On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 22:00:15 -0700, "buck"
wrote:

Is there any safety reason for the standard height rule of "elbow height"
when setting up a lathe on a bench or stand. Is there a some safety issues
involve. I will be doing some light spindle work a couple times a month for
only an hour or so and I have a nice workbench for the lathe. The lathe on
the bench will result in the lathe spindle being about 4-5 inches higher
than elbow height.... Any real problem here?? Is the lathe more dangerous
at this level than at elbow level.
-Thanks

my guess, based on limited and self taught experience (I think that's
a disclaimer) is that the height is more for comfort and efficiency
than safety.. it's pretty hard to predict which direction something is
going to fly in unless you know where and how you're going to hit it..
*g*+