Fine tuning lathe height

[John Husokowski]

I recently purchased a PM 3520C (upgraded from Laguna 12/16) and also a ¾" mat for comfort. Installing the 4 inch included risers would have made the lathe too high for me. With the leg levelers adjusted as high as was safe the spindle height was too low for me. I purchased 4 hockey pucks (dense vulcanized rubber) and placed one under each of the levelers and this brought the lathe to a very comfortable turning height. The extra inch did make a significant difference in comfort. I don't turn large pieces but when turning 12 inch blanks the lathe remained quite stable with no movement. I suppose if one needed two inches, two pucks could be epoxied together. Wondering if anyone came up with other solutions for small adjustments to lathe height. I know some of you are fortunate to have lathes that come with adjustable stands making this a non-issue.

 

[Richard Coers]

I guess I'm not as sensitive. I'm pretty sure I could compensate for an inch of lathe height change without really noticing the difference. My elbows are about the only joints that still work quite well.

 

[Steve Tiedman]

Hi John. Hockey pucks, clever! I'd think those will last a good long time, great idea. And it looks like the diameter is about perfect as well, making them unobtrusive. And the friction the rubber gives to the floor and the machine feet should keep everything stable as well.

I don't think I'd go double-high with the pucks, even glued together. At some point the relative height slenderness, and whatever "give" that hard rubber may have, may work against overall stability. If any extra height is needed, I'd put a slightly oversized (length x width) plywood (void free, like Baltic birch), hardwood, or even a steel baseplate under the puck.

I've generally used hardwood boards, or sometimes Baltic birch plywood, in whatever thickness to raise or shim stationary gear in my shop. My shop floor is a disaster, everything needs to be leveled.

And I agree that even an inch of adjustment can make a real difference on the comfort scale. Over the years, for lathes and bench grinders, I've found that the height of the inside 90 degree bend of my elbow (arm hanging loose, lower arm bent up parallel to the floor) works very well for me and my two non-adjustible headstock lathes. Just right for bowl-type turning, and not too high for spindle work. But this is the max height for me, higher than that and tool ergonomics (the gouges and such) get clumsy and unnatural to control.

 

[Roger Wiegand]

Perhaps the next innovation in high end lathes will incorporate an electric lift to allow you to change the height on the fly. That would actually be really nice to have, my back would appreciate some variation. Won't be cheap to implement in a way that doesn't increase vibration.

 

[hockenbery]

Perhaps the next innovation in high end lathes will incorporate an electric lift to allow you to change the height on the fly. That would actually be really nice to have, my back would appreciate some variation. Won't be cheap to implement in a way that doesn't increase vibration.

Great. I like turning spindles and hollowing ornament balls a couple inches higher.

 

[William Rogers]

I found it is very important for me to have a height that is right and 1” can make a difference. Not short term, but over a long period I began having back problems with 6 weeks of therapy to get back to normal. My lathe height was too low. I ended up selling that lathe and bought a lathe where I can adjust the height to my liking. The rule of thumb is the spindle hight should be at elbow height. However I found I like my spindle height a little higher.

 

[John K Jordan]

I purchased 4 hockey pucks (dense vulcanized rubber) and placed one under each of the levelers and this brought the lathe to a very comfortable turning height.

I did the same thing with one of my lathes - it was just an inch or so too low for comfort. In my case, I simply cut four squares of white oak and drilled recesses in the top with a forstner bit to fit the lathe feet. Used them for years, still do on that lathe.

One thing about lathe height - once you find the lathe height perfect for you, consider the height of the grinders and such for sharpening. I find that if the centers of the wheels are the same height as the lathe he helps with moving the tool, especially with grinding free hand as I always do with some tools. It feels more natural. Some of the movements at the grinder are similar to those at the lathe.


While considering heights, something bugs me about tool rest height. Since it often has to be adjusted when changing tools or using a different type of cut, I often find myself moving it up and down a tiny bit so it's JUST right.
If I were king, I might order my subjects to construct an electro-mechanical system that would bump the rest height up or down by a settable distance. I'd probably set it to 1mm or less. Or maybe several buttons, 1/2mm, 1mm, 3, 5 and 7mm, etc.

Hey, here's something related that occasionally people don't know: when adjusting the leg levelers or even after moving the lathe. ALWAYS check the alignment by putting points in both the headstock and tailstock and sliding the tailstock to bring the points together. If they don't line up exactly, the lathe is out of alignment which can cause various problems, especially with certain types of turning. It might seem odd, but a heavy long cast iron lathe bed can easily warp and twist. (I don't know about the non-cast iron lathes.) To realign it is simple, simply adjust either one of the front or one of the back levelers a bit until the points align. For example, if the tailstock point is a bit closer to you than it should be, crank up a tiny bit on the front leveler on the tailstock end OR the back leveler on the headstock end. Note that simply moving the lathe across the shop can change the alignment since most shop floors are not precisely surface-plate flat. Also, note that the lathe doesn't really have to be level - it can be on a shallow slope and still work fine as long as it's aligned.

Once Mark StLeger was teaching in Knoxville and when he got to the point of doing something that required critical alignment, he checked and our club lathe was not right. I said, hey, I can fix that! So during the break I did what I mentioned above and he continued with the project.

If you haven't hung out with Mark, he is an incredibly nice guy, soft spoken, brilliant, kind, generous, creative, and talented. This pic is from when he visited my farm one winter when he was in the area. (The shop is heated but we just came in after socializing with the llamas!)



JKJ

 

[Richard Findley]

While considering heights, something bugs me about tool rest height. Since it often has to be adjusted when changing tools or using a different type of cut, I often find myself moving it up and down a tiny bit so it's JUST right.
If I were king, I might order my subjects to construct an electro-mechanical system that would bump the rest height up or down by a settable distance. I'd probably set it to 1mm or less. Or maybe several buttons, 1/2mm, 1mm, 3, 5 and 7mm, etc.

Sorby do a gizmo for doing just that with the toolrest: https://robert-sorby.co.uk/product/trac-tool-rest-adjustment-collar/ allows you to adjust the height by a few millimetres with a twist. Never used them but saw a review in a magazine

 

[John K Jordan]

Thanks, first I’ve heard of those. I’ll order one for evaluation.

 

[Karl Best]

I found it is very important for me to have a height that is right and 1” can make a difference. Not short term, but over a long period I began having back problems with 6 weeks of therapy to get back to normal. My lathe height was too low. I ended up selling that lathe and bought a lathe where I can adjust the height to my liking. The rule of thumb is the spindle hight should be at elbow height. However I found I like my spindle height a little higher.

Same. My spindle height is at 49", a couple inches higher than my elbow. Anything lower causes serious back pain. My 3520C is on the risers, bolted to 4x4's on each side.

 

[Ron Solfest]

I like the hockey puck idea. I needed additional height for my 3520 (I’m 6’3”) so I added castors which allow me to move it around easily, along with another inch of oak blocks to get the height I desired. As John K Jordan said - make sure to set up your grinder nearby with the same spindle height.

 

[Darryl Fective]

I've always liked my lathe up higher than elbow height. On my old Powermatic, I had the feet extended and they eventually folded. I made new ones with some plywood "pucks" for feet and with stonger bolts. I donated the lathe to a local charity that was creating a community woodshop and I guess they're stuck with a taller minimum height. 🙄

The idea to use hockey pucks is brilliant. I bought a dozen of them for other projects and shop uses, (like jack pads in the garage) but I think it was after I had made the wood feet.

The legs on my Robust have a pretty wide adjustment range. (very nice feature) Each leg has its own clamping bolt so it's very quick and easy to change the height.