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Lathe Height solution

RonC

RonC

Joined
Nov 9, 2009
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Location
Ocala, FL United States
I currently have a used Jet 1236 lathe. I've come to realize that the spindle height of 6 inches below my elbow is not good. I have read that having the spinble height even 2-3 inches above the elbow saves your back. So with that in mind I'm considering mounting the lathe legs on cinder blocks.

Will that work and does anyone have a better suggestion or idea?

Thanks/Ron
 
Hello, Ron......

You're going to get many suggestions, so mine will be one of many.

I'm one who is a believer in bolting a lathe to the concrete slab floor. On initial thought, cinder blocks would probably work well, if they were positioned in such a way that long bolts could be used through the voids in the blocks.

I suppose I should consider myself lucky to not be a tall man, because at 5'9", I'm not in need of this kind of adjustment with my Australian Woodfast lathe.

Good luck.

ooc
 
Six inches below your elbow will certainly mess with your back! As to having it two or three above your elbow, I can't agree on that one. I'm 5' 8" and really prefer having the spindle about not more than an inch above or below my elbow. Lower and I get back pain from bending over all the time. Higher and I've got to adjust how I hold my tools to uncomfortable levels. I've never bolted a lathe down since sooner or later I've got to move it. Most clubs have added casters or moving bases to their lathes and that will add a couple of inches height.
 
waltben said:
Six inches below your elbow will certainly mess with your back! As to having it two or three above your elbow, I can't agree on that one. I'm 5' 8" and really prefer having the spindle about not more than an inch above or below my elbow. Lower and I get back pain from bending over all the time.
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Unless you're Roy Underhill, I guess.

Mine's low ( elbow) by many people, but I stand straight up and cut at nearly 90 degrees to the axis of the lathe. If you are the type who stands their "bowl" gouges on end to use the sides, it would be an advantage to be above elbow level. So I guess style makes a difference. F'rinstance https://clarahost.clara.net/www.robin-wood.co.uk/turning.htm vs another hooker in the small frame http://www.woodsmithstore.co.uk/shop/Products/Tools/Pole Lathe - Bowl Turning/

Someone's height is an interesting number, but it's the inseam lengths that count. Lots of guys taller than me are just short-torsoed. I suffered with a short parachute harness for years because I was almost too long in the torso to pass the sitting height test.
 
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MichaelMouse said:
Unless you're Roy Underhill, I guess.

Someone's height is an interesting number, but it's the inseam lengths that count.
Click to expand...


Gee, I never quite thought that would matter. If I've long legs with a short torso, or short legs with a long torso, my elbow will be close to the same height (given all other things somewhat equal). Inseam length, height or leg length shouldn't matter any more than girth or weight. It's where your elbow is that will determine where the spindle should be.
 
I like mine about an inch above the elbow. Basically if you have your shoulders hunched up the lathe is too high. If your having to bend over the lathe is too low. This will vary slightly with different tools of course. If you are doing nothing but bowls or nothing but hollow forms then your comfortable height may vary.
It hurts my back every time I watch Roy Underhill turn on his lathe. I know he's doing that because that's the way the lathe was built but I would sure try to raise it if it was me.
 
Frankly, it depends on what you are turning. For me, spindles and the outside of bowls, I prefer close to elbow height. It turns out my 3520b is pretty much there with the leveling feet. When I start hollowing, or when I slide the headstock down to the end so I can better access the inside, I would prefer mine several inches higher, but instead I just sorta crane my neck and deal with it.
 
This one area that one rule of thumb,or elbow😀, does not fit all. I spent several weeks last summer, experimenting with my lathe height. Because of some recent physical problems, my turning time(bowls, hollow forms,etc,etc) had been reduced to 2 or 3 hours per session. The end result is the lathe is now an inch and a half below my elbow height and my turning time is, give or take a bit, 5 hours.
 
Lathe Height

Being about 5'7 1/2" my lathe center was an inch or so high. Old age, bad knees, bad back, etc. has caused me to become the incredible shrinking woodturner. I made a platform the length of the lathe and 2 feet deep. 2 inches high and then the working pad over it gives a little spring and is easier on the legs. At first I was worried about the small step and in an act of forgetfullness stepping of the platform. That has not happened and you develop a sense of it being there.

I have always wondered about the conductors at the symphony on the podium getting excited and falling off the podium but I have never heard of it happening.
 
Build a support system

At my 6'6" height, my first lathe was about 12 inches short. I got an 8 foot long 6" x 6". Cut into four pieces, bolted pairs together. I then used a 2" x 6" with pre-cut mortese and tenion joints (in the 6 x6) to hold the two stacks together. Used some long bolts and carriage bolts to keep all of it together. Envision a very wide H laying down on its side. I then fined tuned the height with plywood scraps. It has held together for six years. Lathe legs are bolted to the side grain of 6 x 6 stack.
 
Thanks for everyone's responses.
Here is what I did. I cut up 12 - 8 inch pieces off a 2x6, stacked and glued 4 pads consisting of 3 pieces each. The pads were then 4 1/2 inches high. Set the lathe on the pads and added 210lbs of sand for stability. The spindle is now approximately 1/2 - 1 inch above my elbow. Worked some pieces for a couple of hours last night and the additional 4 1/2 inches in height is certainly a noticeable/pleasureable difference and a cheap fix at that.
 
