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lathe height

D

DWFII

Joined
Apr 25, 2004
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I have a rather urgent question...I got a new Jet 1014 for Christmas and I am wanting to mount it on a bench that I will have to cut down. I'm half way into the modification of this bench and stuck...

I stand 5 foot 6", maybe 7". How high off the floor should the center of the spindle be? I realize that there may be some difference of opinion on this but I've always heard that you should be able to stand with the arms bent at a 90 degree angle and the gouge resting easily on the tool rest. That looks to be about 39" for me. But I see Vicmarcs, for instance, that are set (with no apparent adjustment) so that the center of the spindle is at 47" from the floor. Who are they making the Vicmarcs for? Or am I approaching this bass-ackward?

I'd appreciate some guidance here..once I cut this bench down it's set in stone and if I'm badly off, I lose the bench and have to buy a stand. I don't mind buying a stand, I just hate to lose the storage.
 
The general rule of thumb is just as you described with your elbows bent at 90 degrees. This rule is not set in stone. It should be where your comfort level is. I,m 6'3" and have mine set at 50". A little higher than the 90 degree rule because my back botheres me if I have to bend over for to long. It is a personal thing. Do what is comfortable to your body. Best of luck, Sean
 
As Sean said you need to set the height to your comfort and tool control. I am 6'2" and mine is much higher than most (will have to measure tonight) - in fact others that have visited me complain about it being too high. With neck and back problems my height works for me.

I would suggest making a temporary stand using sawhorses or a workbench and clamp the lathe to it. Adjust this temporary stand up and down until you find a comfortable height that allows you good tool control. My lathe is on the stand that it came on and I kept adding blocks of wood till I actually got it too high. I then removed the last 3/4 inch board and built my risers that I bolted to the wood shop floor and then bolted the lathe to the risers.

Wilford

Edit - measured mine last night and it is 48 inches at the spindle.
 
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As indicated by others the general rule is elbow height, give or take an inch. Something else to consider is if you are standing on a concrete floor you may want to make a duck board or have a thick rubber mat to stand on which may change your centre height.
At least if the lathe is too high as in the Vicmarcs and some others that come with premade stands you can make your duckboard to suit.
One reason for the differance in centre height for a lot of people is their stature, we are all different shapes and sizes so we try to make things as comfortable as possible.
If the lathe is too low you can have pain in your lower back from bending over too much and if it is too high then you also get the lower back and shoulders because you are trying to straighten up your back but hunch over your shoulders.
 
Just got a new (old) lathe from a friend who is 6'5". I'm 6'1" and was able to cut off about 3" of the legs but it is still much higher than I'm used to (arm slightly bent upwards when working rather than slightly downwards, which is what I'm used to). What I'm finding is that my back and neck hurt much less with the higher height but that my arms and shoulders get much more workout. It's a good tradeoff for me right now so I'm sticking with the increased height.

I like the idea of using the sawhorses to start out and finding your best height. Good suggestion, Wilford.

Dietrich
 
I want to thank everyone for replying...I measured my elbow at roughly 42 inches and cut the bench down so that the center of the spindle was at 43 1/2 inches. I figure I can always jack the bench higher if I want. But I have a lot of shoulder and neck pain and while trying to balance all the neck, lower back and shoulder strain out I just figured that if the gouge needed to be lifted in order to meet the wood just right then it would put a lot of strain on either my shoulders or my toes. 🙂

It's hard to sleep when your shoulder feel like they have a hot poker styuck in them.
 
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