so that's the best height for me. It's also my excuse for not doing the dishes. :D
 
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