Mine's a couple inches above my elbow when I start, but it gets lower as the chips build up on the floor.

MichaelMouse said:
...If you are the type who stands their "bowl" gouges on end to use the sides, it would be an advantage to be above elbow level...
Click to expand...

When using my "lathe", I "stand" my bowl "gouges" whichever "direction" seems to "cut" the best for a "particular" situation. 🙄 Condescend much?
 
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Vaughn said:
Mine's a couple inches above my elbow when I start, but it gets lower as the chips build up on the floor.



When using my "lathe", I "stand" my bowl "gouges" whichever "direction" seems to "cut" the best for a "particular" situation. 🙄 Condescend much?
Click to expand...

Nah, I leave that to folks like you. Is a tool named by what it's doing or is what we do with it because of its name?
 
MichaelMouse said:
Nah, I leave that to folks like you. Is a tool named by what it's doing or is what we do with it because of its name?
Click to expand...

It's a "gouge". It can be used to make a "bowl". I guess the "quotation marks" were evidence of a different kind of "tool" altogether.
 
Vaughn said:
Mine's a couple inches above my elbow when I start, but it gets lower as the chips build up on the floor.



When using my "lathe", I "stand" my bowl "gouges" whichever "direction" seems to "cut" the best for a "particular" situation. 🙄 Condescend much?
Click to expand...

My Australian Woodfast spindle is about 1" above my elbow height. I'm not sure what is considered to be optimum, but this seems to be near my personal ideal.

I tend to agree with Vaughn's thoughts regarding the position of the gouge for the best cut......it varies.

I'm one that also seems to "stand my gouges on end" at times. Sometimes I find myself searching for that perfect cut, and it seems to not be at the exact same angle for the gouge, each and every time. The grind angle, and type/style of grind used for that particular gouge plays a role in what works best as well. Not only that, but the interior shape of the bowl itself, and the tool rest height, are a considerable factors in the equation.

ooc
 
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More input

I also have a Jet 1236 and had the same problem. So I had some extra boards and made 4 6" bases for the feel and bolted the whole thing down. That made mine about an 2" above my elbow which is comfortable for me. I was thinking of doing something a little more permanent but haven't gotten around to it. I used wood blocks because it would be easy to add or remove to obtain the height that was best for me.
 
My lathe is mounted on a hydraulic cart (Harbor Freight) that can be adjusted to any height that I desire. I like it higher if I am hollowing out a hollow form (which I was doing today). Sometimes I sit in a folding chair or on a stool and adjust the height accordingly. I have even used it in its lowest position and turned while sitting on the floor.
 
john lucas said:
Being short I have thought about strapping 2x4's to my feet.
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Intentionally funny or not, that's an excellent idea. Use double-faced Velcro or bungee cords for easy on-and-off, to reduce tracking shavings into the house. Plastic grocery bags don't work as well. You don't need to ask me how I know that.
 
Bill Boehme said:
My lathe is mounted on a hydraulic cart (Harbor Freight) that can be adjusted to any height that I desire. I like it higher if I am hollowing out a hollow form (which I was doing today). Sometimes I sit in a folding chair or on a stool and adjust the height accordingly. I have even used it in its lowest position and turned while sitting on the floor.
Click to expand...

One thing about this forum, is there is always very creative and thought provoking ideas that are far from mainstream thinking.

This is a good example of that!

ooc
 
Do you swear to be tall enough to turn safely at your lathe even if it Kilz you??? You know you really CAN be tall enough it just takes the right CAN'S.

This shows my old double delta lathe seemingly giving birth to a jet mini lathe.

I did this as a joke on a friend whom being a little to short stepped up on a paint can & had it collapse & if I remember right he pulled a Grizzly edge sander over as he fell thank goodness he didn't get hurt.
 

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Although my current solution of adding 4.5 inches of height to my Jet 1236 seems to be working nice over the past week I continued to look through some DVDs and books to see what the subject matter experts seem to say and do. In particularly for those who might have the DVD or book by Richard Rafan "Turning Wood", it is pretty obvious that he certainly likes his spindle height at least 4 inches above his elbow.

On a personal note, I didn't expect that I would have generated such interest in this subject. I've enjoyed all of the responses. Thanks all for contributing.

Ron
 
Bart Leetch said:
Do you swear to be tall enough to turn safely at your lathe even if it Kilz you??? You know you really CAN be tall enough it just takes the right CAN'S.

This shows my old double delta lathe seemingly giving birth to a jet mini lathe.

I did this as a joke on a friend whom being a little to short stepped up on a paint can & had it collapse & if I remember right he pulled a Grizzly edge sander over as he fell thank goodness he didn't get hurt.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what would be a suitable pun-ishment for your can-did solution to the lathe height problem.

However, the really important question is, was your Grizzly edge sander damaged when your friend fell. I can just envision you calling Grizzly tech support while your bud lies there on the floor writhing in agony. 😀
 
This was done & posted in response on another forum by me because of what my friend did in his own shop all by him self & then told on him self on the same forum.
 
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